Had an issue where my GL450 2012 would not start. I would get accesory lights but it would not turn over at all. Towed it into dealer and they found a laundry list of problems that if I let them do all the work would have run upwards near 15K!!!!!

I purchased it used in 2019 and it currently has 120K miles on it.

I had them replace the Ignition Start/Stop switch as well as Starter and that corrected my starting issues. It was nice to have it start so instantly as it had increasingly been more and more sluggish. I couldnt believe the price I had to pay for this but at least that part is done.

Now for the laundry list of other things needed. First of all, I need to say that I plan to sell this vehicle before the end of the year as I am retiring from 42 years service as federal employee and am moving to the island of Sardinia in Italy to spend my golden years. Needless to say, I will not be shipping this SUV over to italy and now need to figure out what is worth fixing to make it more sellable or if I should just try to get a couple bucks for it as is, or even donate to charity. Whatever i do, it won't be taking it to the dealership and get bent over again. The pain is real when dealing with dealers. I have auto savvy friends and hope the things that need to be done aren't too complicated and if so, if you could maybe forward me some youtube videos on how to perform the various work needed I would appreciate it. Also, regarding parts, I will use what ever the cheapest sound stuff you guys can recommend. Thank you in advance. Here we go, the suv needs:

1) brakes, the whole shebang. It is also giving me message on screen letting me know the brakes are almost shot.
2) both rear air shocks. Funny thing, I am driving car home from dealership after ignition starter replacement and half way home, I feel hear big bang in left rear. I assume the air bag literally blew. It is a very bad bouncy harsh ride now from that area.
3) both front lower control arms. I don't know what they are but they need to be replaced.
4) driver front axle
5) front sway bar bushings
6) both front air shocks
7) transfer case bushings

So there it all is. I still drive it around town even though its very bumpy ride and it's still pretty clean car so what would you all do if you were me and had 6 more months of use for this car and need to sell it. Iwould appreciate details on parts and also please let me know if it is better to just replace the airmatic system and utilize this suspension conversion kit from strut masters.

https://www.strutmasters.com/product...es&zCountry=US

2

 

Wipe your mouth with that list, that’s about all it’s worth. Typical dealer bull**** to write a 15k of needs for a car that’s worth maybe 8k on a great day.

be very pragmatic about what you fix with this one and do it yourself.

and focus on the rear air springs, replace both of them at the same time. It’s maybe 200 bucks aside and 30 minutes each done in the driveway.

Also, the brakes.

let everything else just ride.

do not convert to coil springs.

 

I'm supporting the no convert to coil spring.

I'm running coils now and I can’t wait to go back.

 

Congratulations on your retirement.

I chose Nigeria and I took my truck.

 

Congratulations on your impending retirement - if you can’t DIY any of this just dump this truck right now and don’t look back. Get you a FIAT Panda when established on station and enjoy la dolce vita.

putting this Benz out to Indy’s or even the dealer will be an expensive and sour experience.

sell it for $3-4k and move on.

 

I have a 2011 GL450 in very good shape - no issues, good paint, etc. 150k and I'm told it's worth about $6500. I'm willing to bet your repairs will approach that, plus other things that might pop up. If you could get $2500 - $3000 for it as is, I'd go for it.

 

Thanks for this advice! You've talked me into tackling this myself. Just watched some youtube videos and it looks manageable even for a rookie like me. Ordering a grooved clip remover tool and some lubrication as it looks like alot of the work is popping off those clips that hold the fender protector. Found acombo rear bags and compressor on Ebay. the front left strut had already been replaced and i have it's brother for the right side that I need to throw in and then my airmatic is back on track. Parts for rears and compressor is $350. Current compressor probably close to failure as I have been driving this for a couple months now since the bag blow in the rear and the compressor runs the whole time I am driving. Also see many brake kit options and the videos also look very doable. I think I will take care of these things as you suggested and call it a day. I think the investiment will pay for itself in a sale as noone will want to buy a bouncing crappy ride with bad brakes. And thanks to all giving me an idea what this suv is worth. I'll keep you guys posted as I tackle this. I'm am excited to do this now. Have never gotten my hands dirty with this kind of work. I took the offer from DOGE back in February and I have been on administrative leave getting full pay since March and this continues to the end of the year when I retire. So I got time on my hands! You guys are great.

