Newbie - Just got myself a 2004 SL55 AMG
- Thread starter J4JAV
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00slk
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What's the bet he gets to 29 and can't think of anything else to say :lol:
television
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Post soon add up 
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Okay so an update on the SL55, I bought it relatively cheap as it had the PSE dreaded issue!
Water had leaked in the boot, through the rear windscreen seal and I have just managed to remove the seal and I can tell it has never been replaced in its life! All x4 nuts were corroded, had to be very careful with them so I could save the rubber and reuse it, managed to get it done.
So yeh back to the car and PSE issue, the chap who had it sold it to me due to a PSE fault and wasn't happy to pay around £1k to sort it.
I removed it all and took it apart, bearing in mind that I had a new one on the way. So if anything went wrong then I have plan B.
Obvious liquid damage to the pump. Took it so a friend of mine who then took me and the pump to another friend who is basically a geek! Told me to get myself to Maplin, buy a can of PCB spray cleaner and a fibreglass pencil to clean up the damaged area which was around 10cm long.
Cleaned it all and left it for a couple of days, basically cleaned up everything in the PSE pump and reconnected the battery today and to my disbelief I have a working PSE pump!!!
Everything on the car works and it's like it never had a fault! So now what do I do with the new PSE pump which I spent best part of £500 on!?
Really chuffed today, roof also works although I have on order the revised gear cover as on of the flaps (elephant ears) is sagging a little.
As you can probably tell I did my research on these R230's before buying one! So far so good (touch wood), I now have a fully working SL55 AMG! Well expect for a few other minor bits ;-)
Water had leaked in the boot, through the rear windscreen seal and I have just managed to remove the seal and I can tell it has never been replaced in its life! All x4 nuts were corroded, had to be very careful with them so I could save the rubber and reuse it, managed to get it done.
So yeh back to the car and PSE issue, the chap who had it sold it to me due to a PSE fault and wasn't happy to pay around £1k to sort it.
I removed it all and took it apart, bearing in mind that I had a new one on the way. So if anything went wrong then I have plan B.
Obvious liquid damage to the pump. Took it so a friend of mine who then took me and the pump to another friend who is basically a geek! Told me to get myself to Maplin, buy a can of PCB spray cleaner and a fibreglass pencil to clean up the damaged area which was around 10cm long.
Cleaned it all and left it for a couple of days, basically cleaned up everything in the PSE pump and reconnected the battery today and to my disbelief I have a working PSE pump!!!
Everything on the car works and it's like it never had a fault! So now what do I do with the new PSE pump which I spent best part of £500 on!?
Really chuffed today, roof also works although I have on order the revised gear cover as on of the flaps (elephant ears) is sagging a little.
As you can probably tell I did my research on these R230's before buying one! So far so good (touch wood), I now have a fully working SL55 AMG! Well expect for a few other minor bits ;-)
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Excellent! Do keep an eye on it though, I have had PSE's on R230's that have been "repaired" but cause battery drains etc. So whilst it may work, it may keep the canbus alive. Just keep it in mind if you are trying to track down a battery drain in the future.
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- #31
Yes I am going to keep the new one I bought as a back up. Then once I sell it I will sell the pump and try to get some money back for it - I can see people buy them relatively quickly!
The plan was to fix up all the issues on the car, enjoy it through the summer and sell it but the more I drive it the more I want to keep it!
:mrgreen:
television
Always remembered RIP
- Joined
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You must go there and activate it.
television
Always remembered RIP
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2005
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- Your Mercedes
- 2002 SL500, 216 CL500, all fully loaded
Wonder if a time as well, cannot remember
00slk
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Good work, a man after my own heart
Nothing like pulling something expensive to bits and seeing how it works, though modifying can work wonders. I used to do a little bit of this when building and running race cars, which incidentally I was told there was a glimpse of me racing my 108 series in the early 90' on TV Good luck with the 55.
Peter
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- #38
Hey everyone,
So... this dreaded SL55 AMG, it has been a little while since I last posted on here so I think it is time for an update as I have been quite busy in the background!
