Bills600

My wife jsut called me at work and informed me that her '03 S600 w/ABC has a blown front strut. She called the dealer which said they can replace it for $1722 (w/tax) - which seems low. Our local mechanic (not sure his level of expertise w/ MB) said the strut alone is $1700 PLUS labor. Since when is the dealer less expensive??? Also - I've seen posts stating that the ABC will need to be reprogrammed, and that this can cost $600.

Can someone give me good advice on how to proceed? Also - I'm in no hurry - we have 3 other cars...

Thanks

tusabes

if thats the dealers quote then take it to the dealer.

note there could be any # of different issues causing what "looks" like a blown front strut, where one corner is dropped...... but is actually not the strut being blown...

Bills600

Well, the dealer quoted without seeing the car. I'm a bit leary to have her drop it there and get the bill later.

She said she heard a noise like she hit a pot-hold, and got an ABC error message which won't reset. The car is leaning, and leaking fluid. She called the dealer who told her on the phone that it sounded like a blowwn strut - and quoted her the price below.

Bills600

So I just got home and took a quick look. I think it's a blown strut. There's hydraulic fluid sprayed in the wheel well. The car is leaning, and the error mssg says "ABC Activated - Drive Carefully!".

Does anyone know if I'll likely need more than just the strut? I'm concerned about the stealership finding "other parts" (pump, etc...) that also need replacement at a high $$$.

Also of concern - I started the car and it's suddenly running rough - like it's missing or not running on all cylinders. Does anyone have an idea if this could be related?

Thanks in advance,
B

tusabes

sounds more like a blown hose, several recent threads about it.

DO NOT DRIVE the car at all, because without fluid the ABC tandem pump will burn out in a matter of seconds... adding $2000 to your bill

Bills600

tusabes

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately my wife was on the road when it happenned, and drove the car home (approx. 2 miles). Even if I have it towed to the local shop, I would think they'll need to drive it into the garage to get it up on the lift.

Is there anyway I can verify it's the hose? I've only owned the car less than a year, and have done minimal maintenance on it. From what I remember the 1-2 times I've been under it, there seems to be very little accessibility.

Also - if it's just a hose, I would think I or the local shop could fix it - but I'm concerned about the need to perform the rodeo, etc. that I've read on this forum. Can you comment on whether that will likely be needed if it's a hose? Trying to decide if it's worth bringing to the local shop to try and save some $$$, or if I should bite the bullet and have it towed to the dealer.

Thanks again,
B

Bills600

One other question - is there a chance this might be covered under the MB recall? The car is a 2003 S600 w/ ~ 45,000 miles, and I do not have an extended warranty (though I am now considering one)...

Fraser

Which recall? I've not heard about an ABC related recall...

Extended warranties are always a good idea IMO. Worth the peace of mind alone.

Bills600

Re. the extended warranty - unfortunately I'm learning the hard way. I thought I was ahead of the game since the car was given to my wife as a gift, and had been well maintained (brought to the dealer on a regular basis). I've never done the extended warranty thing before - I'll have to look into it.

Re. the recall - I picked this up from another thread:

ABC owners will be interested in 2007 recall - https://mbworld.org/forums/s-c...tion-hose.html

Thanks

tusabes

Bill, I would have the car towed to MB, it shouldnt be more than 1hr diagnostic time to see what caused the fluid leak.

You will then know exactly what part, and what price , is the true price to fix it. Could be a $200 hose could be $5000+ depending on whats wrong.

At that point , knowing the true problem, then you can shop the job/shop the parts costs with another mechanic to see if they would be cheaper and have it towed somewhere else if you desire. Or just let MB do it if the quote is reasonable.

Fraser

Unfortunately even the well maintained vehicles aren't immune to issues!

My S600 had a perfect service record and the dealer who inspected it said it was in top shape but I still went for the warranty. When I got mine the Chrysler one (recommended by other 600/65 owners on here) was only $3300 for 5yrs/70,000 miles and covered pretty much everything including ABC.

The link seems to have been truncated and doesn't follow through. Are you able to run it through www.tinyurl.com or somewhere please? Not had any ABC issues myself yet so I'm just preparing

tdf711

Found on http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallsearch.cfm

Report Date : July 30, 2010 at 12:01 PM
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 04V228000
Vehicle Make / Model: Model Year(s):
MERCEDES BENZ / CL-600 2001-2004
MERCEDES BENZ / S-600 2001-2004
Manufacturer: MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. Mfr's Report Date: MAY 04, 2004
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 04V228000 NHTSA Action Number: N/A
Component: SUSPENSION
Potential Number of Units Affected: 6238
Summary:
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, CORROSION MAY OCCUR IN THE INNER STEEL PORTIONS OF THE ACTIVE BODY CONTROL'S (ABC) HIGH-PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION HOSE DUE TO EXTENSIVE EXPOSURE TO HEAT AND HUMIDITY. OVER TIME, CORROSION MAY DETERIORATE THE INNER STEEL PORTIONS OF THE HOSE.
Consequence:
THIS MAY RESULT IN ABC HYDRAULIC FLUID LEAKAGE. UNDER SOME CIRCUMSTANCES, LEAKING HYDRAULIC FLUID MAY COME IN CONTACT WITH HOT ENGINE COMPONENTS AND LEAD TO A POSSIBILITY OF FIRE.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL INSTALL NEW, CORROSION RESISTANT ABC HIGH-PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION HOSES. THE RECALL BEGAN AUGUST 31, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT MERCEDES-BENZ AT 1-800-367-6372.
Notes:
MERCEDES-BENZ RECALL NO. 2004070012. CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

Bills600

tusabes - I'm taking your advice and making arrangements to have it flatbedded to the dealer. I have my fingers crossed, but I get the feeling that I'm in for a $3500 - $5000 call early next week.

