Airmatic - worth waiting for?

[M5sime]

Dear all - I am brand new to this forum and will be new to MB, having always been a BMW and now Porsche fan. I bought a Mini Clubman as backup duties for my dream car - a 997.2 C2S. Despite the warnings on the firm ride (which I thought was OK).. The terrible broken roads around where I live mean I have had enough of the ride.. I am looking for the most silky ride of any car (and we all know that is an S-class MB right!).. While an S might be a little large, I have been considering an E estate or a CLS SB (2010 on etc). They both have Airmatic on the rear as standard by design. Why do almost no cars choose this option as new? Is the Airmatic on an E or CLS more hassle than its worth?

I did a quick forum search before posting to check if this was already covered.. I found many threads on 'broken or low suspension)..

I need some guidance.. Do I hold off for full Air on an E or CLS? (350D or a cheeky 5.5 Petrol)

Best

Simon

 

[AMGeed]

Welcome to the forum

Airmatic is a nice feature and isn't as problematic as you might think.
The E class ,in particular, has sold many hundreds thousands worldwide and we only hear of the problems on the forum, not the hundreds of thousands of satisfied owners.
The worst that can happen is an airmatic pump failure (£300 part) or a leaking airbag at the rear (£300+ each) neither of which will break the bank. When viewing any car with airmatic, check the car is sitting evenly before starting the car and raises and drops using the button by the gearshift.
I can't speak for any of the diesel versions, but the 4.7tt petrol is a speedy engine.
Go mad and get the 63 with a 5.5biturbo. You will quickly forget the Porsche

I could be wrong, but I don't believe any E or CLS has full air suspension now. Just the rear with conventional shocks and springs in the front.

 

[E55BOF]

Airmatic WILL go wrong eventually, and cost more than a broken spring to repair, but the cost isn't astronomical, and the newer and lower-mileage the car, the less likely it will fail. All non-Airmatic E-class estates and CLS SBs have a simpler pneumatic self-levelling system on the rear, so the same applies to that , but if it's only on the rear there's less to fail.

I've just had to have one rear air spring and the Airmatic compressor on my 2013 CLS SB (full Airmatic) replaced; £1100 including VAT.

Coil springs break too, of course.

 

[M5sime]

Welcome to the forum

Airmatic is a nice feature and isn't as problematic as you might think.
I could be wrong, but I don't believe any E or CLS has full air suspension now. Just the rear with conventional shocks and springs in the front.

Hey thanks!! Airmatic is standard on the rear of the E estate and the CLS SB. And an option (350D) to add to the front for a full setup. It seems very very few tick that box.

 

[M5sime]

Airmatic WILL go wrong eventually, and cost more than a broken spring to repair, but the cost isn't astronomical, and the newer and lower-mileage the car, the less likely it will fail. All non-Airmatic E-class estates and CLS SBs have a simpler pneumatic self-levelling system on the rear, so the same applies to that , but if it's only on the rear there's less to fail.

I've just had to have one rear air spring and the Airmatic compressor on my 2013 CLS SB (full Airmatic) replaced; £1100 including VAT.

Coil springs break too, of course.

Hey thanks for sharing your feedback. Very rare to find a SB with full Airmatic. How would you rate it for comfort. I have not driven any MB cars, but ridden in many E class over the years in European taxis etc. I’m looking for an S class with a boot. Ie the best possible ride quality on terrible road quality around me. I don’t need lots of great handling as my play car is the 911

 

[E55BOF]

The car is on 19" wheels, and the ride is pretty good on all surfaces. I've had many S211 E-class, all bar two also full Airmatic, and the ride is as good as any of them except my last, an Elegance trim on 18" wheels, which was slightly better. The other non-Airmatic was a late model Sport on 18" wheels, and the ride was perfectly acceptable on that one too. The ride on the bigger Mercedes (apart from some AMG models) is usually pretty comfortable.

I also had a W212 5.5 biturbo on 19" wheels, and the ride on that was firm, but not uncomfortably so.

