W211/W219 AMG Front Airmatic Strut - backorder

[Aristo]

My offside front Airmatic strut has failed on my CLS55 unfortunately.

Mercedes say there's none in the country, or Germany and are on backorder with no ETA on when they'll be available.

I don't want to chance non genuine shocks or remanufactured/used OEM therefore at this point am at a bit of a loss.

Has anyone had their units rebuilt anywhere? Google throws up some independent Airmatic rebuild specialists but not sure if its a cost effective/reliable route.

In my research I've come across these Bilstein units which look very much like the Mercedes OEM units and are described as suitable. Does anyone know whether Bilstein are the OEM manufacturer for the AMG struts?

Front Right Bilstein B4 - Airmatic Shock Absorber - 44-143664

Front Right Bilstein B4 - Airmatic Shock Absorber - 44-143664 Bilstein shocks.co.uk have thousands of Bilstein suspension products listed to purchase with FAST FREE UK DELIVERY

www.bilstein-shocks.co.uk

In this FCP Euro video (where they're being fitted to an E63) they're described as OE units:

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I'd likely look to replace both front sides.

Any feedback appreciated.

 

[Matt58]

My offside front Airmatic strut has failed on my CLS55 unfortunately.

Mercedes say there's none in the country, or Germany and are on backorder with no ETA on when they'll be available.

I don't want to chance non genuine shocks or remanufactured/used OEM therefore at this point am at a bit of a loss.

Has anyone had their units rebuilt anywhere? Google throws up some independent Airmatic rebuild specialists but not sure if its a cost effective/reliable route.

In my research I've come across these Bilstein units which look very much like the Mercedes OEM units and are described as suitable. Does anyone know whether Bilstein are the OEM manufacturer for the AMG struts?

Front Right Bilstein B4 - Airmatic Shock Absorber - 44-143664

Front Right Bilstein B4 - Airmatic Shock Absorber - 44-143664 Bilstein shocks.co.uk have thousands of Bilstein suspension products listed to purchase with FAST FREE UK DELIVERY

www.bilstein-shocks.co.uk

In this FCP Euro video (where they're being fitted to an E63) they're described as OE units:

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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

I'd likely look to replace both front sides.

Any feedback appreciated.

Try rockauto USA, they may have some in stock. I bought a pair last year, shipped over no probs.

 

[Aristo]

Did you go for the Bilsteins? Did they work ok with the Airmatic? Did you need to code them via STAR? Are they the same units as originals?

Rockauto have them at £1,627 for the pair inc shipping and VAT

 

[Matt58]

Did you go for the Bilsteins? Did they work ok with the Airmatic? Did you need to code them via STAR? Are they the same units as originals?

Rockauto have them at £1,627 for the pair inc shipping and VAT

Yes bilstein, no coding needed, all works as it should.

 

[alexanderfoti]

I would be quite happy to fit bilsteins, I can't remember if they are OE for the airmatic cars but good quality

 

[Teego]

Have a look at Autodoc.co.uk

 

[badgx]

^^^ X2 for Bilsteins, they are oem I believe and a very good brand

 

[SL03WLY]

Yep, PCS kindly fitted a Bilstein shock I provided few years ago and its better then some OEM. As I believe MB send reconditioned ones (though you can specify new ones) whereas the Bilstein are brand new. Though saying that when I had the front left replace with a bilstein it burst after 3 months and they wouldnt replace under warranty citing it wasn't installed correctly. Rather annoying as it was fitted properly and fine for 3 months. If it wasn't it would've gone a lot sooner.

I got it off of PFS - W211 55AMG/63AMG 2002-2008 BILSTEIN B4 Airmatic Front Suspension Strut LH

Bladdy £980 now. First one I got was £771 and second one was £913.

 

[Aristo]

Yep, PCS kindly fitted a Bilstein shock I provided few years ago and its better then some OEM. As I believe MB send reconditioned ones (though you can specify new ones) whereas the Bilstein are brand new. Though saying that when I had the front left replace with a bilstein it burst after 3 months and they wouldnt replace under warranty citing it wasn't installed correctly. Rather annoying as it was fitted properly and fine for 3 months. If it wasn't it would've gone a lot sooner.

I got it off of PFS - W211 55AMG/63AMG 2002-2008 BILSTEIN B4 Airmatic Front Suspension Strut LH

Bladdy £980 now. First one I got was £771 and second one was £913.

Thankyou for the feedback. This doesn't fill me with confidence on the Bilstein's to be honest..!

I guess you just got unlucky with a bad unit...and without OEM units being available from Mercedes I don't really have much choice.
Any noticeable difference in doing just 1 rather than the pair?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Definitely don't buy Aerosus. They’re shockingly bad. I have bought three struts from them over the years - as Mercedes units were on back order with no expected delivery date, and I needed a temporary fix until the Mercedes parts arrived - and all three were faulty immediately after installation.

They were low cost and immediately available and after the first was faulty, I put that down to bad luck. A few years later I found myself in the same position again and ordered two rear struts as another temporary fix and both were faulty.

In all cases they immediately issued refunds, like they expected it! However the cost of fitting them is of course significant and never recovered. As a result I won’t buy them again unless I really have literally no alternative.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

In my experience the Bilstein units are almost as expensive as Mercedes units, and the Mercedes units are worth every penny. Of course, that’s if they can supply them.

In both cases when they were in back order with no date, they actually came within a few weeks or so, however that’s not always the case - some parts can take many months to arrive.

 

[SL03WLY]

Thankyou for the feedback. This doesn't fill me with confidence on the Bilstein's to be honest..!

I guess you just got unlucky with a bad unit...and without OEM units being available from Mercedes I don't really have much choice.
Any noticeable difference in doing just 1 rather than the pair?

Not much to be honest. But I ended up going with OEM back order and it ended up coming through in 2 weeks or so. So caught me by surprise. This was a few months ago too.

 

[Aristo]

Still waiting on the Mercedes strut, still on back order with Mercedes without any ETA. It's coming up to two months now...! considering non geniune options just so I can use the car.

 

[W1ghty]

Still waiting on the Mercedes strut, still on back order with Mercedes without any ETA. It's coming up to two months now...! considering non geniune options just so I can use the car.

Any on eBay second hand to get you back on the road ?

 

[SL03WLY]

Still waiting on the Mercedes strut, still on back order with Mercedes without any ETA. It's coming up to two months now...! considering non geniune options just so I can use the car.

Out of curiosity, did you order a new unit or a reconditioned one. I last recall both were on back order but reconditioned units become available lot sooner. But as W1ghty suggested, do you have any luck finding used unit to get you mobile?

 

[Aristo]

Out of curiosity, did you order a new unit or a reconditioned one. I last recall both were on back order but reconditioned units become available lot sooner. But as W1ghty suggested, do you have any luck finding used unit to get you mobile?

The unit I've ordered and is on backorder is a new one. I'd rather not gamble on a used one. The inconvenience of being immobile at any point isn't a fun prospect. Mine failed at 67k miles which is relatively low mileage, if I'm going to the effort of swapping over I'd rather know it's done and not worry about it again.

 

[W1ghty]

I take it you have seen stuff like this on eBay

Air Strut Mercedes-benz CLS 55 / CLS 63 AMG Front Right, remanufactured | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Air Strut Mercedes-benz CLS 55 / CLS 63 AMG Front Right, remanufactured at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk