BlownV8

If it leaks down and you don't catch it, you will burn out the pump. Those SOB's are crazy expensive. Since you are OK with a hydraulic leak, make sure you use synthetic Petosin and don't get it on your paint or near a flame/hot surface.

sound 8

I checked it yesterday and it is still full, 2 months, so I guess it could be up to a year before it needs topping, I think in 4 years no one had ever checked it.But thanks for your tip on the oil.

Quadcammer

P.S., if you are not happy with Ray Catena, give Benzel Busch in Englewood a try. Frank Scott is an amazing service advisor and they have been great to me.

csumt76

If the suspension drops after sitting for 2 weeks it is not entirely abnormal. Now, if a strut bled out and was sitting on the ground overnight you would have a problem. You have a front and rear valve block controling the front/rear struts seperately. The first step in resolving such problem would be to flush the system out and install a new filter which is located in the resevoir underhood. If that doesn't work, then the valve for that strut in the block is leaking.

sound 8

Hi, I had a leaking strut, but it didn't alter the ride height.
Cost over a grand to replace though.

Totalman

Guys, thanks a lot for your the tips and insights, this forum is great!
As I've mentioned earlier, I am dropping the car off next Monday, will see what happens. I have warranty till 03/2010, so why not use it. Ray Catena in Union (Route 22) is less than 10 min from me, and thus far, they've been nothing but extra nice, but thanks, I will keep Frank Scott in mind.

I did some driving on Christmas weekends, afterwards parked her in the garage the usual, and past Saturday checked everything, now it's sitting on the wheels only on the left side(!), right side seems to be at normal level. No oil on the floor. I checked the level in the res., it's ok, too. When I start up the car, red warning comes up, but it doesn't level on it's own, until I press the level button... Looks like the simple flush may not fix it.

I will keep you posted once I get this issue straightened out.

Thanks again!

CynCarvin32

You are exactly right as long as there are no external leaks in the shocks or lines etc.

I have been through 6 blocks on my SL55 and it still sags in the front when it sits for a week at a time. Not as bad as before but it still low.

I have done 2-3 fluid flushes as well!

The rear was fixed finally however.

BenzBoy12

Totalman, since you have a warranty, you should def. have everything you can done under it while you still can. This stuff is more $$$ the more you leave it alone. On a side note, some of you are saying you've had valve blocks and other components replaced multiple times. I was under the impression that the replacement parts had a better design to prevent the problems. Is this not true? I guess I would've expected that. For instance, if you replace all this stuff once, shouldn't it be good for at least another 75-100k?

Totalman

My CL65 has 24k on it, and one owner since sold new in 03/2006. So, looks like it takes about 2 years before ABC starts giving up...

Totalman

Picked up my car from the service last night. According to the invoice, they found leak from dual line from ABC pump to front level valve (there was absolutely no signs of anything on the garage floor, however). They drained power steering and ABC fluids, removed reservoirs, underpanels, evacuated AC system (!?), removed both AC compressor lines, and installed engine hoise and lower sub frame (no clue about the last one, but seems that all that work was just to get access to the problem area?).
Then they replaced dual line and line connecting to front level valve, flushed ABC system, charged AC system, added power steering fluid, and retested everything, using rodeo actuation.
Best of all, didn't cost me anything, since all this was warranty repair. The car is back in the garage, will see how long it will hold this time around, before relaxing the sphincter.

alx

this would be easily a $2k service if out of pocket. just an idea.

alex
few cars

Dsmed

The reason they did all that work is because one of the ABC lines runs along the front subframe right under the engine oil pan. So removal of that one line requires dropping the subframe and removing the A?C compressor to access the line at the pump. I have actually seen a couple of these lines blow off completely and spray fluid on the belt, causing the belt to fall off.

BlownV8

Aren't you glad you had it repaired. I'd imagine that would have been $2,000+ had you paid for all that work after the warranty expired.

For everyone else. If you have a warranty and the car is leaking down, take it in and have it repaired. The suspension is not supposed to drop or leak down.

