SBC Warning - Info needed

[E55BOF]

I have a 2003 W211, so as far as I can gather there's no hope of an MB foc repair if the SBC unit gives problems. There are none at present on the car, and SBC hold in particular is very useful, but with 135K miles up, if it hasn't had attention already it will only be a matter of time.

So far as I can gather, if the warning comes up in white it will be only a minor peripheral problem like the brake light switch, but if it is in red it's probably serious. I have a few questions that I have not been able to find definitive answers to, though.

If the red warning comes on, it will probably be (I think - I could have misunderstood...) the unit reaching its counter limit. Is there any way to tell how far from its limit it is now? Is there any way to tell if it has already been reset? Is there an accessible serial number on the unit that would tell me when it was manufactured?

If the pump or pressure reservoir fails, what will be the effect on the braking?

How common is pump or reservoir failure, anyway?

I don't want to worry unnecessarily, but if the warning light comes on when I'm 500 miles from home, and the car is not safe to drive home, it would be inconvenient to say the least. Basically, how worried should I be? Please advise...

E55BOF

 

[whitenemesis]

If the pump/accumulator fail you will have just 10% braking efficiency, to the front brakes only IIRC.

I have only read of 3-4 reports of total failure. No injuries.

 

[haaran]

See here for how to tell the age of the SBC unit.

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/whee...n/163935-sbc-unit-how-can-i-tell-how-old.html

 

[mannikon]

See here for how to tell the age of the SBC unit.

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/whee...n/163935-sbc-unit-how-can-i-tell-how-old.html

That's interesting.
Also, so far as I can tell, earlier units had part number A 004 431 97 12 and later units had part number [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]A 005 431 81 12. W211 units (were units different on other models?). FWIW...[/FONT]

 

[pachanga 231]

So if I press the left stalk in the sbc comes on what's it actually do?