newbie with CL55 AMG woes

[rbx]

firsty, hello new here and new to MB's as a whole! primarily from a Peugeot and BMW background so i'm completely out of my comfort zone knowing nothing atall about these cars yet, but nothing i won't familiarise myself with

i've got an '02 CL55 AMG with what seems like the dreaded ABC issues at the rear.

when starting the car, it warns about the ABC / return to workshop, but this seems to clear after the suspension does its thing and raises after a few minutes. i drove the car 20 miles, mostly motorway, and other than it feeling a bit sketchy at the back when hitting bumps, it was fine otherwise. i believe it's just the rears which are fubar - there's a visible wear to the outside edges of the rear tyres aswell, so it's obviously munching through these due to this problem

the rear shockers were an advisory i believe at the last MOT so it's something which i intend to sort. couple of questions really

1) how long is the car likely to be 'drivable' - minimal driving that is, eg just moving it around and short journeys - if i keep ontop of the fluid leaking will it not really get any worse as such?

2) the ABC fluid is obviously leaking. i've seen a few threads listing the top-up procedures and whatnot, but wondering if there's another non-MB suitable (cheaper) fluid which i can chuck in to save it running *completely* dry and potentially causing more problems

3) completely unrelated to the ABC but it's got the 'start/stop' on the gear lever. am i right in thinking this only operates if you are carrying the "keyless go card"? (i am guessing so, again judging by what i've read)

4) anybody know of any reputable people or indy's in the cheshire/manchester area suitable for taking on a job like ABC diagnosis/repair with proper tools etc?

many thanks, no doubt i'll be here for the rest of my life with my MB woes and problems!

advice greatly appreciated

cheers

 

[A210AMG]

Hello


No idea with the ABC issues.

Keyless go would need the card to enable you to open the door and then press the button to start / stop the engine. However I guess there is a key overide?

Indy in Hoylake myself and a few others use. Very good they are too.

MB-Wirral, Mercedes Benz specialist based in Hoylake, Wirral, Merseyside a quality car & auto repair and service centre covering surrounding areas including Birkenhead, Liverpool, Cheshire and North Wales.

There are others, one in Elsemere Port but I've not used them.

Hope you get it sorted.

 

[rbx]

hi, thanks for the reply

i'm going to see if i can get the keyless-go card. i have a key as normal, just curious about the 'start/stop' on the shifter. will look into it..

 

[C43AMG]

You really need to get this sorted asap, as you could be causing unnecessary damage Depending on how long this has been going on,it well might have damaged the pump. The shocks are £1,000 + each and the pump is £800 + then there is the ABC fluid which is very expensive.Good luck.

 

[rbx]

well, since posting this thread, i topped up the ABC fluid [it didn't need much at all] and put a new NSR tyre on it. it passed an MOT without advisories and from underneath nothing appears to be leaking. the fluid level hasn't dropped and i've done about 200 miles in it

i haven't once had any ABC / 'return to workshop' / 'car too low' errors since topping the fluid up

it does feel a little bit sketchy at the back end when you hit fairly uneven surfaces / potholes but it's certainly not 'undrivable' by any means and fine otherwise

i know the costs associated with the ABC so will keep my eye on it

also, the keyless-go seems to start the car but not allow me to open/lock the car. the batteries in both keyless-go cards were completely flat so not sure if it needs re-syncing to the car, but it's no real issue anyway

cheers