Melchior

I've placed an order for my first Mercedes Benz. I was originally trying to keep in budget and thought the air body control would also cost more to maintain. However, does the air body control make a huge difference in comfort?

dieseldoc

I did not order it. The car drives great without it. I was very concerned about reliability of the air suspension. I had a 2008 Gl that had multiple issues with the air suspension. I was glad I bought the extended warranty.

Mickfx

+1

DBV

I got it and makes the GLC drive even better and is extremely smooth. As I have mentioned in other posts, I owned 3 GL350's and never had any issues with the air suspensions. My wife would not have a SUV without it.

JEVA

Several of the reviews have mentioned how great the non-air suspension is but then also nitpick that it's doesn't drive very sporty. I think with the air suspension you can probably have the best of both worlds. I'll get to see for myself in about a month.
BTW I'm leasing so have no worries about long-term reliability of the system.

Penn

It really depends on how long you want to keep the car for.

My experience with a ML's animatic was that it was the least reliable system on the car.

Melchior

I'm definitely planning to keep it long term. Will be financing for 5 years, and foresee keeping it for awhile after that. It does sound like eventually it will need maintenance, and it will be more of a headache than the regular suspension.

Unfortunately, there are no GLCs available on the entire west coast that has the air suspension to try out, otherwise, I would have already done so. I'm just going to leave it out for now, since reliability is a top consideration and I've had my share of nightmare repairs. I will consider it again when I purchase my next vehicle in 5+ years.

billjet

Being a transfuge from BMW I owned a 2008 ML W/O air suspension and I hated that car for being so soft I considered it almost dangerous for spirited driving. I didn't choose air back then being also afraid of the cost that it might incur. In 2012 I change for a ML with AIR: I loved that car and could adjust it for any kind of driving and no longer regretted the Bimmers. And, ZERO problem. So when I switched to this GLC there was no hesitation.
I tried one w/o air before ordering and hated it ... I guess it's a matter of taste and mainly the way one drives ... Also the car can be raised to clear hazards- great here for snow banks - and lower to help fit heavy stuff in the cargo area. Would not have one without it ! If there is one option for me it's the one.

schnabels

Hi, Billjet. Now that you've owned the GLC for a while, how is the air body control doing? Any problems? I'm conflicted about buying this option. I want it, but I'm concerned about the reliability. I do plan to keep the car for at least 7 to 10 years.

freinhar

I did not have a chance to test drive the GLC with air suspension as the option was not available in Australia when the car was first released, so all the demo models at the dealership had steel springs.

So there is a big caveat here in the sense that I am not able to compare between the two types of suspension.

That having been said, I am quite a spirited driver, whereas my fiancee definitely prefers a more comfortable ride. We are both equally happy with the feel of the steel suspension.

dieseldoc

Did not get the air body control. Steel suspension is great. Had a GL with air suspension. It drove nice but air suspension was unreliable in my almost 8 years of ownership. My Extended warranty paid for itself just with the suspension!

billjet

Almost 2 months / 2,000 Km since possession, as far as air suspension is concerned: I still say THIS IS THE BEST OPTION THIS CAR CAN HAVE.
No problem at all, works as expected.
Would not drive this piece of engineering W/O it period !

DBV

Would definitely recommend it. We have had 3 GL350's with it with 0 issues and so far 3300 miles on our GLC with it. My wife would not get a SUV without.

JEVA

After a few days with the car and playing with the suspension settings, it's totally worth it IMO. I can tell a very distinct difference between Comfort and Sport+. The former being smooth and supple and the latter being harsh on bumps but cornering/body roll is much improved. The car is much more nimble in Sport+, especially with the steering in sport mode.
I know some have had issues with quality on the air suspension in the past and that's definitely a consideration but if you are leasing like me and aren't concerned about the longevity of the system before issues crop up then I think that is much less of a concern.
If you want the best of both worlds (comfort and performance) on demand, you should really consider it.

MB190

Totally agree! We got it on both cars and very glad we did. The ride is superior to the test drives we did on GLCs without it.

Flicka60

I have a 2018 GLC 4matic on order. Do all of you with ABC still feel it is worth the cost and any problems with reliability?

dieseldoc

I do not have it. Car is nice without it. I had air suspension on my GL. It was a nightmare. They goodness for warranty and Extended warranty.

wmc021

Hi Melchior,

Highly recommend the air suspension My GLC 43 performs great I agree with JEVA comments.

Mine is coming up to 6 months and works fine ..... but if you are going to keep it longer than the standard warranty period, I would recommend you get an extended warranty.
Not just because of the air suspension but for the car as a whole .... To much Tech to go wrong in the long term.

yavor

I had the same thoughts before ordering my GLE. Without air suspension the vehicle felt too soft and unstable for more energetic driving, that's why I ordered the ABC. Great feature, switching from Comfort to Sport feels like you change one car with another, no issues until now. As far as the problems with air suspension in earlier GL-s, all I know is that in this generation the air springs were one the same for both ML and GL, but in the same tie the GL is much heavier. The GLC is much lighter than both so I wouldn't expect problems from this side. And keep in mind that every contemporary high end car has so many electronic features in it that everything can go wrong in a moment and if you think about this better take a Golf II and drive it forever

madelko

Great option - Seems to handle the Run Flats well.

MercedesTheBest

i like it in mine, good ride seems to do well over the road surfaces. one issue though is i did have to have the pump replaced at about the 1yr mark. but warranty meant it was free, took about 1 week and i had a free loner in the meantime.

would i get it again? yes i would, but i wouldn't want it outside of a warranty period.

augerpro

Do you know how much the pump service was?

Flicka60

I so plan to keep the car for up to 10 years, I will definitely get the extended warrenty, I read on line of a failure at 60k.

dieseldoc

Would get Extended warranty on any Mercedes you plan to keep long term. Expensive to fix out of warranty especially air suspension.

MercedesTheBest

i do not. it all just says N/C for the parts and all the labour.