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Originally Posted by icetrey
"(I rarely use ABS, even on black ice)" i cant believe you said this... what do you mean you rarely use ABS... if your car has ABS and you press the brake... you are using ABS! dont think it only works when the wheels start to slip or when the brake is slammed to the floor... it is working everytime you press the brake.
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Maybe you don't understand how ABS works, or what it is. IT's not "normal" braking. The ABS system is only used when the tires exceed the threshold of traction and apply and release the brakes in rapid succession in order to keep the wheel from locking.
If the ABS system is working everytime you push the pedal, I'm in serious trouble, since the ABS system in our 190E was disabled by the failure of the speed sensors. If you love your manual, you should read the part about the ABS warning light and the fact that your brakes will work without ABS operation. ABS stands for:
Anti-Lock
Braking
System
The key word is "Anti-Lock."
And while it might seem like semantics, your using the word "normal" sends a message that this how the system is designed, and the flaw is a design fault, not an actual equipment failure. It is an equipment failure and NOT normal. Yes, lots of older MB's have the fault, and it's not critical that it be dealt with, but if you are trying to have the system working as designed, then you will need to make repairs. As to the system NEVER failing to operate at higher speeds, sorry, untrue. If the speed sensors fail completely, you will have no ABS operation, regardless of speed. How do I know? Experience. 800,000km's of MB driving and many repairs on many cars with over 350,000km's. On the 190E I just sold, the ABS was not operating at ANY speed thanks to the complete failure of the front speed sensors. I tried cleaning them (sometimes works) but not in this case.
Why is your mechanic not in a rush to fix this? Not a critical element and it's a fairly expensive repair.
Why don't I use ABS (you can tell, as the pedal pulses during ABS operation) very often? Well, even on ice, I anticipate the low traction and usually don't even come close to threshold braking. Sometimes I do, but not often.
Read up...
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/anti-lock-brake.htm
http://www.autoshop-online.com/auto101/abs.html
http://www.e-z.net/~ts/hybrakes.htm
http://www.abs-education.org/abcs/abctips.htm