About ADS

ADS is short for Adaptive Damping System (german Adaptiv Dämpfung System). It is a hydraulic operated and electronically controlled system. It covers two functions. Constant vehicle level regardless of load and variable electronic control of suspension damping.

This website comprises information that I sourced over many other sites so I cannot give credits to all people who helped me understand the system.

How I get an Iron

Why Iron? In Czech republic, we do have many nicknames for Mercedes Benz vehicles. It is not usual for other brands but for MB is. So R129 is called here "žehlička" which means clothes iron. W140 was called Mammoth probably for its bulkiness. W123 is called piano for its trunk lid mimicking piano keyboard closure. Then there are others where the nickname is not so obvious W126 is called "Chinamen", W210 is "big fly" and w124 "plastic" for its Saco boards.

In the year 2017 I started to think to bring to my garage some youngtimer. I wanted definitely coupe and at best something Italian. Over the time I started to love one coupe. It is not Italian by any means - C123.

I was seeing one excellent example. The guy did not have battery charged and no licence plates. So I cannot drive the car even I was asking him before my arrival. At the same time very close to my home was for a sale R129 announced as in perfect condition. So I went there just for my curiosity. The car was nice but what strikes me was the feeling when I sat in and drive it.

It was much more compelling than C123 and as a bonus roadster. I was caught and only issue with a car was ADS which did not show MIL but obviously was not working. After the first visit I tried to digest most of the info available and decide to proceed with the purchase.

My ADS story

The first thing I have done in August 2018 was a replacement of pressure reservoirs. Front PN 1293200115, rear PN 1403280515. They cost something around 320€ altogether. The ride get a little bit better but still harsh.

Through the year 2019 I was still driving in "Sport mode" and I build a blinking code reader. When I erased all ADS related errors nothing appeared back. In June 2019 I sent ADS ECU to company Hitzing & Paetzold. This cost me 96€ including postage back. They found no issues and exchanged condensators for a prolonged lifetime. They transformed to HIS recently. Of course no change in behaviour. During wintertime 2019/20 I started to check everything in electronics. Also, I checked basic functionality of ADS ECU by pulling out reservoir level - it triggers ADS MIL, then after battery replacement again the ADS MIL was lit until I performed lock to lock steering procedure. Then the MIL dimmed. All that can be checked with the multimeter was OK. I hardwired one front damping valve and for the first time, I feel the difference. It is clearly recognisable when you push a fender down when there is soft or firm damping.

So I decided to connect all four damping valves to 12V and see how is the ride. The ride was much softer even on my low profile 18" tires. Front 245/40 and rear 275/35. I think with original 16" must be the real deal. I connected valves to lights relays, so I can switch it off for sporty ride. This is slightly against Czech road law, because we have mandatory daylights. Yes, the adaptive function was not included. Since I am not racing the car but mostly cruising below legal limits, I have never felt an issue. And I do not have experience of the ride with functional ADS.

During my holiday in the countryside I saw an R129 parked close to our stay. I checked that it has ADS via the rocker switch next to the light switch. Next day I catch the owner and chat with him. We went for a ride - it was manual! The ride was harsh. I checked the oil reservoir and was completely empty. I warned him about the danger of damaging tandem pump. Funny enough, I saw the very same car parked in one Prague street during my visit there...

So there were ugly wires in the engine compartment and I wanted to have switchable sport comfort settings. Also, I wanted to check why lifting is not working. I dismantled the main ADS valve and found no issues. All passages were clear, even sintered filter in the the lift valve inlet was clear, nice bronze colour and no sign of debris. I can blow through it easily. So I went my own way, which might not be liked by many, but maybe others find it interesting. See it in the electronics part.

Function

General info.

Hydraulics

Here is information about function of hydraulic components and some work done.

Electronics

Here is information about function of electronic components and some work done.

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