saintz

The W220 does not use the same suspension. The cost of all those stock parts would far exceed the cost of fixing the ABC anyway.

You're better off going to an independent shop. You could replace every single suspension part for less than 11 grand.

240M3SRT

I appreciate the response saintz-i can tell im gonna be mostly on my own here lol.

The quote actually came from an independant shop. I had to sit down when i first saw the figure, but they line itemed it so i could see how they came up with that figure.

Im in contact with some people right now regarding the coilover setup. Ill be the first to mention coilovers wont help resale, and given its weight will probably never ride like ABC. But i plan on keeping the car so i am doing this for me.

Can anyone tell me if there is a power steering pump that will definitely fit? Maybe from a m275 platform without ABC. Not sure if that even exists.

maxwerks

$11K seems a bit on the outrageous side ... four struts rebuilt and life warranteed at $700 each , redo the hydraulic lines from scratch using custom fabricated ones with new fittings ... how much would a rebuilt hydraulic pump cost ? Labor from an indie .. I havent done it myself but I still think it can be done for far less than $11K.. there is gentleman on the Cl55 forum who apparently done the conversion to coilovers , I dont know the details , but he clearly says that its not for the faint of heart , and not for a dd car . I would be very concerned about tampering with the overall balance of such a heavy car and never having ride the same ever again.. thats my 2c .... I would tend to think that this conversion best done by someone like Brabus with their bottomless pockets, and R&D to get it done right , but chances are if Brabus had a kit , it would be $29K LOL ..

ch33sehead

Most W220 S-Classes have Airmatic. The ones with ABC are about 80-90% the same with the CL. The AMG system differs about 50% from the non-AMG ones, and the V12 system has a couple different parts. Some 03+ parts are different from 00-02 parts. There is a lot of stuff you need to know.

EDIT: Where can you get rebuilt struts for 700?

saintz

The SL65 Black Series is a V12 without ABC. That might work. Or reroute the pump back into itself. Until you start digging into EPC, buying random parts, and trying to fabricate them, it's really just speculative.

maxwerks

Arnott Industries struts w/ lifetime warranty

240M3SRT

+1 on this.

BTW i called Arnott as there was a rumor they were working on a conversion to struts. The guy i talked to had no idea what i was talking about. I called KW America. The guy i spoke to their had very little info about the SL65 Black and said their are currently no coilovers for it. Im pretty sure there are though based on posts here as well as a pic ive seen.

Even if the ABC fix were only $5k im pretty sure i can get the coilover setup built for that. I think the proper spring rates and damping rates along with the comfort springs you see at the top of some coilovers will help. Oddly enough i have driven this thing around ever since it left the shop with no light comming on again. Kinda hard to want to shell money towards something that isnt broke...but i guess its really just a matter of time.

maxwerks-do you have any idea who that guy with the cl55 was, maybe a screen name?

maxwerks

The member's name is dynodaddy , and he was selling the entire stock strut system :
https://mbworld.org/forums/suspensio...sion-sale.html

I couldnt find any post by him describing the conversion .. but apparently he did it ..if you get any info from him let us know .. it is all interesting . BTW , I spoke to Arnott , and they confirmed that they do in fact carry the ABC struts for the W215 @ $600 per plus $200 core . so the system is , struts, lines, accumulators , and pump .. is this correct or am I missing anything .

ch33sehead

Valve blocks, pressure relief valve, computer module

maxwerks

why would the computer module have to change ? I am curious .. does it have to be reset if the components are replaced ?

240M3SRT

Thanks, i sent him a PM.

I assume the computer will no doubt throw a red ABC light with the components missing. Ive been speaking with someone who is confident they can over ride this. But im wondering if any other systems work in direct connection with the ABC? In other words assuming my completed coilovers are on the car, i make the pump work for power steering only, and all ABC components are removed is the car going to start right up and shift correctly, no limp mode, etc?

saintz

The goal would be to code it out in SDS. You should be able to do this. You can generally set the ECU to recognize Airmatic, ABC, or neither. The E class, for example, comes with Airmatic or not. The S comes with Airmatic or ABC. You should be able to program that setting and then it won't expect to find that component anymore, much like programming HIDs or all sorts of other stuff.

saintz

Ok, I checked in the parts catalog, and am now confused. I pulled up a 2003 CL in parts.com, and went to rear suspension, suspension components, shock absorber, and viewed the image. I see what is clearly a sway bar and end links (parts 14-16) and also shocks, both ABC and not, which appears to be potentially S and CL compatible. However, those are probably airmatic. I think you would want to make a custom conventional shock and use the stock spring and control arm from an S class and then code the ABC system off.

StarPower

Has anybody considered using the power steering pump from an E55 or CLS55? Assuming the V8's and V12's use the same ABC tandem pump the brackets and connectors should be the same, so it may be possible to use the P/S pump from a V8 on a V12.

OCKlasse

So I'm looking on EPC, and I can't seem to find any 220 chassis that uses spring and shock. I'm even looking at S280s...any insight?

It does seem the R230 guys get a non-ABC advantage...damn.

jjrho

hi, 2001 s500; just replace the airmatics with arnott ind. coil overs....
ride good... have to deal with reprogramming the n51 computer now to get rid of the error codes...

i also have a BAS and ESP codes coming up....is this normal ?

jamesR

OCKlasse

Any pics??

saintz

Airmatic is more like a conventional suspension, it should still have springs and sway bars. You should just need to swap the shock.

ABC is a totally different system, it replaces the whole suspension.

jjrho

well, the car looks same, drives same...
it's just coil over bilsteins....

i have to send in the n51 computer into them to reprogram, so that the ESP, BAS, and airmatic warning lights are taken out...

o/w, it seems like a good way to go and avoid the airmatic leaks...

jim
2001 s500 90K miles

OCKlasse

You must have some sort of strut though...can't just be shocks and springs.

jjrho

well, i guess the airmatic fronts are a strut by definition ? ....

come to think of it..there was no spring replacement... ?!?

jim R

1995E320Cab

240M3SRT have you been following this this post ...

https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...art-3-a-5.html

sergs99m3 (Serg) at http://benz-works.com/ is a WIZ he is HIGHLY recommended as the best in So Ca. My Cars PO would not take my CL600 any where else. Serg has been doing coilovers on the E55's and now is starting to do ABC cars also, you should contact him.

Let us know how it goes.

.

baekim22

i emailed adam from arnott. he got back and said hopefully by Feb 2012 there will be a coil over kit. costing around $3k. I'm guessing its going to about 5-6 months after the anticipated date he gave me until it actually comes out. I was going to spend $4k on an extended warranty for my car but i'm gonna pray that when ABC issues start arising for my car the kit is out by then. Then I can just spend $4k on the conversion.

BlownV8

That may not be a bad plan. You can buy the warranty to cover the ABC but the car will still have ABC problems once the warranty is out. If you use that money to replace the ABC, the car will be more reliable long after the extended warranty is gone.

The ABC is a constant maintenance nightmare becase there are no safety features in place to prevent the system from grenading when a hose fails. When a pump fails, there is no filter to catch the metal particulates from contaminating the valve blocks and struts. It would seem that the safety features could be added at the factory for not much money.

biker349

i vote for the warranty. you will have many more problems than just the abc which will be expensive. btw, what company are you talking about and how long will the warranty be for?