Totalman

Of course, I'm glad this was done now, and done for free. Thanks a lot for all of your inputs, guys!

It's just this is actually my 26th car, and over the years, I've developed a feeling... In short, I try not to let mechanics touch my vehicles unless absolutely necessary, and whenever possible, try to watch over their shoulders. I know this may not sound sane, but... have you ever noticed how you run for years w/o any issues, but once you let them fix something more or less substantial, you become a regular customer, and things just start failing on you It's just like in a casino, when they change a dealer on you - deck is the same, you didn't move to another spot, nothing really changed, but you go south right away...

sound 8

I have a small leak, from a pipe under the engine so I have to top up
sometimes. They want a ridiculous price (over a grand) to replace it.

Oxygen

Yea... that's pretty ridiculous for a car that cost more than $140,000 - NOT! The price is very fair considering the price of the actual hose and the amount of labor involved in getting the hose out.

Here's a little read up on ABC which should make you understand what a complex system this is:

Active Body Control, or ABC, is the Mercedes-Benz brand name used to describe fully-active suspension, that allows control of the vehicle body motions and therefore virtually eliminates body roll in many driving situations including cornering, accelerating, and braking.

In the ABC system, a computer detects body movement from sensors located throughout the vehicle, and controls the action of the active suspension with the use of hydraulic servomechanisms. The hydraulic pressure to the servos is supplied by a high pressure radial piston hydraulic pump. A total of thirteen sensors continually monitor body movement and vehicle level and supply the ABC controller with new data every ten milliseconds. Four level sensors, one at each wheel measure the ride level of the vehicle, 3 accelerometers measure the vertical body acceleration, one acceleration sensor measures the longitudinal and one sensor the transverse body acceleration. At each hydraulic cylinder a pressure sensor monitors the hydraulic pressure. As the ABC controller receives and processes data, it operates four hydraulic servos, each mounted in series on a spring strut, beside each wheel. Almost instantaneously, the servo regulated suspension generates counter forces to body lean, dive, and squat during various driving maneuvers. A suspension strut, consisting of a steel coil spring and a shock absorber are connected in parallel, as well as a hydraulically controlled adjusting cylinder, are located between the vehicle body and wheel. These components adjust the cylinder in the direction of the suspension strut, and change the suspension length. This creates a force which acts on the suspension and dampening of the vehicle in the frequency range up to five hertz.

The system also incorporates height adjustable suspension, which in this case lowers the vehicle up to eleven millimeters between the speeds of 60 km/h (37 mph) and 160 km/h (99 mph) for better aerodynamics, fuel consumption, and handling.
The ABC system also allows self-levelling suspension, which raises or lowers the vehicle in response to changing load (i.e. the loading or unloading of passengers or cargo). Each vehicle equipped with ABC has an “ABC Sport” button that allows the driver to adjust the suspension range for different driving style preferences. This feature allows the driver to adjust the suspension to maintain a more level ride in more demanding driving conditions. It was introduced in 1999 on the top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz CL-Class. This system is standard on all Mercedes-Benz SL and CL Class models and on some S Class models sold in the U.S.

sound 8

Thanks for the lengthy reply
However paying 140k for a car should give you 10 years hassle free motoring.
Just because it's expensive does not mean necessarily that you have to keep
throwing money at it. I have a 9 year old VW Golf, cost 12 K and besides
services and a wheel bearing nothing else has gone wrong.

Oxygen

The car is expensive for a reason - it has lots of technology in it, and when it breaks, it costs a bit more than your 9 year old VW Golf to fix.

Don't forget that the $140K does come with a warranty!

sound 8

Yeah!! 3 years warranty, you get 5 years on a cheap Nissan.
Sorry I love my Merc's but I get more faults than I think it should give me,
and the faults are expensive to fix. I had to replace the gearbox in my S600
at 48000 miles, just out of warranty. In the end Mercedes gave half towards
the cost of 7K, and whilst I appreciate it they should have replaced it F.O.C.