acemanti

replaced 2 struts, car has had the banana boat ride for over a year now, mercedes said it was the pump, indy said it was dirty fluid - just spent another $2000 for new strut and he cleaned the accumulater in rear - got the car back seem to be riding better but would bottom out in rear in - now have the same issues all over again, indy has no clue what the problem is? thoughts?

plan to dispute charges.

acemanti

the front end is dropping down on the wheel well after being parked for 5 minutes - the abc too low comes on when starting car and the car raises when put in drive - the car does raise and lower from switch but it also with raise and lower on its own while sitting parked while running - the bottom out occured in the rear end when hitting a bump/dip in the road, only occured after they cleaned the rear accumulator - front strut was showing a small leak, didnt look like it was even leaking much to me, at this time i dont see any leaks.

thx

fxrs1955

No leaks and bottoming out, you might need to replace the accumulators.

bha

I can't tell you what to replace, but I can certainly tell you what *isn't* the problem from what you have outlined. You'll have to diagnose the remaning parts and replace any that have failed.

If by banana boat ride, you mean it's rocking front to back, then it can't be any one strut, since the problem is happening in pairs.

Cannot be the hoses if no leaks are found

Cannot be the pump if the car is raising quickly when you start it up

Cannot be the fluid as that wouldn't make such a huge difference.. mine was 10yrs old and absolutely black when I got the car. Did a complete flush, rodeo, and put in clean fluid with new filters. Car rides a tiny bit better but almost un-noticeable. Dirty fluid won't make a noticeable difference at all.

What does that leave? Valve blocks, accumulators, and sensors (unless I'm leaving something out)

Your problem is not hydraulic failure (hoses, fluid, pump) at all. It has something to do with the proportioning/damping/accumulating of that fluid.

Someone needs to diagnose your car properly. The dealer is going to replace the pump (because it's old and probably doesn't meet their threshold of 'perfect') and then will continue to diagnose further. You need someone to work on your car who realizes that all the parts are worn but still completely functional.. one of them has failed. You can't start replacing any parts that aren't perfect, because you'll end up replacing everything.

MB runs a test on your pump and if it doesn't meet a certain pressure, they replace the pump. My car came with a pump that didn't meet that pressure 3 years ago, and it's still running just fine. No slow raising of the car or anything else.

Yes, my pump will probably die some day but it hasn't happened yet. Just proving that over 3 years of driving on a "dead" pump still gets me from point A to point B every day

Your tech is guessing from the other end.. that dirty fluid is the solution. Yes, it may play a part but won't solve the problem. Should you have the fluid flushed anyhow? Yes. Will it fix the problem? No. So it isn't wasted money to do it (and you probably should) but don't expect a miracle. Try it as a first step but don't rely on that fixing the problem.

You might want to propose to your tech that he replaces the filter (first!) and drains the old fluid. Then new fluid, rodeo the heck out of the car (I think MB says 15 mins or something like that.. run it for an hour if you can). That will heat up the fluid, remove all the deposits in the valves and other components, etc. Then flush the fluid and replace with new... a FULL flush which takes many liters of fluid. Then new filter and adjust fluid level.

That is the best start. Then diagnose from there.

Buy 8-10 liters of CHF11S online (autohausaz, rmeuropean, etc) and 2 filters. That will save you a ton of $ because that stuff really gets marked up at a lot of places. Then the rest is just labor.

AutohausAZ-Mike

Thank you for mentioning us!

We carry the CHF11S 1 liter Pentosin for $19.97

Here is a link to our site for the part:
AutohausAZ - CHF11S

Disclaimer: Make sure to check the year and model of the vehicle before placing the order.

lenzhotrod

If the front drops that quick and you have no external leak, your front ABC valve needs to be cleaned or replaced! Now for your boat like ride in the rear I would guess that that ABC valve also needs a cleaning.

Alecu001

Hey Leo @ Authohaus, I tried ordering some Pentosin CHF11S from your site last night, but after inputting the year and model (2003 SL500), the CHF11S was not one of the recommended fluids in the suspension section.
Also, is your ABC filter the magnetic kind?

I just wanted to verify with you before placing the order.

Thanks.

AutohausAZ-Mike

Hi,

For the 06 SL500 we list part number CHF202 as OEM replacement for the power steering, convertible top and a few other options. We also have the Genuine Mercedes fluid which is part number 000989910310.

The self leveling unit filter part number 0031846101 is not a magnetic kind and I really don't see a reason for needing a magnetic kind for the self leveling suspension.

bha

CHF202 is an updated fluid (replacement for CHF11S)
CHF202 and CHF11S are fully mixable and can be used in place of each other.


CHF202 (and I believe 11S also) are *not* mixable or compatible as a replacement for CHF7.1 (the older fluid)


So no problem with CHF202. When everyone runs out of stock of 11S, your only choice in the future will be to buy CHF202 anyway.

Alecu001

Thank you for that explanation.

Vulcaneer

Your indy sounds weak. He's yanking your chain. And your wallet. I do believe he has no idea what the problem may be. Or how to fix it. Find a good knowledgable service outlet.

You may have dirty fluid. But the front and rear valves need to be cleaned, rebuilt and/or replaced. But only after the complete system can be flushed clean. All struts need to be drained and bled, as well. The problem you have is the valves. But replacing them without flushing and cleaning the rest of the system will continue your problems. As any contamination left in the system will find places to cause internal leak down.

Yours will likely be an expensive repair. If you want it fixed, you need to start at ground zero. If not, you will chase the problem around for a long while. And it will be even more expensive and frustrating over time.