viper1996

I want to know if there is anyone out there who have not had any issues or problems with there ABC suspension...State year of car and mileage too!

ItalianJoe1

Nope. If you haven't had to repair it, you just haven't had the car long enough. The 231 has the updated system that the 221/216 got and is far less troublesome, but it's high pressure fluid in rubber lines, exposed to constant heat and elements, it's not going to last forever. That's like finding an older SL that's never had a top cyl leak. Maybe if you never use the top, sure. But eventually they all leak with age.

FxFormat

I used to fear ABC, but then i read up on it, turns out the system isn't all that bad to service. With the exception of one primary hose that snakes around the trans/engine. Everything else is easily replaced.

Rudeney

Mine has the "revised" system introduced in MY2007. I have almost 70K on the clock and the only issue is that the main pressure hose sprung a leak. This seems to be a "not uncommon" problem on the revised system. On the CLK550, that hose is not a bad job to replace, and about $250 in parts. i do understand on the V12's it's a bit more of a chore.

I have not yet done a fluid flush, though I had to replace almost 3 quarts when the hose leaked. Mine came with the revised 3-micron filter and my fluid is a nice bright green color. I figure I'll wait until some part fails before I do a fluid flush and filter change. Probably within the next year.

Aussiesuede

My R230 has 259,000 miles on the original shocks, valve blocks, and most amazingly - original accumulators. The only non original parts are 2 high pressure hoses. Fluid has been changed religiously every 40,000 miles since it hit the 100,000 mile mark. The first hose was replaced at the 68,000 mile mark, and the 2nd hose failed at the 172,000 mark. I've started to notice a creeking noise about every 10th time I raise the car to clear parking barriers. And If I idle the car for about 15 minutes, the front left will raise very slowly which I'll be alerted to when it lowers itself back down suddenly. If idled in the highest position, then there is no raising or lowering when idling. I'm due for a 40,000 mile fluid swap within the next thousand miles, and I haven't decided if I'll wait for the system to finally fail, or just go ahead with the VVK coilover swap when I swap over the brakes and drivetrain from my wrecked SL55 in June.

ray0214

mercy-me

Perhaps the attached Service Information bulletin issued 10-11-06 may help.

Bob

rune solem

Mine's a 2003 model with 48 000 km on the odometer, haven't had a single problem since i bought it in 2009.
Imported from Germany so i don't know if the previous owner had to fix anything....

viper1996

Thanks...Does anyone know of a coil over kit with adjustable ride height? I just got my 03 and the ABC system works fine, but I saw a couple of pics of the conversion but the car sits to high for my liking...If anyone has pics of the conversion on there R230 love to see them...

FxFormat

I think the V12 are the most prone to failure since the engine produce incredible heat, the turbo downpipes are near the main line and it just punishes it. Heat, cold, heat cold, that's how to stress metal.

Aussiesuede

The VVK system is considered the gold standard, although some balk at it as being too expensive @$4000. Compare that cost to an ABC rebuild. Fully adjustable coilovers and swaybars. Youtuber Tavarish installed the kit on his SL55 if you want to see what's involved with the install and resulting ride height options. Interesting channel for R230 owners. He has an outfit in Budapest building a custom manual transmission for his car. He's due to complete that build after he finishes his current Lamborghini rebuild.

ray0214

BlownV8

May I add. If you haven't had any ABC issues, you either have not had it long enough or put enough miles on the car. Those that sing the praise of ABC and not having any repairs fit in the two categories stated above. Second V12 MB with ABC and they both break like clockwork. Death, taxes, and ABC repairs are the only constants in life. I love my SL but do not like ABC.

Still can't seem to get a review of the V12 VVK kit. The only V12 that has a swaybar installed has not tested the system yet. I hope it works out because, if I keep the car, the ABC is coming off. It's not that I've had a ton of ABC issues on my SL, though it had a new pump a few thousand miles ago, it's just that I don't care for the inconsistency of how ABC feels over certain types of road conditions.

Aussiesuede

While almost nobody in the US installs an inline metal filter, it's a popular addition to ABC systems in Germany and a smart one at that. You're able to notice potential issues at a glance before they become catastrophic, as well as see any changes in the color of your Pentosin fluid.



And a translated article from a German Company that Does Nothing but Service and Repair ABC systems.


Mercedes Benz ABC Suspension
Our company has specialized on the ABC suspension for years.
We diagnose , repair, and replace all components in the ABC suspension.
For questions please contact our phone number. We are happy to help and assist you with tips and tricks that work.

