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My coolant temp warms up fairly quickly though. It's just the oil temp. Probably needs like 35 minutes to reach operating temp standing still but reaches it faster when I drive it straight from startup. I'm Using liqui moly leichtlauf 5w40 229.5 approved. Was thinking of switching to liqui moly 10w40 mos2 semi for next oil change to see if this makes a difference plus I think the 5w40 isn't good enough for southern california summer
My fault, I read the cooling water temperature. Here, it takes at least 6 miles for the engine oil to reach operating temperature, it has plenty of it. With 10W instead of 5W oil, the cold oil is only more tough; this has no effect on the properties at operating temperature.
Hello all, I've recently found myself wanting a good summer runabout, and seem to have found a relatively clean 1997 SL600 at a pretty attractive price. When researching these cars however, I keep running into an issue where people will refer to the M120 cars as "more expensive" to upkeep than an SL500 without actually referring to anything specific. Obviously fuel and oil will be more expensive, but if you're worrying about that you really shouldn't be considering a V12 MB in the first place. Now, I should note that I'm no stranger to V12 MB maintenance, being the proud owner of an '04 Designo S600, but with that car the maintenance items that separate it form an S500 are fairly well documented (Coil Packs, ABC, Turbo Seals, etc.). I know that the SL600 comes standard with ADS, but beyond that are there really any common SL600-specifc problems, or is it mostly just people pinning the regular cost of upkeep on an R129 on the fact that it's a V12 instead of a V8. Any advice would be appreciated, the car is seemingly a really good deal, and even if it does need some small issues corrected I think it'd make a great addition to the fleet for infrequent use.
The first rule of thumb is if you don't want to worry about the costs of maintaining your car then you don't buy a 30-year-old car that originally retailed at over $100,000. I have a 97 SL600. The only things that have had to be done were, rooftop hydraulics, this is very standard for this car about every 10 to 15 years. The AC condenser, which will go bad if not run because the seals will go dry. The quick answer to that just to make sure to run your air conditioner for 15 minutes once a month even in the dead of winter. The head seal on the engine, which after 30 years as far as I'm concerned has done a very good job of lasting. Other than that there have been no additional problems. With regards to the cost of fuel, because the car is geared so well I get better mileage in this V12 than I do in my current 6 cylinder double turbo Ford Edge sport.
If you find broken parts within the car it is easy enough these days to find people with digital printers who inexpensively can make those tiny little Parts which once used to cost hundreds of dollars and are now about $25 and you can buy them on Etsy. The only thing with the 600s that can become difficult is if you need to do interior body work. They were done in very limited numbers and they are a very different car from the 500. The 500s were line built the 600s were handmade. Even the lambskin Interiors of the dash and doors were hand stitched on the 600 and they were not on the 500. I chose the 97 specifically because in 96-97 and 98, the problems with the electronic harnesses were corrected. Also because as of 1999, the car was no longer a thoroughbred. It was contaminated by Chrysler which makes it no longer a true Mercedes. But I would say on an average if you're going to own this car and not drive it in the snow and the salt but put it away for the season, you should figure that it will be at least 2,500 per year for simple things like oil changes, brake pads, any little thing that could go wrong. But it is a very excellent car.
The 500s were line built the 600s were handmade. Even the lambskin Interiors of the dash and doors were hand stitched on the 600 and they were not on the 500.
Every R129 was made on the same production line. Leather exclusive was available for every engine, even for the SL600 it was optional, not included.
Every R129 was made on the same production line. Leather exclusive was available for every engine, even for the SL600 it was optional, not included.
Well I will find my information where I read what I quoted. And in all of my years as a vintage MB owner, here in the United States, as of yet I have not seen a 500 with an SL600 interior prior to 1999. I will keep my eyes open and look. Thank you so much.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
