SBC...
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Joined: Apr 2015
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From: dmv
2009 E550 2000 Honda civic mash n' go
I don't expect MB to warranty the SBC forever. What I expect is a software upgrade to warn the driver that the "service threshold" is within X number of activations of being reached so the unit can be changed.
A death is going to occur because of this system ending braking power without prior warning and then the lawyers will have a field day.
John
A death is going to occur because of this system ending braking power without prior warning and then the lawyers will have a field day.
John
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 97
Likes: 9
2006 E320 CDI
FWIW, I do plan on replacing my SBC unit when the warning appears. Hopefully that will be before the reduction to emergency backup.
John
Thread Starter
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 95
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From: Louisville, KY
1986 190D 5spd
You want MB to warranty their braking system forever or until you sell it. And now you think that maybe some small business will want to make a modification to a braking system? How much more would you be willing to pay over the $800-$900 cost of a reman unit? I don't think any small business would be able to afford the liability insurance.
It can be done and should.
Businesses already sell remanned units so not sure what you mean. I suggested they adopt a different style shutoff valve if applicable, welcome to aftermarket. I better take the brembos off my track car since they are a liability being a modification to my bmw oem braking system, never mind me doing all the brake plumbing myself with raw aftermarket tubing. Good god what have I done.
I thought it already did that, just not the way you expect. Remember, the pump is mechanical, I believe the current systems guesses as to how long it will last and then displays a warning message that you should get the pump replaced. It may last a while longer or it may fail before that message pops up. So now you want a warning message that's going to tell you that there's going to be a warning message soon? I believe when it fails, you still have some braking power, just a minimal amount. Probably bad if you happen to be tailgating at the time or if some pedestrian decides to jump onto the street at the exact same moment, but you should be able to compensate in normal driving. But they must just chalk all that up to an acceptable business risk. I think people are really upset about the cost, not the safety issue. But file a complaint with the NHTSA, maybe something will be done, it took a while for MB to come up with a warranty for the gas tank.
Wrong again, Im upset about the "safety" thing. The cost is salt in the wound but worth every penny to me. Call me crazy but I value life over money.
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Joined: Feb 2014
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From: MA
2008 E350 4Matic, 2011 E350 4matic
Forever or at least until they can retro fit a unit that has perhaps a proper shutoff valve that gives you braking force acceptable over 5mph and update the software to warn you BEFORE it fails that the service life is reached. Not everyone scans their car at the dealer every week.
It can be done and should.
Businesses already sell remanned units so not sure what you mean. I suggested they adopt a different style shutoff valve if applicable, welcome to aftermarket. I better take the brembos off my track car since they are a liability being a modification to my bmw oem braking system, never mind me doing all the brake plumbing myself with raw aftermarket tubing. Good god what have I done.
Wrong. Message occured AFTER the failure, i just happened to not be attemping to decelerate off of a highway when it happened.
Wrong again, Im upset about the "safety" thing. The cost is salt in the wound but worth every penny to me. Call me crazy but I value life over money.
It can be done and should.
Businesses already sell remanned units so not sure what you mean. I suggested they adopt a different style shutoff valve if applicable, welcome to aftermarket. I better take the brembos off my track car since they are a liability being a modification to my bmw oem braking system, never mind me doing all the brake plumbing myself with raw aftermarket tubing. Good god what have I done.
Wrong. Message occured AFTER the failure, i just happened to not be attemping to decelerate off of a highway when it happened.
Wrong again, Im upset about the "safety" thing. The cost is salt in the wound but worth every penny to me. Call me crazy but I value life over money.
Business sell the remanned unit from Mercedes, for some other small business to tackle re-engineering a niche product, the profit and the liability probably means it isn't going to happen and hasn't yet. That's why there's no aftermarket part, when there's lots of volumes, there's aftermarket parts, when it's limited, you're stuck with OEM.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 95
Likes: 3
From: Louisville, KY
1986 190D 5spd
Engineering is all about compromise. Maybe they did a cost/benefit analysis and decided that the trade off was worth it. Remember, the pump is mechanical, I believe they are just guessing when the pump will fail, there may not be a way to tell in advance when the pump will fail, just that when it fails, you get a message. They may have programmed the warning message with a conservative estimate using MTBF, but that's just the mean, in a bell curve, some will happen sooner than others.
Business sell the remanned unit from Mercedes, for some other small business to tackle re-engineering a niche product, the profit and the liability probably means it isn't going to happen and hasn't yet. That's why there's no aftermarket part, when there's lots of volumes, there's aftermarket parts, when it's limited, you're stuck with OEM.
Business sell the remanned unit from Mercedes, for some other small business to tackle re-engineering a niche product, the profit and the liability probably means it isn't going to happen and hasn't yet. That's why there's no aftermarket part, when there's lots of volumes, there's aftermarket parts, when it's limited, you're stuck with OEM.
I also agree that the warning may be based off of the malfunction itself (probable) but as mentioned elsewhere in the thread, they should have perhaps a separate warning that the service life of the part is nearing it's end. That won't account for premature failures, but it would go a long way in giving the driver adequate knowledge of the condition of their vehicles braking system.
When I replace mine, I will take the old one apart and figure out if there is any truth behind this shutoff valve theory. If there is and it can be done cheaply/easily I will start buying up remanned units and adding that feature if I can. I'm sure I could find some buyers.
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Joined: Jan 2014
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From: Republic of Texas
'99 and '05 E55 AMG
Full system. Emergency operation. Much more available if you search enough on the Internet.
Personally, I'd plan on using the parking brake under my left foot...
Personally, I'd plan on using the parking brake under my left foot...
Last edited by bbirdwell; May 11, 2015 at 09:56 PM.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 95
Likes: 3
From: Louisville, KY
1986 190D 5spd
Good luck with a parking brake at highway speed
