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My 2012 GL550 has cost me close to $5000 replacing front air shocks and rear bags and it’s still not right lol. Rear driver side still sagging. I should’ve just spent the money to convert to regular shocks because this system is a night mare.
My 2012 GL550 has cost me close to $5000 replacing front air shocks and rear bags and it’s still not right lol. Rear driver side still sagging. I should’ve just spent the money to convert to regular shocks because this system is a night mare.
It’s so true the more you know how to do the more you can save really save money
So much this... if you have to have a Mercedes with all the bells and whistles, either only own one within warranty or learn how to fix it yourself.
We have a friend with an Acura MDX that had adaptive shocks. The cost of the OEM shocks was $800 each, not including labor, with no aftermarket options available. Makes our $350 new OE Bilstein or $250 rebuilt Arnott seem cheap in comparison.
So now that we told OP to become a master mechanic overnight, Exactly what are the symptoms and the failure modes? I see something about one wheel being lower than the other. That could be a multitude of things; possibly a missing calibration; possibly a slow leak anywhere from the bag to the valve box, possibly a leak in the valve block itself.
this leak is probably what ate the compressor and needs fixed first. OP; search this forum for how to replace the compressor yourself - it is one of the easiest repairs you can do on the airmatic system of this car. That’s followed by replacing one or two rear air springs, which is a little bit more involved.
I recently purchased a 2012 GL550. A few days after purchasing I notice the Rt Rear appears to be lower/lowering. The drivability wasn't the best in terms of road riding smoothness. Nothing wrong with engine or transmission. Felt like tires needed to be replaced and alignment was needed. I noticed both front tires were significantly worn on the inside of the tread pattern. Had an alignment done in Florida where I purchased the vehicle. It certainly drove better but still had a womp womp womp when driving. Drove the vehicle from Florida back home to Myrtle Beach, SC. When I got back home I replaced all 4 tires with New Continental set. Drivability issue solved! Drove like a dream! During the next 2 weeks I continued noticing the Rt side appeared to be deflated all the way down after the vehicle sat overnight. I never kept track of the time frame it took for the vehicle to deflate. I would only notice the next morning after it sat overnight. When driving through my condo parking lot one morning to Starbucks to get the day started, BOOM! sounded like a cannon and the Rt Rear immediately dropped down. I proceed to go park the vehicle amd inspect the area. Through the wheel I can see the airbag has exploded. Eventually, the Rt Front dropped completely down as well. I ordered a new Arnott Airbag and installed 5 days later. The vehicle was not driven at all once parked in the day of the blowout. After installation I cranked vehicle up and it inflated and looked to be fine. I did, however, notice the right side appeared to be slightly lower than the left side. I took measurements on each wheel from tip center of rim to bottom of flare. The Rt Front was approximately ¾" lower than Lt Front and Rt Rear was just under ½" lower than Lt Rear. 2 hours after installation, Rt Front was all the way down. Rt Rear (where airbag was replaced) appeared to be ok or maybe down just a little. I read somewhere to put in Sport mode (then let sit for 3 minutes), Put in Towing or "Load Hauling Mode" (let sit for 3 minutes), then put back in "Normal" mode (and let sit for 3 minutes. Tjis process was to regulate or "recalibrate" the Airmatic System. I completed the process. The next morning everything appeared to be fine. No obvious deflation of Rt Side bags. I left for Florida the same morning and drive 543 miles the day after replacing with no issues. I arrived here this past Sunday. Everything has been fine other than the very slightly lowered Rt Side (both rt front and rt rear within ¾" lower than lt side front and rear) as mentioned earlier in my post, until this morning! Rt Front was completely down again. I literally backed out of the driveway (vehicle was fine) let my wife out, and pulled back in. 3 hours later Rt Front was down completely. I do remember hearing a shot of air that sounded almost like a blow off valve when I turned the vehicle off and then closed and locked the door. Thought nothing of it as I had previously heard the same noise but it was when the vehicle was running, compressor kicked on, and then went off. Left around 1pm to run a few errands and got back around 530pm. Went back out at 715pm and Rt front is down again. Bother Rt & Lt Front tires/wheels appear to be leaning inward at top as if the tire isn't sitting completely flat on surface.
The vehicle Carfax when purchased had a decent service history with around 30-35 service pings in the last 10-11 years. I am going to start calling the vendors in attempts to document what was done at each service but I haven't gotten that far yet.
I am under the impression the Rt Front shock/strut/suspension airbag needs to be replaced which is currently going to be my next move. I am very thankful to have found this forum as I ALWAYS do my own repairs and services to my vehicle. Short of it taking a scanner or computer, I can do damn near anything (not to toot my own horn).
I have a nice list of things I am going to do such as upgrade brakes, rotors, and calipers as well as a small tune potentially. Other than this issue, the vehicle drives amazing and runs strong. Any and all help is very much appreciated and I look forward to exchanging knowledge with all of you. I have attached a picture of the blown Rt Rear Airbag that I have already replaced. Pretty gnarly Blown Rt Rear Suspension Airbag
01-16-2022, 05:54 PM