Fraser - thanks for the info on the warranty. I didn't really know where to look. We are planning on keeping the car for a while, so it sounds like a good investment. Sorry the link for the recall didn't work - I should have checked. Thanks to tdf711 for the copy/paste. I'm new to the forum and didn't know the proper ettiquette (re. replicating information).

I'll post again when I hear from the dealer.

Thanks to everyone for their help,
Bill

Fraser

Not to worry! We're all new once Usually the link should work when you copy and paste...

Unfortunately I believe the Chrysler one I got is no longer an option. They put some extra restrictions in place a few months back.

Bills600

I had it towed to the Dealer. tusabes was right, it was a blown hose.

The dealer quotes almost $1000 to replace the hose, flush the system, and change the filters. Seems like a lot of $$$. Not sure why the system would need flushing, since all of the fluid has leaked out all over my driveway.

I appreciate some advice - the cost seems very high. Can someone give me an idea what a reasonable price would be, and whether the flushing/filter replacement is worthwhile, or just the Dealer running up the bill? If the filters were to be replaced via normal service, I would assume they've already been replaced - the previous owner took the vehicle to the Dealer regularly.

Thanks in advance,
Bill

tdf711

Do you know if the recall on the hose had been done previously? If it hasn't, I wonder if it would still be covered under the recall? I would go to the dealer with the recall information and ask about it. You never know.

tusabes

if the recall hadnt been done on the car, INSIST they just perform the recall work (which should include new hoses, fluid and proper resetting) - this should be at no charge to you.

If they wont/cant, either find another MB dealer who will, or ask some independents for their pricing. Should be in the $300-400 range tops if you need to pay for the hose yourself (which you shouldnt since it was a recalled item)

Bills600

Thanks for the advice. I'll be calling them shortly, and asking about the recall. I cannot go there in person, I'm in London on business (and I hate leaving this stuff for my wife to sort out).

Even if the recall work was performed, wouldn't it be covered under a repair warranty? I guess that depends upon how long ago the work was done...

I'll post again after I speak with them.
B

Bills600

Here's the latest from the dealer...

There are no open recalls on your vehicle.

When I pushed back, the response was: "The recall you are talking about was performed in 08/31/2004, it is for a different hydraulic line"

Quote for repair (hose replace, filters, flush) Labor $500 (must be 4 hrs, their rate is ~ $125/hr) and $437.82 for hose and fluid.

I thought the 8/31/2004 date was the date the orig recall was issued; his response seems to indicate that this is when it was corrected on the vehicle (how can I tell?). Also - how many $350 hydraulic hoses can there be on the ABC system???

What's the likelihood that I can find someone to do this for significantly less? It will cost me $100 or more to have it towed from the dealer. I live in NY (Long Island).

Thanks,
Bill

tusabes

there are multiple ABC hoses, and per the recall I believe they ALL get replaced for free.... but I could be wrong and there may be some ABC hoses that are the recalled ones, and ones that arent.

Call a couple more MB dealers and ask them before towing it anywhere.

The current dealer should have/or will tell you exactly what hose is blown, the part # etc....give that info to the other dealership service manager , along with your VIN, and ask if that part is under the recall and if they will fix for free.

I had the same problem with the instrument cluster extended warranty. 2 dealers claimed to have no idea or said it wasnt covered, 3rd dealer knew exactly about it and no charge.


AFAIK re the ABC hoses, they ALL get replaced per the recall, but Im not 100% sure on that one...maybe there is a hose thats not part of the recall, but at this point I say the dealer is BS and you should ask a few more before towing it anywhere.

MBTech51

its been a while since ive done that recall, but if i remember correctly, only 1 hose is replaced per that recall...not all. but i will try and double check tomorrow

Bills600

Update:

The dealer claimed that hose #220-320-04-54-05 was replaced via the recall in Aug '04, and that this is the only hose covered under the recall.

The hose that I need is 220-320-53-72. He said the replacement would include 6 quarts of fluid (I think he meant pints) and the rodeo.

After discussing it with the Service Mgr, I was able to negotiate a cost of $683. I spoke with my local mechanic and he said he couldn't beat the price - so I gave the dealer the go-ahead to do the work. I would have preferred to check with a couple of other dealers to see if the replacement would be covered under the warranty, but I was away on business (and sick with a virus, to boot), so I eventually gave in. Considering I thought this could be a strut and pump for $3-5000, I was happy to get off with a $700 bill.

Thanks to everyone for their help and guidance, which was a tremendous help to me in making an informed decision.

B