 

[M5sime]

The car is on 19" wheels, and the ride is pretty good on all surfaces. I've had many S211 E-class, all bar two also full Airmatic, and the ride is as good as any of them except my last, an Elegance trim on 18" wheels, which was slightly better. The other non-Airmatic was a late model Sport on 18" wheels, and the ride was perfectly acceptable on that one too. The ride on the bigger Mercedes (apart from some AMG models) is usually pretty comfortable.

I also had a W212 5.5 biturbo on 19" wheels, and the ride on that was firm, but not uncomfortably so.

Really appreciate you sharing your experience. Would you say the difference for Airmatic and non is not large for comfort? It does sound like you prefer Airmatic given your car choice history. I’m trying to decide remotely whether to hang on given how rare it seems to find the E or CLS with the option.

 

[E55BOF]

A lot of W211s came with Airmatic as standard; I never regarded it as essential, and even the non-Airmatic in Sport trim rode well. I wouldn't say the ride comfort difference on the W211 between Airmatic and non-Airmatic was all that great, but I never had a non-Airmatic W212, on which the CLS SB is based, so I can't speak for that model.

 

[cp3377]

Really appreciate you sharing your experience. Would you say the difference for Airmatic and non is not large for comfort? It does sound like you prefer Airmatic given your car choice history. I’m trying to decide remotely whether to hang on given how rare it seems to find the E or CLS with the option.

I’ve always loved air suspension since trying it so might be biased here, but I did try a SB for a couple of days without Airmatic before owning 2 with it, and with the 19” wheels the ride goes from something pretty good to excellent. The difference feels more marked than the 211s I previously had with Airmatic compared to those I tried without it but that might be down to the wheel and tyre sizes involved. The SBs tend to have 255/35 and 285/19’s which are pretty aggressive and not sizes one would believe are overly conducive to a good ride so they pretty impressive considering. Re reliability, touching wood now the only problem I’ve had was a rear airline damaged when I had to move off-road to let a car pass on a country road. Apart from that no problems in over 300k miles. You also get choices of suspension settings and even a (slightly) higher setting for rough ground, if that’s something that floats your boat. It is rare to find one with it but they do come up.

 

[regbuser]

Another vote for airmatic, having had it on a 62 plate cls 350 sb, a 65 plate cls 350, and a 17 plate glc 43, vs not on an 09 plate e 320.
I think it just makes the ride a lot more forgiving on the potholed roads around the uk.

 

[GordonTarling]

While the E class estates (211 and 212) do have air suspension at the rear, it is definitely NOT airmatic. These cars can be had with full Airmatic, but then they'll have the appropriate control switches on the centre console. The standard air rear suspension on those estates is fitted more for the self levelling function as anything else as far as I can tell. My current E63 AMG does have the full Airmatic and it's a nice ride, but I feel that it's been 'tuned' to be more appropriate to the car's performance than strictly for comfort. I've not experienced a 'standard' E estate that's had Airmatic, but I suspect it'll probably be a slightly softer ride than the AMG has. Best to try a few cars with different options if you can and decide for yourself which gives the best ride. For me, the best ride I've ever experienced in an E estate was my old S210 - to me, it felt like the legendary magic carpet ride that everyone seems to want.

 

[mersum1es]

Test drive - your a**dyno is best judge All 500 engine MB's have airmatic (or ABC if talking S-class).

My old S (W220) had airmatic, and my C219 has one. Have to say one generation younger Airmatic is much more sophtisticated BUT it is not 'old school' americal lullaby air suspension car. As a maintenance point of view, I did go coilovers when choosing my W212. Airmatic just is not suitable on this climate. Moisture get into system and eventually corrode valves. Changed W220 one strut, compressor and valve block. By maintaining compressor annually and drying system will give more lifetime, but I am afraid finally some place starts leaking, first signs at -20C, then gradually at warmer... (C219 rear suspension already sagging)

 

[M5sime]

Test drive - your a**dyno is best judge All 500 engine MB's have airmatic (or ABC if talking S-class).

