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Pretty much market everywhere I've looked. Around $1500 for the pair.
Also, I've got about 125mi on my replacement Arnott and so far so good! No clicking or funky noise, just silence.I really hope I can get some trouble/annoyance-free miles out of this pair. They feel great and function just fine. I'll report back as the miles climb or something happens.
Rockauto has REALLY good pricing on the front Bilstein's for sure, but I couldn't find rear struts on RockAuto. It's a shame if Arnott's QA is reflective of the general consensus here because back in the day when airlift was very popular Arnott was the team to beat. Good luck and I'll be following your Arnott journey.
Right on man. Keep your eye on ebay. I keep these in my wishlist. This particular item is gone but good info in the listing for reference and title to use for ebay search.
Rockauto has REALLY good pricing on the front Bilstein's for sure, but I couldn't find rear struts on RockAuto. It's a shame if Arnott's QA is reflective of the general consensus here because back in the day when airlift was very popular Arnott was the team to beat. Good luck and I'll be following your Arnott journey.
I'm in the same boat. So, no rear Bilstein's on Rock Auto. Hmmm. I've seen plenty of cheap eBay options, including all four corners and a compressor for under 700 bucks. I can attest the cheap stuff in my case didn't work.
I'll start keeping an eye out for rear Bilstein's.
Nice car BTW. I tried to steer my wife toward pearlescent white, but I lost that one too. Yours is the right color with all the right options, very nice!
Good stuff., John. I don't replace anything at the air connection point. Just disconnect, replace strut, reconnect and do the soapy water leak test at the connection. If it passes the test, gtg. If not, replace nut, ferrule and O-ring. What are you going to do with the Suncores and old factory struts after you install the new Bilsteins?
I've done the air connection both ways successfully, so not too troublesome.
Regarding the replaced struts, the original failed strut went out with the trash, the first Sencore is on the car, the two defective Sencore's have been returned, and the original right side strut has been reinstalled.
I'm awaiting my credit from Sencore.
I'm in the same boat. So, no rear Bilstein's on Rock Auto. Hmmm. I've seen plenty of cheap eBay options, including all four corners and a compressor for under 700 bucks. I can attest the cheap stuff in my case didn't work.
I'll start keeping an eye out for rear Bilstein's.
Nice car BTW. I tried to steer my wife toward pearlescent white, but I lost that one too. Yours is the right color with all the right options, very nice!
Thanks John for the complement. My second Benz and other than not being able to slip a sheet of paper in-between ANYTHING in the engine bay because the motor is practically STUFFED in the engine bay, I absolutely love the car. The limited space to work on anything under the hood is absurd.
After I get my rear suspension off the ground, as noted in my thread r/t AIRMATIC MALFUNCTION, I'm going to start next with the timing chain tensioners and check valves to preserve my timing chain stretch. Then on to replacing rear struts so I'm on the hunt for decent pricing with quality. Gonna keep an eye on Senecats Arnott experience and hope it's uneventful.
Tomorrow I do brake pad slap all the way around and brake system flush, yay!
I had Akebono low dust pads installed shortly after we got the car in 2015. I've become a fan of Power-Stop carbon fiber ceramic pads. I enjoyed Power-Stop pads and rotors on my 03 GMC Sierra and recently swapped out filthy Brembo pads for Power-Stops on my new C8 Corvette. They feel great, are silent and nearly dust free. I just have to rinse the wheels.
Even though there's plenty of Akebono pad left and our brakes feel fine, I'm considering this Power-Stop kit. https://www.powerstop.com/product/po...S-BENZ&mo=S550 The install looks pretty straight forward. Like some of the other guys here, we plan to keep our S as long as it runs and drives well.
Regarding Brake fluid changes, I've paid a shop to do it every other year for the eight years we've owned the car. Is it difficult? do you use a Mighty Vac or some other kind of extraction device?
My second Benz and other than not being able to slip a sheet of paper in-between ANYTHING in the engine bay because the motor is practically STUFFED in the engine bay, I absolutely love the car. The limited space to work on anything under the hood is absurd.
Ok, now go look at an M275/M279 engine bay. THAT is stuffed. I have a W212 with M157 (which packages mostly like an M278) and while things are tight I just did plugs and coils. Not a big deal. There'd be even more space in a W221. Meanwhile, my 99 Dodge Ram has a 5.2L that the engine bay basically swallows whole. But that engine bay was designed to fit both an 8.0L V10 and Cummins inline 6 so, yeah, a compact pushrod V8 is nothing.
Regarding Brake fluid changes, I've paid a shop to do it every other year for the eight years we've owned the car. Is it difficult? do you use a Mighty Vac or some other kind of extraction device?
I don't use it for oil because I really don't think that's the right thing to do (because you aren't putting eyes underneath). But for brakes (or any other fluid extraction) it works. You need an air compressor though (which I have so maybe this is a non-starter). What I do is stick the right angle bleeder adapter on the bleeder screw and let her rip. It doesn't pull too much out but then I open the door and pump the brakes 20 times for the rear, or ~10-15 times for the front (after topping off the master - DON'T forget to mark the level and fill it back to that level unless you just did pads/rotors). Add fluid, check if you are satisfied with it being clean, and close bleeder. Go around the car in the appropriate pattern. I have also used a Motive power bleeder in the past but I think I prefer the vacuum/pump method. It's totally hands off and can be done by yourself.
Ok, now go look at an M275/M279 engine bay. THAT is stuffed. I have a W212 with M157 (which packages mostly like an M278) and while things are tight I just did plugs and coils. Not a big deal. There'd be even more space in a W221. Meanwhile, my 99 Dodge Ram has a 5.2L that the engine bay basically swallows whole. But that engine bay was designed to fit both an 8.0L V10 and Cummins inline 6 so, yeah, a compact pushrod V8 is nothing.
