The rear airbag suspension of my car requires replacement.
Would you go for an aftermarket part? Or genuine manufacturer part? Price difference including labour is roughly $1k. Would your answer be different depending on the make of the car eg. Hyundai vs Mercedes?
Do people have good experience with aftermarket parts?
Would greatly appreciate your advice.
I thought Sharon had rear air bags (but misnamed them) thinking her by VY Commodore would look fully sik bottomed out to the ground when parked.
I just put new gas struts on my daughter hatchback and cost $30 + 5 minutes of my time and use of a small flat head.
5 minutes of my time and use of a small flat head.
…and a screwdriver.
P.S. You're a bit harsh on yourself - small flat head….¯\(ツ)/¯
Apologies. Just updated my post for clarity. Its the rear airbag suspension that requires replacement.
Oh, well, that is a different kettle of fish… that is going to be way more expensive and labour intensive.
And why the hell would you put air suspension under a Hyundai Excel? It would cost more than what the car is worth.
Or once again, have you got the information arse about and what you are talking about are the “shock absorbers”? Hyundai Excel didn’t come standard with “air suspension”.
If it is the “air suspension” that you referring to on the GLC, then this is just one of the joys of owning large, expensive Euro shitbox SUVs. You get to whine to your neighbours about how much money you have poured into this never ending black hole of a vehicle. It’s like a rich people’s pissing competition, to brag and outdo each other on how much they spend to keep their Toorak Tractors running…
I will never understand the logic behind buying a vehicle that costs well north of $100,000 and moaning about either petrol being $2.20/l or how a part for their car is less than 1% the cost of the purchase price. If you bought it used, then even more fool you, this and every other forum is littered with examples of why you don’t buy out of warranty, very expensive high end luxury cars, especially from European brands.
Edit: just read your further explanation about aftermarket parts in general for the Excel, not that is also has air suspension…
If that is the case, then yes, for the Excel, just buy whatever fits. Aftermarket parts are fine… But for the GLC, good luck. You are going to find that getting after market parts for those are going to be much harder and you will probably have to get them ordered in from parts stores in Europe. Supercheap/Repco/Sparesbox etc… aren’t going to really have a shit load of GLC parts sitting on their shelves.
Thank you. I don't think everyone buys luxury car to brag or have car chat with others. It is also possible that you are used to eating Coles brand cornflakes so you also want to try Kelloggs ones to see if they are better. If they are not then you finish the Kelloggs and not buy again. No I didn't buy used but maybe some people want to see if European cars are actually better without paying full price?
No I didn't buy used…
So, you are in the “paid over $100k for a car and are now complaining about a $1,000 repair bill…” group then?
And a better analogy would be… buying a really really expensive Rolex because you want to fit in with everyone else who has a Rolex, only for the Rolex to stop working and need a specialist to repair it, and then having a heart panic because they need to replace the band for 1% of the cost of the watch and asking if an AliExpress watch band will work.
If you can afford a new GLC Benz, you can afford a $1,000 bill to repair it.
This is just the admission price of entry you pay when you get into an ultra expensive Eurotrash SUV arms race with all the other soccer moms at school drop off time.
If MB is offering to fix it for $1,000 including parts and labour, I would call them back urgently and have it done before they come to their senses and tack on another “0” to their quote.
@pegaxs: So are we saying if someone can afford a $100k+ then just pay up or throw your money away when you repair? Well, I believe it's about assessing options and making an informed decision, which is what Ozbargain is famous for isn't it? If I go on a $20k European vacation do I just stay in $2000/night hotel without doing any research? Is there a chance that the hotel next to it is selling at $500/ night? It's not always about if you can pay for this then just cop that.
@Sharon S: Again, bad analogy… let’s use your “hotel” example to make it clearer…
It’s more like getting a motel room for $10,000 a night and complaining that they charge $100 for a bottle of champagne that they will deliver to your door. You break your bottle and need to replace it, so you ask about buying an $8 bottle of Passion Pop in place of having to spend $100 on a replacement bottle of champagne, that is literally 1% the cost of the room for the night.
It’s like renting out a whole movie theatre to yourself for the evening for $2,000, with set drinks, and complaining that they want to charge you $2 for a bottle of Coke… but asking if a glass of tap water work just as well…
I’m not saying just pay it, I’m saying, put it in perspective. You bought a very expensive and notably unreliable brand of vehicle that has a reputation for being expensive to maintain… yet here you are, trying to nickel and dime your way through ownership.
If you can’t afford the maintenance on a very expensive premium luxury brand SUV, maybe sell it and buy a RAV4 instead… because that GLC is only going to get more and more expensive as it gets older… and if $1,000 hurts now, wait till it blows an engine, transmission, transfer case, differential, BCM, ABS module or any number of big ticket items…
So sure, frugle your ownership while you still can, because there will come a time when something is going to cost more on the GLC to repair than what your entire Hyundai is worth.
I will never understand the logic behind buying a vehicle that costs well north of $100,000 and moaning about either petrol being $2.20/l or how a part for their car is less than 1% the cost of the purchase price.
