MMM430

Just wanted to ask your opinion on whether the airmatic suspension is worth while option when shopping or is it just a liability in the end? I've heard it is an incredibly expensive fix....true?
You can choose more than one in the poll.
Thank you,

sosh

Had an 06 with Airmatic and had absolutly no issues with it at all. Many of the issues with some people that had some problems were taken care of during warranty with improved parts. I have it again on my 2010 ML550 and would not ever have an ML without it.

realralfy

Make sure you like the way it rides in normal mode. Some folks hate the "floatiness" of the ride.

sosh

There is really no "floatiness" in the ride at all. I usually leave mine in "comfort" which is the softest ride. You also have the options of sport which is much stiffer and the normal or auto position which will vary the ride as to the conditions. Its been a wonderful feature that I now have had on 2 ML's. Never had one issue with it and its certainly not a liability.

MMM430

Thanks for your input everyone!

semis1

First off, having driven the W164 with and without airmatic, I definitely like the airmatic better. The non airmatic vehicles drove fine, but with, big difference in adjustability. So I ordered my '06 ML500 with it.
At 62,000 miles the system started acting up. The driver's side front, dropped and I mean low rider low when the ignition was turned off. This was going on for a couple of days and then one day, the pump would not stop working. I pulled the large 40 AMP fuse located in the engine fuse box to stop the pump because I was afraid it would burn out and I am sure it would (yes, the pump would NOT stop even with the key off!!!)

So, air shock had sprung an air leak. Apparently the pump was trying to fill it up then went nuts. Dealer where I bought the car from, wanted $1,100 for the part and $400 for labor. What??? For one shock???

Any way I called a friend at another dealer and he got me wholesale price of $850 for the shock and I completed the R&R. Not an easy job, but not that bad with a good variety of mechanic tools. (I have more than the average Joe since I built my own '65 Cobra replica and I have always tinkered with my BMW MCoupe and Audi A4.

Any way, the reliability of the airmatic is an issue but as everything in life it is a compromise.

HTH

Sam

sshu930

I agree it is nice to have but when you are out of warranty it can get expensive to fix. Almost every auto maker which has an adjustable suspension has issues sooner or later. It's just another thing that can break and is expensive to fix.

sosh

Just about everything on every vehicle can break or wear out. Life in itself is expensive. So why even own a vehicle when for a dollar you can hop on many busses or trains. Seems that its the financially marginal people that complain. Perhaps they should be walking or driving a much less complex vehicle. Please do not consider this an afront on you its just nothing more than my thoughts on this subject.

red308

I might be in the minority on this one. But I had the air suspension in my 2008 ML 550. No problems with it . But I definitely like the regular suspension better.

I know the air suspension has better adjustability, but it just did not ride as smooth as the regular suspension.

medici78

I prefer air. I have it on my ML320 CDI and did not notice how much I preferred it until I rented an ML320 CDI in Germany for two weeks that had steel suspension. The adjustable ride makes a huge difference, especially in Sport mode. I usually leave it in sport unless its a crappy street. The steel suspension felt a bit wallowy and not as confidence inspiring as the Air in Sport.