W211 rear airbag/spring purchase help.

jamesr181

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Hi guys, I'm needing to replace the drivers side rear airbag and I'm having trouble trying to figure out which one. Now I am trying to do it as cheap as poss but also safely.
The options I've seen are
1 Chinese specials, are they any good? £300 for a pair 2 year guarantee
2 Merc OEM, too expensive
3 Aerosus £265 for 1 or £477 for a pair 2 year guarantee. No mention of pairs necessary.
4 Arnott £500 for a pair 2 year guarantee, have to be replaced in pairs according to website
5 Second hand £100ish

Another issue is that aerosus appear to say that my car has got ADS as I have got the c/s button. Arnott do not list this option for the self levelling cars. It's a E320 cdi avantgarde with 486 sports option.
Hoping that someone can understand my post
 

LostKiwi

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I thought all W211 with air springs were self levelling?
 
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jamesr181

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I thought all W211 with air springs were self levelling?
When I say self levelling I mean no airmatic. On the aerosus website it says there's a difference if you have the c's button by the gearstick. Arnott have no mention of this. Arnott also say must replace in pairs whereas aerosus do not mention this.
This is my reason for being confused.
 

EmilysDad

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When I say self levelling I mean no airmatic. On the aerosus website it says there's a difference if you have the c's button by the gearstick. Arnott have no mention of this. Arnott also say must replace in pairs whereas aerosus do not mention this.
This is my reason for being confused.

If it's any help the rear air springs/bags at the back of a R Class were the same whether the car had Airmatic or not.
And though I eventually had both my R Class's rear springs/bags changed, they weren't replaced at the same time. As far as I know, Arnott springs were used.
 

LostKiwi

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Aerosus list an ADS version of the bags.
In terms of pairs or not whilst you don't need to replace in pairs if one has failed (usually from old age) the other won't be far behind.
 
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jamesr181

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Aerosus list an ADS version of the bags.
In terms of pairs or not whilst you don't need to replace in pairs if one has failed (usually from old age) the other won't be far behind.

That's what I'm trying to find out, does my car have ADS? Aerosus say if you have the c/s (which I have) button then you do, however I cannot find anyone else who agrees. So if I buy Aerosus (which is likely) then do I buy ADS or not?
The reason I want Aerosus is I can buy direct rather than an ebay supplier.
 

Blobcat

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The C/S button switches the gearbox between "Comfort" and "Sport" nothing to do with suspension as far as I know
 

EmilysDad

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That's what I'm trying to find out, does my car have ADS? Aerosus say if you have the c/s (which I have) button then you do, however I cannot find anyone else who agrees. So if I buy Aerosus (which is likely) then do I buy ADS or not?
The reason I want Aerosus is I can buy direct rather than an ebay supplier.

As Bobcat suggests, something is being lost in translation. C/S is the gearbox comfort & standard (?) ... if you have Airmatic you'll be able to alter the ride settings form soft, normal and 'sport' settings. There'll be air springs/bags at the front too.
 

AMGeed

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Aerosus should be able to supply the correct part from the Vin#
 
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jamesr181

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The C/S button switches the gearbox between "Comfort" and "Sport" nothing to do with suspension as far as I know
That's exactly what I thought. It's on the aerosus website that states the c/s button alters things. Not me.
 

steveq

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Hi,

I had a quick look at the Aerosus website.
This is what they say:-
The offered Aerosus air spring is designed for vehicles with level control, but with ADS. Before buying online, check if your E-Class has ADS (Adaptive Damping System). You can determine this as follows: If you have a selector switch for the Comfort and Sport modes of the air suspension in the cockpit of your vehicle, then the ADS system is present. Another distinguishing feature is the PINs of the electrical connection. ADS vehicles have three PINs on the connection, while vehicles without ADS have two PINs.

It is slightly awkwardly worded -- automatic S211s have the C/S switch that controls the gearbox operation (in S it starts off in first gear and changes gear at higher revs). The switch is beside the gear selector.
As far as I know, E Class estates with Adaptive Damping will have a switch on the dashboard with a little picture of a damper with Sport or Comfort on it.

All E Class estates have rear self-leveling suspension as standard.
 


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