NEMES1S

I got up for work in the morning and hopped in my car, after it started the gauge cluster went red and said ABC car too low, I tapped the ride height button and the front driver side must have come up 3 inches or so, then I hit it two more times (to get to no lights on) and the car went back to normal height. Should I assume that I have a shock going bad?

Benz-O-Rama

Uggg, ABC problems already?

NEMES1S

I am hoping that it was just a freak occurrence, but I am fearing the worst. I am going to take a little later lunch than normal to see if it sinks down again, if it does then I guess I'm off to see the stealership for a warranty claim. I was thinking I would have the car for at least a year before I had any problems with it, getting somewhat worried about my purchase.

VendettaMB

i had a new strut inmy car after 2mo. arox..and it was fully checked out b4 i bought it. 4k(cnd$) warranty job.
my light never came on though...i saw a tiny oil puddle under csar from the slow leak..i mean tiny oil drip mark.

NEMES1S

I will have to keep an eye open for oil spots, I may have to clean my garage floor a bit more to check.

Weißes SL500

Putting newspaper (or better yet plain wrapping paper) under the car can detect the tiniest of oil spotting...and you don't have to clean the garage floor.

NEMES1S

good idea. It didn't have any issues this morning, so I am hoping it is just a fluke. I am really wanting to pick up amgfan's wheels and a new shock would really kill that dream

NCE500

I would check your ABC fluid level, it is the plastic tank on the driver side just in front of the Power Steering reservoir. It has a dipstick, marked OEL. I have found that checking the level cold or warm with the car off is pretty accurate. There are 2 ABC hoses that run just in front of the bottom of the engine, look closely to see if there is any leakage/seepage from them, one of mine had been seeping for some time before I bought it, probably because the prior owner never drove the car; my ABC tank was also low. One would never notice the leak if not specifically looking for it.

I would not be surprised if you found your fluid is low which likely means something somewhere is seeping.

armic777

that happened to me once when i left my car in the garage for one month. but then when i started moving the car it leveled itself and problem disappeared. part of the reason is that i was parked on the tilted surface since my garage has almost no flat surfaces

kokanee

It seems that it is normal for the SL to drop down over a few days or longer. If it is 3 days or so (I can't remember the cutoff) they say you have no problem. I have a slow (4 hours) drop that we have been chasing forever. Thank God for the extended warantee!! I think everyththing (EVERYTHING) in my ABC system hav been replaced once if not twice. I think we are at 5 struts, pump, control module filters etc etc. It has been a real pain for the dealership but not for me. They pick up the car and bring it back to my house and have started some special file in consultation with MB to hopefully resolve it. It isn't a real issue as the car comes up when I start it but I want it resolved before the warantee is up.

mickblaine

i have had the same problem with my 2004 sl-55, the front driver side shock was leaking, had a puddle under car. and the red light would come on..the dealer repaced the shock twice, along with most components of the ABC system, it was fine for a few months but now the ABC service light is coming on again...ALSO if you leave the car for a few days it drops down too low to drive and the ABC red dash lights up..thje dealer said they spoke to AMG in germany, but cannot find the root coasue of the ABC system problems

velvet fog

It's not normal for your car to drop after a few days. You have a problem if this is happening.

My car has set for weeks and not dropped.

mickblaine

yes i agree, it never use to drop, my point is the dealer cannot find a root cause for this phenomenon, and allegedly mercedes benz in germany cannot identify a reason for it either, they have replaced just about all replaceable components of the ABC system, except wiring and tubing

mickblaine

what i wanted to ask, is the ABC system, or would the ABC system be covered under one of those extended warranty programs that i get offers in the mail for? and if someone has a extnded warranty company that already has covered repairs to the ABC system, i would appreciate knwoing which one

thank you all

ive already spent over $6K on repairs to the ABC system, and the dealer has replaced (allegedly) just about all the other components in good faith

NCE500

+1. It is not normal for your car to drop after a few days.

My independant tells me that if the car drops, after components are verified to be good and there is no leakage, the next thing he checks for is air in the system which is bled out. If any work is/was done, i.e. replacement of a line or shock, air can become trapped.

shikaka85

I read that INDS car warranty covers the shocks and ABC system from another post.

Does anyone else have experience with other companies??? Looks like my car is doing the same thing after being parked in the garage for 5 days and I'll be forking over for a warranty before my ABC system just dies.

djamer

Guys,

I sold my SL last month, but, I read recently this company is manufacturing better quality, lifetime warranty ABC shocks for SL.. From what I have read, they are far superior to OEM flimsy components which all of us had to endure.

Check it out

http://www.arnottindustries.com/part...18_pid145.html

I would love to hear actual experiences of SL owners w/ these aftermarket ABC shocks.

NEMES1S

I told my sister to look into them as the air shocks are totally shot on her seville (27 and in a granny car)

djamer

And yes, third party extended warranty should cover abc. I had millenmium automotive platinum.. They went back and forth with the dealer but ultimately paid for all repairs.