I am not the type to join a forum just for the useful info, so will try my best to keep regularly updating as I go along. I have done a lot since my last post so I will try to section it all off below so it's easier to read, it will be a long read - you have been warned: -
Leaking Boot
Firstly massive thank you to Malcolm and his guide to fixing the roof leak, it worked a treat. A bit of tidying up with a wire/brush on a drill, rust treatment, lick of Hammerite paint and brand new 3M VHB tape and the Loctite sealant and guess what?! We have no leaks whatsoever, I have purposely left the car parked out in the great British weather and for 2 months it has been drenched and there is not a single drop of water in the boot - even soaked it myself with a hose and pressure washer jet too. The C pillars were not leaking but I sealed them up too whilst I was at it. Only hardest bit was removing all the old VHB from the rubber seal, it took me hours! But the rubber trim came out like new after treating it with some Sonax Gummi Pflege, really took my time with the rubber seal, bought the correct VHB tape and left it for days in the house at room temp so it properly stuck before refitting and used heat during the install too. So thank you for the perfect guide Malcolm! No bodyshop/windscreen fitter wanted to touch the job and I could not have done it without your expertise!
Engine Oil Warning Light
Another common issue, the check engine oil light was flashing at me ever since I got it. The last owner told me it was the fill sensor so I did not bother getting it checked on STAR and took my chances, bought the sensor from Mercedes and got myself some Mobil 0W40 New Life to do the oil change at the same time, probably needed to do it anyway to be fair as it would have been difficult changing a sensor considering it was fitted to the bottom end of the sump! Easy change over, fixed the issue and no more warning/malfunction light. Stuck in a genuine Mercedes oil filter at the same time too. Strangely enough it felt so much better to drive after an oil change and I did not think it would make such a difference. By the way the oil was on offer with Opie Oils, around £60 for 10 litres delivered too!
Supercharger Bearing Noise
The engine on idle would make a really nasty sound randomly and I gathered it would be the super charger bearing, after listening to sounds on YouTube I was pretty sure it was that. But after checking on a stethoscope it seems to be a pulley at the middle right side of the engine - one that guides the rear belt. But in the meantime I ordered a bearing from the states anyway, a FPI one as I did some reading and didnt really see the purpose of getting a Nachi one as they both had the same warranty length. Got the FPI one delivered to the UK for £20! As I have it I will end up doing this anyway just for my peace of mind.
My Visit to a MB Specialist
Luckily by chance I found a MB Indie quite local to me and thought I would get the car put onto STAR and a health check. This lasted 2 hours and the chap checked everything on the car! He is an ex Mercedes master techie, who left around 8 years ago (with 25 years experience with them) and set up his own place from home. I wont post his details on here, but feel free to PM me as I know he seems very reluctant to take on a lot of new work. He checked the car all over and told me it's one of the best example he has seen of an SL55 for quite some time, his exact words were 'outstanding' for a 162k miles motor! I was actually pleased until of course he did recommend me some things to sort as it is a Mercedes after all and they do come with faults! haha
So he advised I change both track control arms as they have play in them, a couple of top ball joints have play too, GPS antenna is faulty, rear parking sensor faulty, prop shaft coupling showing signs of excessive wear although it is till okay, couple of drive belts due to squealing, CO2 sensor (before the CAT) and some dreaded ABC issues which I will explain further below!
I rang up Mercedes and the parts came to just shy of £1k for the lot, and that is with staff discount by the way as I have a family member working for them. Went elsewhere and got the lot for £150! You are probably thinking I have bought cheap stuff, but no I actually went for mainly OEM genuine parts found very cheap and brand new on eBay by typing in the part numbers, mind you they were from all over the world! The most expensive was the prop shaft coupling which was £58 from eBay, a genuine Mercedes part which they themselves wanted around £200! Control arms and ball joints I went for Febi parts, as the Mercedes techie told me it is either TRW or Febi who make the OEM ones. After all Mercedes don't make them do they! Only thing aftermarket was the CO2 sensor which was £20 compared to £120, but it has a 2 year warranty so that suits me just fine!
