ukpaul

Got in my 2003 this morning which has 34,000 Mls & was interested to see what issues would arise as it's been sat in my garage under a dust cover for the past 5 weeks.
Well, I was'nt disapointed, the dash lit up like a Vegas slot machine!
'do not drive vehicle too low' along with a red flashing ABC logo followed by ESP or some similar code & a picture of the battery (both have been replaced within the past year)
I hit the ABC button & the car seemed to rise & lower no problem, after driving 20 miles everything seemed to be back to normal & the vehicle seems to be sitting correctly with no malfunctions recorded?
My only concern is when I returned home there was a small pool of oil on the garage floor which seems to be from the centre of the vehicle while it was parked.
The B service is due in 6500 mls, should I wait or take it in now?

Thanks,
Paul.

P.S. Luckily I have the extended warranty, which thanks to this site was a graet piece advice.

StephenK

I would take it in, get the oil leak fixed, sure it is a simple fix, keep the oil in the car and not on your garage floor.

davidsong77

lol... i had the same issue where the instrument cluster lit up like christmas light, but that was because i left the car untouched for many month and the battery was out. so i just connect the battery trickle charger and let it charge for 2 days straight and problem fixed

as for oil puddle in your garage, just take the car in since you got the extended warranty... good luck and keep us updated. thanks.

velvet fog

What color was the oil?
Better hope the oil is engine or transmission oil and not ABC hydraulic oil. Regardless, a trip to the dealer is in order. Let us know what they find.

ukpaul

Thanks guys.... I'll be off to the dealership on Monday.
The color of the oil seemd to be clear.
Once I know what the problem is I'll be sure to post it.

velvet fog

Clear is not good. Engine oil is brown, transmission is red and ABC is clear.

m4xm1l10n

O ABC DON'T WANNA GO THERE!!!

djamer

ABC could be two things.

a. Simply Flush required. Valve may be blocked needs flush. -- extended warranty covers this.
b. ABC part needs replacement (costly -- warranty should cover this too)

Television

There is an ABC pipe that runs across the car to get to the other side,, these can leak and even rust through in the case of the CL.

The hardest thing is bleeding the system where all 4 wheels must hang down, then just undo the bleed valves (one for each wheel) and job done. Better done on STAR in the rodeo mode

ukpaul

Right rear strut had to be replaced, just shy of $2K.
I droppped my car off Monday, they gave me a new C300 at no charge.
All the work was covered under the extended warranty & it was ready to pick up this morning.

Hoehn Mercedes of Carlsbad (San Diego) did an absolutley fantastic job.
I could'nt of been more pleased with the way the whole thing was handled from start to finish.

Thank you for all the advice.

If this does'nt encourage anyone to buy an extended warranty I am not sure what will!

chuck007

Hi uikpaul.......Hoehn Motors in Carlsbad is a great dealership.....I take both my mercedes cars to them and deal with Mike Shaffer who is the BEST !

GeeJayMaj

Whom do you have the extended warranty with?

Mattleycrue76

Can you tell us what warranty you bought, where you bought it, and what it covers? Also, what was the year and model of your SL as well as the miles on it when you purchased this warranty? Finally if you don't mind my asking, how much did it cost?

I have yet to find a warranty that makes sense for my 2003 SL500.