jtse

Hi All,

Been here at the forum for awhile and recently had a 2014 GL550 that went lemon buyback....

anyhow, I am deciding to join the AMG crew with a used 2003 SL55 that has 28K miles.

The car is in good condition, but given the random reliability worries that I was able to google, I'm a bit nervous about being a bad car that I will burn through my wallet to fix.

So, just wondering, if I'm inspecting the car what critical stuff I should look for? and other stuff that I should seriously watch out for?

Any Aftermarket warranties still possible?

Are repairs really THAT freaking incredibly expensive if ABC, or other stuff starts to fail? or is that just the dealership being unreasonable? can I avoid that type of price gouging by going to a independent shop?

Typically, I'm always a new mercedes kind of guy, so it is unknown territories right now to get a used mercedes and also AMG.

Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.

Best,

J

okbarnett

you have to take it to a dealer and have a complete cpo inspection, look at the car fax, look at the master sheet. Let them tell you everything it needs and then decide if you want to buy it
Anything might happen but if its not broke now , dont worry about it. The dealer could give a cpo warrantie but its not likely. The other warranties seem to cost more that the repairs they cover

m-svt-amg

I would check:

Leaking suspension
IC pump failure
Shifter parking lock lever
Trunk release/struts
Wobbling idler/stacked pulleys
Glove box release

My car had failures in all of the above areas in my first year of ownership between 55k and 60k miles.

I would get a warranty if i were to buy another.

Full disclosure, i knew about the leaking struts when i took ownership of the car.

B Feelgood

Leaking engine valve covers, motor mounts, and lower ball joints are common and almost guaranteed failures on these cars too.

m-svt-amg

Ah forgot the valve covers, thanks for reminding me.

I have heard the motor mount issue was only on the v12 version, please correct me if im wrong about this.

Also note, the 2003 has some slight quirks such as the rear differential is different than 2004+. Latemodel21, a member here, can give you much more info on that subject.

dRockSL55

The motor mounts wear out on the 55s as well, but typically not as quickly as on the torque monster TTV12s.
The mounts are easier and less expensive to replace on a 55 car.

dRockSL55

Any car will need repairs eventually. While the extremely low mileage / use is nice, practically getting a new 2003, that may also mean that most of the common r230 problems have yet to occur on the previous owner and you may be looking forward to them during your tenure of ownership. Higher mileage cars have more wear, but more likely had the common issues addressed already.

A reliable and reputable independent is also a good choice to save on repairs and maintenance, including preventive measures and performing DIY style repairs outlined in this forum that a dealer would not attempt.

Rudycob1

Leaking roof hence water in boot and or behind back seats is another one to check. Take everything out of the boot and see if it's dry or damp.
Check all electrics, door locks with key not just key fob, they can seize up due to lack of use. Check that roof goes up and down as it should. Heated seats, make sure they do heat up when turned on, elements prone to breaking.
All that said, not all bad because a good car will always put a smile on your face as they are simply fantastic to drive. Just check everything and also service history, just because it's low mileage does not mean that it should have not been maintained regularly as service intervals are by mileage or time, whichever comes first.
Also signs of rust, especially around the rear wheel arch areas.
Good luck.

m-svt-amg

Good info! Thank you.

Do you happen to know the symptoms of worn motormounts, or how to check if they need replacing?

vtvette

I don't recall the actual symptoms of bad mounts. They are liquid filled so, perhaps if they are weeping around the rubber bladder? Perhaps the engine shaking at idle?

I replaced the mounts on my 2005 SL55 about two years ago as preventive maintenance at 100,000 miles. Drop the exhaust (it's pretty easy to remove as a complete unit) and the mounts are accessible from underneath. Took me a few hours the first time. Likely quicker for someone who has done them before.

The V12TT's require engine removal to change the mounts (!!)

jtse

Thank you all the responsesI got. They were much helpful. I bought the car and has driven it twice since. I do however wanna ask that the steering wheel has a minor wobble at 60mph+, i personally think it might be a wheel alignment because it has aftermarket chrome wheels. Anyone can shed some light regarding what I should do to diagnose this and solve it?