In all I have saved a lot of money by shopping around and simply doing some research. Typing just OE part number in eBay for genuine MB parts is cheaper than typing in SL55 AMG control arm for example. Anything SL or AMG related just bumps the price up, the prop shaft coupling the guy was selling was actually for a Spritner 515 CDI, but it is the same part for the SL55 AMG and when I type that in it gets a lot more expensive - they must think we SL owners are made of money!
Febi control arms were on next day Amazon prime for just £42 each, Mercedes wanted £182 each! The next big saving was to borrow a friends ramp for the day, and all the above was fixed and sorted, car feels so much better with the new suspension parts, so smooth and quite. Actually feels better on speed bumps than my 2017 A4 Avant! I did all the work myself as I do know my way around a garage so wasn't too afraid to do it - well until I couldn't get the old ball joints to pop loose!
The Dreaded ABC
This is the one we have all been waiting for (NOT!) A few weeks ago each morning I would get a ABC warning (not the red one). I didn't think much of it as it would always go away so assumed it was a sensor issue. But when at the Indie STAR told us it was loss of pressure in the system and that the rear left strut has some issue (forgot the actual code). So back whilst on the ramp we started to check everything and could not see much as it had rained before we had it on the ramp.
So back to the floor and we put the ABC to it's limits and raised and lowered about 40 times. I am not sure why he did not just do the ABC rodeo test thing on STAR. Then we raised the car onto the ramp again, and there we have it a big puddle of ABC fluid on the floor, right next to the rear left wheel and now we have a red ABC death warning!
The rear ABC hose (not the rubber one) but the metal one where the rubber one goes into is leaking from the bleed screw. Upon closer inspection the bleed screw looks completely different to the other 3 and it seems to be longer too so looks as if it is loose when in actual fact it is fitted and screwed in. We try to tighten it and it does not budge so we left it as we don't want to break it and end up with a un-driveable car! Indie recommends getting an OEM bleed screw to replace the OEM one, and suggest we do a complete flush with the 12 litres and replace the filter.
I drive home normally for the 12 miles, no warnings or issues. The red warning was caused by the low fluid after our test so we topped it up with the MB ABC fluid and that went away before I left. I get home and decide to have a look at the tons of invoices the car came with as I could not understand why someone would fit an aftermarket bleed screw to this car. I find an invoice which is covered in the letters 'ABC' and this bill is for £3k! Back in 2014 it had a replacement ABC pump, belts, ABC fluid, filter and labour charges too. The last owner actually bought all the parts and fluid from MB and used an independent to do the work as all the MB invoices are there too as well as the Indie. So it has a 3 year old ABC pump, which is a sign of some relief I suppose.
Now what I do not understand is, after spending so much on genuine parts why did they not buy a bleed screw from Mercedes?! Well that answer I found a couple of days ago, because they do not sell it on its own! You have to buy the complete pipe for that side which involves taking down the rear subframe to replace (as I am told by the Indie). So the new pipe is £172 plus VAT (without the staff discount) and takes anywhere from 2 weeks to 7 months arrive and they cannot give me an accurate date until 2 weeks after a paid order! Thank you but no thank you was my reply, so back onto EPC and my part number search on the web, after hours of searching the web I have found a guy in California who is breaking one, he has a pipe for that side, with the bleed screw all delivered to the UK for £60! He sent over some pictures of it and it looks immaculate, probably due to the great weather climate they have out there! I did try everywhere to get a bleed screw or even the correct sizes for one so I could buy locally but couldn't find any info at all. When it had the ABC haul back in 2014 they never even put the rubber bungs back onto the bleed screws so I am hoping they lost them just like the lost the OEM bleed screw too! So fingers crossed for an easy fix!
As I wait for this pipe to arrive our first attempt will be to remove the aftermarket bleed screw and try to refit a OEM one from the salvaged pipe. If it still leaks then we will replace the pipe with the hope that the old one comes off easily. After all it is a 162k miles car and it is pretty corroded in some placed thanks to all this salt we have. But in all fairness not actually that bad for a 13 year old motor.
