When the light came on was the screen Red or Blue? One says Drive Carefully! and the Red one says Visit Workshop!

The blue one came on a few times after the car was sitting or battery was disconnected for a bit. Its the red one you need to get worried about

 

I

Can someone advise.. Is my ABC pump going out?? Are these the indications?

could it be that the car was parked for 2 days the sensors picked it up??

its freaken me out...

Yes, it could be. Was the light red or blue? If red, you may have a leak or your pump is going bad. A leak will be indicitive of hydraulic fluid on the ground and one side lower than the other. A bad pump will trip the light with no change in suspension height.

I hope for your sake it is a leak. I just replaced my pump and all the hoses. It was a very costly repair.

 

Yes, it could be. Was the light red or blue? If red, you may have a leak or your pump is going bad. A leak will be indicitive of hydraulic fluid on the ground and one side lower than the other. A bad pump will trip the light with no change in suspension height.

I hope for your sake it is a leak. I just replaced my pump and all the hoses. It was a very costly repair.

well since 9-6 light has not came on, i think it was the blue light it said drive carefully.

i have driven the car 100+ miles now and no light... Knock on wood hopefully the light does not come back...

 

go to the dealer and get a diag of it at least.... yeah it will cost ya 100+ bucks but you can find out whats wrong with it before it gets worse

 

well i guessed i jinxed myself..


light came on twice today.. first one was "visit workshop" and second was "drive carefully" I think it could be because after a while i used the abc sport button... oh well..

cl going to the dealer on monday to be checked out...


how much can i expect for the abc pump replacement????

 

well i guessed i jinxed myself..


light came on twice today.. first one was "visit workshop" and second was "drive carefully" I think it could be because after a while i used the abc sport button... oh well..

cl going to the dealer on monday to be checked out...


how much can i expect for the abc pump replacement????

This may shed some light on your problem:

MY 01 CL (215.375, and 215.378), S 600 (220.178), AND S 500 (220.175) WITH THE OPTION CODE 487 (ABC), ACTIVE BODY CONTROL: Complaints of instrument cluster displaying an ABC warning in red, usually appearing during the first morning start up on model year 2001 CL 600, CL 500, S 600 or S 500 vehicles with option code 487 (ABC) and DTC's C1525 and/ or C1526 are set, the Active Body Control suspension system enters into a limp mode, the Electronic Ignition Switch (EIS) needs to be replaced with a modified unit.

You will need the SDS to replace the EIS. If you need assistance and are within our coverage area, we can help. We can work seamlessly with your (aftermarket ) warranty company.

Happy Benzing!!

 

This may shed some light on your problem:

MY 01 CL (215.375, and 215.378), S 600 (220.178), AND S 500 (220.175) WITH THE OPTION CODE 487 (ABC), ACTIVE BODY CONTROL: Complaints of instrument cluster displaying an ABC warning in red, usually appearing during the first morning start up on model year 2001 CL 600, CL 500, S 600 or S 500 vehicles with option code 487 (ABC) and DTC's C1525 and/ or C1526 are set, the Active Body Control suspension system enters into a limp mode, the Electronic Ignition Switch (EIS) needs to be replaced with a modified unit.

You will need the SDS to replace the EIS. If you need assistance and are within our coverage area, we can help. We can work seamlessly with your (aftermarket ) warranty company.

Happy Benzing!!

is that a recall? and you are right everytime this happens only in the mornings, well i talked to my service advisor at Benz and they suggested that my fluid in my ABC pump tank could be low, and advised to add the more fluid.. If the problem occurs again then to schedule a appointment and bring the car in..

How much do u guys charge in fixing that issue? Also i am out of warrenty and i have not purchased additional warrenty yet..

 

is that a recall? and you are right everytime this happens only in the mornings, well i talked to my service advisor at Benz and they suggested that my fluid in my ABC pump tank could be low, and advised to add the more fluid.. If the problem occurs again then to schedule a appointment and bring the car in..

How much do u guys charge in fixing that issue? Also i am out of warrenty and i have not purchased additional warrenty yet..

Nope, not a recall or campaign. Our initial charge to come out for a diagnosis is $95.00. This will enable us to see what codes are logged into the control module and futher evaluate them in relatation to the bulletin for which they apply in regards to the ABC issue.

Question, when this happens, how does the car's suspension feel to you? Is it "softer" than normal?

Call 800 992 3694 Mon-Fri 7:30am to 6:00pm

Happy Benzing!!!

