rockit31

Just got my GL450 2012 back from regular service and I was advised to have the front left air strut replaced as it leaks bad. I got an estimate of $1600!!!!! Is that in the ballpark? I ask him how many hours labor are involved and he said a couple at $200 bucks an hour so that leaves $1200 for the part?? This can't be right. Please advise as to how I should move on this. What is the part I am looking for if I want to shop around?

BlownV8

Get one of the Chinesiums on Ebay and have an indy install. Shouldn't be more than $500 total. Front Air Suspension Strut Without ADS 1643206013 For Mercedes ML GL-Class 05-12 | eBay

rockit31

To update:

I called my repair shop and they said it is 3.5 hours labor for this replacement meaning the Mercedes brand air strut is about 800 dollars! I see an Arnot brand part on Amazon for $345 but they said they do not install off brand parts. So I am stuck I guess.

Does 3.5 hours seem excessive? I am watching a youtube on the replacement and it sure doesn't look to be near that long to replace. Just want to make sure I am not getting gouged.

rockit31

thank you for quick reply. well that sure sounds alot better than my repair shop's quote. Now, how to find an indy installer?

rockit31

Next question: should I just get a pair of these for both sides even though one is still working good? Being that then I will have identical parts on both sides?

Max Blast

Do both
Do them yourself

texas008

a pair of Arnott front strut assembly cost $700 at Rockauto.com in 2019.
I then got a mobile mechanic to replace them on my driveway, took him about 90 minutes with basic tools. I paid him $180 (in 2019).
been working fine till now ( 5 years, 40k miles).

EWT

3.5 hours is crazy. I had a lot of practice, but could easily get one done in under an hour - it isn't a difficult job, although it is a little harder to get the shock in/out than it looks in the Arnott video. You should do both. For reasons I've never understood, the other one usually fails soon after the first one does.

Elbeau

I just paid that to have both replaced at an independent using MB parts.
But, it was also obvious I had a leak. The front sagged down considerably after parked for a day. And it was not a huge leak.
I suggest you take it elsewhere at least to verify there is a leak.

Max Blast

expert mechanic can do both in 3.5 hrs easy.
3.5 per is what the book says but none of these guys work by the book - thats how these guys make secret overtime. Take a job for 3.5 hrs, do it in one and pack another 3.5 labor hour job into the available 2,5 hrs. 7 hrs billed over 3.5 actual hours.

it’ll take an amateur diy around 2 hrs to do one then an hour to do the second. that was my experience after having done this a few times.

roviw1

A couple of years ago on my 2008 GL I had a rear airbag start leaking, my brilliant independent had the car in ( was going to have it serviced as well anyway ) and on replacing the rear bag it then caused the other rear one to link so had to have them both done.
However .............after both rears were done one of the fronts started to leak, basically the weakest link in the system, I then decided to do both fronts as well.
It was the most expensice car repair bill I have ever had, including the service it came in at about £3500, They had used original mercedes parts.

When we used to repair underground water pipe leaks many years ago we used to find that sometimes if it was a very old metal pipe then within a few weeks/months we would find another leak might sometimes appear due to the water pressure finding the next weakest point along the pipe , a similar think with the air suspension parts under high pressure.