 

Congrats to you too Prince. I visited Sardinia back in April to make sure this place is for me and it is like paradise. The beaches and the clearest blue mediterranean water you have ever seen. A big full size SUV though would suffer trying to make its way through Italian towns and their narrow streets. Plus gas is like 7 bucks a gallon on the island. Will be looking into that Fiat Panda electric version as suggested by another. Perfect car for what I need. I am bringing my 2 rat terriers with me and we will need a ride asap. We will be exploring the many many beaches on the island. They don't know yet what an extraordinary life awaits them. The beach is like Disneyland to a dog. Going to also get a two wheel ride as this island is made for cruising. I am a scooter guy and selling my Suzuki Burgman 650 and will buy a new Yamaha Tmax when I get there. Then there is the cabin cruiser to complete all my transportation needs! It will happen! Got to sell my Bayliner SD249 Deck boat here as it is only good for lakes, not the sea. So much to prepare for.

 

Alrighty then well in the meantime, let’s get those two rear bags in.

So you’ll need a jack and two jackstands and a 10 mm wrench. Those are the only tools needed for this, apart from the lug bolt wrench, which I do believe is 17 mm or 19 I’m not sure.

Crack the wheel bolts with the wheels on deck and then hoist the rear end up using the hitch as the jack point. Once both wheels are floating, put the jacks underneath the jack pads in front of the rear wheels.

remove wheels and you should see the airbag pretty clearly. The air connector is on the inboard side and requires just a little bit of turning before it will start deflating. You need not save any components from the old bag. In fact you need to make sure you get the brass ferrule off of the plastic line.

Once it’s fully deflated, just press it downward, pop it up from the lower amount and it will slide down back and out.

Installation is exactly the most dreaded words you’ll ever hear, the reverse of removal. Remove the little plastic do that that is sticking in the connector, and insert the airline firmly and give it a little tug to make sure that it doesn’t pull out.

That’s one down. Now do the other..

Be very careful about lowering the car with deflated airbags. In fact, just take it off the jack stand and support the weight of the car using the jacks until you start the car again and inflate the rear airbags to where I can sit on its own.

then remove the jack.

done!

If the compressor is able to inflate the rear wheels, I would just ride that one for now.

If not, you might want to do that one first. It just requires the front wheel to be turned fully to the right and the inner fender liner removed. You need a T 15 I believe in a 10 mm socket to get the inner fender liner off and there is the compressor hanging off the front fender well. You’ll see the same air connector, but with a thicker line on this one. Same method of removal as the airbag.
it’s a little tricky getting to the electrical connectors and it might be easier to do after you un bolt the shock hanger Springs and let it hang down a little bit. Remember in which order the spring hardware is assembled and put the new one back in. This thicker line requires a very firm push and a tug to ensure that it is fully seated and that you won’t have a leak on the output line. Also make sure that the air intake hose to the compressor is hole. Be very careful on the 90° band as it could become brittle over overtime and crack if it does, just cut a length off and reattach it to a fresh piece of hose.

 

Great! Everything you stated aligns with a couple wonderful youtube videos I watched. I totally understand about the electrical connections and airline, seeing what I saw. That clip puller tool to get the fender liner off is on its way from amazon as I believe I have all the other necessary hardware.

