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I have a 2010 gl450. I recently spend 2k on the 2 front air struts and left rear air bag. 2 years ago I spend like 2500 on the air compressor and installation plus the valve block filter included. One air bag popped when putting on tires so that was another 500 dollars. In total I have spent 5k on this benz and it has 100k miles. I bought it from benz dealership 5 years ago with no previous issues. Is this normal to spent this much money on this car? What are other peoples experience like?
If you have air suspension, you need to be able to make the repairs yourself to reduce the cost, or find a good idie mechanic. Comparable parts are avilable online at FCP Euro and Rock Auto as well as other sites and you can reduce the cost significantly. For example, I was quoted $3360 to replace the compressor by the dealership. I bought the original item new online and did it myself for less than $900. Rear airbags are very easy to replace. Front are harder. You can find good deals at times, but you alose need to do much study as to what to buy. Avoid ebay and anything Chinese and dont be seduced by a cheap part. It won't be.
Airmatic is not that easy to diagnose and leaks can be hard to find. I have replaced all air bags and the compressor as well as 2 air lines in 100K miles. Front bags have been done twice, the first done by MB under warranty. Unfortunately, its a case of "become an expert" or pay the price for what is ultimately a very unreliable system. But it does ride well. Find an experienced indy mechanic whose done many of them is your best bet if you can't do repairs yourself. So far, I've done almost all of the parts that typically fail and no special tools are needed, although a scan tool is always helpful. Check the W164 forum as well for stories by the hundreds.
Last edited by BlackML550; 11-30-2022 at 03:26 AM.
Air compressor and valve block on my 2007 GL450 lasted till 2020 (107k miles). I bought the two parts (arnott brand) together at FCP for $700 and replaced them myself (8 hours of my labor).
Both front struts assembly with airbags (arnott brand) cost $950 (FCP or rockauto), and then paid $180 for a mobile mechanic to install them (1.5 hour labor). They should last 5 year 50k miles
Rear airbags (arnott brand) cost $150 each (rockauto), and I can replace them myself (1.5 hour labor each). They should last 5 year 50k miles.
The good news is that on vehicles like these, depreciation hits hard and pretty fast making a $70,000 vehicle worth a fraction of that in just a few years. The bad news is that the parts don't follow a similar curve. You can get good aftermarket components for these, but the market is smaller and they're basically only competing with OEM Merc pricing - and the boys in Stuttgart are mighty proud of their parts! My experience with independent specialist shops is similar: they're banking that the only other option you're considering is the dealer, so their labor rate can still be pretty high compared to "normal" shops. My Indy experience may not be representative of that industry as a whole, of course - it's a sample size of 1 in my case. And those shops, as well as the dealer, can provide excellent service so I'm not knocking them at all; it's just a matter of how large of a percentage of the value of the car you're willing to spend on servicing.
You can get a lot of vehicle for your money by purchasing the depreciation curve but if you're going to rely on having someone else fix it, they can eat you alive. Arnott makes very good replacement components for the AIRMATIC system and they are not that difficult to replace with a little bit of time and some fairly basic tools. Xentry and DAS solutions can be found on the cheap to allow you to plug in and follow some of the same diagnostic steps that the dealer techs might use. There are a lot of individual bits to the system, but in the end it isn't all that complicated: you have sensors that send back a signal which the computer uses to determine at what height each corner of the vehicle is sitting. An air compressor provides the pressure which is delivered through the lines into solenoid blocks which distribute the air through another set of lines to the individual air bags. I'm oversimplifing it but if you start with those basic blocks you can start to isolate the failures.
I have a 2010 gl450. I recently spend 2k on the 2 front air struts and left rear air bag. 2 years ago I spend like 2500 on the air compressor and installation plus the valve block filter included. One air bag popped when putting on tires so that was another 500 dollars. In total I have spent 5k on this benz and it has 100k miles. I bought it from benz dealership 5 years ago with no previous issues. Is this normal to spent this much money on this car? What are other peoples experience like?
Absolutely not. You unfortunately have purchased a lemon, and there is no hope for the vehicle.
The good news is I will be in your area, and can haul away the vehicle at no cost to you.
They are very expensive cars to own if you rely on dealer service. Somewhat cheaper if you rely on a good independent, and pretty reasonable if you do your own repairs. Normal maintenance and wear and tear parts are not that much expensive than other cars with the exception of a few things like the air suspension, although using Arnott parts with their lifetime warranty make that a one time expenditure if you do your own work (I think Arnott might pay me to retire my GL as many times as I've taken advantage of the warranty over the years). Having some kind of a diagnostic device like an icarsoft or Xentry is a must for home repair to determine what the problems are. There is a ton of good information here and on BenzWorld for DIYers. I've saved myself many thousands of dollars in repair bills by finding solutions online and repairing things myself.
