Kent Converts His SL500 From ABC to Adjustable Coil-Overs and Couldn't be Happier

Kent Converts His SL500 From ABC to Adjustable Coil-Overs and Couldn't be Happier

Tired of Getting Yours Fixed? Considering Converting? Kent can Answer Your Questions Here.

Early in the summer of 2023, I had a decision to make concerning my 2004 SL500. With only 78,000 miles, the car was pristine, but I found I was just not driving it very much. Whenever I came out into my garage, I would shy away from looking at the car, hoping it was not "on the ground" or leaning to one side. When I drove it, I drove it with great care, trying not to hit any potholes or cornering too hard. The red warning light started coming on more often, and I feared the accumulators were going bad. Then I noticed a torn boot on one of the rear struts, and upon closer inspection of the system, I saw beginning signs of leaks at some of the hydraulic hoses. I also noticed the big tandem hydraulic pump was making more noise. This car was supposed to have amazing suspension and fun to drive, but I got to the point where I was not even willing to drive the car more than 15 to 20 miles away from home. Sound familiar? So in July, I filmed a 6-part video series concerning the three options I faced. 1. Repair the suspension. 2. Sell the car. 3. Gut the ABC system and convert it to conventional suspension.  Watch my combined free YouTube video series below. In it, I will explain how and why I decided to keep the car and convert it. 

Why Kent Chose to Convert

When I did the conversion, I never intended to do a full technical video on how to do this yourself. I did film the process of converting and filming some modifications and upgrades, but I just stored the video clips away. I felt it was just too much work to produce a commercial on-demand video that would probably not be viewed very much ( I knew the video would end up being more than an hour long). But soon, I began receiving emails asking me questions about how I did this, how I adjusted that, how I removed it, why I chose what I chose, why I did not install such-and-such, and, of course, endless emails about the RED WARNING LIGHT. Realizing  I did not have the time to answer all the emails, I completed a three-part video series ( almost one and a half hours long) showing you how it is done and answering almost all your questions. Please click on each of the links below to read what each video covers. I hope you understand why I am not able to answer personal questions on this subject and why I have to charge a fee for viewing these technical videos. I have driven my SL more in the last three months than I did in the last three years.  I now drive it hard and aggressively, with minimum body roll, and I can adjust the ride for varying road conditions.  But best of all - No More Worry In The Background.

PLEASE NOTE: I do not sell the coil-over shocks, but I do sell a couple of modifications that I did on my own SL that you may also like to install. Get rid of that big, heavy tandem pump. Do not leave it in the system "plugged up," as some would recommend. Also, you did not need to remove all the trunk carpets to get to the top bolts on your rear struts. AND, while you have that rear control arm down for strut replacement, I highly recommend you replace the outer busings in the rear control arms. I will provide you with links to each of my kits below.