 

I have pulled up needed parts from Parts Geek and addressing alll the problems the dealer said I had , which are again

1) brakes. I am going to assume just rotors and pads and that the calipers are fine. Detroit Axle has a kit for front and rear for $300. After watching a good video, I see that I also need to buy 2 brake pad sensors, $8 for both. +each go on front and rear passenger side. The video suggest using a brake caliper compression tool to compress the caliper all the way. $5 on Amazon.
2) rear air springs. Unity has 2 for $76
3) air compressor. it wasn't mentioned as an issue by the dealer even though I said to myself i will replace it, it still sounds great and runs like I said nonstop. I will leave that be for now
4) front air struts. My buddy replaced left front using an Arnot part about 6 months ago but we never got around to doing the right side as the brand new Arnot part sits in the garage waiting for install. I recall he got stuck for a while until he was able to borrow an impact wrench? I think that's what he called it. well he is long gone living in Hawaii now so will probably enlist my godson who is quite the grease monkey and have him assist me on that.
5) lower front control arms. Not sure if I want to drop $297 for this kit TRQ Control Arm and Sway Bar End Link Kit - Front this is a maybe.
6) front sway bar bushings. 2 per side for 4 pack kit Lemfoerder has it for $22
7) front left axle API CV Axle Assembly $74
8) the dealer did not mention this part but I have read enough to know it can be a problem and I just put it here for now and will see if I need it. Unity Air Suspension Solenoid Valve Unit $64

So I am at $865 total and it would be $365 cheaper without the lower front control arms and valve solenoid. I like the labor charges though. I am looking forward to doing all of this and learn something in my old age. So possibly $500 in parts to get it back to semi normal. Anyone got a coupon code for Parts Geeks?

Did you all know what GL stands for? I found it stands for the German word Gelande, which means "off road". Interesting.

 

In Mercedes parliance the L usually stands for “Leicht”, or light. So I’d say Gelandewagen light.

If it’s your intent just to drive this thing until you get to your magical island, I would just put in the rear airbags and leave it at that. Maybe the brakes.

you don’t need a clip puller tool to pull the fender liner. In fact, I don’t recall what that would even be for there.

I’m sorry your government service ended up like that but all in all it seems like you’ve come out extremely well and I thank you for your service.

 

It would be my intent to drive this thing another 5 to 6 months and sell it with nice new brakes and suspension. I would think I can command better sell price , but the other things regarding lower front control arms, front sway bar bushings, left front axle, etc , I will hold off purchase and do a visual once I'm in there to see how bad things might be. Not interested in throwing a dime more than I have to in Silverdigger.

Silverdigger you ask? Sure, doesn't everyone give their sweet SUV a name? Mine's Silverdigger , well because she's silver, not gold. But she sure likes to lighten your wallet given the chance! My friends all said same thing, warning me before buying it. The repair and maintenance. I didnt' care and I hold no regret today for spending a little more than prudent people with budgets to mind. She's been nothing but a pleasure to drive. To think I started out shopping for new Rav4 (2019) and ended up with this 2012 in a used lot. The best part of this ride is the freeway when I need instant power to pass or do uphill, Silverdigger is my rocket ship.

 

And thank you for the kind words. It has been a bit of living hell for thousands of fed employees this year 2025. I was actually in a lucky position of already planning on retiring at the end of this year. So how could I pass this amazing offer up. I was already working from home and life so far for me has changed in that I am still working but it's on a huge front and backyard that is my project to get a better homes and garden picture of. I plan to rent it out for a couple of years while I am living in Sardinia.

1983 - 1987 US Navy Radiman 3rd class Naples , Italy
1988 -1992 Computer Specialist GS9/11/12 Naval Ordnance Station, Indian Head , MD
1992 - 1998 IRS Telecommunicatgion Specialist GS12 Fresno, CA
1998 - 2016 Small Business Administration IT Specialist GS12 Fresno, CA
2016 Present IRS IT Specialist GS14 Fresno, CA

 

And thank you for the kind words. It has been a bit of living hell for thousands of fed employees this year 2025. I was actually in a lucky position of already planning on retiring at the end of this year. So how could I pass this amazing offer up. I was already working from home and life so far for me has changed in that I am still working but it's on a huge front and backyard that is my project to get a better homes and garden picture of. I plan to rent it out for a couple of years while I am living in Sardinia.