I also spent some time searching around ABC fluid, I am told to get 12 litres so he can flush the whole system and use up most of it during the process and in all honesty I was not prepared to spend best part of £200+ just for fluid with MB, which we all know again that Mercedes do not make their own fluid. So after some emails back and forth to a dealer in Stuttgart (on good terms with them after buying a set of new AMG mats, as dealers in UK can no longer get them) he tells me to go for Febi S6161 fluid as that is apparently exactly what Mercedes use - it is just bottled with their logo. In all fairness this is probably true as the OEM control arms are too Febi, so I took the plunge. 12 litres of Febi S6161 (CHF11S) delivered from Germany to UK for £90! He even sent me pictures of it sat on their warehouse shelf as they too use it when they run out supposedly.
Got x2 ABC filters from Mercedes here in the UK for around £20 each. x2 because I would like to swap out the first filter after the initial ABC fluid flush and overhaul. That way my mind will be at rest that any debris in the system will be removed more or less fully so the new (or should I say 3 year old) ABC pump is not affected. This advice was based again on the tech I spoke with at Mercedes in Stuttgart, he tells me the ABC system is actually a very good system so long as it is looked after with regular maintenance, he apparently has a customer in Germany with a CL55 running the original ABC pump and parts and at 300kms! He does a ABC fluid and filter change yearly, well that is what I am told.
Now moving onto the second ABC issue, not such a major one but there is also a slight leak/misting at the front, from the valve block area - it was so badly covered in dirt I am unable to see the cause/root of this. I have tonight cleaned and degreased the whole area then dried it all with an air compressor and done another heavy ABC test, lifting and lowering a good 30 times and I cannot see anything come out from there. So I am assuming that this is a very small leak from a washer or seal which has gradually just built up small puddle onto the plastic coverings. As all is now clean I will continue to monitor it for the next few days and see if I can spot anything. There is 100% something leaking so I would like to fix this also whilst we are at it.
Now finally after all that typing, I think I should conclude a little. Here is what is left to fix on the SL55 and ideally will be done before the summer so I can enjoy the damn thing: -
ABC Issues - as above and then a full system flush.
GPS Antenna - replacement when I next have the time. I figure it is in the rear view mirror and will need some interior bits removed.
Rear C Pillar Plastic Trims - need replacing due to being discoloured. I may although get these painted and lacquered to look OEM again.
Wheel Refurb - most likely a full refurb and re diamond cutting them as I want them just to be like they were when it left the factory when new. They are quite pitted right now.
Paintwork - sorting out the rust issues and respraying most parts to make it like showroom condition again. Will paint and install the parking sensor at the same time.
Boot Latch Issues - already got a replacement latch module and the soft close still does not work. Will look into this when the weather is better. I am hoping I don't have to use that new PSE pump after all! Was hoping to sell that and recoup some money!
Pulley Noise - still need to diagnose properly and order the correct one to fit an replace to make the idle smooth and quiet again.
Front Starter Battery - it has never been replaced and getting a little tired now when starting. Indie tells me it has the makings with the letter 'S' on one of the terminals which apparently indicates this is the original from the factory???
A/C Issue Light - A/C cannot be switched on, just flashes at me. I reckon it is low on A/C gas, so when it is next at the Indie I will get him to pop it onto STAR again.
After all the above I will be doing a complete detail on it and steam cleaning the whole interior too (I am a very keen detailer by hobby and have all the equipment too). It has Alpaca Grey interior so not the best to keep clean! Last but not least I cannot wait to pop in the new AMG mats I got, but that will be the very last thing! haha. Will post pictures up of everything when that time comes!
Luckily it had all round new discs and pads (again MB genuine) and even a set of x4 tyres just before I bought it so that is a bonus.
Oh and by the way, even driving on the slightest defect/drain cover on the road at low speeds I always get a feel of the back end trying to spin out. I am not sure if this is ABC related or is this a wheel alignment issue? If anyone can help then that will be greatly appreciated.