 

Nope, not a recall or campaign. Our initial charge to come out for a diagnosis is $95.00. This will enable us to see what codes are logged into the control module and futher evaluate them in relatation to the bulletin for which they apply in regards to the ABC issue.

Question, when this happens, how does the car's suspension feel to you? Is it "softer" than normal?

Call 800 992 3694 Mon-Fri 7:30am to 6:00pm

Happy Benzing!!!

well since i filled the tank up, it has not came up... if it does then i will call u guys...

 

well since i filled the tank up, it has not came up... if it does then i will call u guys...

Good, also, there is a valve block where the pressure sensor is. This unit has been know to clog up, creating a loss in pressure. Located on the right front lower side of the suspension.

Happy Benzing!!!

 

Any updates on your problem? I'd be interested to know if topping off the fluid resolved the issue.

 

Help please (being ripped off to sort my ABC)!

Hi all,

After months of my ABC warning light coming on (sometimes white, occasionally red) and going back off on reset, it finally gave in last Wednesday, hydraulic fluid everywhere.

I was told by my dealership that the pump needed a new seal (£697 fitted) which they put on, but now say it shows another fault and that I need a new pump altogether (£1320 excluding labour!). I argued that in that case, I shouldn't be paying for a new seal on the old pump, if it's all being replaced by a new pump. The technician then changed his story to say that the seal that was replaced wasn't on the actual pump, but I don't believe that for a second as he clearly said many times before replacing the seal that it is!

Hence they now expect me to pay for a new seal and on top of that a new pump, claiming a new pump will still need this separate and new seal, costing me over £2000. Can anyone who may know the story tell me what they think please?

They also said that the pump would've been 'running dry' for a good while, causing the seal to give in. But there was at least a litre of fluid on my driveway when it all went pear shaped! Thanks lots, Ian

 

Yep, the ABC is a pain. Get ready to spend some serious money. I have replaced at least 4 hoses and my ABC pump was changed 3 times in 6 months. I payed for it the first time and the dealership fixed it the other two times. The ABC suspension is truly the weakest link in the CL/S/SL models.

 

Oh my God, three times, what joy... Now having second thoughts on the SL65 I plan to get in early 2008!

 

I think there's a recall on the ABC hoses.

 

Recall on ABC hoses

Yep, there is in the US, but not in Europe. Anyway, got it back, £2269, bargain...

 

ALERT FOR S 600 V-12 OWNERS!!!

It appears that there is another hose that is prone to leakage that is not under recall, and this is the hose that wraps over top the transmission. So, if you see leakage and it is not coming from the recalled hose, the engine has to come out.

We have one in our shop, and this post is to let other S 600 V-12 owners know about it.

Happy Benzing!!!

 

I have just had ALL my ABC hoses replaced except for the one that drips on to the exhaust and causes your CL to catch fire!, as this was done as a re-call. All the other hoses were custom made to take up to 4 times the working pressure of the useless MB ones that 'seep' fluid, which in turn makes the whole system fail, and at a fraction of the cost of new rip-off MB ones!
Anyway - my mechanic, who is not an authorised MB one but is better than any I have met, changed this transmission hose in no time at all by doing something with the engine mounts (no engine removal!!)
I will ask him exactly what he did and post it on this forum.
(See my post on "Making your own ABC hoses")

 

really frustrated and confused!

i have a 2003 CL600 with about 65000 miles on it. its literally falling apart! this thing has been babied more than anything! yet problems are coming left and right. today a notification came on for me to visit the workshop bc my Active Body Control was malfunctioning. then shortly after the red warning came up to drive carefully. when getting out of the car i noticed that it is riding so low in the back it looks like ive had it lowered. does anyone have any idea how much this is going to set me back? its now out of warranty and i know its going to be a hefty pricetag im sure.
-Also there is another issue ive been having. the car has the check engine light come on periodically and i seem to have lost the majority of my horsepower. it really struggles to make it up small hills. would anyone have any experience with the same issue? im confused as to what may have caused this 500(ish)hp car to feel like it has less than 100hp!!! this shouldnt be happening on a $100,000+ car!!!

