$2600.00 oil change

[TheOneAndOnlyROOSTER]

Changed the oil in the hot rod Mercedes last week & popped both air struts... $1300 a strut, not one of my better days

image (Custom).jpg (47.98 KiB) Viewed 7117 times

[E_]

Hows does one lead to the other?

[TheOneAndOnlyROOSTER]

Mercedes AirMatic system stinks, that's how... Arnott, spring/shock conversion kit has been ordered

[Lock5]

Probably less than $75 at Valvoline and if they had busted the shocks/struts/airbaggos they would be paying the $2600.

I haven't changed the oil in any of my vehicles in over 15 yrs. although I obviously can.........Valvoline changes the oil in the Escalade for under $100 with full synthetic out of quart bottles.

[E_]

I just don't trust instant oil centers anymore. One forgot to fill my filter up on the green dodge and it squeaked for about 20 seconds LOUDLY after they filled it up and started it. Could hear from waiting room at a Quaker State. I traded the truck pretty quick and never have let someone else change my oil since other than the first oil change on new vehicles at a dealership.

[Lock5]

I have 20 service vans, all of them use the instant oil change place of the drivers choosing. We run them till 175,000 miles and have never had an issue. I have had 1 transmission rebuild in a Ford in the last 7 years. Front end repairs on Fords, alignment issues with the Chevrolets but no engine issues in any van.........knock on wood.

[E_]

It just takes once, I had never had a issue till the day with that truck in 2005. ...and that is how I ended up buying the 06 Ram that you liked. lol

[TheOneAndOnlyROOSTER]

It should be slightly lower than in this pic,

[Pinnacle]

How do you "pop" your struts when changing oil? Did it happen when you jacked it up? On my mercedes I use their recommended procedure, which is the same as on a boat. I use my pump to pull the oil out of the dipstick. Don't even need to jack it up as the filter is accessable from the top. The filter looks just like the oil filter on a 4 cycle sea doo.

[TheOneAndOnlyROOSTER]

How do you "pop" your struts when changing oil? Did it happen when you jacked it up? On my mercedes I use their recommended procedure, which is the same as on a boat. I use my pump to pull the oil out of the dipstick. Don't even need to jack it up as the filter is accessable from the top. The filter looks just like the oil filter on a 4 cycle sea doo.

I looked at the Mighty Vac system to vacuum the oil out as you do, just decided against it, for certain reasons, yes the car was jacked up for oil change. Two days later & first time out since oil change & both front struts drop 45min. Into our trip. Everything I have read about the Airmatik system is bad, so I ordered Arnott's conversion kit for the car.
By the time I send Arnott the old parts I will have around $2,000 in the suspension, Mercedes wanted $1,300 for one strut by the time I got the car back on the road I was looking at having over $3,000 & would be hoping a compressor, dryer, air line or back strut didn't go bad.

[TheOneAndOnlyROOSTER]

Parts are in, will be putting them on this weekend.

[TheOneAndOnlyROOSTER]

It is done... Fronts were easy, rears OMG... Had to remove exhaust & drop rear end.