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Hello, a quick introduction, I purchased my 2004 E55 about a year ago from a seller in California and have been enjoying driving it as my main daily driver here in Texas. The last owner took really good care of it, and it shows. It's got around 110,000 miles and I have put on 10,000 of those. This car is awesome to say the least.
My issue is I had a rear flat tire the other day and when removing the wheel I noticed that the rubber boot that surrounds the air spring is damaged. I suspect the damage happened at the same time I got the flat, whatever I hit on the road banged around the bottom of the car for a second.
Everything is still working fine with the suspension, the car raises and lowers no problem, and the comfort/sport suspension settings still function. But, I can see some dirt and grime is getting into the spring where the rubber boot would be protecting it which can't be good for its longevity.
Does the air spring need to be replaced? Or is it possible to repair the outer rubber boot? Could any dirt that got inside the spring cause damage?
The rear air springs are original to the car and haven't been replaced before, so I know eventually they will need to be replaced. Just seeing if that time is now, or if there is a easier/cheaper fix for this.
The plastic boots crack and fall apart. The rubber bladder is what maintains the air pressure.
The attachment in the link will assist you.
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w211/876298-w211-back-airmatic.html#post8865094
Yep, I know to do both springs at the same time when I do eventually need to replace them - I appreciate the tip!
Did you replace yours with Bilstein or Arnott? If Arnott, did you notice any difference in ride quality? The Bilsteins appear to be hard to come by.
Replacing with OEM air springs requires dropping the rear subframe. Installing Arnots does not require dropping the rear subframe; during installation you cut the OEM rubber connection between air spring and external reservoir and then remove the external reservoirs from underneath the car. Arnott does not use the external air reservoir so you lose "comfort" mode but the sport modes remain the same.
I replaced them without dropping the subframe (springs with connection to the reservoirs), but I didnt touch the reservoirs. If you remove the reservoirs, you need to drop the subframe indeed
@AXTBuilt I went cheap and bought eBay units, they have been working well for over 1.5 year.
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