Also for any of the above, if any one has any advice or help they can give then I will happily take it on - after all I am still new to this MB game. I am also open to negative feedback too! haha.
After all I got this car cheap and I have spent a fair bit on it so far, but it is still worth more than I spent on it in total (I think!) So I am not too down/upset on the expenditure just yet as I was expecting this anyway. I know once everything is working then it will be a great car. The idea was to keep it, enjoy it and sell it but I am getting a little attached so the selling part may come next year or never, but either way it will be a truly OEM example and one that has been looked after with great car and no expense spared. I have been lucky enough to get staff discount at Mercedes, a ramp to use whenever I feel like it and knowing my way around a workshop as this has saved me A LOT of money indeed.
Lastly the one thing I do want help with is taking apart the front valve block, as I really want to trace this leak and replace all the seals whilst I am at it before it goes into get the ABC sorted at the Indie, can this be done without STAR and will the system be under pressure when I jack it up and remove the components? I have seen many guides but all have conflicting information. I will probably tackle this on the weekend at home and don't want to end up messing it all up, I assume the fluid lost can just be replaced at the reservoir end and I do not need to bleed anything after fitting the new valve block seals/washer?
I probably will come back for more help but for now I best stop typing and boring you guys! Thank you for reading!
So... this dreaded SL55 AMG, it has been a little while since I last posted on here so I think it is time for an update as I have been quite busy in the background!
I am not the type to join a forum just for the useful info, so will try my best to keep regularly updating as I go along. I have done a lot since my last post so I will try to section it all off below so it's easier to read, it will be a long read - you have been warned: -
Leaking Boot
Firstly massive thank you to Malcolm and his guide to fixing the roof leak, it worked a treat. A bit of tidying up with a wire/brush on a drill, rust treatment, lick of Hammerite paint and brand new 3M VHB tape and the Loctite sealant and guess what?! We have no leaks whatsoever, I have purposely left the car parked out in the great British weather and for 2 months it has been drenched and there is not a single drop of water in the boot - even soaked it myself with a hose and pressure washer jet too. The C pillars were not leaking but I sealed them up too whilst I was at it. Only hardest bit was removing all the old VHB from the rubber seal, it took me hours! But the rubber trim came out like new after treating it with some Sonax Gummi Pflege, really took my time with the rubber seal, bought the correct VHB tape and left it for days in the house at room temp so it properly stuck before refitting and used heat during the install too. So thank you for the perfect guide Malcolm! No bodyshop/windscreen fitter wanted to touch the job and I could not have done it without your expertise!
Engine Oil Warning Light
Another common issue, the check engine oil light was flashing at me ever since I got it. The last owner told me it was the fill sensor so I did not bother getting it checked on STAR and took my chances, bought the sensor from Mercedes and got myself some Mobil 0W40 New Life to do the oil change at the same time, probably needed to do it anyway to be fair as it would have been difficult changing a sensor considering it was fitted to the bottom end of the sump! Easy change over, fixed the issue and no more warning/malfunction light. Stuck in a genuine Mercedes oil filter at the same time too. Strangely enough it felt so much better to drive after an oil change and I did not think it would make such a difference. By the way the oil was on offer with Opie Oils, around £60 for 10 litres delivered too!
Supercharger Bearing Noise
The engine on idle would make a really nasty sound randomly and I gathered it would be the super charger bearing, after listening to sounds on YouTube I was pretty sure it was that. But after checking on a stethoscope it seems to be a pulley at the middle right side of the engine - one that guides the rear belt. But in the meantime I ordered a bearing from the states anyway, a FPI one as I did some reading and didnt really see the purpose of getting a Nachi one as they both had the same warranty length. Got the FPI one delivered to the UK for £20! As I have it I will end up doing this anyway just for my peace of mind.
