I've been keeping an eye on a broken S600 that's for sale recently - the seller has detailed things wrong, and stated that they would repair it themselves, but they simply just dont have a need for the car anymore. One thing about it though, I'm aware that the S600 comes with ABC Suspension instead of Airmatic on the lower down models. I've done enough research to know that the ABC suspension is not...great in terms of reliability, so I have thoughts of possibly converting it to coilovers instead once I fix it myself, and it runs smoothly.

I'd like to know - how much would converting the vehicle from ABC to Coilovers be? (Approximately) And is the sacrifice in ride quality worth it? Or would it just be better to complete preventative maintenance on the system instead?

I'm in the UK, if this helps. I do plan to do a fair amount of the maintenance myself, but will take it to an independent specialist for certain problems.

 

A lot of discussion on BenzWorld. Signing on there, filling out your profile, and searching that forum will get you hours of reading...

https://www.benzworld.org/threads/co...ption.2537249/

 

If the abc system currently works properly , try to keep it maintained

the coil over kits are about $1000 plus installation

 

It seems to be working properly. The seller clearly did love the car while they owned it. Main issues they said, were wheels are somewhat corroded, and cylinders 7-12 are misfiring. Likely the voltage transformer, as apparently no voltage was registered on that side.

 

Could be the transformer, could be the coil. The transformer is expensive, and the coil even more so. If you're in the US - I recommend Clark for coil/transformer work.

https://www.v12icpack.com/

For coilovers, PM cowboyt, who has done it on his S600. I kept the ABC and love the combination of ride and handling. I will keep ABC. The secret to driving an ABC car is carefully inspecting the hoses, and replacing those that are showing even the slightest sign of leakage.

 

Not in the US unfortunately. There are a couple of refurbished transformers for sale. Some refurbished, some used, some new and genuine. Used ones going for £350-£400 region, I found a Refurbished one for £480, and new from Mercedes themselves at £670. Thanks for the advice on ABC hoses, though. I will keep an eye out for that. How much is a replacement on a lines should it need it?

 

Unless I knew who was doing the refurbishment on the coil pack, I would go new. 670 quid is a decent price for that part, less than we pay over here.

The lines vary in price, again in US market, from about $120 for a short one to $375 for a long, complex one with bends in it. There are about 10 lines that have rubber sections. Two come out of the pump. Three go under the engine, and two of those require subframe removal to change out, there are a couple in the rear, and one of those requires rear subframe lowering to change out.

Some members have had good luck with replacing just the rubber parts, using 10mm compression fittings and custom rubber sections, for a fraction of the cost. I've done that once, and it worked, but you do need to do the compression fittings, instead of having a hydraulics shop do the replacement, so that you can make fine adjustments to the angles and fitting of the hard line portion. All those bends must fit the body closely, and if your shop is off by 10 degrees in replacing the rubber section, that line either won't fit, or will stress the rubber and fail prematurely.

Do a forum search here and on Benzworld, and you'll see those threads.

On my car, a 2005, I've done every line. Not all at once, but over time. A lot more expensive than the coil-over option, but the car rides, and handles, like it it was designed to do. The coil over ride and handling is a matter of opinion and those opinions do vary. I like keeping the car original - and doing the conversion does require a way to keep the tandem pump lubricated, or it will fail in quick order. Some have adapted the Airmatic pump to the S600 engine, and some have simply created a fluid loop using the existing reservoir and feed line, routed back to the reservoir.

ABC is not a zero maintenance proposition. I rodeo the car and flush the fluid every other year. Keeps the fluid fresh. Cost in materials is about $250 for 20 liters of Pentosin CHF-11S and $50 for a new ABC filter.

 

Coil Packs are about £870 for a refurbished set here. That's off Ebay though so...I wouldn't be sure to say if that's trust worthy. I was referring to the Voltage Transformer that actually supplies the power.

Again, do plan to do maintenance myself, so an ABC Fluid flush is something on my must do list should I keep the system. Is it particularly difficult to do at all? Or rather, can it be done with basic equipment at home? Or, is it probably better to take it to a shop as it needs certain things?

 

The ABC fluid flush is not technically hard, but it can be messy if you're not careful.

I suggest 20 liters so that you don't run short, but 10 would probably do. Pentosin sells a 20 Liter jug of CHF-11S. I've found that on line suppliers are cheaper than my local parts store, that only stocks 1 Liter cans.

The basic process - disconnect the return line to the reservoir, and place it in a collection container. Be prepared to add fluid rapidly to the reservoir. Start and idle the engine. It will pump out a liter every 20 or 30 seconds or so. Best is to do a rodeo whilst idling and changing the fluid. This extends and compresses each strut - and since new fluid is being added, you're getting new fluid in the struts.

If you just idle and change the fluid, you'll get everything in the lines, valve blocks, and accumulators, but the struts will remain static, and since they're a dead end on the system (fluid goes in and out via one line to the struts) no fluid will be replaced in them. A rodeo ensures a complete fluid change, and flushes the valve blocks better as they open and close and the fluid path changes.

As the car idles, and rodeos, you're keeping the reservoir full and watching the return line. Do not ever let the reservoir run dry. When the fluid changes to that nice new, green, you're about done. Make certain that each strut has gone down and back up at least once. When you're done, change filters, set the level.

There are a bunch of write-ups on the forum, I would do a search. To aid in my fluid flush, I have the following on hand:

1. 20 liters of fluid. I generally buy it in 5 Liter jugs so that unused fluid is still in a sealed container.
2. 2 meters of clear tubing with a coupler that fits in the return line.
3. A 10 liter pressurized container, with tubing, that connects to the reservoir inlet (filter housing) so that all new fluid is filtered.
4. A big 20 Liter bucket into which the clear tubing discharges.

Hope this helps.