Another ABC Fault - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG Long-Term Road Test
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Another ABC Fault - 2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG Long-Term Road Test
Our 2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65 hitched a ride to the Mercedes dealer on the back of a flatbed trailer, again. Here is what happened.
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These things need to be scrapped and all sent to the junkyard. I begged him not to buy it and now he's asking for rides because there are so many things wrong with it that he A) can't afford it
The epitome of unreliable. A true money pit!
But I think a big part of the reason these cars can be had for such a 'reasonable' price is because they come with the fear of massively expensive problems; and are unloaded by the prior owners for the same reason. To have any hope they have to pay more and get one with a solid service history. But even then if most people that buy them new have no plans to own them for years and years then their emphasis wouldn't be on long term maintenance and just the same way Edmunds planned to skip replacing the brakes because they were going to sell it the prior owners probably skipped plenty of things too.
That could be because MB is one of the few automakers who mandates the use of a flatbed if a vehicle needs a tow. Furthermore, MB has a whole plethora of conditions where they say a tow is necessary and other automakers generally aren't as strict.
Regardless, according to AAA the most towed brand in the US is Ford. In fact, all of the most towed brands are American. MB doesn't even feature on the list because its rate of breakdowns is too low. I'll admit to being surprised by that. Pretty much everything MB made between 2000 and 2007 was crap so I expected them to perform worse.
Wrong. Nissan introduced the world's first fully active hydraulic suspension system in the 1991 Infinity Q45A http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1991-01-10/news/1991010082_1_q45-active-suspension-new-suspension-system . You would think that after reverse engineering and copying Nissan's work Mercedes could have done better.
That is incorrect. Firstly, Citroen was the first to ever offer an "active" air suspension. The 1955 DS was able to control body motions of the rear axle through hydropneumatics and then in 1989 they rolled out the world's first 4-wheel active suspension. Secondly, Benz began developing ABC during development of the W126 which launched in 1979. The first ABC prototype was shown to the public on the C112 of 1991. MB's systems was in development before Nissan even started developing the Q45. Furthermore, Nissan's system was very similar to Citroen's system and was significantly less complex than ABC. What sets ABC apart from all others is how quickly it can respond. Nissan and Citroen's systems were fully reactionary. In other words, they could only firm up the suspension in response to the vehicle physically rolling. ABC has a predictive element because it monitors the inputs not only from the 4 sensors attached to the wheels, but also sensors attached to the body and the stability control systems. As such, it can respond within hundredths of a second. This kind of speed requires huge pressure within the hydraulic system and therefore extremely complex hydrodynamic engineering. ABC truly is more complex than anything else that has come before. That isn't hyperbole, it is fact. Plus, Nissan's system was even less reliable than MB's so give Daimler some credit.
Nevertheless, MB has made significant strides over the last 16 years in improving ABC. The most problematic feature of the W220 was ABC, by the time the W221 finished up production ABC didn't even feature on the list of top 5 biggest problem areas.
I totally agree with that, but it doesn't change my point. @redskinsmv's anecdotal evidence doesn't hold up. It is actually quite rare to see an MB on the back of a flatbed.