My Visit to a MB Specialist
Luckily by chance I found a MB Indie quite local to me and thought I would get the car put onto STAR and a health check. This lasted 2 hours and the chap checked everything on the car! He is an ex Mercedes master techie, who left around 8 years ago (with 25 years experience with them) and set up his own place from home. I wont post his details on here, but feel free to PM me as I know he seems very reluctant to take on a lot of new work. He checked the car all over and told me it's one of the best example he has seen of an SL55 for quite some time, his exact words were 'outstanding' for a 162k miles motor! I was actually pleased until of course he did recommend me some things to sort as it is a Mercedes after all and they do come with faults! haha
So he advised I change both track control arms as they have play in them, a couple of top ball joints have play too, GPS antenna is faulty, rear parking sensor faulty, prop shaft coupling showing signs of excessive wear although it is till okay, couple of drive belts due to squealing, CO2 sensor (before the CAT) and some dreaded ABC issues which I will explain further below!
I rang up Mercedes and the parts came to just shy of £1k for the lot, and that is with staff discount by the way as I have a family member working for them. Went elsewhere and got the lot for £150! You are probably thinking I have bought cheap stuff, but no I actually went for mainly OEM genuine parts found very cheap and brand new on eBay by typing in the part numbers, mind you they were from all over the world! The most expensive was the prop shaft coupling which was £58 from eBay, a genuine Mercedes part which they themselves wanted around £200! Control arms and ball joints I went for Febi parts, as the Mercedes techie told me it is either TRW or Febi who make the OEM ones. After all Mercedes don't make them do they! Only thing aftermarket was the CO2 sensor which was £20 compared to £120, but it has a 2 year warranty so that suits me just fine!
In all I have saved a lot of money by shopping around and simply doing some research. Typing just OE part number in eBay for genuine MB parts is cheaper than typing in SL55 AMG control arm for example. Anything SL or AMG related just bumps the price up, the prop shaft coupling the guy was selling was actually for a Spritner 515 CDI, but it is the same part for the SL55 AMG and when I type that in it gets a lot more expensive - they must think we SL owners are made of money!
Febi control arms were on next day Amazon prime for just £42 each, Mercedes wanted £182 each! The next big saving was to borrow a friends ramp for the day, and all the above was fixed and sorted, car feels so much better with the new suspension parts, so smooth and quite. Actually feels better on speed bumps than my 2017 A4 Avant! I did all the work myself as I do know my way around a garage so wasn't too afraid to do it - well until I couldn't get the old ball joints to pop loose!
The Dreaded ABC
This is the one we have all been waiting for (NOT!) A few weeks ago each morning I would get a ABC warning (not the red one). I didn't think much of it as it would always go away so assumed it was a sensor issue. But when at the Indie STAR told us it was loss of pressure in the system and that the rear left strut has some issue (forgot the actual code). So back whilst on the ramp we started to check everything and could not see much as it had rained before we had it on the ramp.
So back to the floor and we put the ABC to it's limits and raised and lowered about 40 times. I am not sure why he did not just do the ABC rodeo test thing on STAR. Then we raised the car onto the ramp again, and there we have it a big puddle of ABC fluid on the floor, right next to the rear left wheel and now we have a red ABC death warning!
The rear ABC hose (not the rubber one) but the metal one where the rubber one goes into is leaking from the bleed screw. Upon closer inspection the bleed screw looks completely different to the other 3 and it seems to be longer too so looks as if it is loose when in actual fact it is fitted and screwed in. We try to tighten it and it does not budge so we left it as we don't want to break it and end up with a un-driveable car! Indie recommends getting an OEM bleed screw to replace the OEM one, and suggest we do a complete flush with the 12 litres and replace the filter.
I drive home normally for the 12 miles, no warnings or issues. The red warning was caused by the low fluid after our test so we topped it up with the MB ABC fluid and that went away before I left. I get home and decide to have a look at the tons of invoices the car came with as I could not understand why someone would fit an aftermarket bleed screw to this car. I find an invoice which is covered in the letters 'ABC' and this bill is for £3k! Back in 2014 it had a replacement ABC pump, belts, ABC fluid, filter and labour charges too. The last owner actually bought all the parts and fluid from MB and used an independent to do the work as all the MB invoices are there too as well as the Indie. So it has a 3 year old ABC pump, which is a sign of some relief I suppose.