What is the ABC suspension?
The ABC suspension is an electro-hydraulic active system combined with a coil spring.
The Active Body Control (ABC) can compensate within milliseconds to the rolling and pitching movements of the body when starting, braking and cornering. The ABC is thus superior to air suspension systems.

Care of the ABC system:
The ABC suspension has a gotten a bad reputation because many owners do not maintain it, and critical components become damaged – eventually destroying the whole system. Regular maintenance results in an ABC suspension with the same life expectancy of the rest of the vehicle. Below you will find some hints from our experience.
If it is operated for years with the original hydraulic fluid, or after this fluid has become dirty, then many if not all of the components of the ABC chassis can be destroyed. OR if it is operated with low fluid levels, the owner will have the same result. This includes the hydraulic pump, struts and valve units.

You can easily check your oil quality using the dipstick from the reservoir. This sits next to the fill cover which contains the white filter. Take a white lint free towel and pat the oil from the dipstick onto it. Clean oil is green, light brown in ‘fair condition. IT SHOULD BE REPLACED BEFORE IT BECOMES DARK BROWN OR BLACK. If it is very dark brown or black, replace it immediately (or be prepared to replace expensive components).

The system uses about 15-16 liter of Pentosinöl (A00198924003-10, or Pentosin CHF 11S). To replace you will need about 10-12 liters. This will replace MOST, but not ALL the hydraulic fluid, as some will remain in the individual spring reservoirs.
But, that is not a major problem. The large amount of new fluid mixes with the small amount of old fluid. You will also replace the filter in the ABC reservoir with the new 3mm filter. This new fine filter will clean the resulting fluid mixture. After about 750 -1500 miles you should once again flush/replace both the Pentosin fluid and the 3mm filter. Then you should end up with only clean/green fluid in the system. ( Anleitung_Spülen pdf. )

In one of the pictures you can see an additional filter, which we developed. This magnetic filter is specially designed to trap metal abrasion particles that can come from components of the ABC chassis. These metal shavings are caused when old ‘dirty/abrasive’ fluid flows through the ABC hydraulic pump, causing mild to severe erosion of metal. This magnetic filter removes any future metal abrasion or metal chips from the fluid, thus protecting the whole system (the fluid is repeatedly flushed and cleaned with every circulation through the reservoir).

Once metal shavings are created, they can infiltrate the entire system, making it necessary to disassemble the entire system and clean by hand!

The installation of the magnetic filter will help prevent this from happening. With the crystal clear case, as you open the hood, you can readily see and check the color of the ABC fluid and observe whether any metal has been collected by the filter. The filter is washable, so you make a one-time purchase. In the rare event that somehow something gets broken, all parts can be ordered individually.

CLEAN OIL is important for the long term durability of the ABC system

In the first picture you can clearly see an ABC pump that has run 120,00 miles in the clean ABC system looks like. In the pictures below, the pump has been running about 48,000 miles, and the fluid was very dark brown. The metal debris in the oil has produced fluid that is the equivalent of liquid sandpaper – which has rubbed and damaged everything - with every mile that was driven. Moreover, with this abrasive fluid, more friction occurs in the system, especially in the ABC pump. High friction means more heat. On some occasions pumps have become so hot that they overheat and glow! When this occurs, EVERYTHING DETERIORATES your fluid becomes progressively worse and begins to smell like burnt oil.

If the Pentosinöl in the ABC system is renewed every 15 to 30K miles, or every ~3 years, depending on load and driving style, the ABC system should last for 300,000 miles or longer.

This longevity has been proven by our own car and the maintenance we have done on it. This car is a W215 CL 65 AMG V12 Biturbo, and after about 6K to miles the fluid begins to turn brown. After 12K miles it is dark brown.

For vehicles with less engine power, it may take longer. But we have found the fluid usually starts to turn a dark brown to black color after ~18-25K miles. For vehicles that are have not had adequate service to the ABC system can change color even faster after the first flush/change.

We have driven our frequently used 2003 W220 S Class long version S55 AMG Kompressor ~250K miles. We have changed the ABC fluid approximately every 18K miles. All suspension components on this car are original except for 2 dust covers for rear shocks and a pressure hose to the right front strut. AND, the ABC pump from our vehicle had after all these miles is still ~190 Bar (~2,850 PSI) at operating temperature.

Our latest acquisition an S Class W220 S65 AMG V12 Biturbo long version 25K miles. The Pentosinöl was black as tar.
We had to disassemble everything clean and repair many components.

