I believe many of the SL55 Owners are hating the car for the troubles this ****ing so called ABC system is causing.

My SL55 has had 3 hoses leaking in less than 4 months!! It is too bad to end every hangout with taking the car to the workshop!!

I'm really sad that this lovely car has a weak system called "ABC System"!!


Do you guys have any update about coilovers conversion kit?

 

I feel your pain mate

 

Unfortunately, it seems that systems that have not had routine service fail all too frequently in one way or another (AND, MB did not provide a service recommendation!!!!).

IF you have not already done so, please read the posting on this forum titled "ABC system maintenance - great article". Then, as many of us are going to do, follow that company's recommendations.

Gary-

 

Gary, the article did not point out some other key issues. Hoses fail and when they do fail it knocks out the ABC pump unless you immediately turn off the car and have it towed to a repair shop. It's not just the pump that causes the issues but that is the heart of the system. Some pumps also fail at very short intervals. I had one that failed within a year of install. No blown hoses just a bad pump.

Regardless of what you read, proactive maintenance will not save your from all failures. It will help but it won't keep all failures from happening. The system needs to be scrapped for a more reliable system.

 

We are doomed,all doomed.

 

Yesterday, the workshop just informed me that those problems will never end! This system is too weak and they will look forward to find a custom installation for coilovers, Tomorrow we should look into why the ABC failed again! And will also ask if we can do a custom installation and ignore the ABC Errors (HOPEFULLLYYYYY)

 

try to convince www.strutmasters.com to do a kit for our car, I will one to buy the kit.

 

So would I and would pay for import duty happily

 

Mercedes do have a lot to answer for, and part of that is NOT establishing an adequate maintenance schedule. Their dealers seem content to wait until something breaks, then charge the earth to fix it. Problem with that is it's very expensive, and ultimately you can't trust the car to get to your destination, which is unacceptable.

There are many industries that use hydraulic engineering, and they've found out how to manage them. The first thing to do is accept that everything WILL fail, and you have to cope with it. The number of flexible hoses needs to be minimised, and they need both protection from their environment, and easy access for inspection and repair (not installed as an afterthought). The other factor is education, of both their customers and in particular their dealers. I have to say that Mercedes DIDN'T figure out how to manage hydraulic suspension from the get-go, but there's a lot we can do through these forums.

ABC is complex, and extra maintenance is essential. That article goes some way to explaining the right approach, but I think there's a bit more to it. Obviously, you should replace the oil and filter regularly like everything else (including the transmission). But you also need to inspect everything regularly, and repair or replace anything that's not right. The essentials are to remove all the under-body and wheel arch panels every year and inspect every flexible hose joint. The hoses should be dry, and should be replaced or repaired if they're not.

My approach is to take every suspect hose and cut out the flexible section. The end sections are MB proprietary, but any hydrraulic shop (and there are LOTS of them) can make a cheap repair section with compression joints. That's what my car's running on, and its dependable now. Its hardly a surprise that MBB didn't get everything right first time. I wouldn't want to be without ABC - I'd have a different car altogether.

Nick

 

I have sent this message to KW, hoping that they will consider it.

 

Any luck with KW ?



By the way, as I also have some problems with my ABC, I have been doing a little search around here in Europe (i'm from France). I have been advised to contact a suspension specialist that manufactures sets for racing and rallye cars.

Surprisingly, they told me that they do have a solution and that they already applied it to several R230.

I will meet with them tomorrow hopefully, but it looks like they replace the suspensions, bypass the pump and install an electronic component to fool the computer (not sure I'm using the right words here, sorry) to avoid error message.

Cost seem to be VERY reasonable.

Will get back to you when I have more info !

 

hey i´m from germany and i will do the swap to KW Coilovers in about 3 Weeks i think. I ordered the Kit für my SL 55. In two to three weeks i will get it.

 

Anxious to hear more about this !

 

Do you have the reference for their kit ? It does not appear on their catalogue.

 

Any news ?

 

You might be in luck. Take a look at this link.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/02-08-Merced...1ce4a8&vxp=mtr

 

I wonder why it won't work on the 600 or 65?

 

And for that matter, why will it not apply to 2009 and above?

 

This has certainly piqued my interested. Waiting for feedback from SL55 owners, following installations.

Please keep us informed........Geo.

 

You will have to contact the mfg to know for certain, but most likely clearance issues with the retrofit front swaybar and the v12tt engine. One undesirable solution for these cars would be to omit the front bar in the kit.

 

The kit is very expensive at $4k if you don't send them all your ABC struts, power steering pump, and control blocks. Plus, they don't sell a module that will turn the ABC light off. At this price point and with their core charges, I would expect an adjustable coilover kit and a module to turn off the ABC light.

Given the cost of ABC repairs, the kit would pay for itself in a few years. Not to mention, it would make the car light years more reliable. The downside would be reduced handling capabilities.

 

I recognize the address, the manufacturer is Mercedes master tech, a shop here in Florida. Very well run shop with talented mechanics. They serviced my car a handful of times, never a problem and the owner worked for Mercedes Benz for many years.

I've never had a single issue with my cars ABC, if I did I wouldn't hesitate to go to these guys for the conversion.

 

This is the web site for coil-over kit with sway bars and power steering pump :

http://www.rebuildmastertech.com/

 

You could always keep the parts and sell them on ebay?

 

Had an email reply from "Rebuild Master Tech" and it appears you only need a Mercedes scanner to remove the ABC option out of the car's computer, following installation.