Now what I do not understand is, after spending so much on genuine parts why did they not buy a bleed screw from Mercedes?! Well that answer I found a couple of days ago, because they do not sell it on its own! You have to buy the complete pipe for that side which involves taking down the rear subframe to replace (as I am told by the Indie). So the new pipe is £172 plus VAT (without the staff discount) and takes anywhere from 2 weeks to 7 months arrive and they cannot give me an accurate date until 2 weeks after a paid order! Thank you but no thank you was my reply, so back onto EPC and my part number search on the web, after hours of searching the web I have found a guy in California who is breaking one, he has a pipe for that side, with the bleed screw all delivered to the UK for £60! He sent over some pictures of it and it looks immaculate, probably due to the great weather climate they have out there! I did try everywhere to get a bleed screw or even the correct sizes for one so I could buy locally but couldn't find any info at all. When it had the ABC haul back in 2014 they never even put the rubber bungs back onto the bleed screws so I am hoping they lost them just like the lost the OEM bleed screw too! So fingers crossed for an easy fix!
As I wait for this pipe to arrive our first attempt will be to remove the aftermarket bleed screw and try to refit a OEM one from the salvaged pipe. If it still leaks then we will replace the pipe with the hope that the old one comes off easily. After all it is a 162k miles car and it is pretty corroded in some placed thanks to all this salt we have. But in all fairness not actually that bad for a 13 year old motor.
I also spent some time searching around ABC fluid, I am told to get 12 litres so he can flush the whole system and use up most of it during the process and in all honesty I was not prepared to spend best part of £200+ just for fluid with MB, which we all know again that Mercedes do not make their own fluid. So after some emails back and forth to a dealer in Stuttgart (on good terms with them after buying a set of new AMG mats, as dealers in UK can no longer get them) he tells me to go for Febi S6161 fluid as that is apparently exactly what Mercedes use - it is just bottled with their logo. In all fairness this is probably true as the OEM control arms are too Febi, so I took the plunge. 12 litres of Febi S6161 (CHF11S) delivered from Germany to UK for £90! He even sent me pictures of it sat on their warehouse shelf as they too use it when they run out supposedly.
Got x2 ABC filters from Mercedes here in the UK for around £20 each. x2 because I would like to swap out the first filter after the initial ABC fluid flush and overhaul. That way my mind will be at rest that any debris in the system will be removed more or less fully so the new (or should I say 3 year old) ABC pump is not affected. This advice was based again on the tech I spoke with at Mercedes in Stuttgart, he tells me the ABC system is actually a very good system so long as it is looked after with regular maintenance, he apparently has a customer in Germany with a CL55 running the original ABC pump and parts and at 300kms! He does a ABC fluid and filter change yearly, well that is what I am told.
Now moving onto the second ABC issue, not such a major one but there is also a slight leak/misting at the front, from the valve block area - it was so badly covered in dirt I am unable to see the cause/root of this. I have tonight cleaned and degreased the whole area then dried it all with an air compressor and done another heavy ABC test, lifting and lowering a good 30 times and I cannot see anything come out from there. So I am assuming that this is a very small leak from a washer or seal which has gradually just built up small puddle onto the plastic coverings. As all is now clean I will continue to monitor it for the next few days and see if I can spot anything. There is 100% something leaking so I would like to fix this also whilst we are at it.
Now finally after all that typing, I think I should conclude a little. Here is what is left to fix on the SL55 and ideally will be done before the summer so I can enjoy the damn thing: -
ABC Issues - as above and then a full system flush.
GPS Antenna - replacement when I next have the time. I figure it is in the rear view mirror and will need some interior bits removed.
Rear C Pillar Plastic Trims - need replacing due to being discoloured. I may although get these painted and lacquered to look OEM again.
Wheel Refurb - most likely a full refurb and re diamond cutting them as I want them just to be like they were when it left the factory when new. They are quite pitted right now.
Paintwork - sorting out the rust issues and respraying most parts to make it like showroom condition again. Will paint and install the parking sensor at the same time.
