Larry1979

+1

VinnyT

I understand what you are saying. However, so many have had this issue with the system. Trust me, I'm not crying about it, I can afford the repair. My problem is that even when people get it fixed, it occurs again: A flawed and dangerous system.

I went into this car knowing about maintenance and cost of replacement parts. For such a major component to fail at an early mileage,(Yes, 76000 is not a lot of miles in todays standards), to me is unacceptable. MB should have had a recall or TB on this. For a hose on the ABC to blow while doing 70mph is extremely dangerous. For that fact, MB should have had a developed replacement parts that would be more reliable.

I do love this car, and will have her back running at top condition. it's just surprising that for so many years, MB has continued to use this bad system without redesigning it.

I see they have the Magic Body Control in todays MBs. Does this still use the same ABC system but with a camera technology?

maw1124

For the W222, Airmatic on S63 AMG, ABC on S65 AMG. The reason for this is not due to ABC being a flawed system or any of that. It's actually very practical -- the size of the ABC struts won't allow for ABC and 4Matic to be combined. So for the S63 which has 4Matic, they "compromised" and went with Airmatic. But they keep ABC for the S65 which doesn't have 4Matic, because fluid hydraulics are stronger than air hydraulics for heavier cars. I know this from asking the question in a AMG Private Lounge chat with AMG. Out of privacy to them, I won't attach the conversation here.

Both are prone to leaks, hose failures, etc. -- name one fluid or air handling system in a car that's not. And both have improved over the years. But to answer your question, MB still uses both air and fluid hydraulics, and everyone seems to agree fluid is better than air the heavier the car. According to AMG, the W222 S63 with Airmatic "does most of what ABC does", but notice the word "most".

I have not seen people who change fluid frequently report failures anyway. But over the life of a car, there is maintenance AND repair. Doing the maintenance won't always eliminate repairs. I have air suspensions in other cars (basically Airmatic), and I'll take ABC every day of the week and twice on Sunday. It's been easier to maintain + even when both are perfect ABC works better.

maw

VinnyT

I had a Jaguar XJR with air suspension. During the winter the front end would dip due to the hoses leaking, especially under 30 degrees. The compressor sometimes wouldn't work because of the cold, so I would be driving a lowrider.

When the ABC did work on the Merc, I loved it. It was amazing how it controlled a 4800lb car in hard turns. I guess I'm just bummed that I have a big repair when only had the car 3 months.

Oh well, she will be repaired!

Quadrobenz

Just a minor point, the w221 S63 is not 4Matic, it has ABC. That said I have owned 4 MB's with ABC and one with Airmatic (W211 S63.)
The ABC is far better than the Airmatic in my experience. Also, regarding failures and repair, the Airmatic required no maintenance in 70k miles and 7 years of ownership. The 2005 and 2006 required major repairs around 50k miles and again at 80k (to fix what was not fixed at 50k miles.) The 2009 has not required any ABC maintenance.
I tend to believe on the older model ABC cars it is time, not mileage that leads to failures. Preventive maintenance could extend the life of some of the ABC components, I did not have any done.
The 2015 S65 with ABC and MBC is a dream to drive, no maintenance issues after 7k miles.

maw1124

Yes, I corrected thread entry #28 to clarify I was talking about the W222. Stated differently, only to include 4Matic in the S63 did MB AMG move away from ABC. And that's according to MB AMG.

Cheers,

maw

VinnyT

Front strut sensor is shot. New strut, ABC flush, fill, rodeo and height calibration, $3100

maw1124

Sorry about that. No one likes to dump an unintended $3k in a car that they sourced carefully. Hopefully you got your money on the way in. And hopefully this doesn't become habit. Out of curiosity, how much was the part and what was the labor rate? It's been a while since I've used a dealer.

VinnyT

Strut was $1300. Labor $120/hr
Flush, fill, rodeo, $1000

maw1124

They were doing fine, up until the "flush, fill and rodeo" for a grand. Did you get a look at the old fluid?

My one complaint about the ABC system (I know, I'm lenient) besides their "lifetime fluid" nonsense, is that the sensors are located INSIDE the strut, so that (1) they cannot be replaced separately; and (2) Arnott can't offer rebuilds.

If someone here has contrary information on (1) or (2) above, I'd love to hear it. I'm a big fan of Arnott on my Audi Allroad (which is basically Airmatic -- uses the same pump).

maw

VinnyT

They haven't done it yet. I'm scheduled for next Wednesday. They had to order the strut. I have not looked at the fluid. However, they consider it as an option to get the flush, fill, rodeo done. Not a necessity.

VinnyT

Here is the estimate.

maw1124

Great, then you have time. See if the Indy you were talking to can do it (swap a strut, fluid, filter and rodeo). FYI, the computer does the rodeo -- maybe it takes 1/2 hour; hour max. By now, you're as familiar as they are, so you can have an intelligent conversation and see if they know what they're doing. If they do, ask them for a labor only price, and use the dealer for "parts only." My guess is you'll save at least a grand.

The strut should be at most 2 hours labor, you know what the fluid and filter cost, and they have another $450 of almost pure profit in calibration and alignment. Which is why they call them "stealerships."

maw

VinnyT

One good thing is that the dealership will give me a loaner car. That will save me $200+ on a rental. The Indy shop I spoke with doesn't seem to be that great. They never return emails or answer my questions directly.

How can I tell if the fluid is spent? Black in color?

hvacdude

Fluid should be clear. What did they say about the stiff steering ?

VinnyT

Fluid is clear, I'll have them forego that step. The steering issue is due to needing an alignment. It was more pronounced when the ABC pump stopped working. That will be taken care of as well.

maw1124

So their view was that the faulty strut sensor caused the pump to shut off? Just trying to understand as much as I can about how this system works.

VinnyT

Yes. It sent the ABC system a message the level sensor was malfunctioning. This stopped the pump from pressurizing the system. All 4 struts are currently 'locked' into position. The car is safe to drive per the service manager.

arnottdoug

Thanks for the kind words. Arnott does rebuild ABC shocks including for the S-Class W220 https://www.arnottindustries.com/par...18_pid214.html

maw1124

Yeah, I saw that. Thanks Doug. Why non-AMG only? Also, how do you replace the sensors in the ABC struts? Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

maw

98'clk320

I got a arnott strut for 450-550 with core return,however looks to be the valve block thats causing my issue of sagging on one side if thats helps .

VinnyT

Ok, final bill: $2400

New strut, alignment, oil change, mBrace activation.

Got the mBrace only for reselling purposes.

Overall, the dealership was phenomenal and they let me use a 2016 C300 as a loaner.

arnottdoug

Sorry for the late reply. I was waiting for confirmation on the sensor question. I got it but must not have posted the reply.


We do support both AMG and Non-AMG models for W220 and W221 Chassis S-Class vehicles. You'll find them here: https://www.arnottindustries.com/par...ENZ_yid18.html


Regarding the sensors we test them before rebuilding them but we do not use new ones. The typical failure point on these is the rubber seal that the OE uses. We replace those with polyurethane versions that hold up much better to the fluid.

maw1124

Doug, thanks for this. Others, see here... https://www.arnottindustries.com/par...18_pid214.html

I understand rebuilding the electronic sensors. Soldering should do the trick in most cases. Could have saved VinnyT a few bucks...

How've they been holding up in practice? Anyone here used them?

Cheers,

maw

arnottdoug

They seem to hold up well. We've even instituted a new quality check recently (last year) where we now randomly pull some out of the box and test the unit. Every so often we'll install some on one of our vehicles for a road test.