My old S (W220) had airmatic, and my C219 has one. Have to say one generation younger Airmatic is much more sophtisticated BUT it is not 'old school' americal lullaby air suspension car. As a maintenance point of view, I did go coilovers when choosing my W212. Airmatic just is not suitable on this climate. Moisture get into system and eventually corrode valves. Changed W220 one strut, compressor and valve block. By maintaining compressor annually and drying system will give more lifetime, but I am afraid finally some place starts leaking, first signs at -20C, then gradually at warmer... (C219 rear suspension already sagging)

Thank you. Is there much difference in ride quality between your old S and others C etc? w212 ?

 

[mersum1es]

CLS is clearly the best. W212 and W220 were pretty much same, I don't know why W220 airmatic was so 'surface hard' - perhaps ADS valves of old struts were not working as they should and adjustment was always too hard... But even C219 Airmatic gives some impacts through. On the other hand it sits pretty well on road even slightly aggressive driving.

For some reason my W211 coilover 'ate' suspension joints like a bread, but my C219 airmatic (otherwise pretty similar than W211) has after two years, just given first hint of worn joint.

 

[Mactech]

I have not owned a CLS with air, but many cars with. My experience suggests whilst it does indeed increase the ride comfort, especially on wheels larger that 18", it is not a 'must have' on the CLS.
Airmatic shows a greater benefit on ML and GLE as it helps control the roll and pitch of the higher centre of gravity.
However, one of the 'hidden' benefits of Airmatic is that it does reduce the low frequency road noise by having air as the springing medium and not steel.
Worth considering if you are in the car for long distances.

 

[phobos]

I have full Airmatic on my S212 and I absolutely love it. used to have a S211 Sport ( 18 inch and sport suspension) and the Airmatic + 17 inch is a LOT more forgiving in my book, especially on longer journeys. I am about to replace the rear bags but to me fair the car has 170k.
Also I have a theory ( theory..) that Airmatic is more forgiving on the other suspension components such as arms and bushes as even with 170K mine do not show a lot of wear.

 

[M5sime]

Tha

I have full Airmatic on my S212 and I absolutely love it. used to have a S211 Sport ( 18 inch and sport suspension) and the Airmatic + 17 inch is a LOT more forgiving in my book, especially on longer journeys. I am about to replace the rear bags but to me fair the car has 170k.
Also I have a theory ( theory..) that Airmatic is more forgiving on the other suspension components such as arms and bushes as even with 170K mine do not show a lot of wear.

Hi thank you.. I find so few for sale with that option. I guess everyone that has Airmatic loves to keep their cars!!

 

[cp3377]

For good reason I suspect! Just had a quick scan on Auto Trader and there are a couple of 350SB’s with Airmatic. One’s a grey 15 plate and the other a black 17 plate (with 110k miles). Not sure if they work for you but might be worth a look on the site?


https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104211632038
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103029651407

Tha

Hi thank you.. I find so few for sale with that option. I guess everyone that has Airmatic loves to keep their cars!!

 

[E55BOF]

If you do buy a V6 diesel CLS SB, I can recommend an MSL remap. I had a 350 CDI W212 estate - same engine - with a TDI Tuning box on it, and was a little disappointed with the performance. My CLS has had a proper rolling road remap at MSL, and while TDI Tuning claimed the same bhp and torque figures as the MSL dyno sheet shows, I'm not disappointed this time...

 

[bolidemichael]

My E500 with full airmatic (with the adjustable firmness settings and ride height) with 17" alloys is super. The car lowers at higher speeds for stability (they are excellent mile-munchers) and I didn't know this but according to a contemporary brochure that I recently purchased off ebay, the airmatic automatically firms up when it senses sporty driving...

It does cost, however, to replace - just call it £750-£1000 per corner in order to set your expectations accordingly. Additionally, it helps to have a good alignment place that knows Mercs set it up so that you get even tyre wear.