Always makes me laugh to see some tradie or fifo worker driving some stupid expensive super car.
Sure, they can afford the finance repayments.
But can they afford the maintenance?
Its a rude awakening for so many people when they go above their means for a car that will cost them even crazier money to maintain.
(Not saying thats the op)
@El cheepo: I’ve worked for Jaguar, LR, BMW and Volvo, and I can assure you, there are LOTS of owners just like that.
They buy the Range Rover because they can afford the lease repayments and it helps them fit in with the Jones in their area and it’s a great circle jerk for the mothers at the local grammar school to brag about how well they are doing and how much their husbands make.
But come end of warranty and the first major repair and these people have zero money. They are living credit card to credit card. So, yes, for a lot of them, that $1,000 repair may mean applying for another line of credit because they have no money after pouring it all into a $12m mansion in a suburb they can’t afford and a car that costs more than an average house in the western suburbs…
But hey, at least they can come onto OzBargain and complain about how their $168,000 car needs a $1,000 part replaced.
If you can afford a new GLC Benz, you can afford a $1,000 bill to repair it.
Or this may in fact be the OP
They buy the
Range RoverGLC because they can afford the lease repayments and it helps them fit in with the Jones in their area and it’s a great circle jerk for the mothers at the local grammar school to brag about how well they are doing and how much their husbands make.
@pegaxs: Have a look at those 2-3 year-old SUVs. Loads of them have bald or almost bald tyres. Too bad their lease payment doesn't cover the cost of replacing 21" massive SUV tyres, and those things aren't cheap.
No comprende. Air lift for what? What vehicle?
Rear airbag suspension. Apologies just updated my post. For Hyundai Excel and Mercedes GLC.
Your hyundai excel has airbag suspension? 😳
Haha sorry I didn't explain myself very well. Mercedes GLC has the rear airbag suspension to be replaced. Also have a Hyundai Excel which requires repairs every now and then so keen to understand whether to go for after market parts or genuine parts.
@Sharon S: That makes more sense 😂
I was wondering what magical excel came with airbag suspension.
In that case, i would go for a genuine part fitted by an experienced non Mercedes dealership affiliated mechanic.
Reasoning- you have an expensive car, don’t cheap out on crap parts that will might fail quickly and cost you more money.
Generally id say aftermarket BUT id want to be reasonbly sure that the aftermarket parts are decent quality. So not some ebay knockoff, but a reputable brand.
With other car brands ive found that aftermarket suspension parts can be had a fair bit cheaper than OEM and often with better quality. Quite often the manufactuer will buy parts from the same aftermarket supplier and whack a brand sticker on it and a price premium.
Are you talking about air bags for suspension, gas struts for a tailgate, linear actuators for a tailgate?
Rear airbag suspension. Apologies. Just updated my post to make it clearer.
If it's for a Jetta then just go aftermarket.
Some aftermarket is good, some is not. Arnott generally do decent stuff, you could also get OEM parts, hard to know what to suggest without knowing what car it is though.
Hyundai Excel and Mercedes GLC
@Sharon S: Well, a Hyundai excel doest have air suspension, so you don't have to worry about that. For Mercedes arnott would be good, or find out who places like HSY can supply you with.
@brendanm: Arnott in the states have been selling these bags for years.
Another option is Bilstein replacement, assuming they make it for the GLC.
No. Still driving my old cheap car for school runs. I just take a deep breath and tell myself to be kind when big cars try to bully me! Having said that I do think things have settled as we are now in Term 2. Possibly parents have worked out the routes and which lane to get into and when etc. I guess there would always be some adjustment time for everyone on the road near schools at the start of the school year.
You Karen peers will look down on you. GLS or go home.
Depends.
Are they a reputable quality brand of airbag?
If they are I would go with aftermarket.
How old is the car? Genuine parts for that car are designed to fail early so would stear clear.
If it were a Lexus/Toyota I would go genuine. They are quality and built to last.
If you're buying sensors for GLC only get genuine. Excel doesn't matter.
Geniune. Unless you know the aftermarket part is better and specifically look for that after market product. E.g. bilstein to stock for shocks and dampers.
Just call them to come pick up the car and tell them to drop off when done. Functionally, unlikely the aftermarket product is any better. (More likely worse off).
Why look aftermarket to save a few penny when already decided to buy into a money pit.
I find the only value in buying into "luxury" is the complimentary (factored into the cost of service, of course) pick up/drop off, as well complimentary car for the time period. In some cases cost double to what an indie charges, comes down to what your time is worth.
Aftermarket. Fit them yourself in about 10 mins. Hundreds of videos on YouTube of how to do it.
And are you sure they are gas? Not linear actuators? Does your rear door open and close by itself? If so, one of them may be an actuator and not just a gas strut.
Your struts will have an open and a closed length and a rating in newtons somewhere on the side of it. Or, just search your car up on eBay and buy them there…
Christ… while you’re at it, find another mechanic. Struts are about $20 to $50 a pair and literally 5 to 10 mins to fit.