-CaLViN-

Hello fellows,
I am here as long time forum lurker but now it is time to start sharing on mbw.
My new monster is 2007 GL450 at 140.000 KM.It has been nearly a month or so and i'm pretty much happy with it except the suspension.
My little car doesnt have the offroad package or ADS.(airmatic - semi active)
So here comes my question :
What level of comfort shall i expect from this GL ?
I have driven nearly 15 MB makes like w123 124 210 211 212 212 x164 but this is the worst ever.I feel all the holes and steps on the road.Even my 2001 clio had much more comfort in terms of terrain feelin.
It feels like i will get transferred to passenger seat while goin over some obstacles.I have visited the service 2 times already and looking for advices on where to look for the problems actually ?

ignorant

-CaLViN-

Yep,high and low modes are working properly.I got 19" wheels and should be very very comfortable comparing to 21 and 22 wheels but i am really depressed.
Cant figure out what the issue is.
I dont believe Mercedes produced this GL with this suspensions.There must certainly be a problem somewhere.

BlownV8

Your airbags may be OK and your struts may be toast.

-CaLViN-

-CaLViN-

Just tested it again today.
It especially shakes the car seriously on diagonal passes and obstacles on the road such as holes and manhole covers..

DennisG01

Obviously, it's hard for us to appreciate what the car is driving like from where we are. This is not a knock on you or directed at you... but "you" could be an over-sensitive person that likes to complain and the suspension is actually normal or there could be a real issue with the suspension... or anywhere in between. Again, not directed at you, personally - it's just hard for us to help when "suspension feel" is such a subjective issue. HOWEVER, the GL is a relatively popular Merc model - find another one in your area and go for a test drive. See if it feels the same as yours or if it is obviously different.

eric_in_sd

-CaLViN-

You are correct.
Rear shocks were replaced,pardon me for typo.
All airbags seem to be in order with no leaks.
So shall i check the dampers inside front airbags then ?
BTW,its Kilometers. So 140,000 KM.

eric_in_sd

Raise the suspension and squirt soapy water on the bags. If the bags are starting to leak, you'll see a fine foam appearing at certain points where the fold was, which is where the leaks appear. If they're starting to leak, may as well replace them sooner rather than later. Get them from a good shop (Arnott) and you'll get a rebuilt damper inside.

-CaLViN-

What is the possibility if it doesnt leak ?
Dampers need to change but airbags okay ?

DennisG01

Just my opinion, of course, but the outer air bags are the weaker link as compared to the innards. You can get totally rebuilt assemblies for a good price from Arnott. If it was me, and you narrowed it down to the fronts as being the culprit, just get the whole assembly - makes it a plug-n-play swap out, too. Arnott has a good how-to video, as well. FYI... compress the spring a bit and secure it with strapping to make it easier to get the old one out and the new one in.

The soap trick is a good and well worth doing. But the leak doesn't always show as it depends on how the bag is folded. But if you have no problems with the suspension dropping, the bag are probably good. But again, if you're replacing the innards, just do the whole thing.

-CaLViN-

Hey Dennis,
The issue is that i have been to service even just today and everything seems to be okay.No leaks.All sides are at the same level.UP-Down works properly.
So how shall we understand that the issue is with front dampers ?
BTW,i am not in USA but in Turkey so we dont have any other options than MB - No Arnott here.

eric_in_sd

Ditto, ditto, and ditto.
There are tons of threads on here about the bags, particularly the front. I'm kicking myself because it never occurred to me to compress the strut before installing - and at this point, I've changed them six times. Things I wish I had known. Or thought of, if I'd been smarter.

That's why I say raise the suspension. I don't mean lift with a jack; do the off-road 3" raise. The original fold location is then 3" above where the fold now is. It isn't stretched open anymore, but it is easier to see.

The bags tend to fail almost suddenly. The small leaks fairly rapidly (days, weeks, maybe months) grow into leaks large enough to see the truck turned all Chicano on you in the morning.
So if you have a small leak, you don't have much time and have the gift of advance warning.

Plus your pump overheats and melts the tubing and valve block and pretty soon Dennis is towing it away for you.

eric_in_sd

Once again: Check the bags for even tiny leaks. The truck can function nearly perfectly and be weeks away from a more serious leak. Then you will change the strut and with it the damper.

I don't think the front dampers leak when worn; I think they're well enough sealed.

Are you sure there are no rebuilders in Europe? There are M-B's with air suspensions all over the place there. Whether they are easy to import to Turkey is another question.
The bag and the damper are not difficult to separate. I do not know how hard it is to rebuild the damper. It is under pressure, so you would have to be able to deal with that, both on the disassembly and reassembly.

-CaLViN-

I will raise it tomorrow and try the soap thing to make sure if it will bubble or not.
The original MB seems to be too expensive but there are not other options.
We have airmatic repair shops here in Turkey,i will have to check with them probably.

DennisG01

DennisG01

Calvin, Arnott ships internationally - although I do not know if it becomes cost prohibitive due to the shipping charges. But you could easily enough check with them, I suppose.

Don't forget to check the back side of the bags for air bubbling out. Do it in a VERY quiet environment so you can listen, as well.

-CaLViN-

How much does Arnott and Original MB cost there ? So that i can compare and calculate shipping to see it is logical or not.
Is there any other way to check bags and shocks ? Electronically maybe ?

DennisG01

Can you get to their website? The company is Arnott Industries. Their pricing is on their website.

Electronically checking the system can be done to check certain things, but it won't reveal a slight leak.

lkchris

Max Blast

Thanks for that - someone put Arnott front struts on my '07 about 50 K ago and they are knocking fiercely. Evidently the warranty isn't transferrable so why go that route again - I will try the Bilsteins.

-CaLViN-

Well,
just an update.
There are no bubbles on soap test.
We think that the car is higher than the original height and we will do the airmatic calibration to lower the fender height.
Do you think that would be the cause of the shakin issue ?


P.S : I have checked the pricing of the Bilstein's.
They are only 100 EURO cheaper here in Turkey.I thought it would be at least %50 cheaper.
I will certainly go for the Original MB if we suspect the issue is with airs.

fkong777

Here is my experience after having the GL 450 for 6 years
I have changed
1 front strut under warranty
1 front strut DIY with Arnotts
2 rear spring under warranty
4 rear shock DIY with DEDC shocks form amazon. first 2 didnt last long. started knocking,

So
- If you have the truck in the up position --"The Ride is Terrible"
- if the rear shocks are bad -- "The Ride is Terrible"
- tire pressure above 30 psi -- "The Ride is Terrible"
- if the front shock is blown. -- It will be super low at that corner and "The Ride is Terrible"
- Make sure all the wheels are true and balanced or "The Ride is Terrible"

Overall - Yes this X164 chassis is a rougher ride but it is not always terrible if all the issues are sorted out. Healthy strut and shocks makes a big difference.

Overall The

DennisG01

Calvin, have you had a chance to get a ride in another GL? It seems like that might be a good idea - just to eliminate any guessing as to whether things are "correct" or not.

Have you had medium to large SUV's or trucks before? You mentioned "diagonal passes"... is that like a speed bump in a parking lot? The car definitely lumbers left and right going across diagonal speed bumps - but that's to be expected given the taller nature and weight of the vehicle. The taller you sit, the more your head moves left to right. Even if a lower car and the GL both tip by 10* (just using that as a reference), your head, in the GL, will physically move a greater distance as your're further from the fulcrum point.