Did anyone had experience a faulty ride onboard SBST MB0405?

last SG · 2005-05-06T10:06:51+00:00

That sort of sound you're refering to i don't believe it's from the wheels ! I'll say it's from the gearbox. Certainly not a very pleasant experience to me b...

SBS9810X SG

SBS 9842 D,check it out.

Acx1688 SG

i juz saw SBS9842D on sv25 on Monday, no Citybuzz route

SBS3624G SG

Approximately when did it take place?

bluezombie10 SG

I’m beginning to hate taking SBST Mercedes O405, no matter whether it is the WA or DM body. The automatic gear change is getting from bad to worse. I’m rather unsure whether the MKIIs have that problem. Can anyone enlighten? I believe the O405 should be the one retiring first.

SBS1908B SG

I think SBST MB0405 very shiok, quick off the mark, powerful. I think besides trident and 0405s, few can rival their power. Only think about 0405 is lack of seats, damn noisy.

^tamago^ SG

this gearbox electronics problem is only applicable to W3R gearbox used by the SBST O.405's. hence, it will not affect any other buses, including Mk II's and SMRTB O.405's, both of which uses ZF gearboxes.

the points highlighted by The_Bus_Guide are true. as VO3x's not being able to climb the slope, it's up to the bus itself as VO3x's shld have no problem climbing the hill.

actually, ZF gearboxes also come with their own similar problems. the 1st or 2nd gear may not run smoothly as the lock-up clutch fails to change the transmission oil flow from vortex to mechnical. tis makes it sounds like it has "lost" a gear though it hasn't.

the problems plauging O.405's are due to its age. now they have been on our roads for 15 years. retirement is due on 2007 onwards.

bluezombie10 SG

but comparing between O405 and MKII, I'd rather have the O405 to retire. Else get the gearbox of the retiring MKII n install in the O405. Hahaha. I know that won't happen. It would incur costs. Very Happy

The_Bus_Guide SG

First off, Mercedes-Benz no longer make the W3E boxes. Since the O405 are not slated for withdrawal yet, there's no chance for "cannibalising"; ie. taking parts form retired buses and use them on other buses. A large number of O405s are still running well despite being 13-14 years old. I can't recall the O305 having such problems, though. Looks like they don't make buses like they used to. hehe.

If you ask me, I prefer the O405 than the B10M because the O405 is designed and built as a citybus. Have you ever seen an O405 coach? Anyway, it has a 12-litre engine, airbag suspension and a hub-reduction rear axle. I must admit it is a bit noisy but it all adds to its uniqueness. There's only about 2 years plus before the O405s are retired so enjoy it before its gone.

bluezombie10 SG

Hehe. Dun think i saw a O405 coach before. I believe the previous O305 did not have such a problem. I had a preference to O305, maybe because of the speed and length of the bus. Also it was more spacious. Too bad it retired. Crying or Very sad

Just wondering if u guys had an idea of what type of suspension the N113CRB are using. I heard from my fren (whose father is now an ex-BC) that they used air suspension? And that very morning, before the buses leave the depot, they had to pump it? Anyone can confirm this?

SBS1908B SG

Does that explain the faster pick-up? I think the mkIII will win on highway, but the MB0405 will win for shorter dist. Razz

SBS9828X SG

Care to exp?

MBHawke SG

Hi, experienced "rain" in an MB0405 (SBS) anyone? I did, on one serving service 159, some days ago, it seemed the rain kind of flowed thru' the roof mounted air-con Smile ....

tranquilice SG

Not Merc O405, but SBS 9478 Y (service 51) also has this problem on the upper deck.

SBS1908B SG

The MB0405 has a damn high acceleration, but can only manage 65km/h at most. The mkIII has a damn slow acceleration, but cruises on expressways at 65-70km/h. Hence, in a city with many bus-stops, the mkIII will lose out, and in uninterrupted areas, the mkIII wins. Of course there are BCs willing to push the MB0405 through the gate, and I have seen mkIIIs overtake light lorries from stop, so its just a general opinion. Smile

SBS1908B SG

Ah, here's another case study.