At this point, it is important - both for vehicle owners with ABC suspension (and Mercedes shop foremen and those who want to be) – to remember that the Pentosinöl has properties similar to brake fluid. They are both hygroscopic meaning they absorb water, such as from the air. Therefore, it is IMPORTANT that the Pentosinöl is replaced after a maximum of 5 years to prevent corrosion in the suspension components. (here they state this time interval is also recommended by Mercedes Benz – certainly it is for brake fluid, but not clearly stated for ABC fluid as far as I know).

For this reason alone, this fluid is not maintenance free as is always claimed by the MB dealer. You can check about the hygroscopic effect under brake fluid at Wikipedia.

Pentisol is hygroscopic, like brake fluid it absorbs moisture and deteriorates!

We found one incident where a SL 55 AMG was stored in October and brought out for driving in April. During the winter, the pistons had rusted in the ABC hydraulic pump. When first started, the pump was destroyed and there was, within seconds, a red error message on the instrument cluster.

"ABC defective please visit workshop". If that appears, the pump pressure is below 100 bar. At any pressure of 99 bar or lower, this red error message appears and the car DEFINITELY should not be driven further.
ABC pumps and systems are ONLY destroyed by bad fluid!!

The ABC pump is lubricated by the Pentosinöl and 200 bar pressure which it produces. This fluid passes through micro sieves and around and through very small passages to the main shaft and main bearings. Contaminated fluid first contacts the screens. These become partially plugged, and as a result the main bearings are inadequately or not at all lubricated. Then, the pump starts making bearing noise. When that occurs, if you then press the ABC button for lifting and your vehicle goes up. During the raising of the vehicle the ABC pump is quiet for a short time. When it reaches full height, the pump becomes loud again!! Reason for this is that during the lifting operation, the main shaft is pressed under load into the main bearing, so the ABC pump for this moment is quiet. When the vehicle is at full height the load is no longer holding the main shaft to the bearing. Thus, the main shaft is rattling in the main bearings because the fluid pressure/film is missing.

IF the wear of the shaft and bearing is advanced, the pump is constantly loud.
It also happens that if the oil supply rapidly goes to zero, then the main shaft overheats the main bearing and they VERY RAPIDLY wear on each other. The pump is ruined. In these cases, repair is not possible. The pump housing is useless because the bearing seats are damaged in the pump housing and new bearing not available.

The most common cause of pump damage is the overheating of the pump through abrasive fluid. The metal debris in the oil is like sandpaper between the rotating parts. Due to the poor FLUID, higher friction results and the pump over-heats and is destroyed.

In rare cases, the pressure housing may crack, thus the pump leaks and fluid level drops dramatically. Also, the breaking off of the plugs from the pressure housing can cause this catastrophic loss of fluid and pump destruction.

Consequences of inadequate care and maintenance of your ABC system:
Dirty fluid will first slow the ABC hydraulic pump (plugged sieves). Many errors of the suspension result from the insufficient pump pressure. If the pump pressure of 200 Bar drops to about 160 Bar, the instrument panel will display in white/black: "ABC defective, please visit workshop".

If you then continue to drive the vehicle and the pump is working, the warning message will soon appear in red, (the pump pressure has dropped below 100 bar) and the ABC system goes into limp home mode. It closes the shut-off valves in the valve unit, so that the vehicle does not fall down. Your vehicle drives as if the shock absorber is defective.

With a red error message it is best to stop immediately and have your car transported to a service facility. If your ABC pump fails suddenly damage usually occurs throughout the system, as the fluid brings the chips with it. Continuing, the chips are distributed with the still small pressure in the system. That would be the worst thing that can happen. Your ABC suspension would then actually be a total loss. Mercedes Benz then recommends that all ABC suspension parts be replaced with new components. The ABC pump is a precision high pressure hydraulic pump that generates 200 bar, so everything must function precisely and with VERY low clearances. A metal chip left in the system is sufficient for the new ABC pump to be destroyed. Flushing the system in place brings no guarantee that it is clean, due to the branches (nooks and crannies??) throughout this complex system. A complete dis-assembly, flushing and cleaning by hand is the ONLY possible way to avoid future problems from such debris. Any other approach is Russian Roulette.

The cars we have serviced or repaired over the past years is proof of our approach. They continue to run well and do not return for ‘repairs’, only service.

Rudeney

That bulletin came out in October 2006, so obviously they were using the 3-micron filter by then.

m5zealot

My 2006 SL55 turned 90K miles two weeks ago and system failed due to bad accumulators. Car was religiously maintained by previous owner including a fluid flush at 40K and 70K miles before I took over. I had an independent replace everything except for shocks and valve blocks. Also had brake fluid and coolant fluid replaced for under $5K -included labor. Shocks and valve blocks visually looked good but with any high pressure system I'm sure those will need replacement someday. I lowered the car about a month after I bought it a year ago with links.

