http://picasaweb.google.com/offroadkid/Mercedes

Greetings, Im new to this site and I am very impressed. I am the proud owner of a 1999 SL500 and have enjoyed this car for almost 6 years. The odometer just turned 78K and I am now wondering how many more trouble free miles she has left in her. I change the oil every 3K with synthetic oil and drive her tenderly. With that said, I am curious as to how many miles some of you have on your SL's. I am hoping to hear some BIG numbers!

Davis...

 

i put 80K on mine in 1.5 years. nothing major!! im at 119K miles now.

Mark

 

I'm at 120k, but I think I might need a new gearbox part as the car is screeching when I put it in gear

 

I just rolled over 117K on my 97 SL500. Mechanically, the car is perfect, doesn't use oil, tranny is rock solid, motor runs flawlessly and it drives like its brand new. I picked the car up at 100K (for $14K )and rebuilt the suspension, changed the flex joints and driveshaft support bearing, and had to replace the engine wiring harness.


The German's build a great car, mechanically speaking, but thier electrical systems leave something to be desired in my opinion.

 

I just turned 201,000 in my 1991 500SL and the only major work I have had done on it has been a timing chain at about 155,000. The rest is normal wear and tear stuff like shocks, fan belt and tensioner, brake pads, etc.......

Just keep up with the maintenance and it will take care of you.

 

"I change the oil every 3K with synthetic oil and drive her tenderly."

Thats wasting money changing oil that frequently.
Dino oil can go at least 5k
Synthetic 10k easily

Its easier to remember when to do it in multiples of 5&10 also.

 

my '94 has only 34K miles so i dont put much on her, but my '00 has 97K I bought it with 40K and I can honestly say its never ever been to the dealer for anything other than A and B service, these are amazing cars that can be had at great bargains. Just stay away from the 600, the v12 is costly to repair.

 

wow 201K! i think thats the highest 129 on mbworld!

 

How do you figure? Changing your oil frequently is one of the best way's to save money in the long run. I have never been a believer in extended life oils, and from working in dealerships have seen the carnage they caused.

 

I guess if I was selling oil changes I'd recommend 3000 miles to.

But if you "work" at a place you know good and well 3000 miles is overkill
Triple overkill for synthetic!!

 

I'm not selling anything, I work in the motorcycle industry, and change the oil in my bikes even more frequently than my cars.....but i do beat the hell out of them! After seeing engines disentigrate from extened oil changes, i wont risk it.

If you remember, a few years back the high end car companies adopted the extended oil change policy, benz included. Then they stopped cause motors were blowing up left and right, some to owner error, most cause it just doenst work.

Just my 2 cents

 

First, dino oil should never go into an MB engine (and certainly not for 5k miles). I change my Mobil 1 0w-40 every 5k miles.

 

I have owned a 1991 300SL for 9 years. It had 67,000 miles when I purchased it, and has 114,000 now. Over those 9 years I have had to: Replace the Head Gasket; Replaced the Water Pump; Replaced the Air Conditioner part under the dash; Replaced the Engine Mounts; Replaced the Transmission Mounts; Replaced the Radio Antenna Motor; Replaced the Driver's Window Switch; have been told the Electic Window Regulator needs to be replaced; replaced the High Beam switch because the headlights would go out intermittantly while driving at night (That was a little exciting!) and the Instrument Cluster guages go to 0 and the lights flash intermittantly when the turn signal is used. The battery goes dead if it has not been driven for more than 5 days and have replaced the battery 3 times. The dealer can't tell me why. I have had dealer service performed every 7500 miles. Presently, the car has been towed to the dealer because it will not even crank when the ignition is turned on. They called yesterday and said they have not been able to find the problem and that so far my diagnostic costs have totaled over $300. They wanted to know if I wanted them to continue. What option do I have? Can you guess my opinion of this car? Mercedes has said or done nothing about all these problems. They just keep adding up the repair bills and sending them to me.

 

Very sorry to hear that MM. My pocket book goes out to you. Sounds like you got the runt of the litter. What a way to spoil the joys of a 129 ownership. Thought of just cutting your loses?

 

I have a 1999 sl that has 80K. Just replaced the tranny and now replacing the water pump. I am hoping this is it for a while. I change oil regularly and drive tenderly. I also just replaced the conv. top cylinders above the windshield. Otherwise seems like a solid vehicle. Should I expect any other problems?
Rocco

 

What was the symptom of the water pump? How do you know if the water pump is bad? Thanks in advance.

 

I have had my 1999 SL500 for 3 years now. It has 60k miles now. Had the chip tuned, added a sport muffler, and changed the wheels. I drive the hell out of it. I don't baby the car at all. It likes to be driven hard. This is what it was designed for. Only A & B service, but I keep it in immaculate shape. Love this puppy.

 

1999 with 150,000 miles. No major issues yet...fingers crossed.

 

25.5K on my SL....

 

152,000 miles on my 01.
Got it 18 mnts ago with 114,000 on the clock.
Have no problems, exept rims & tires due to pot holes.
Changed all fluids when I got it.
Now I change engine oil at 6-7000 & trans oil at around 25,000.
Also changed the top hydr. oil lately to avoid the "famous" leaks.

 

I had a 1995 SL 500 which I sold in 2001 with 167,000 miles it ran well all this while. The only thing I changed was a Mass Airflow Sensor. Now have a 2001 SL 500 with only 36,000 on it. The 1995 was my only car at the time. They are great cars if one keeps up the maintenance, which is not really that expensive.