 

i have a 2003 CL600 with about 65000 miles on it. its literally falling apart! this thing has been babied more than anything! yet problems are coming left and right. today a notification came on for me to visit the workshop bc my Active Body Control was malfunctioning. then shortly after the red warning came up to drive carefully. when getting out of the car i noticed that it is riding so low in the back it looks like ive had it lowered. does anyone have any idea how much this is going to set me back? its now out of warranty and i know its going to be a hefty pricetag im sure.
-Also there is another issue ive been having. the car has the check engine light come on periodically and i seem to have lost the majority of my horsepower. it really struggles to make it up small hills. would anyone have any experience with the same issue? im confused as to what may have caused this 500(ish)hp car to feel like it has less than 100hp!!! this shouldnt be happening on a $100,000+ car!!!

You should start a new tread instead of replying to a very old tread, that will give you a lot better result

That being said, do you know how to check the abc oil level?

You really should not be using the car untill you have an expert have a look at it.

Get Mercedes to do a code readout and have them print it out, post a new post with the numbers and some of the more experienced members may be able to help you.

David

 

Not all bad news

Um, I know how these old threads get to look when there's a nasty malfunction about, so I thought I'd put in a POSITIVE outcome for all those readers for the next decade and a half who end up thinking this is all powerful reasons for not buying a CL class with ABC...

I once - only once - got the red ABC warning. This was in the middle of a long trip into Europe, which is just when you don't want to be "limping" anywhere. I had parked the car awkwardly with a lot of spinning of the steering from lock to lock; when I started back up, with the wheels still on extreme lock, up came the warning.

On a hunch I straightened out the wheels, turned the engine off, waited 20 sec and then turned back on again.

No warning.

And none since - that was about 4,500 miles ago, including lots of extreme speed running, by which I mean, about 40 minutes at 150mph on the Autobahns and 4 Swiss mountain passes (the Julier, the Maloja, the Bernina about four times, and the Fluela). I guess you could argue that the autobahn work doesn't stress the hydraulics that much - but the passes sure as hell do!

I never see the warning these days. As an old Citroen man I occasionally engage the optional ABC modes (higher ride height and sport) while sitting in stationary traffic, just to waggle things about a bit. My CL500 is an '03.

 

Good post, and I do hope you haven't angered the ABC gods.

...lots of extreme speed running, by which I mean, about 40 minutes at 150mph on the Autobahns and 4 Swiss mountain passes (the Julier, the Maloja, the Bernina about four times, and the Fluela)...

Some people get to have all the fun!

 

I am pretty sure there is money to be made for anyone wishing to make a abc hose kit to replace the oem with something stronger hint hint

David

 

I have a 2007 SL550, purchased in August 2010 with 25K miles. New Years Eve the "ABC Malfunction" light came on. Wife said it was running funny the day before, ride felt different. I took it to the car wash and noticed the light on after that. Being mechanically challenged I took it ot the MB shop. They could not get the on-board computer to synch with the shop computer to diagnose it. Have an extended warranty (not a Benz one). So they had to get authorization from them to fix the computer before they could look at the ABC issue. After that was fixed they could not find any issue with the ABC, but decided the starter battery was bad as well as a cable to it. There have been slow cranking in starting it so I believe them. Been a week and a half so far waiting to get the car back. The ext warranty is very time consuming but looks good with only a $200 deductible. The battery will be $353 (not covered in warranty) Good thing there is a loaner car! Sounds like the ABC thingee will be a continuing event for these cars.

 

$ 353.00 for a SL small front starting battery ? Man you got hosed. Benz Roadside Assistance would have done it for about half that.

Your ABC Warning could have been just low fluid in the reservoir. Do you know how to check your ABC Fluid level on your own ?

 

No, but I will after I get it back. Another site seems to indicate this happens alot and discribed as a Gremlin problem. No cause or reasons for the indication. I was going to ask the dealership if I can have a cigarette after I pay the bill, or at least a peck on the cheek...

 

ABC FLUID SPRAY-OUT I have a CL500. It has always been dealer serviced except for a couple of oil changes. On two occasions, when an independent shop did the oil change, they overfilled the ABC reservoir. Within a week, (I rarely drive the car) pressure built up in the system and the fluid sprayed out of the filler cap as of the system had overheated. The first time scared the hell out of me. The second time, I checked the level in the reservoir and even after the spay out, it was too full. The proper level is only about 2/3 full.

My ABC visit shop message has been coming on intermittently the entire time I have owned the car. The dealer has gone through the entire system including a new pump and a Rodeo Test. The problem seems to be a possible short in the ignition switch. I'm not sure, but I have met another owner who has had the same problem, and replaced the pump at very low mileage. His light also comes on every once in a while. I notice that my light rarely comes on if the weather is cold.