1983 - 1987 US Navy Radioman 3rd class Naples , Italy
1988 -1992 Computer Specialist GS9/11/12 Naval Ordnance Station, Indian Head , MD
1992 - 1998 IRS Telecommunicatgion Specialist GS12 Fresno, CA
1998 - 2016 Small Business Administration IT Specialist GS12 Fresno, CA
2016 Present IRS IT Specialist GS14 Fresno, CA

 

I ain’t saying she’s a silver digger, but she’ll be worth about 7-8k in decent working order.

 

Converting used to be the go-to everyone chose when the air system started acting up, but I find people today run across that solution from old threads and they don't know WHY it was the default choice. It's because the air springs used to be stupidly expensive. Now that the X164 has been around a while there's more parts suppliers and they can actually be cheaper than a coilover conversion these days. I've replaced all 4 corners after driving through a canyon of a pothole that damaged nearly everything last fall and it was well under $1k. Front shocks with bags can be had for under $300 each now, and rear bags are like 90 bucks each. Couple hundred more if your compressor needs replacing and you're golden.

It used to be $1200-$1400 for a single front bag/strut alone. Conversion kits are still around $1000 but that was much more tempting when you were considering several thousand over the years for OEM parts from the stealership.

 

I was able to replace the rear air bags without even remove the rear wheels, just jack up the back on the hitch. Super easy to do even if you arent that mechanically inclined. I would replace those ASAP, they are cheap too and youll burn out your air pump if you leave. If you only have a few months left with the car then just replace the brake pads at a shop, its a safety item. Lower control arms just take alot of labor but the parts arent expensive, they have 3 bushings. Its usually cheaper to do the whole arm with new bushings already mounted in there if you go to a shop because of the labor it takes to remove the bushings. If you didnt notice it being bad then its not bad enough yet to be urgent especially if you are getting rid of the car soon. If you are a DIY guy you can save a ton of money just buying the bushings but it will take HOURS to get done and you need the right tools. Front sway bar bushings are also super easy to do, its like 2 bolts and you dont have to lift the car to get to them. The front struts and bags are more expensive and a bunch of labor again but easier than the control arms, It took me about 4 hours to do both sides my first time, not difficult if you have an impact wrench and some DIY mechanic experience. I used ARNOTT for replacement parts from rockauto, but FCP euro is also a great place for really quality parts.

 

1

 

Why don't you like the coil conversion and what brand did you use?
I just bought Arnott and it's too soft of a ride. I can't carry 4 people and camping equipment without bottoming out.

 

What is bottoming out? Air suspension or coil conversion? Since you mentioned brand name Arnott, I assume its air suspension.
No way in the world the air suspension would bottom unless you have a severe leak or something wrong with your level sensors.
Coil conversion is a different story, I have no experience on that to be honest.

The reason coil conversion usually turns out crap because GL is a heavy vehicle and as far as I know there is no specific suspension components specifically designed for GLs, people usually use the equipment from ML class which is much lighter vehicle, I might be wrong who knows...
But usually conversion on the GL Class doesn`t give the best results.

 

Max,
why do you say not to convert to coils?
I just installed the Arnott suspension and it is TOO SOFT. I couldn't carry 4 guys and some camping gear without it bottoming out. I am thinking about Strutmasters next but worried it's too stiff. I'm like Goldielocks...I want it JUST RIGHT.

 

It was the Arnott coil conversion kit. The springs were too soft in the rear and with moderate weight in the back, the rear wheels kept hitting the fenders over the bumps and it ended up cracking the fender flares.

 

Something is wrong with your airmatic setup if that is occurring with new bags in the back. Do you have a malfunction indication?

 

Sorry for the confusion. I installed the coil conversion from Arnott. It was too soft.
I ordered the Strutmasters kit and I will hopefully have it on next weekend.