Mercedes W211 E-Class Airmatic Front Strut Replacement

In this video, I will replace the front Airmatic strut on my W211 2008 E-Class E550.
This is pretty straight forward and can be done with standard hand tools.
I got the strut from FCPEURO: www.fcpeuro.co...

[@trevercoster]

Thanks, watched several times and changed front passenger on our 03 e55. Your content saved us lots of $.

[@therankinfiles8956]

Wow. Thank you for the feedback. I am really glad that the video helped. I know that my videos can be a bit long and maybe a little boring. Thanks for hanging in there!

[@jongock5109]

Thanks for the video... made me a lot more confident in doing this DIY project.. Yours was the most clear to understand and follow. I changed the fronts (Arnotts) last week and everything is good. Now I gotta worry about changing the rear bags....

[@markkostelic485]

very good. thanks. Some videos say there needs to be a calibration performed when you have completed the replacement.

[@therankinfiles8956]

I did not do this that. Seems to be OK? It would be cool if I could find a real MBZ mechanic to verify if some other calibration was / is required.

[@Okie-Tom]

Good video. I am going to have to do this to my E500 in the next few days. Thanks for the detailed replacement. That will sure help me!

[@alexanderstefanxandraswedi5835]

Good job

[@therankinfiles8956]

Thanks for the note!

[@AlexHernandez-xh8ei]

I can’t get the bottom strut bolt to align with the bushing its like the strut is longer or something but it is for my car

[@ericrdye]

Good video. One possible issue I saw is that 165 NM torque seems way to high. My research has shown the torque to be about half of that.

[@NORTH_HWD]

I think mine is bad also the whole front drops over night but the front left is always sitting lower than the right like left side is bottomed out and the right side still has air

[@petermarchenko2253]

Quick question what would happen if you got the arnott strut without ADS is that a problem for the car

[@therankinfiles8956]

ADS allows the suspension to lower at high speed. The Arnott "new" struts remove this feature. Not a problem but not a cool feature that I want to give up.

[@georgeanddaddecker7563]

I ran into the same problem.Purchased car out of state and had it shipped to me.b failed airstrut, Arnott, purchase two Holstein struts so the damping adjustment would function. The other Arnott was a functioning new one. Why do they disable that system,so stupid.

[@therankinfiles8956]

It is important to note that the Arnott "new" struts and the Arnott "rebuilt", which still retain the automatic dampening function, should not be mixed. I had one of each on my car and there was a distinct difference in the handling once I got both sides set up with the rebuilt units with active dampening.

[@petermarchenko2253]

Been researching and no one saying anything bad about the new strut wondering if you got any info,thanks

[@therankinfiles8956]

The only knock that I have heard is that the bearings fail prematurely. And, as luck would have it, it appears that the one on my car is starting to fail. If you watched the video, you will see that the previous owner did one "new" Arnott on the passenger side. All of the others were stock. When I replaced the driver side I got the Arnott rebuild and was unaware that the passenger side was different. It is important to note that if you change to the "new" Arnott, that you change both struts or else you will get odd behavior at high speed. The one strut will not lower like the other side.

[@OGYELLOW]

Torq specs gotta be ft lbs? Not NM??

[@markkostelic485]

sure you want to keep the MBZ the rest of your life? (lifetime warranty decision)

[@therankinfiles8956]

LOL. No. But, maybe another 10 years? It is cheap insurance if the shock blows again before then.

[@lukerobertswr5189]

if you have the 4matic model - getting the strut out is much much more difficult. Good luck.

[@lukerobertswr5189]

when reinstalling I will try removing upper control arm and edit comment if it is easier to do that

[@kadethompson956]

How’d you get it out

[@lukerobertswr5189]

@@kadethompson956 a lot of yanking. Surprised I didnt break anything. My new strut comes tomorrow and Im going to take out the upper control arm and I'll let you know if it is easier that way

[@anon8613]

What lift is that?

[@therankinfiles8956]

Thank you for checking out the video. The lift is from EZ Carlift in Santa Barbara, CA. I like it because it is more portable than hydraulic ones like quick jack. I get good height. The center between the legs is open which is great if you are sliding in and out from under the car a lot. Also, all you need to run it is a heavy duty electric drill. I think in the end, it wasn't much cheaper but really works well for what I doing.

[@mookiijones]

I can’t see why the fender liner needs to be removed

[@OnlyKelp]

Always leave 1 minor thing broken, or something else will break

[@therankinfiles8956]

LOL. I am totally on board with this logic!

[@benbrown3931]

A sacrifice to keep the German car gods happy

[@OnlyKelp]

@@benbrown3931 as long as one thing is broken, the German gods won’t mess with you

[@clintcastellano9910]

Your camera skills are making me nauseous 🤮 Nice car though!

[@therankinfiles8956]

I know! My camera skills are the worst. Sorry about that. But thank you very much for watching and your feedback.