I come from the Ford Mustang family and I'm used to being able to see things I'm working on. With this car I have to work on it by FEEL comparatively speaking. LOL... Wonder if I could Coyote swap this s550???
I come from the Ford Mustang family and I'm used to being able to see things I'm working on. With this car I have to work on it by FEEL comparatively speaking. LOL... Wonder if I could Coyote swap this s550???
That would be a downgrade! A pair of catless downpipes and the RennTech HHT and the mighty M278 is cranking out around 600's HP and 800's lb/ft torque!
As far as brake flush, nothing special. On any car I've ever owned, grab a length of 1/4" vinyl tubing, attach one end to the bleeder valve, angle upwards about 4", then bend down into an old soda bottle. Crack the valve, hop in the driver seat, pump the pedal till you see clear fluid, close/tighten up the valve, move to the next caliper. Nothing to it. Keep the reservoir full.
Speaking of which, I didn't get to the brake job Friday, took the day off. I've got these ready though, and it needs to be done soon. The old pads are worn enough that the top of the pad is overlapping the outer edge of the rotor.
I've got 4 quarts of Mercedes brand brake fluid too, as I'm fairly certain this has probably never been done it the 50k mi my car has been on the road.
Hows the Arnott struts holding up? I'm likely about to bite the bullet and order a pair of rear struts for mine and would rather pay $1000 for both Arnotts instead of $2000 for Bilsteins for the rear. FCP Euro's lifetime warranty will help but I really dont feel like doing the job more than once so......
So far so good. I still only have about 125mi on the replacement. The original Arnott has been great with no issues. I noticed relatively quickly the first time when the clicking started on the left side Arnott. So I think this one will be fine, but time will tell. It really is the work that is the deciding factor in that if you get a bad unit, you have to do the job again. Personally, I would feel comfortable with Arnott rears, but based on no experience, but rather a positive review from a more knowledgeable member here on the site, I think I might be more inclined to go with these guys:
So far so good. I still only have about 125mi on the replacement. The original Arnott has been great with no issues. I noticed relatively quickly the first time when the clicking started on the left side Arnott. So I think this one will be fine, but time will tell. It really is the work that is the deciding factor in that if you get a bad unit, you have to do the job again. Personally, I would feel comfortable with Arnott rears, but based on no experience, but rather a positive review from a more knowledgeable member here on the site, I think I might be more inclined to go with these guys:
I was even thinking of taking my rears off and sending them to RMT to get rebuilt. Read some good reviews unless anybody has heard or knows differently?????
I was even thinking of taking my rears off and sending them to RMT to get rebuilt. Read some good reviews unless anybody has heard or knows differently?????
Installed the passenger side front Bilstein yesterday afternoon. My sixth front strut R&R so far. All went fine. Adding a fan improved the comfort level in my swampy 90 degree garage from unbearable to only miserable.
Got up early today and had the well-functioning Suncore driver’s side strut removed by about 8 am. With my wife at the ready with nut in hand, I offered up the other new Bilstein to the three point upper mounting holes. Hmmm. Why doesn’t it just pop in like the all the others? After 20 minutes, loads of instructions from Cindy, not even one stud came through enough to get a nut on. I grabbed the Suncore, same orientation, popped right in the holes. (It’s now reinstalled)
Cindy first noticed this new Bilstein looked different that the others.
I think this photo shows my second new Bilstein somehow got assembled with one major component installed *** backwards. Note, all three struts are in the same orientation in the photo with the solenoid facing up. The "dogleg" on the new Bilstein is a defect. As with the two in a row failed solenoids on Suncore struts, this major quality screwup doesn’t bolster confidence in the Bilstein brand either. Also note in the photo how the new Bilsteins have a bead of sealant applied, whereas the originals don't.
So, one new $150 Suncore strut, one new $700 Bilstein, care drives great, no codes.
Top to Bottom: New Bilstein, Suncore, Old Bilstein
Kinda looks like the shock itself is mounted at the totally wrong angle to that big top adapter. I think the airbag was clocked wrong and so you can't just twist it back to the correct orientation.
In the photo above, the tops of the three struts are aliened in the same plane. The struts are in the same orientation with the solenoid
facing up.
Look how the bottom of the new Bilstein (top of photo) angles down relative to the other two struts.
I didn't see the defect until I discovered it simply will not fit in the upper mounting holes and then compared it to the old Bilstein.
Maybe these pics of the original and the new Bilstein will help show the issue. Assume the baseboard is a straightedge.
New Bilstein Original Bilstein
I think the black top bowl was mounted in the wrong orientation to the rest of the strut at the factory.
Considering W221 struts are not handed they should all share the same same geometry.
No matter, the Bilstein is headed back to Rock Auto this afternoon to be replaced and Suncore has issued full credit even though my wife is still driving around on the one of three non-defective Suncore struts.
For an arthritic man in his 70's this has been a lot flopping around on my garage floor.
Play with the old Bilstein. The shock body will swivel around independently of the airbag housing.
Edit: Disregard the statement of rotation. This design doesn't rotate/require strut bearing.
So, can I swivel it into the correct orientation? I don't think so.
Out of 7 struts I've laid hands on so far, this one new Bilstein is the only one that came out of the box with the wrong geometry.
I'll play with the old strut, but I don't think its adjustable in any way.
06-13-2024, 06:23 PM
My second Benz and other than not being able to slip a sheet of paper in-between ANYTHING in the engine bay because the motor is practically STUFFED in the engine bay, I absolutely love the car. The limited space to work on anything under the hood is absurd.
Hang in there John! Pretty soon you'll be able to do the job blindfolded.