Others disagree, but after buying an ML with the standard suspension, IMO, Airmatic is not worth the trouble it causes. I actually prefer the more direct feel of regular springs, and won't ever wake up to a vehicle squatting at one corner again. The one thing I'll miss about it is leveling the rear under a heavy load or when towing.
Long ago, I owned an Eagle Talon, and the joke among the owners group was that the tag line for the car should be "Making ordinary people into mechanics since 1989", which was an accurate statement for me. I went from having a single small toolbox to having a rollaway full of tools and an air compressor. X164 ownership feels like a graduate degree in auto mechanics with more complicated problems and the need for the occasional specialized tool.
They are very expensive cars to own if you rely on dealer service. Somewhat cheaper if you rely on a good independent, and pretty reasonable if you do your own repairs. Normal maintenance and wear and tear parts are not that much expensive than other cars with the exception of a few things like the air suspension, although using Arnott parts with their lifetime warranty make that a one time expenditure if you do your own work (I think Arnott might pay me to retire my GL as many times as I've taken advantage of the warranty over the years). Having some kind of a diagnostic device like an icarsoft or Xentry is a must for home repair to determine what the problems are. There is a ton of good information here and on BenzWorld for DIYers. I've saved myself many thousands of dollars in repair bills by finding solutions online and repairing things myself.
Others disagree, but after buying an ML with the standard suspension, IMO, Airmatic is not worth the trouble it causes. I actually prefer the more direct feel of regular springs, and won't ever wake up to a vehicle squatting at one corner again. The one thing I'll miss about it is leveling the rear under a heavy load or when towing.
Long ago, I owned an Eagle Talon, and the joke among the owners group was that the tag line for the car should be "Making ordinary people into mechanics since 1989", which was an accurate statement for me. I went from having a single small toolbox to having a rollaway full of tools and an air compressor. X164 ownership feels like a graduate degree in auto mechanics with more complicated problems and the need for the occasional specialized tool.
wow its great to know that the lifetime arnott warranty is real. I tried to claim warranty for two rear air bags of my 2007 GL450, but did not get positive response. wonder if there is any trick to get the warranty? thanks a lot.
I bought my stuff directly from Arnott which probably helps. Unfortunately, they no longer sell direct, but have been fantastic at sending out replacements with a prepaid label for the return of the old part. I'm not sure how it works now if you buy from a third party. On my last replacement, the service rep initially said there were no replacements available to send out because as time goes by, the supply of cores dries up, but they quickly found one and sent it out which was a good thing because the shock progressed from "sags overnight" to "sags in 15 minutes" pretty quickly.
I have a 2010 gl450. I recently spend 2k on the 2 front air struts and left rear air bag. 2 years ago I spend like 2500 on the air compressor and installation plus the valve block filter included. One air bag popped when putting on tires so that was another 500 dollars. In total I have spent 5k on this benz and it has 100k miles. I bought it from benz dealership 5 years ago with no previous issues. Is this normal to spent this much money on this car? What are other peoples experience like?
this is perfectly normal if you were taking it to the dealer for every little thing that needs done. If you don’t have the bankroll for this, you need to learn how to DIY absolutely everything that needs doing on this car and be very pragmatic about the rest that can go unattended.
but if you spent only five grand in five years on maintenance of this car at the dealer, that is actually pretty damn good. There are much worse stories out there than yours, but also much more frugal ones.
this is perfectly normal if you were taking it to the dealer for every little thing that needs done. If you don’t have the bankroll for this, you need to learn how to DIY absolutely everything that needs doing on this car and be very pragmatic about the rest that can go unattended.
but if you spent only five grand in five years on maintenance of this car at the dealer, that is actually pretty damn good. There are much worse stories out there than yours, but also much more frugal ones.
I see. Well I bought it in 2015. I only have done oil changes outside of the air suspension stuff. The oil changes arent an issues neither is normal service. But spending 5k just on the suspension?!?! Is that normal? I love the vehicle, the engine is rock solid, but I feel like I am spending way more than the average person with the GL450 just on suspension. I havent had any other problems, just air suspension. What do you think?
I don't really know anything about the M273, living here in the land of the OM642, but as I understand it the gas x164s have two common issues that require injections of cash: the water intrusion issues and the air suspension. Replacing all four struts, the air springs, and the compressor with Arnott units would be about $1,400 in parts plus some shipping and sales tax. They still carry the lifetime warranty, although you do need to ship the old parts back on your own dime and I'm not sure if they'll cross-ship. It's a job that can be done in a driveway with relatively basic hand tools, although I found trying to sneak the air spring in the back to be a frustrating experience.
So is $5k an abnormal amount of money to spend on the suspension? Since we're talking about rubber bladders holding air pressure in all weather, the chronological age of the components means as much - perhaps more - than the mileage. And as those bladders start to leak, that compressor needs to run more and more, so that isn't unusual to me. If that was work done at the dealer with OEM parts, I'd say that's in line with what I'd expect. Mercedes is very proud of the parts they put their little tri star thing on and they have very high opinions of their very busy techs.
