My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320 aka The Benz

[gadget73]

Honestly sounds somewhat similar to the goofy ABS system my Mark VII uses. Kind of surprised its not an ATE system in the Mercedes, thats who made the Mark VII's ABS.

It does seem that there is a physical connection from pedal to master cylinder, and a fluid connection from master to wheels but all of the boost and ABS functions are electronic and if that fails it works less good.

"In case of computer failure, SBC reverts to a hydraulic master cylinder, but driver effort and stopping distance is reported to increase.[3] In case of pump failure the high-pressure reservoir is capable of retaining enough pressure to stop the vehicle electronically. Information on other types of failure remain an open question. "

The Mark VII's system is similar in that regard, though it doesn't use the computer for basic brake functions. It does rely on an electric motor, a pressure switch, and a relay to make it stop normally though. If that fails you get un-assisted front wheel stops only. No rear brakes at all. At least with a "normal" master cylinder you get 4 wheels worth of brakes even if there is no assist.

[87gtVIC]

As long as it keeps functioning I dont care if the system is crap or not. From my experience it works damn well compared to the box brakes!

Reached another milestone today:



It was only back in October of 2015 that I hit 100k...

http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthread.php?50716-My-2004-Mercedes-Benz-E320-aka-The-Benz&p=766586&viewfull=1#post766586

[DerekTheGreat]

LoL I must be the only member on here who doesn't they box brakes are total shit. I've never been disappointed by them. I've driven cars which have stopped better, yes, but I've also driven cars which stopped much worse.

[friskyfrankie]

I figure as long as I don't have to use someone's wall to stop my car, I'm happy!

[sly]

I think box brakes just need the aero booster upgrade. Give a little better change to modulate the brakes rather than being on or off. They are decent brakes if you drive like the target demographic. If you drive like a hoonigan... yeah... they won't help much.

[87gtVIC]

Swapped on the summer wheels and tires. Was running the poor winters later than I normally do.\


Didnt bother washing the car (though I did clean the wheel wells and brake calipers/suspension) as some storms are expected to roll through today and tomorrow.

[friskyfrankie]

Nyce!

[87gtVIC]

Did the after winter clean up...yeah a bit late id say.

Good douching of the underside, engine and the paint was iron x'd, clayed and one stepped with HD speed. Looking good again.

Before:







After:

[87gtVIC]

And one straggler:

[friskyfrankie]

Guess you would have to see it in person because it looked pretty damn good BEFORE you did anything. Now it's "showroom" quality!

[87gtVIC]

Thanks


Up close of the engine bay:

[87gtVIC]

The drivers side mirror parking light had a crack in the lens for some time. My dad pointed it out to me and that bugged me enough to purchase a new mercedes one to replace it.

New lens in hand..old on car still:



Mirror cap removed:



Cap deprived of its parking light strip:



Nice and fresh looking again:





You have to bend the mirror out of the way to release a tab that retains the mirror cover. Well in doing so the original 18 year old mirror gasket kinda broke apart! The damage:



So I had to order a set of those. There are cheap ebay china ones and I was able to find some USA made ones (for a lot more coin) but that had good reviews. This is an item mercedes does not sell separately from the entire mirror assembly.

[87gtVIC]

Parts came in and looked really good.

Drivers side in progress...still old gasket on:



Removed entirely:



Drivers side all done up:





And the bad on the passengers side:



And that all fixed now:

[87gtVIC]

After a clean up this morning:

[87gtVIC]

Did a full brake job again on this car....As well as a brake fluid flush, well as much as one can do without taking it to Mercedes or aquiring the proper scan tools to tell the SBC system to flush.

Used a motive power bleeder. Nice rig. Like everything about it BUT the tear down after the job is done. The brake fluid reservoir on the car is just full of fluid and there is now way to remove the power bleeder without making some kinda mess at the reservoir. It is a welcome addition to the tool kit.

Will do another fluid flush in a year or so and see how that goes for removing the old....It was not so bad but I have never done it and it is recommend to do every two years.

The required brake fluid is DOT 4 Plus. I purchased the mercedes brand. 15 bucks a liter. I picked up four. Two for now and two for later.



New brakes and pads all the way around all OEM mercedes too.





Boy was it hot out today.

Bedded the pads and rotors in a bit later in the day. 5 aggressive stops from 40mph to about 10 followed by 5 moderate stopped from 30mph to about 5 and then 5 minutes of casual driving to cool the puppies down. All feeling good.