Boot Latch Issues - already got a replacement latch module and the soft close still does not work. Will look into this when the weather is better. I am hoping I don't have to use that new PSE pump after all! Was hoping to sell that and recoup some money!
Pulley Noise - still need to diagnose properly and order the correct one to fit an replace to make the idle smooth and quiet again.
Front Starter Battery - it has never been replaced and getting a little tired now when starting. Indie tells me it has the makings with the letter 'S' on one of the terminals which apparently indicates this is the original from the factory???
A/C Issue Light - A/C cannot be switched on, just flashes at me. I reckon it is low on A/C gas, so when it is next at the Indie I will get him to pop it onto STAR again.
After all the above I will be doing a complete detail on it and steam cleaning the whole interior too (I am a very keen detailer by hobby and have all the equipment too). It has Alpaca Grey interior so not the best to keep clean! Last but not least I cannot wait to pop in the new AMG mats I got, but that will be the very last thing! haha. Will post pictures up of everything when that time comes!
Luckily it had all round new discs and pads (again MB genuine) and even a set of x4 tyres just before I bought it so that is a bonus.
Oh and by the way, even driving on the slightest defect/drain cover on the road at low speeds I always get a feel of the back end trying to spin out. I am not sure if this is ABC related or is this a wheel alignment issue? If anyone can help then that will be greatly appreciated.
Also for any of the above, if any one has any advice or help they can give then I will happily take it on - after all I am still new to this MB game. I am also open to negative feedback too! haha.
After all I got this car cheap and I have spent a fair bit on it so far, but it is still worth more than I spent on it in total (I think!) So I am not too down/upset on the expenditure just yet as I was expecting this anyway. I know once everything is working then it will be a great car. The idea was to keep it, enjoy it and sell it but I am getting a little attached so the selling part may come next year or never, but either way it will be a truly OEM example and one that has been looked after with great car and no expense spared. I have been lucky enough to get staff discount at Mercedes, a ramp to use whenever I feel like it and knowing my way around a workshop as this has saved me A LOT of money indeed.
Lastly the one thing I do want help with is taking apart the front valve block, as I really want to trace this leak and replace all the seals whilst I am at it before it goes into get the ABC sorted at the Indie, can this be done without STAR and will the system be under pressure when I jack it up and remove the components? I have seen many guides but all have conflicting information. I will probably tackle this on the weekend at home and don't want to end up messing it all up, I assume the fluid lost can just be replaced at the reservoir end and I do not need to bleed anything after fitting the new valve block seals/washer?
I probably will come back for more help but for now I best stop typing and boring you guys! Thank you for reading!
- Thread Starter
- Thread starter
- #39
Also does anyone have experience with this seller/seals: -
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-...807574?hash=item1a20584d56:g:vVoAAOSwal5YG-7Y
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-...807574?hash=item1a20584d56:g:vVoAAOSwal5YG-7Y
00slk
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- Your Mercedes
- 2002 SL55 AMG, 2005 E320 CDi, 2014 SLK250 CDi, 2003 SLK200
Well I must say you and I must be alike :lol:
I too do a lot of research regarding part numbers and have uncovered genuine parts for a fraction of the main dealer prices. One example; AP racing brake caliper service kit over £400. £14 for the same kit as these calipers were the same as Disco 2 rear calipers
Though sometimes I have found after market bits much more expensive too than the genuine part
In regards to the skipping or kick to the side when you drive over a pot hole or drain cover it sounds like rear suspension bushes have worn. We had the same issues with our 320SLK they were the lower outer bush that was at fault.
Keep up the good work
I too do a lot of research regarding part numbers and have uncovered genuine parts for a fraction of the main dealer prices. One example; AP racing brake caliper service kit over £400. £14 for the same kit as these calipers were the same as Disco 2 rear calipers
Though sometimes I have found after market bits much more expensive too than the genuine part
In regards to the skipping or kick to the side when you drive over a pot hole or drain cover it sounds like rear suspension bushes have worn. We had the same issues with our 320SLK they were the lower outer bush that was at fault.
Keep up the good work
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