photonut

i have a 2004 SL55 with around 20K miles. i think the car has a design problem with the ABC suspension. the dealer has made numerous attempts but could not fix the problem. the car leans to one side within days to weeks of sitting in my garage. in order to drive the car, i must lower and then raise the suspension. i was wondering if this problem is only on the older production models?

jmf003

Hi, Photonut.

Sounds like a leak in the ABC system. Since it takes days for the suspension to lower it would be a small leak, which makes it harder to find. Try parking on paper or cardboard to see if you can help locate the leak.

You really, really, really want to get the problem fixed under warranty. It'll cost you $ thousands to fix it later off warranty.

Good luck!

SL2003driver

Tell them to keep the car for a few days and fix the ABC or replace everything on the ABC under warranty.

damian155

my 2003 had a similar problem but that was due to a battery issue I had. I had a draw in battery and when the car sat it started the leaning problem but once i repaired the draw in battery everything was functioning great again. Hows your battery health?

photonut

battery is perfect, on a constant trickle charge. i was interested in finding out if anyone with '05, '06 or '07 were having similar problems with the suspension.
there is no fluid leak on my garage floor!

Havoc

My "05 sits for 3-4 months straight and I drive it for only 2 weeks in between the time it sits. I never had that problem and I keep it parked with the suspension lowered. I'm not sure if that matters or not, but I've been storing it like this for almost 2 years now with no issues. Well, except for loss of air in my tires.

jmf003

There is a technical service bulletin for this problem. It's order number P-B-32.50/34b. Your service advisor should already be aware of it but it might be worth mentioning to him just in case not.

The TSB is not specific to the '03 and '04 SL's; it also applies to '05 models and up. That doesn't answer your exact question but it does indicate the problem could happen with '05s and up.

Havoc

Thanks for that good info jmf003.
I'll keep that in mind incase I have problems with my '05 in the future.

CynCarvin32

The car would register an error if you turn it on any the car was very low on any one wheel. That code would help determine the trouble.

Now as far as a leak goes there can be internal leaks in the car that make it list to the side. There are valve block for the front and rear and that block can leak fluid internally back into the storage tank for fluid. You would not see a loss in fluid or an external leak in this case. Also the seals in the shock it self can be bad allowing the fluid to fall back out a bit as well. The shocks are normally not he issue but a bad valve block is common in ABC issues like that.

Good luck. I just had both my valve blocks replaced 2k miles ago do to a series of error codes and odd car performance. After that, the front axle began sagging after sitting for 3-4 days. The new front valve block was leaking and it had to be replaced for a second time.

IngenereAMG

My '03 has never had any ABC issues......fortunately! There was one instance where it had some sort of leveling 'challenge', but I also had a bad battery, and as soon as the battery was replaced, no more leveling issues.

Good luck.....

BUTCH A

About 4 months ago, my '05 suffered from a droopy RF suspension leveling problem! The droop was so severe that the fender well almost covered the top tire half and my dashboard message stated 'call for service and do not drive'.

My fantastic MB service advisor immediately knew and confirmed an ABC system leak then fixed it under warranty. MB also paid for towing 20 miles since a TSB was in effect! So '05 built SL55's do suffer from this dreaded leak!

Here's another problem to watch out for when you need to get your car towed for any reason...

During the drop from the tow bed at the dealer, the tow truck driver did not have proper steel ramps and used long blocks of wood instead to guide the wheels from the bed to the ground. I remember hearing a loud crack and thought the wood splintered.

However the next day, my LR tire began loosing pressure badly so I took the car to a local tire dealer to fix a flat. They gave me the bad news that my 19" twin spoke multi-piece AMG wheel was cracked from the inside rim edge to the tire seat with no chance of repair!

Good thing my insurance adjustor covered the damage, less $500 deductible for the $1600+ wheel. I claimed a "driving safety" issue and they agreed! They also thought it might have been damaged when I might have run over road debris like tree limbs when we had the fierce Santa Ana winds and fires in my area. So not wanting to be a heel and blow their theory, I kept quiet and went along with their story!

Sunny55

it's a leak. tell them to check for faulty valves in ur struts.

also check the battery and alternator

G_KATS

Its a sign from GOD ! hes trying to show u how much better the car looks when lowerd .

mikefili

The ABC problems with all SL's are legendary. It seems that the only reocurring problem I have ever had with my car with 25000 Miles on it, has been with the ABC. I had the sitting on the Left Front tire for a while, then the leaking left strut, dealer replaced the strut, and did a valve service, cured the problem for a while, but each time I get in the car before starting the ABC pump would come on for a min or two. But no error codes, then a few weeks ago I was on the way to the dealership, when I left the house no problems, in the 10 mile to the dealer the dreaded red ABC warning was again on, they kept the car for 3 days and replaced some valve to the tune of $4,500.00.
Looked like a spliter of some sort, warning out for now but still pumps for a bit just before starting. I would have to dig out all my warranty work on the ABC to be sure, but I guess the amount spent has exceeded the cost of a nice new midsize americian car. It would seem that the ABC is a complicated toy, and does nothing that a conventionial suspension would do just fine.

SL2003driver

I'm hoping that the 2nd generation ABC in my 2008 is more trouble free then the one on my 2003 SL

sprins

It is. ABC II as I think it is called on those later (2007 and up) models have struts that are simpler by design and have fewer parts and produce the same ride comfort.

SL2003driver

Do you have any additional information on this ABC II

CynCarvin32

The system is quicker to respond to change in road conditions and driver inputs. The older system like on my car can be confused if you try to throw some serious driving on a poorly paved road.

Also the revised system reduced the likely hood of the rear suspension from bottoming out or jumping back up after a large bump. The old car is pretty much known for a jumpy rear end over large bumps.

sprins

Don't forget the most important change: reliability and durability.

Havoc

Yeah, my friend had a 2003 and complained about his suspension bottoming out. Is the suspension on the '05s different in some way because I never had that issue and my friend said he felt a noticeable difference on my ‘05?

babz786

hello every1 im a new comer my car is higher on the drivers side and does not go low the display lights up red abc and shows the battery sighn can eny 1 pleeeeeeaze help me!

jmf003

Unfortunately you'll need to take it to your dealer or a shop with as much equipment as a dealership. This isn't a DIY repair.

Good luck!

babz786

thanx booked in for monday

wigician

I have gotten my 2005 SL55 back from the dealer. This is the third time in the last 3.5 years I took the car in for ABC issue. The first time they found a problem and replaced the valve. The second, a younger service advisor, basically told me a BS story that it is normal for SL to lower itself after it sits for a while. Since my normal advisor wasn't working I was not in the mood to argue with the young chap. Last week, I brought my car in for a Service B and told my regular advisor the problem. At first they did not find any error code...but I asked them to do some more research and they found a service bulletin....and finally replaced the valve head for me.

Hope this helps....

Havoc

I found out that the plastic shielding is torn on all four corners of my ABC suspension. Have any of you guys found this to be a problem on yours? Thankfully a dealer will replace them under warranty. I wonder what caused this? I only have 17K miles on my '05.