My tech told me from his experience lowered cars with ABC tend to fail sooner than those left stock. He said lowering with aftermarket links put more abuse on the shocks because they are operating at a lower height than engineered. Of course this observation was for shocks only) This is his opinion and observation so he did not discourage me from returning the car back to stock. He admits my SL (and all Mercedes) look more aggressive lowered. My car is only an inch lower on all 4 corners and is definitely not slammed. Curious to see what other have experienced with their stock and lowered cars.

57staff

I just got my 03 SL55 a couple months ago. ABC system was maintained pretty well as there has been a front strut replaced, a couple of valve blocks serviced, and ABC fluid flushed. I have not had any issues with mine and love how it feels and handles. I just put lowering links on mine and dropped it about 1". I find with the links that I drive around town with it raised to the first "dot" and keep sport mode off. One the highway I have sport mode on and lowered fully - though I understand it will lower itself to the lowest setting anyways above a certain speed.

I may need to replace the other front strut over the next year or two - not due to strut failure but because the ball joint is beginning to wear.

Article_Auto

I'm also looking at a sl 600, with ABC issues. A vvk conversion is a must. I'm not willing to take any chances with the stock ABC setup.

ItalianJoe1

You guys are missing out. A properly working ABC car is miles better than any coilover conversion or even Airmatic. Once the system is working properly and with a little regular maintenance and due diligence, it's no worse than any other suspension system to maintain and will be better to drive than anything you could put in there.

Article_Auto

Is it derivable with somewhat a significant leak? I'm planning on driving the car back about 100 miles after purchase.

Ghostty

My friend, unless you know what kind of leak and where is it coming from, i wouldn't drive it under any circumstances. Moreover it being a significant leak! You're talking about a system with 3000psi working pressure. If i remember correctly it does have a safety feature that will lock the pumps at a certain level to avoid significant damage and it will throw a red "ABC warning, stop engine" message to your dashboard. Either that or your car will drop to the ground. The message will come up any way. Then you'll have to tow it for sure and won't be really able to drive it until fixed (most likely even to and from garage). Avoid at any cost running the pumps or the valves without fluid. It's expensive, like really!

2nd thought - are you sure you'll be able to fix the leak after you buy it? most of us here are DIY inclined and like to take on any task, so bear that in mind when buying something like that. I enjoy every mile of driving it, but be ready to get your hands dirty or wallet open

Regards.

ItalianJoe1

No, driving it leaking is asking for problems. It's worth having it towed home over 100 miles, to save causing lots of damage to the car. A simple repair for a couple hundred bucks beats having the car collapse on the highway and tear off a fender or worse.

Rudeney

I totally agree with ItalianJoe - both on the virtues of ABC and driving with a leak. I had a pinhole leak in my main pressure hose. It took 15 miles of driving for the system to give my the "STOP ENGINE!" warning. It started leaking a block from my house. I heard some belt squeal and lost power steering suddenly for one turn, then the rest of the 13-mile drive was fine. When I got to the office, I noticed a bit of smoke coming from under the hood. I expected to find a bad belt, but instead, the engine bay was coated with Pentosin. There was an Auto Zone 2 miles, and they had 3 quarts of Pentosin in stock. Since I had not even had "drive carefully" message, I figured I could make it own there. A block from the store, I got the "drive carefully" message, and just as I finally pulled into the parking lot, the red "STOP Engine!" warning and the car sat down. I topped it up and was able to make it 10 miles back home, but it was nearly empty after that. The leak was not even that severe looking - just a tiny, almost invisible stream from a pinhole in the hose.

57staff

If your leak is in a hose, most any hydraulic shop can make you a new one at the fraction of a Mercedes hose. And it will be rated to 5000 psi.

m5zealot

I totally agree! I had a chance to test drive an SL500 with a coil over conversion and did not like it. You can really feel how heavy the car is. The lean in corners and the dive during braking was very pronounced. I think the car had the biggest sway bars that will fit. The ABC system is an elegant and necessary item for the SL (especially my SL55) IMO and is the main reason I chose the car. I knew what I was getting into and love the car enough to spend the money to get the system fixed. Heck, if the system was truly designed to last up to 300K miles with proper care, then this new system will out live me for sure. Plus, I love fascinating kids at the local car meets with my ride height adjustment on the fly, just like a California Lowrider! I understand sometimes money can be the issue here but, this is something I planned for. The money was put aside for the day the system failed....I was hoping not so soon but that's how it went. Oh did I mention my SBC finally reached it's 3 million actuation and failed about the same time? Only items left to fail now are the shocks and valve blocks. Lunch time photoshoot.