verminator

So I went out in the garage yesterday and got the dreaded car too low message bleeding red all over my display...boo hoo. The front end is down hard on both sides. On the bright side i got a chance to use my star and it is a pretty cool tool. I would not call the software user friendly but it is powerful. I did a bunch of tests on the pneumatics and they all came up good. I found an area under suspension...actuation's...there was a menu there to fill and release pressure from the struts. I filled up the left front no problem...released that, went to fill up the right front and ....no luck, air was flowing but no height raising going on. At this point i am assuming i have a blown right front strut so off to arnot i will be going. First I 'll get the car out of the garage and pull the wheel and check all the air connections but i am not thinking i will be lucky, maybe but i doubt it. So my question is this, i hate that there was no warning on this, no slow leak just good to not good overnight. If i was away i would be looking at a long tow so at this point do i do both front struts or roll the dice with just replacing the one. Opinions welcome, not pulling the wheel and ordering anything until tomorrow or saturday. Thanks.

HeissRod

I replaced one, against the recommendation of others on here and my other side went out 18 months later. I'll chalk it up to coincidence, but there was no harm in replacing just one side.

Rocman8

The air line connection is on the top side. I would do both especially if they are original.

verminator

H and R, thanks I ordered the right one and am thinking I will do the left shortly there after, they are original...first priority is to get back on the road...just time to start replacing these for peace of mind...Cheers to Yacht Master for your work that dates back to 2010...awesome DIY....it will be my guideline along with the Wis... your pictures are much better for me than the wis...layers of dwgs , etc.

novae500

my ds rear was lower than the ps rear. Was leaking and noticeable. Find out the ps rear strut was leaking as well. So ended up getting coilovers and calling it a day. No more worries of car dropping and not being able to drive/get stranded.

verminator

Well, unbelievably I got the arnot strut i ordered last night on my front step at 10am this morning. Novae I hear you, if i was a track guy i would go that route. I am hoping that the failure rate is low and reliability is high with the arnot's. Seems to be the general consensus here, although there are other components in the system that can go bad, my path is set. RF is coming off tonight, new strut will on tomorrow. Left front is on the to do list...soon but will be rolling the dice for a couple of months..

Minty Fresh

That's great the shipping was so quick. Hey, maybe you got one of my refurbed struts?

Jelanib

Should be fine to replace just a single one. How many miles do you have on the car?

verminator

Car has 145,000 on the clock. I have the entire service history, I have had the car since 57,000 mi. This is the first bag to go. The old bag is out and new one is going in shortly. I agree i should be fine to replace just this one but the way it went out leaves me just a bit unsettled. Since i am keeping the car because...well...it is my faviorite car I am going to consider starting to replace them one by one. I am not choking on dealer labor costs, the parts are not that expensive as merc parts go and the install is not that bad. For now it is replace one and back to smiling and driving.

Jelanib

Good for you. I've replaced one before, it really wasn't bad at all. I think people chalked it up to be a much bigger deal than it actually is. I'd say it's worth it though, amazing cars to drive/own.

Minty Fresh

If $$ and reliability are big issues for you (as they are for me, especially on road trips), you might think seriously about coilovers as Novae500 mentioned. I did it with Strutmasters and the ride is fine. That airmatic system is an expensive merry-go-round once you get over 10 years old.

55TIMES

how much to do the coil over conversion?

Minty Fresh

Strutmaster and Arnott kits are around $1,400.

verminator

So the new strut is in and all is good again. One thing i thought was strange. I had the new strut hooked up with both upper and lower connectors connected. I went into the star actuation's menu and i was not able to release any pressure from the shock. At first I thought maybe the weight of the car was needed to compress the shock but I followed YM's diy and with no weight on the shock and the car up on jackstands the shock compressed just enough to get it over the lower control arm and into the mounting location. I don't understand why star did not work, maybe it was something quirky i did and star did not like but it was not showing any communication errors or anything wrong. Has anyone here ever successfully used star to let air out of the strut during the install?

Novae/Minty Fresh - valid points on losing alot of aging components, compressor, relay switches, valves, reservoirs, air lines, sensors, etc and ending up with a simple robust system that is not prone to failure. Can you comment on the installation complexity. How is the coilover strut compressed to install. I see the complete kit is listed on arnott for just under $1600. It is something to consider. Thanks.

Minty Fresh

Sorry, I cannot comment on installation complexity because mine was done at the Strutmasters HQ because it's just an hour from my house. There is an excellent DIY thread on here that could help you.

Minty Fresh

Here's the Strutmasters page for the E55 coilover kit:

http://www.strutmasters.com/suspensi.../e55/2006-e55/

Here's the Arnott page for same:

https://www.arnottindustries.com/par...27_gid941.html

Both companies have tutorials and installation manuals for these linked from these pages.

Good luck!