fyzbo

Contemplating purchasing a 2006 Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG and I was wondering what I could expect in terms of maintenance and repairs. Has anyone tracked their average yearly spend?

rlh23

Depends on mileage, driving style, previous maintenance, etc. Obviously the most common big fix is ABC components. Also, you'll have to consider that routine maintenance (brake jobs, oil changes, fluid flush, etc.) are substantially more than most cars. Remember, it's still a $130,000 to repair, even if you're able to purchase it for considerably less. My advice would be to find a good indy mechanic; those can be worth thousands of dollars versus a dealer.

I know that didn't put a number on it like you're looking for, but there are a lot of variables to consider. They're awesome cars though!

fxrs1955

+1

fyzbo

It currently has 65,000 miles on it. Can't be sure of previous work done as it's changed hands more than once.

Pufftrees

There are 3rd party warranty companies that might give you coverage, worth investigating for piece of mind. My 06 has one and it's been great (although my car maintenance is much less)

RoundTheBenz

I wouldn't recommend a warranty since 99.9% of them will exclude the parts that fail the most ie ABC.

When I buy a car I get my indy to check it out first then if I do purchase, I get all of the fluids changed. Maybe not all at once but start with an ABC flush and oil, then move on to the transmission and coolant.

It's not always a magic pill to help you avoid costly repairs but it certainly helps. I've had Merc's for years. At 65,000, you've just broken it in...

Good luck.

V12TTenthusiast

IDK about that, I've had my 3rd party warranty cover 3 struts, an ABC Pump, and Front Valve Block on my SL65, but I got it when it was at 37k miles but for 4yrs/50k miles Platinum Coverage at $4000ish and I'm only at 65k/87k it was well worth it. With other jobs like Engine Mounts (V12TT engine mounts on SLs are an easy 4k due to labor), Vacuum Pump, Control Arms, Bushings, Tire Rods, Coil Packs, Faultly IC Pump, wheel bearings etc, I've already claimed an easy 14-15k on my warranty with no issues

RoundTheBenz

What year is your car?

V12TTenthusiast

2006 and I purchased this car Winter 2012

RoundTheBenz

Good for you! From my experience the warranty ends up being more expensive than the cost of repairs but obviously you've blown a hole in that theory. It would be interesting to know how many people actually got full value out of an extended warranty... Can you do polls on mbworld?

V12TTenthusiast

I think you can but I have no idea how to do it lmao

fyzbo

This right here tells me a lot. 14-15k in work since 2012 is not what I expected, but it tell me that I'm not ready to make the financial commitment of owning an SL quite yet. Thanks.

V12TTenthusiast

Well the SL65 is a much different car then the SL55, you wont have to worry about an expensive engine mount job (4k) or coil packs (2.5-3k with parts and labor) on the SL55 your biggest concern is the ABC system. For struts you can get them for about 450 now per strut from Arnott. Valve Blocks people are rebuilding now, as for ABC pumps I'm not sure. If you get an SL55 with P030 package then your brakes will cost alot as they use 65 AMG brakes as well as the LSD that comes standard in the SL65.

Brakes for 65 AMG and P030 owners is about 1000 per rotor, but if you don't get a P030 then its about 1/10 of that cost

mark anderson

I have owned 3 SL55's. My 03 had lots of issues but all under warranty. I bought extended warranties for my next 2 but after 50k miles over 5 years I must say that I have not come close to getting my money out of the warranty. I guess that's a good thing.

fxrs1955

I looked at a couple 65's and had I bought one instead of the 55, an extended warranty would be a no brainer if it covered the most common problems, ABC, motor mounts, coil packs.

kittyandgary

I've only owned mine a year, but the total 'repair costs' in the ~4K miles was less than $50. I DID put about $1.5K into maintenance items (belts, ALL new fluids, some hoses, new brake rotors & pads). Car has 48K on it now. I also put $2.5K into performance upgrades (supercharger pulley, belt wrap kit, ECU flash, OE SL65 AMG wheels/tires).

Knowing what I know now, but did not know when I purchased, I'd first check the ABC reservoir fluid color. If it is 'greenish' (as mine was), I'd be very interested. IF it is black, I'd run away and look some more. 'Tannish' and I might still be interested.

I suggest you read ALL the posts on the ABC Intelligence thread on the other SL55 Forum. They are awesome cars, and if well cared for, I believe they will be reliable and enjoyable for a LONG time.

mcferrin

I bought my 07 SL55 a year ago with 70,000 miles on it. 1 year and 10,000 miles later I've put in $450 for a service B with my indy and replaced the tires. Very happy so far!

JaySee56

Like V12TTenthusiast, I'm in the $14K range and the third summer of ownership is not over yet. Suspension issues, tires, valve block rebuild, intercooler pump, fuel tank baffle, supercharger clutch bearing, drive shaft rubbers, rear mounts etc. etc. Good thing I have a good Indy that will fix instead of replace, it could have been much more than this.

vtvette

If you can do even some of your own maintenance that can help lower your ownership costs considerably. For many, many things the R230 (especially the V8 models) are fairly easy car to work on. There is plenty of room for most necessary maintenance and repairs. Parts can be had online for much less than the local dealer.

