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Active body control struts - why is this so difficult?!
Hi guys. Sorry my first post has to be a pestering question.
I've owned my S500 for almost a year now, but have never joined a MB forum, mainly because I've not had any real time to enjoy the car. I'm a member of a few other car forums from my previous cars which have all been classics, so this is my first 'modern' car I've owned. The reason I never joined an MB forum though is because the thing is always in the workshop or having some issue!!
My most recent problem so far seems to be my most difficult. I have an active body control suspension and the rear left shock seems to have 'exploded'. Oil everywhere...
Not only does this part seem to cost the earth, but it also seems to be a rare as hens teeth. I was hoping someone on here might be able to help me out. Mercedes Benz won't give me a part number because they have said they have it in stock to dispatch (obviously they don't want me finding it cheaper somewhere else) But what makes it worse is they won't dispatch it for 3 months??!!! I've hunted around everywhere on the web, and various car breakers with no luck. I placed an order from a company in the Netherlands but they rang me today to say it was in back order! Does anyone have any ideas? my car is a 2006 s500 (550 in other parts of the world) with the active body control suspension.
Any help would be appreciated. Here is a pic of the car. It's also going in for some bodywork this weekend, so i'll post an updated pic of that when its done!
look at detailed description at bottom of Amazon page.
Price is $708.50 and part is available for immediate shipment.
Shock Absorber (Hydropneumatic Spring Leg) (Rebuilt, Rear Left)
Part #: SK-2552-INT
Note: w/ Active Body Control ABC Code 487 Note: This is a rebuilt part, a Core Charge of $350.00 applies. What is a Core Charge?
A company that refurbishes parts usually takes your old part so it too can be refurbished for eventual resale. That's known as a "core". So you could either give them your old part or pay the $350 core charge and keep it.
look at detailed description at bottom of Amazon page.
Price is $708.50 and part is available for immediate shipment.
Shock Absorber (Hydropneumatic Spring Leg) (Rebuilt, Rear Left)
Part #: SK-2552-INT
Note: w/ Active Body Control ABC Code 487 Note: This is a rebuilt part, a Core Charge of $350.00 applies. What is a Core Charge?
Hi Steve. The problem is that SK-2552 is the part on back order. The company Arnott don't actually have any to dispatch right now. I'm in the UK so ordering one from Amazon US doesn't seem like the most sensible idea, due to shipping costs and time frame, and unfortunately the strut you managed to find the seller doesn't dispatch to the UK, which is a shame because it could have at least been an option.
I have actually found one at a breakers yard for £740 but this seems too expensive for a used part with no guarantee it will last, and they want my old one in return... Probably because it seems to be the only one available in the UK that isn't from Mercedes!
hopefully you didn't burn up your pump when you ran it out of fluid
The oil is being topped up. Despite the fact its leaking it doesn't seem to be losing too much oil so the pump hasn't been starved to my knowledge. The suspension still raises and lowers without any issues too, and the ABC fault warning only comes up maybe once a week or so. I could probably live with topping the oil up frequently for the next few months while the UK strut comes in stock but the car needs to have an MOT middle of June (the test to prove the car is roadworthy, without this the car cannot be driven on UK roads) and it will definitely fail without the strut being changed.
Another major defect that I can see about your car is that the steering wheel appears to be on the wrong side....unless your camera took the picture backwards.
ABC struts aren't too difficult. Just do an ebay search for "(Mercedes, AMG) (abc, hydraulic) (strut, shock, damper)" and look for W221 parts. You may be able to use W216 struts - check part numbers.
Do you have a copy of MB WIS & EPC? Hugely valuable, and well worth getting.
ABC struts are complicated by the electrical and hydraulic connections, otherwise it's just a strut, and no biggie to swap. No special bleeding procedure (unlike the pump).
Take a look at the ride height sensor while you're down there and make sure it's not about to seize.
Maybe put some grease in a syringe and squirt it in the lower ball-joint boots.
Nick
Last edited by Welwynnick; 05-13-2017 at 05:37 AM.
Majority maybe; vast majority certainly not. It's all historical rather than rational. India, Japan, Australia and UK colonies drive on the left, and that's not an insignificant amount of traffic.
LHD vs RHD? It's a toss-up. I think everyone should do the same, and they should do what's best. How do you chose what's best? This is what I came up with:
Steering is the most important job for the driver.
Most people are right-handed.
Keeping the right hand on the wheel is a priority.
Most cars are stick shift.
Changing gear is a secondary priority to steering.
The gear shift should go on the left.
The wheel should go on the right.
Therefore we should all drive on the left.
QED.
Twice as many people in the world drive on the right vs the left. That's nearly 2 billion more people who are doing it correct compared to you guys who drive on the wrong side of the road. I'd call that a vast majority.
Majority maybe; vast majority certainly not. It's all historical rather than rational. India, Japan, Australia and UK colonies drive on the left, and that's not an insignificant amount of traffic.
LHD vs RHD? It's a toss-up. I think everyone should do the same, and they should do what's best. How do you chose what's best? This is what I came up with:
Steering is the most important job for the driver.
Most people are right-handed.
Keeping the right hand on the wheel is a priority.
Most cars are stick shift.
Changing gear is a secondary priority to steering.
The gear shift should go on the left.
The wheel should go on the right.
Therefore we should all drive on the left.
QED.
Nick
Canada is still part of the commonwealth, and they realized they should drive on the correct side of the road.
I purchased an ABC strut from a breaker, and i've now had it fitted. I actually had it done a week sooner than planned because this happened on my way to work :-l
This Hydraulic fluid stinks...
So it recovered to the specialist I use and they found the cause was a valve seal in the ABC system possibly due to the exploded rear shock absorber. That has been fixed now, I've also been busy with a few other things that I will post on here.
The vast majority of the world would disagree with you. Even this little guy:
Odd! Not sure why so many people decided that Napoleon was the guy to follow. Humans are predominantly right eye and right hand dominant, but Boney was left handed, and an awkward git to boot.
The level of road traffic injuries is notably lower in countries that drive on the left, with their good eye monitoring oncoming traffic and objects in the driver's door mirror. India, of course, is a big exception but the Indians never seem to have invented a set of rules of the road, or made any attempt to enforce good driving habits.
05-10-2017, 05:20 PM
Active body control struts - why is this so difficult?!
