I’m trying to gauge everyone’s experience with their cars sagging. Specifically, I’d like to know after how long it’s reasonable for the car to sag. I know valve blocks are largely at the core, but I also know it’s normal for sagging to occur after a period of time. Mine sags after about a month, but only in front. Thanks.

 

I am in the middle of storing my SL550 2007 for the second winter. Last winter and so far this winter, NO SAGGING. November through March with just trickle charger on no starting or driving during hibernation. Weak Valve Block?

 

Thanks for the reply. I read an MB bulletin indicating that if sagging occurs after a couple of weeks, it’s considered acceptable and no remediation is necessary. My assumption is that with the weight upfront, seals in the valve block inevitably let some fluid past. I cycled the ABC several times (working just fine) to see if maybe a speck of dirt needed to be cleared up. I’m monitoring daily now to see how long before sagging occurs again.

 

So far, so good! No sagging.

 

No fair! Jack stands don’t count! (Seriously, cool storage setup-where’s the cover?)

 

I'm actively working on it, so no cover.

 

My car sits for months without sag. Fresh ABC fluids and filters rule!

 

its fine 3 weeks here and it starts to sag, eventually we will need to act when that becomes a few day interval

 

Bobterry will know for sure, but I think the MY2007 redesign will prevent sagging when the car is stored due to a redesign of the valve blocks.

 

Thanks, all. Mine’s an ‘06, 57k miles, new fluid and filter two months ago. Oh well. I’m watching each day and will report back when things start to go south.

 

From everything I read online the SL’s can sag considerably even overnight let alone after a couple of weeks. As long as they come back up and you have no leaks I would think you’d be fine. Maybe consider the valve blocks for next winters project. I believe I’ve read that MB resolved that issue with MY2007 as Rudney mentioned above. Sometimes I believe we get too involved (if that’s possible&#128521 with these cars as they do require more maintenance than the average car, however it’s just a car, drive it, enjoy it and when you don’t, sell it and buy another toy.

 

I can’t agree with this. It’s normal for sagging to occur after a week or so, but overnight sagging is not correct. Of course the car will raise itself as soon as it’s driven again, but if it’s sagging that quickly the valve blocks are not performing correctly. That means that although the car will perform fine, behind the scenes the ABC Pump will be working overtime to maintain pressure during driving. Personally I’d rather repair the Valve Blocks with an eBay kit than have to replace or repair an ABC Pump.

For the original Poster, what you describe falls within normal parameters and I wouldn’t worry too much............unless......... you see evidence of a leak. If it’s leaking you might have a shock on way out etc and it will require further investigation. No leak though and I’d say you’ll be fine.

 

There’s definitely no overnight sagging for me. Three days on, and things still look good. I’ll report back after another week or so, which will put me well within the timeframe of that MB bulletin indicating no issues. Thanks for the continued feedback. This is great info for everyone.

 

I definitely have a sagging issue, jack stands notwithstanding, as my right front corner sags overnight and after 2 days will throw a red ABC warning. One of the reasons for my car being up on jack stands is because I purchased the o-ring kit from DIY Benz Repair and will replace the o-rings in that valve block (probably this weekend). I'm also toying with a damper replacement, but that's not related to this.

While it may take a week or more to see sagging in the suspension, over time it will increase as the o-rings wear, it's a fact of life with this suspension. I hope that by becoming more familiar with the system and maintaining it I'll be removing the fear associated with it.

 

Thanks for the response. I’ve heard mixed results with some valve block rebuild kits, but please be sure to share your results here. Best of luck!

 

Totally normal. Mine sags from time to time. Sometimes it's the front driver's side, sometimes the front passenger's side. Sometimes it happens after a couple days, other times the car sits for a week without it happening. My ABC system is fully functional, with recently rebuilt valve blocks and new accumulators. I get no ABC warnings. So while it's a little off-putting to see the car almost sitting on the ground every once in a while, it doesn't seem to be a problem.

 

Still reasonably suspended after 1 1/2 weeks, so I guess I’m within spec. Hope everyone else’s hibernation is going well, too.

 

I can confirm that to be true. Mine has never had sagging issues.