Frothhelmet

Hi - I have what seems to be an airmatic failure in the left front shock - got the red low car warning and the front of the car is almost on the ground (especially the driver side. Although the car only has 63k miles, given its age I am thinking of converting all 4 air springs to Arnott coil springs.

My thoughts are that I want to drive this car until it is dead (don't care about resale), and that because it is now 20+ years old it would be better to just fix this achilles heel once and for all.

Are there any other factors I need to consider or does this make sense? Thank you for your advice!

tusabes

It’s much better to repair the system , especially with just one failed strut . You only need to change that one strut . If it was all 4 struts maybe it would be worth to convert

Frothhelmet

Update - I called up my local Mercedes Benz dealership this morning and they said ~$2k for the single strut (but could probably do it cheaper using non-OEM parts elsewhere). However, the MB repair guy also said that what typically happens is that when you replace one strut, the pressure differential created by the new and old struts causes the old struts to fail also, and so what you end up with is a $10k bill. Which is more than my car is worth. Has anyone had this scenario play out as well?

He also said that he knew someone who had replaced the airmatic with coil suspension on a 2007 Mercedes and the car was never the same since. In particular it was a perpetual 'low-rider'. If I go with a coil conversion is there any way to prevent this happening too?

Thank you!

tusabes

You would be insane to let a Mercedes’ dealer do the work . Struts are $300 aftermarket and labor is 2 hours at an independent mechanic

there is no pressure differential that’s BS

austin.tillison

I removed all of the air struts on my 2002 s500 with 194k miles on it and installed Ceika Performance coilovers.
I didn't want to spend the time and money fixing the air ride system so I opted for the coilovers. I have no regrets.

I never drove much with the air ride so it's hard to say how they compare, but the car still drives great with coilovers.

Frothhelmet

I appreciate all the feedback. I think I will check and see what is wrong with the Airmatic first before I decide what to do - there seems to be a lot of risks going for a coilover. I noticed that one of the air struts looks different than the other, so appears to have some problems in the past. Could I also ask, is Ceika a better brand than Arnott for springs?

wallyp

Rebuilt Arnott have a lifetime warranty. I have installed full sets on both W220s that I have owned. I got one bad one out of eight, instantly replaced.

MBNUT1

One of the primary reasons I would want a W220 is for the airmatic.The suspension is one of the car's primary strengths. I would have zero interest in one on coil overs.

Frothhelmet2

Hi me again - so the repair shop said I have both Airmatic and Active Body Control (ABC) on my car - is this even possible? I thought they were mutually exclusive? Nowhere on my car does it say ABC or AMG or 4matic.... They want $2200 to replace one strut, $500 for labor and $1700 for the Arnott part SK-2455, which sells for $700 online. They claim that I wont get the manufacturers warranty if I buy it myself. I think I am geing scammed....Thanks for your advice!

tusabes

You are getting scammed
go elsewhere

Frothhelmet2

Thank you for your advice! I will take it elsewhere.

wallyp

Just a clarification - when we say "aftermarket" Airmatic struts, we do not, never, ever, mean cheap eBay or Amazon Chinese knockoffs! Never!

IMHO, the choices are, in order of low to high price, Arnott rebuilt, Arnott new, Bilstein, Mercedes rebuilt, Mercedes new from a reliable online vendor, or Mercedes new from the dealer.

MBNUT1

Not sure why anyone would want a W220 with coil-overs. The air suspension is one of the best attributes of the car.

smapua

I replaced all 4 airmatic shocks with Arnott rebuilt. Was expensive, but so worth it

msgbueno

way over priced. you can do it yourself. just search through the forums. they are great and gave a lot of information

E30life

I had constant issues with my airmatic. I switched it to ceika coil overs. 1200 bucks for the set. I picked them because the price is right and you can customize the build, I don’t know that they’re better or worse than any others. Took a little bit to get them adjusted right (my first time w/ coil overs). I also replaced the a-arms and tie rods at the same time as the old rubber bushings were squeaking. It rides great. It’s a little stiffer than the air, but there’s adjustments and you can order them valved differently, I got mine tuned for sport driving because I like to beat on the car and slide sideways everywhere (I’m a kid at heart). The only issue I have is the car doesn’t know where it’s sitting, so when you check the oil level (no dipstick) the car doesn’t know because it doesn’t know it’s level. I don’t have any leaks or burn oil, so I just switch it out to MB recommended oil capacity when I change the oil, but I’d really like a dipstick. I got a kit to fool the
airmatic sensor but I haven’t installed it yet. Don’t know if that would change anything.

PrometheusFD3S

did you have to convert your car to run sway bars?

did you have to lower your subframe via spacers?