ABC suspension pump

[mercedestommy]

The ABC suspension pump on my CL has packed in after just 60,000 miles. I have been quoted £1800 to replace it, which includes labour.
On this site, one expert has admitted to 'fitting many new pumps' and says they are very difficult to do. I think that the engine needs jacking up.

Is this an acknowledged Mercedes defect?

I find myself thoroughly disillusioned with a make of car that is supposed to be top-of-the-range and has a major failure like this, which seems to be quite common with Mercedes.

My two best friends have a Vauxhall and a Skoda, the former has done 159,000 miles without any problem and the latter 190,000 again without a problem.

Here am I, with the supposedly better car, and it has a major suspension failure at a mileage which some would say is only a 'just run in' mileage.

I am thinking of ditching my Merc if this is what you get for your money.

 

[Ellsy Tanners]

Mechanical components fail my friend, Its hard luck I know, but what do you want us to say.

I wish I could wave a magic wond on many things but life is not like that.

Sorry

 

[television]

As above from Ellsy,, we mainly only get cars with faults on here, and anything can go wrong,,disappointing I know but it happens

 

[mercedestommy]

Well, what I am saying is that for years Mercedes built up a name for quality and reliability, which is now in doubt.

It is clear from other posts that this suspension pump is a problem.

Perhaps the answer is not to buy another Merc.

 

[jberks]

To be fair, Vauxhalls and Skodas don't have complex pneumatic body control systems to go wrong. (Neither does my E270 which has reached 60k, feels just run in and has a perfect suspension system)
The engine in your Cl will still be going strong with 300k on it if looked after properly. With cars of the technical level of a CL there is simply more, more complex components, that can go wrong. Additionally, it is a £100,000 car so you can't expect the repair costs to be at Vauxhall levels either.

MB built a reputation building relatively simple machinery very well (there wasn't much clever technology in a 1987 E200 but everything that was there was over engineered) and selling for very high prices. The CL is expensive, but to find something with similar complexity from the 'good old days' you'd have to look at something like the 600 - which was so expensive, only despots and John Lennon could afford one! Compromises have to be made. Most of the time they pay off and we're not even aware of them, but occasionally, something unforeseen will happen to a component, making it a weak point. Commonly it's something relatively cheap like a 50p bearing, seal or resistor but it effectively kills an £1000+ component.
It's annoying but hard to blame anyone for in reality.

 

[television]

To be fair, Vauxhalls and Skodas don't have complex pneumatic body control systems to go wrong. (Neither does my E270 which has reached 60k, feels just run in and has a perfect suspension system)
The engine in your Cl will still be going strong with 300k on it if looked after properly. With cars of the technical level of a CL there is simply more, more complex components, that can go wrong. Additionally, it is a £100,000 car so you can't expect the repair costs to be at Vauxhall levels either.

MB built a reputation building relatively simple machinery very well (there wasn't much clever technology in a 1987 E200 but everything that was there was over engineered) and selling for very high prices. The CL is expensive, but to find something with similar complexity from the 'good old days' you'd have to look at something like the 600 - which was so expensive, only despots and John Lennon could afford one! Compromises have to be made. Most of the time they pay off and we're not even aware of them, but occasionally, something unforeseen will happen to a component, making it a weak point. Commonly it's something relatively cheap like a 50p bearing, seal or resistor but it effectively kills an £1000+ component.
It's annoying but hard to blame anyone for in reality.

Thank you again for putting this into prospective,, my car had 2 struts go on me, and that was £2k to fix, but as you say you cant just put the cars on a par with those that cost 5-6 times less when new. I love the luxury motoring that my car gives me,, then I could have bought a Ferrari and paid out £5k on every service plus