as.thompson

I don't know if others have experienced replacement parts being unavailable. My 2005 SL500 recently experienced an ABC malfunction and the diagnosis is the ABC pump has developed a leak. Unfortunately there does not seem to be any ABC pumps available from suppliers and MBZ Stuttgart has no availability date. The reason given is suppliers closing down due to Covid. Bottom line is that when even remanufactured parts aren't available it is VERY frustrating.

Tom Manning

Have you tried Zadow?

Geman ABC experts. I got mine from them https://zaedowautomotive.de

Perfectly rebuilt, and very reputable and trustworthy.

They used to have pumps on the shelf, probably still do. Only a couple of days away by UPS!

as.thompson

Thanks. I was not familiar with them but will check with them for availability.

as.thompson

To close the loop with you, I ordered a rebuilt ABC pump from Zadow as you suggested. After about a week, I got a reply from them to my original request.

I ordered the pump in mid-Nov and they shipped it the next day. After 3 days it reached the Frankfurt Airport where it was stuck for almost 6 weeks (in Customs as it turns out).

DHL, the shipping co., wouldn't initiate a check on the delay because they said their contract was only with the Shipper. Zadow wouldn't initiate any checks because they washed their hands of it once they shipped it. I put in a claim to PayPal, the payment company Zadow uses, and nothing ever happened there but delay after delay.

The pump was finally shipped and arrived here in my location this Wednesday, almost 2 months after it was shipped by Zadow, with a notice from German Customs who had slashed open the box and packing materials scratching the pump in the process. It is now being installed after my wife's SL has been down for 4 months. What an ordeal. Thanks again for your suggestion of Zadow as a source even if the international shipping didn't go according to plan.

Dr. Plastic

Check with Bap-Geon auto parts


Tandem pump

as.thompson

Tom, The ABC pump from Zadow is installed and the system now works fine. I was going to sell the old pump back to Zadow but the shipping cost estimates are more than their Core Charge of about $80. When you sent your old pump to them, what shipper did you use?

Tom Manning

The postal service - trackable and insured. Probably your lowest cost option if you don't run an account with DHL or UPS.

Tom

as.thompson

So I took your advice and went to USPS. Their lowest cost to Germany was $110. When Zadow sent me the rebuilt pump their cost from Deutschpost was $38. Quite a disparity. Since the core charge from Zadow was only $78 I won't be sending the old unit back to them.

Dr. Plastic

Try Pirateship!

Tom Manning

In my decades of importing and wholesaling hi-fi equipment, I got to learn quite a bit about freight...

There's the retail rate, for all the one-off consumers. This is where you will be reamed. Call DHL for a one-off and they'll go right to the top of their cost charge - maybe hundreds of dollars - for what you can get, if you have an account and a fair bit of volume, for about $45.00 for what I reckon that pump would cost to air freight across the Atlantic.

There's no cheap option for one-offs for consumers. The postal service is usually the lowest. Then there are all the destination charges, duty and so on, if applicable. Add in spiraling worldwide inflation, and you might want to think about selling the old pump on eBay?

as.thompson

Good info. Thanks.

as.thompson

I'll check that out. Thanks.

as.thompson

Thanks Dr. Plastic I checked and their lowest discounted rate was quite a large discount from standard UPS rate but was almost exactly the core cost from the return. So I'll not return the used pump. I'll keep the Pirate info for the future use though. Thanks again.

Dr. Plastic

What was wrong with your original pump? There are rebuild kits out there. Maybe you can rebuild it and keep it as a spare or sell it!

as.thompson

Original pump was leaking - perhaps a seal? I'll look into the DIY rebuild suggestion. Thanks.

Tom Manning

Mine too. Just leaks, then a knocking sound from the pressure valve assembly, probably due to the reduced pressure it was putting out. I didn't measure the pressure before I replaced it though. I always expected to replace a pump at some stage and the German Zadow looks reputable.

I'd like to pull it apart now and see how it works.

Not an easy task getting the pulley off the shaft, but I might put some heat on it and see if it shifts that way. The rest looks pretty easy - just seals.

as.thompson

Mine was spewing fluid on the garage floor and the Red "Take It To The Dealer" screen was on constantly. It must have kept enough fluid to keep the fenders off the wheels as I was able to drive it for short distances. The Zadow pump has been working fine so far.

jimmy9299

i have one if you need

from a 2003 86k on it

as.thompson

Thanks. But I got a rebuilt one from Zadow in Germany.