Doomore

I have read much and many of stickys. They are great although, many are old, I am also,
2 problems
1. Have a leak in right front top of strut. I am willing to buy new or rebuilt. I see them on ebay for $200+ for 2. I don't want something that is going to fail soon after installation. Can you'll suggest a reputable supplier for these, or the fix for the top seal. I am NO "mechanic". But I have a big rig and do much of my own work over the years.
any of the links in 'stickys' are dead. I am not complaining
2. Would like a legend for my fuse boxes.....

Thanks

2000 S430 W220
last of VIN YA100138

bamberger_1

If your strut is leaking on the top (through the epoxy cast) there is a repair set available. Hard to find in the net, but very functional and runs around 100$. It replaces the the top lid of the strut and there is an O-ring applied, as it is done for the never upgrade models (>09/2002). I have made this repair myself, and it works for some years already. In order to perform this repair, the strut doesn't have to come out. You can find some video how to do this under YouTube. To replace the struts with Chinese made replica is a waste of time and money. There is only ONE valid replacement and this's Bilstein, nothing else!!!

Doomore

Thank You Sir

bamberger_1

Here the fuses and the relays
https://www.motor-talk.de/forum/akti...hmentId=588532

Doomore

You are the best.
Thank You again

wallyp

Here is a detailed thread (136 posts!) on repairing the leaking top seal.
https://www.benzworld.org/threads/ai...y-fix.1467695/

In the USA, we can get Arnott rebuilt struts with a lifetime warranty for about $400 - that is a popular option over here. Replacing with a used OEM strut is another popular choice.The "aftermarket" struts are a real gamble.

Doomore

Thank you Wally. Will read and learn.

bamberger_1

Just went through the benzworld posts. One thing I have to say, Skylaw, a very well experienced member of the MB-World is not quite right about the function if the epoxy casting of the strut's top. The early models of the W220 upto 2002 September all had the epoxy casting to prevent leaking from the top lid of the strut. It has no impact on the valve seating at all. The newer models have no epoxy, and so do the replacement struts have no epoxy sealing, but the top lid is sealed by an O-ring between the lid and the strut housing. The valve has its own seal between housing and valve. In many cases, where the leaking of the top is only existing under certain circumstances, such as lifting up the front or narrow turns it may be resealed by removing the old epoxy, clean the top of the strut thoroughly and refill the area with new 2-K epoxy < 30 min curing time. In any case a cheap trial, before investing in new struts, or repair sets. BTW, I'm not a friend of Arnott products, as the new "Airmatic" struts from Arnott do not have adjustable damping valves, and the reconditioned Arnott struts have, as per my experience, a relatively high failure rate. Yes, I know Arnott is very customer friendly and replaces w/o problems, but they don't compensate for the extra labor cost

Doomore

Thanks for this info Bam

Wow, those guys had a discussion. Much good info there. Will try the epoxy fix.