Even if you do not perform your own maintenance a good knowledgeable Independent shop with experience working on R230's can help keep your maintenance costs as reasonable as possible.

I bought my 2005 SL55 almost exactly a year ago with 96,000 miles. I now have 106,000 miles. The only required repairs have been replacing a failed ABC Accumulator and rear brake rotors. Front suspension arm bushings were also showing slight signs of wear. I went ahead and replaced all 4 ABC accumulators, rebuilt both ABC valve blocks, replaced the engine mounts, transmission mount, drive shaft flex disks, front arms/ball joints, spark plugs and wires, all belts, and upgraded to the aluminum shifter lock out pawl. This addresses most of the common issues on the R230.

TheBob_1

I know this is an old post, but for anyone else who may ask, the answer is simple:

IF YOU HAVE TO ASK THE COST OF OWNERSHIP, THIS IS NOT THE CAR FOR YOU.

I am not being glib, but totally serious about this.

My response is based on a fair amount of research and my decision to buy the same car. No, I've not had a problem yet, but I have only had mine for 3 weeks. I DO, however, have the prior owner (of 7 years) records and they are admittedly a bit frightening - and expensive. Some issues (a few under warranty) would normally have me running away fast like, "Vehicle stalled on highway at 60 MPH and would not restart; Towed", but I am aware this is the super-model of cars, i.e - beautiful, fast, and high maintenance. I came into this knowing there could be issues, but that the big stuff was sound. Indeed, most of the issues have involved stupid electronic things - mostly sensors - that
result in far too dramatic symptoms (like stalling on the highway due to a transmission sensor gone bad - a fairly common problem in this model).

I'm hedging my bets that a lot of the gremlins have been flushed from the car, but who knows!?! I DO know the prior owner put about $4,500 into it (I have the invoices) during the month or so before I bought it. He did the full 'A' and 'B' services, replaced front pads and rotors, and had to fix the roof mechanism ($650) which mercifully went out the day I came to look at the car, resulting in a shop visit and, while it was there, a full periodic service plus two control arm bushings removed/replaced.

If this isn't enough to answer the question, my trusted "financial guru" said this model averages TEN TIMES the cost of an average vehicle to own and service. And that goes back to my point: This is no average vehicle. My analogy is that it is the offspring of a Shelby Mustang and a Lamborghini. Fast, muscular, gorgeous, classy, with super-car attributes but can be for "everyday" driving if you are of the country club set or want to appear that way.

Me? I have just always admired the SL's since I was too young to drive but old enough to want to. And now that I have a son that same age, he talked me into the SL55 when I was looking at a-third-the-price SL500's (pre-2003).

Lastly on the cost: I came across a video about this car after having bought it that summed up what many articles, posts, and YouTube videos basically imply about the subject: If you buy this car, be sure to put aside $10,000 (in addition to what you paid for the car) to use for service needs, as you will quite possibly use it. Nothing facetious implied, just saying that you need to be okay with doing that, and if so, you should be able to enjoy the car as it was meant to be enjoyed.

If this was not a special car (hence the sticker price when new), I would never in a million years have bought one given the service history. But this will be an "occasional driver" and is my "late mid-life crisis car" - something I have always dreamed of owning and one I plan to keep for a year or so to enjoy before age gets the better of me (and the car?). I've been practical all my life (lots of Japanese cars), so this is making up for all those save dollars and time not spent in the shop I guess - lol.

Best of luck!

Bob

abiazis

The 55 is the way to go if you want the look of this car.

The 2005 65 I had for 7 years was just a great experience when I had the warranty aftermarket protection ( still spent $ 5K of my own money and 12K in warranty).

Squeezed out another 3 years of trouble free driving and little expense and then it hit like a freight train....went in for an oil change, etc. and discovered $ 12K in repairs needed to get the car up to speed including motor mount/transmission mount replacement, ABC issues, rear differential flex disc, water reservoir cracked, etc....a real shame because the engine and tranny were just great and sorted out.......

Car is for sale at AR Motorsports in Atlanta for 32K.......once fixed the car will be great for someone..........perfect exterior when I sold it and interior is like new.........real issue is that they switched the original wheels to black AMGs....not a good look....on that car.....55 would be my vote even though the 65 is a dream drive......

vtvette

See my post from 2014 a few posts up.

I think I'm now around 115,000 miles. No repairs to report in the past two years. Just oil/fluid changes.

I wouldn't hesitate to hop in my car and drive to all 4 corners of the country tomorrow. She's been dead reliable.

I occasionally entertain the thought of selling her (sometimes I'd really like a manual trans again) but, everyone seems to be afraid of miles on these cars *the WORSE thing for these cars is when they sit for any length of time, not driving them* so, it's probably not worth a whole lot. Plus, it's been absolutely dead reliable and I seem to have a really "good" one. I'd hate to sell it then decide to buy another and get one that has all sorts of problems (although I believe any R230 after 2004 that's driven regularly and not abused should be reliable. They're easy to work on and parts are very reasonable if you know where to shop).