I have had my 2005 SL500 for 8 days now and I LOVE IT.

Having said that I do not have the confidence in it that I have had in past mercedes I have owned or the 6 Corvettes I have had in tha last 7 years.

Corvettes Have always been my "toy" car. The SL500 is now that. We also have a 2003 E320 which we have had for 4 years and I have never had to make one repair on it outside of regular maintenance, Oil, Brake Pads, Etc. Same with our 1998 E320 which we have had for 6 years and the only thing outside of regular maintenance has been a brake stop switch a few years ago

I never worried about my corvettes all of them have been literally bulletproof from bumper to bumper.

The SL500 i bought literally looks like no one ever even sat in it let alone drove it it is mint with a capital M. I have a Platinum Plus ext warranty thru Mercury Insurance for 3 more years up to 100k miles. This week the dealer replaced at their expense the motor mounts (One had collapsed) and the tranny mount and one of the convertiable top pieces (One of the flaps that fold into the inside of the trunk lid when the top is down)

The car drives great although the dealer mentioned to me that one of the struts (The right front) is starting to leak, He said it would last a few years (I don't belive this) before needing replacement and i saw the cost on this and it is rediculous. Also that is one of 12 items not covered by my bumper to bumper exlusionary warranty. The dealer said the car looks perfect outside of that. I bought it in FL and this is the Dealer in NC that gave it a comphrehensive inspection

I would take either our 99 or 03 E class anywhere in the country without thinking twice. I know it is probably becase i jsut got it but i do not have a lot of confidence in my SL. Why are motor mounts failing in 3 years and why is a strut already starting to fail.

I love this car. Please tell me something good about the vehicles. The dealer here said the SL is one of the most troble free cars they sell. They said the E was the worst but that is not my experience so far.

Don't get me wrong this car is phenomenal I just want to be able to enjoy it without having a worrying voice int he back of my mind.

What kind of luck have you had with these cars?????

Thanks,
Robert

 

12k miles. No issues yet.

 

I have never had an SL, but my experience with the E Class along with many other people I know that own them have been great. (Over 180K and going!) My experience is similar in respect to the E.

I get your point, the Corvette's you had in the past have been great and nowhere near the problems you have with the SL. However, the SL you have has a lot more technology in it, so more things may break as opposed to the Corvette. To add, some Corvette owners I know said they had so many issues with them, they got rid of them. Some love them like children and cooked food. It boils down to car by car basis in some respects and not a brand.

It is in hindsight now, but I would have gotten a MB Extended warranty on the car if possible. The struts would be covered. How many miles are on the car?

It would help for some to chime in that own SL's and give their experiences with them as well.

 

 

Even though there have been some problems I'm extremly happy with this car.

0-12 months
1. Glovebox wouldn't open
2. A waterleak into the trunk

12-18 months
3. My CD changer stopped working
4. Climate Control System not working properly (replaced COMAND unit)
5. 9 and # buttons on the COMAND were not illuminated

18-24 months
6. Transmission malfunctioned, unable to drive car. Diagnosis by MB - valve body failed. They ended up rebuilding the entire rear end of the transmission system.
7. Oil leak.

24-36 months
No problems to report. Car is working flawlessly and has for the past year.

 

I had a 2003 with several problems, rear struts were replaced at 50K miles, alarm system problems, trunk closer problems. My 2008 is perfect. The newer the model year the better the quality. Also never own a MB that is not under warranty, because they are very complex vehicles and cost a lot to fix.

 

Question on Trunk Closer

My trunk is a PITA to open and close, i shut it pretty hard to close it then sometimes when i hit the button to unlock it i harr it click and release but not enough to let me open it. If i pull up at the same time i hit the key button it opens fine

Mine is a 2005, am i missing something here. Should it be self closing and opening on it's own??

 

Mine is electrionic. All you do is push button on the trunk and it closes, lift the lever and it opens. never "push" up or down on anything.

 

Mine too. But that's an option.

 

If your trunk is difficult to get unlocked, you need to replace the two (2) trunk gas-fitted trunk shocks lifts.

Easy to do yourself and NOT covered under any warranty.

Good Luck.

Merry Christmas to all.

Mikey

 

Two things:

1.) I think the electronic trunk opener was an option starting in '06, so I don't think the '05 has one.

2.) I've owned my '06 for about 5 months and it's been to the dealer 4 times. I wouldn't complain about it just yet, but it's closing in on the annoying side...

Issues:
1.) Message on dash to add oil. Brought to dealer in case of leak, but they just added a quart and said it was fine.
2.) Sat radio goes in and out more than it should. (i.e. just driving down the highway). Two trips to the dealer have provided no solutions.
3.) Rear suspension has had two separate problems with the car. The first time a few months back the entire back end sank and the wheels were only a finger width away from the wheel well. They found something had come undone in the suspension and replaced it. Now, I was just at the dealer again as the back right was "sinking and tilting". They "fixed" the problem (something with the self-leveling unit), but now that I look in the garage, I see the back right is even lower than it was before I brought it in. Note, the car is sitting for the winter and the sinking seems to happen over extended periods of rest (like a week or two).

 

They modified the suspension in 2007, I think the new the SL the fewer problems you will have.

 

My 2003 had tons of problems but I still loved the car. Last time I will hang on to a car after the warranty expires.

 

Regarding the Sat radio, I had the same issue on my 2005 C240 4MATIC. This is a known issue. Push the dealer on this. My SA kept the car for a day and they checked every component and ended up replacing the Sirius control module/brain in the trunk under warranty. They should do it for you too. I've had no problems since then.

 

I have 2005 SL 500 with 17,000 miles. I have not had any major problems to the car. I think I only had two minor ones to speak of, if you call it that, new battery needed to be installed...thank god I just pulled up to the MB dealer for my yrly check-up. Second, my damm clock was wasnt keeping correct time...biggy huh? Outside of that, nothing else...Good luck...BTW, I did get an extended warrenty as well, Chrysler....to 2012 and 70,000 miles for $1700 all inclusive....would highly recommend getting a warrenty!!

 

My 08 CLS has awesome sat radio reception compared to my 07 Lexus. I think the new Sat radio unit will fix this.

Regarding a 2005 SL500 out of warranty... I think you should get a high limit credit card!