The upside is that you're not staring down the $21,000 estimate they wrote me a few years ago to drop a new engine in after 125k miles on my German Engineering(tm) diesel. Or the $57,000 estimate that they wrote Seth for a new engine in his AMG minivan because of the defective head bolts. I think that number is pretty much reasonable and expected given the circumstances. That having been sorted, though, the only other thing you need to really watch out for is the electrics getting wet due to the leaky sunroofs and tail light housings.
Thank you guys for all the replies, it is extremely helpful! Anyways, my gl450 is good for the foreseeable future, but one thing I did not fix is the leaking rear shocks. They probably startes leaking do to stress from not replacing the air springs earlier. But im not sure. The car rides fine, the tech said only stability would be affected. Will waiting to replace the leaky shocks cause wear on my new bags or other airmatic components??
Will waiting to replace the leaky shocks cause wear on my new bags or other airmatic components??
No.
It will, however, cause rapid tire wear on the rear. The tires get into micro-bounce resonances which result in cupping wear. It is noise and costly.
Worn dampers ("shock absorbers") cause an oddly uncomfortable ride. You can't put your finger on it but there is something wrong with how the vehicle handles.
I see. Well I bought it in 2015. I only have done oil changes outside of the air suspension stuff. The oil changes arent an issues neither is normal service. But spending 5k just on the suspension?!?! Is that normal? I love the vehicle, the engine is rock solid, but I feel like I am spending way more than the average person with the GL450 just on suspension. I havent had any other problems, just air suspension. What do you think?
5K at the dealer is one of the least hairy stories I’ve heard. sure it’s a lot of money but I’ve heard worse up to 8 to 10 K quoted for cars with multiple other issues throwing in. If you Arnotted everything yourself, you could get away with 2000 bucks all four corners.
Change your rear shocks before they cup and eat your rear tires for lunch, repeatedly.
It will, however, cause rapid tire wear on the rear. The tires get into micro-bounce resonances which result in cupping wear. It is noise and costly.
Worn dampers ("shock absorbers") cause an oddly uncomfortable ride. You can't put your finger on it but there is something wrong with how the vehicle handles.
Yeah Im
scared of that. I just don’t have the funds yet, Im gonna wait just a little bit, maybe a month, hopefully Ill be good. The tech said its small leak.
5K at the dealer is one of the least hairy stories I’ve heard. sure it’s a lot of money but I’ve heard worse up to 8 to 10 K quoted for cars with multiple other issues throwing in. If you Arnotted everything yourself, you could get away with 2000 bucks all four corners.
Change your rear shocks before they cup and eat your rear tires for lunch, repeatedly.
okay I will do that then, what do you recommend me doing? Dealership gonna charge me like 1k for the rear. I hate putting something not oem on my benz, but I cant figure out how to order arnott
Yes thats what I am looking at, I dont have any sport mode in my GL450 so Im pretty sure I just by the one without ads. Do I need to buy any strut harness that attaches to the shock? Also I am looking at fc euro and rock auto, both have the shocks, but rock auto is around 80-100 dollars cheaper? I dont know why they have the same skew numbers. What is your Reccomendation?
ok cool. I will order it and have them put on. Do I need the ones with ads or without
I had also gotten my rears bilsteins from Rock auto. I use FCP euro a lot, but I knew I will probably never get these replaced under their lifetime warranty.
Most don't have ADS. You can look at your front shocks to see if you have ADS (a small about 5 inch long tube) attached to the cylindrical part of front shocks. Or you can do a vin search
For Front Arnotts, I have bought and replaced from third party. I had bought mine from buyautoparts.
I had also gotten my rears bilsteins from Rock auto. I use FCP euro a lot, but I knew I will probably never get these replaced under their lifetime warranty.
Most don't have ADS. You can look at your front shocks to see if you have ADS (a small about 5 inch long tube) attached to the cylindrical part of front shocks. Or you can do a vin search
For Front Arnotts, I have bought and replaced from third party. I had bought mine from buyautoparts.
too late for front, went broke doing them at dealer. But its all good. R u sure bilstein is a good bet?
too late for front, went broke doing them at dealer. But its all good. R u sure bilstein is a good bet?
Yes, it is OE. The ones I took out were exactly same bilsteins.
For me only one, right rear, was leaking. It was back in 2019. Too bad it ruined my tire in one day on a non stop drive from Sacramento to Albuquerque. It destroys the tire the most when going on highway, sustained speeds. At high speed, like setting up cruise at say 80mph. If shock is bad, some weird resonance starts happening, and same part of tire starts hitting road at a weird but same angle consistently. I started having vibration at high speed, and steering will roll at local street speed even at 5mph. I thought that some weight fell off and went to a shop next day before heading back Houston. They balanced / rotated the tires and then discovered at the last tire (rear right) that there was a big gash on the inner side. I had to get it replaced and it was a Sunday morning of course. Took half day to special order the tire and got it running.
11-30-2022, 12:10 AM
