W211 rear air springs

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IANinSutton

New Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2021
Messages
5
Location
West Midlands
Car
E320 W211
Hello, I am newly registered and have to admit that if I need to know something I have previously dipped in to the forum as a guest.
I bought my first W211 estate about 8 years ago and the main dealer warned me about the Achilles heel and expensive rear suspension failures.
I am now on my third one and up to the last few weeks never had a problem
Now I have that sinking feeling on my car which has largely been standing over the past 6 months and waiting for the lockdown to end so I can advertise it!
So the local independent specialist says my nearside air spring is leaking
The repair cost using MB parts is prohibitive
I am tempted to use the Chinese ones which are advertised on eBay
Has anyone used them?
There are some offered with a 3 year guarantee
Some claim to be in the UK but their account is registered in China
Any recommendations please
Yes I know its buyer beware!!
Thank you
 
There are a number of suppliers of after market suspension units that aren't as expensive as genuine MB units but are still reputable and provide a warranty that could be trusted.
Arnott, Aerosus and Bilstein are three that come to mind.
I have fitted Aerosus over 4 years ago on my S212 and they have been fine.
Others have fitted the other brands and they are happy with them too.

You probably need to replace both sides if you are using non-originals.

How long are they taking to drop? If it takes weeks and you are planning to sell then just leave them as they are?
 
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+1 for Arnott. It would probably be worth changing the air line as well as that’s quite cheap. It could even be the actual cause of the leak
 
Do you have Airmatic suspension? If so, if you use Arnott both rear air springs will have to be replaced, not just one, because the Arnott replacements do away with the rear air chamber on the Airmatic cars.
 
Thank you all for your input
I dont have aromatic so it's the two pin unit that I need
The temptation to fit a pair of Chinese ones has grown over the past few days
I took it to the dealer last week it hadn't gone down overnight, didnt go down parked on his forecourt all day and he kept it overnight, it still didnt go down
I drove 5 miles home it was starting to sag rear n/s by next morning and after 2 days standing it was right down with warning light on.
Last month it passed MOT no advisories!!
 
Whilst I understand the desire to fit the cheapest as you are planning on selling, can I suggest these Bilstein options at £234 each. Given it sounds like you will be paying the garage to swap them, and thus labour cost is a good chunk of the bill, the possibility that the quality is poor and you have to do the job again would make the quality option more palatable.

I fitted these Bilstein bags to my S211 about a month ago, and can recommend the units themselves, and the supplier.

Were I in the market for a S211, a car advertised with recent, quality replacement suspension would also be worth a little more to me.

Martin.
 
Thank you all for your input
I dont have aromatic so it's the two pin unit that I need
The temptation to fit a pair of Chinese ones has grown over tihe past few days
I took it to the dealer last week it hadn't gone down overnight, didnt go down parked on his forecourt all day and he kept it overnight, it still didnt go down
I drove 5 miles home it was starting to sag rear n/s by next morning and after 2 days standing it was right down with warning light on.
Last month it passed MOT no advisories
Whilst I understand the desire to fit the cheapest as you are planning on selling, can I suggest these Bilstein options at £234 each. Given it sounds like you will be paying the garage to swap them, and thus labour cost is a good chunk of the bill, the possibility that the quality is poor and you have to do the job again would make the quality option more palatable.

I fitted these Bilstein bags to my S211 about a month ago, and can recommend the units themselves, and the supplier.

Were I in the market for a S211, a car advertised with recent, quality replacement suspension would also be worth a little more to me.

Martin.
Thank you for that lead. Thats a good price for branded air springs
 

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Thank you for that but I wont be fitting them!

Some of the UK Websites are actually shipping from overseas and will incur Duty and VAT so thats about 25% total

What we have to get used to is paying duty and VAT on packages from Germany!

Also some eBay UK sellers are actually Chinese and the same applies to them.

I have doubts aboutf Chinese sellers who appear to have stock in the UK, They have no office here and it seems that a warranty claim could prove difficult

Somewhere between Chinese Cheapness and Branded Aftermarket I have found a British Supplier with proper UK Premises and a website.

I am being quoted £300 for a pair of A2113200925 units with two years guarantee. A very nice chap called Martin has answered my queries and I am planning to order from him.

The Company is IM AXLE SPECIALISTS LIMITED
Church Farm, Bingham Road
Langar,Nottingham NG13 9HW
 
And whats the manufacturer of air bags ?? I know company Aerosus, bought from them 2 bags and returned them unopened for free as I ve read reviews. People very often claimed that company do not want to refund them in case of a fault of the air bag but only to replace it...You think You have money to replace them every 1,5 yr for example ? I bought Arnott 2726 x 2 on ebay for 460 for two pieces and Arnott is a huge business in USA and Europe.
That is just my opinion. I understand You have xentry/das ?
 

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