Thanks!

J

dRockSL55

Have the wheel/tire assemblies road force balanced. Should take care of any vibration or wobble assuming the wheels aren't bent.

Also congrats on the car! Enjoy it

vtvette

+1 for above. Most likely a wheel is out of balance.

Another possibility is the front lower control arm bushing, it's not terribly uncommon for them to go bad. Good news is, they are quite reasonable in cost.

IF you have your wheels re-balanced and the vibration does not go away that is where I would check.

Find a good Independent mechanic who is knowledgeable with Mercedes (and specifically R230's) in your area.

jtse

Oh okay, I will go shop around for that service. Before I do that, do you guys know how much that road force balance typically cost? and do I do it for all 4 wheels?

J

Rudycob1

If the vibration is at a set speed or above but not below that speed, more than likely it's caused by a wheel being out of balance. A simple wheel balance at your local tire place should sort it out.
Good luck with your new purchase.

cnterline

I have an 03 with 32k on it ,I have replaced the following what I consider normal wear and tear for this vehicle
Motor mounts
Alternator
Left front strut
Both hydraulic blocks
Water pump (engine) and intercooler lol
Shifter switch
Ignition switch
Gas pedal switch
Fixed rear trunk latch vacuum leak
Lower ball joints

Car has a lot of mods ,but those really didn't cause above

stevedf

check abc oil. change that stuff very frequently and save yourself thousands on suspension repairs. I have 66,000 miles on my SL 55 and wish I changed this oil every other year.

jtse

Okay thanks for the more info guys.

I just checked the black kinda round pump with a dipstick down on the right side near the ABC pump and the oil color is clear with a hint of yellow. I know it should be greenish if its healthy, but it could be lighting or something.

I went ahead and tried to get as many aftermarket warranty quotes as possible and nobody would sell me a warranty except CARCHEX, and now I have confirmed with their rep that ABC and SBC are not covered with their best coverage.

Which leads to me an interesting situation of basically since there is no way in hell I'm gonna be able to get any warranty for this car anymore, I guess my piggy bank is now my warranty.

Totally bummed about it because there is some fresh leakage coming from the center part of the underchassis that I can see and I am quite worried about if there will be some serious repairs down the road. Maybe I can try to take some pictures of the bottom so I can get some advice.

From the above I cannot see a single leak anywhere and I don't know yet how to inspect the entire pathway of the ABC hydralic system route to see if the leak is coming from there.

J

dRockSL55

There are plenty of shops that do this, price will vary but the mr. Tire near me charges $30/wheel. Well worth it, made a huge difference on my sl with pilot sport ps2s. I had a vibration in the rear at speed which I suspected to be an out of balance wheel despite standard balancing saying it was ok. Had the rears done and she is silky smooth cheap place to start.

dRockSL55

I would have the car looked at by an independent with a lift. It's probably not an abc leak in the center of the car, unless the high pressure hose which goes under the engine is seeping - in which case this needs to be addressed immediately as if it blows the whole system is down, the pump will run dry in minutes and cook.

What color is the fluid leak? Put white paper towels under the car, suspension full up. That abc hose makes a big loop around the underside of the engine, if further back it may be a transmission leak. Could be a faulty pilot bushing / connector leak (very common)
Again it really just needs to go up in the air to track it down.

Nor Cal SL55

Are the coil packs an issue with the SL 55? I've heard of the SL 65 (V-12's) having issue, but is this something jtse should be worried about?

dRockSL55

No, that is a v12 concern. The sl55's coils are individually replaceable (per cylinder) and there is plenty of low cost aftermarket options.

One common 55amg ignition issue is failure of the crankshaft position sensor. This will cause a no spark / no start condition. The OE Bosch sensor can be found online without ordering from a dealer for around $40. Rather than play the waiting game to get stranded, I changed mine as preventive maintenance, it is an easy job.