3921Z went happily from PSR to Toa Payoh, during TPE driving, the bus cruised noisily at 60-65km/h. Then aft 2nd stop at Sengkang, the BC drove the sluggish MB0405 up the steep slope. And when it came down the slope, the bus kinda jerked suddenly and we got stuck at 1st gear through out the journey.

hseochin SG

From my personal experiences riding the M-B O 405 over 15 years, i find that overall the O 405 provides the best travel experience among the SBS fleet of current vehicles.

The issue of abnormal, jerky gearshifts i've also experienced but these are strictly the exception rather than the norm. Bearing in mind the large population of O 405 in SBS fleet (approx. 700 units) the absolute no. of units with such gearbox problems of course seems 'many' but one must take into consideration their large population here !

I do recall taking the O 405 brand-new (SBS 82 P on route 76) 15 years ago & the vehicle was slowly climbing up Boundary Road with full-load of passengers & the gear change was 'seamless' i.e. cannot even detect the noise or vibration when the gear changed & only the drop in engine speed confirmed the gear changed !! That's the 'normal' standard of M-B gearbox behavior which also blends superbly with the excellent suspension ride comfort, which to this day ranks with the best & unsurpassed.

I also do recall taking an O 405 this time 15 years later just a few months back
(route 133 using Duple-Metsec body) this unit also demonstarted the 'normal'
M-B standard of 'seamless' gear-change mentioned above !

The majority of times i've taken the O 405 over the past 15 years..the gearchange performance was somewhere in between the 2 'extremes' i.e. between 'seamless' to jerky etc. but MOSTLY smooth enough to be 'inperceptable' i.e. overall still smooth & certainly not inferior to the other makes & models of buses here, irrespective of age.

Therefore what i can conclude is that maintenance & driver competence also do play very significantly in the gearchange performance & consistent top class maintenance (which i'm honestly NOT sure was always given !) do utimately make the difference between you get a smooth ride or a jerky one !

The O 405 is no doubt a fine class citybus, 1st world standard & still there even in Germany nowadays in service BUT to achieve that, sufficient maintenance must be given with no corner cutting !

For info, this issue of jerky gearchanges i've also experienced on the Saab-Scania N113CRB here. Those were more 'violent' though not noisy. I observed some drivers tend to release the accelerator @ the 'wrong' time (presumably because they scared they gone too fast !) just when the gear changed so that
the gearbox seemed 'undecided' which gear to stay in etc. hence the jerkyness.
I do believe if they held on the ride would have on the whole been smoother with less obvious gear changes !

Volvo_Volgren SG

If you talk about performance, it gotta be the Scania 113 (AC and NAC)! As for ride comfort, the 0405 is tops. MB0405 lack of seats? If I'm not wrong, before the conversion of the current light-red seats and the standing poles.....there used to be fully seat equipped with grey blue-strip seats.

Yes, it's truly cracking noisy!

Halide SG

sighs I’ll miss the 0405s once they retire…wonder which bus will replace them. So many 0405s to retire…i guess it’ll be a lengthy process…Regarding the bus itself, i do notice the 0405s in the past when there are still NAC 0405s do run more smoothly and sounds nicer compared to now. Theres no doubt the buses are ageing.

SBS1908B SG

The jerkiness not so jia lat last time, and the MB0405 dm was very nice-looking. These days, the MB0405s keep experiencing a surge in power when they change gears. An idea why?

hseochin SG

Being an M-B product, they age relatively gradually & they continue to look up to date even though the model may have been produced for 20 years, like the O 303 & O 405. I do believe that a top class product deserves only top class
maintenence & with that, they'll last a lifetime meaning to me to be 20 to 30 years ! Due to M-B's innovative & advanced design approach, most of their products have longer design shelf life than say some Japanese or Korean vehicle. Therefore 20 to 30 years is NOT exactly unrealistic given the advanceness & quality of their product relative to almost any other @ any point in time.

A fine class product is always more worth maintaining & keeping than a lousier class product with inferior product appeal & value !

Recently i took an O 405 on route 105 (SBS 563 i think) & found it unusually quiet interior noise levels & smooth in gearchange ! Downside was that acceleration was not as quick & forceful. Any sure what modifications done to the gearbox or if another type of gearbox or setting was experimented on ? Only a few O 405 here i experienced such quietness & smoothness, which is of course way beyond the newer Volvo lot !

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