Marcus Larsson

Im about to buy a r129 sl500 but a mint r129 cost just as much as mint r230 sl500 from 2002-2005 which got me thinking. What is you guys personal experience with r230 sl500? This car will be my daily drive. Right now i have a w211 e500 which im happy with. Drove it for 100 000 km with zero isuess. But i do think it feels a little poor in quality. The body panels get easily deformed by stone chips and feels like they belong to a toy car. Do the r230 have the same feel?

Rudeney

Body panel thickness and "feel" will continue to decline on all cars as manufacturers push for better fuel economy and passenger protection. Thinner, lighter materials are used to reduce weight, and more compressible materials are use to absorb impact. It's not a a sign of a decline in quality.

The R230 has many features over the R129 that you may find desirable, like the fully automatic retractable hard top as opposed to the soft top and "removable" hard top of the R129. The R230 uses an aluminum body and has more modern looks. The R129 will have a more traditional "Mercedes" feel. It uses simpler electronic systems. It has traditonal brakes instead of the R230's SBC.

My advice is to buy the newest, lowest mileage model you can afford. The M113 5.0l V8 engine is solid, but the early 722.9 7-speed transmission in the R230 (until about MY2008) can be very problematic (bad torque converters, fluid pumps that fail prematurely, bad speed sensor requiring $1500 dealer-only conductor plate replacement). The ABC system will require lots of maintenance and repairs - newer (Y2009+) is better.

Marcus Larsson

Which modell do you have and which work had you done to it?

Marcus Larsson

And what is the sl500 like as a daily? I live in sweden, doesnt snow to often but its 6 months with rain and cold a year.

Rudeney

I was about to point to my user profile, but I realize I haven't updated it! Thanks for reminding me - I'll take care of that right away!

I have a MY2011 SL550. I've only owned it since last June, so I've not done much work. I had the main ABC supply hose spring a leak, so that had to be replaced. I also had to replace the oil centrifuge cover due to a leaking gasket (happens on most all M272/M273 engines). I had to use some Gorilla tape to fix a broken hinge on the small flap for the vario roof cover (eventually happens on all R230s). I have 19" rims and constantly battle tire problems due to the most minor potholes. I have replaced two tires and now have a cracked rim. I had an issue with the engine temperature sensor, but I don't know what it was. I fiddled around with the wiring harnesses and it seems to have cured it.

I drive it daily, doing close to 12K miles a year. I don't believe the R230 is a good winter car if you have freezing precipitation. Luckily, where I live, we rarely get that, and I rarely go more than a week without some tom-down driving. It's fine int he rain, though you do have to be a bit careful on the accelerator. Using "C" (or the older "W") mode on the transmission helps somewhat by starting in 2nd gear. Although my CLK550 had the same engine, transmission, and a similar staggered wheel setup, it was a bit more forgiving on slick roads. I actually drove it in the snow and it did just fine. The SL550 has wider rear tires and I experience more of that zig-zag torque steer when accelerating in low-traction situations.

Compared tot he CLK550, the SL550's ESP is a bit slower to react. Sometimes this is good as it helps when pulling out in traffic and not having the throttle take a nose-dive at the first hint of wheel spin. However, it also means you have to a bit more ready to avoid sliding, because it will do drift a few feet before ESP kicks in.

My advice would be to read the forum to understand the sorts of problems you'll expect to encounter. Figure out if an R230 is right for you in terms of the needed TLC and maintenance. If you intend to DIY, you MUST get a copy of SDS for yourself. If not, you'll be at the mercy of high-prices dealers or indy shops that do have it.

Marcus Larsson

Thanks for the reply. From my understanding, the r230 seem just as good/bad as any other Mercedes and the ads just as expensive as airmatic to repair. But im a mechanic with star so that wont be a problem. Does anyone use their sl as a year around car including snow? It should be pretty much the same as the e500?

Heatwave

Q. "And what is the sl500 like as a daily?"

A. Wonderful*

Understand, I live about 75 miles north and 185 miles west of Rodney ... so you're hearing from two Southerners. We are blessed with an abundance of great top down driving weather.

I, too, drive with the top down nearly once or twice a week even in the depth of what passes for winter down here. When we get snow, which is seldom and (fortunately) only briefly, I stay home. I didn't get to be this damn old doing stupid stuff like driving in snow. I did a lot of other stupid stuff, mostly on motorcycles and in airplanes, but that's not for this forum.

From late-March to mid-November, I drive with the top down very nearly every day. For me, the greatest feature of R230 ownership is top-down driving. I have driven a convertible almost all my driving life, which is almost 60 years. I doubt I would have purchased an R230 if I lived in the American north ... I probably would have just bought a rope and hanged myself.

Think of it as being married to the young Ingrid Bergman. When things are good, they're fabulous! But every time your doorbell rings, you say to yourself: "I hope it isn't Roberto Rossellini."
______________
*The "wonderfulness" of driving an SL550 is always tempered by the nagging question: what's going to fail next, when will it occur, and how far from a repair shop will I be? Will it be an ABC problem, an EIS problem, an SBC problem, a Vario-Roof problem, a pneumatic power problem (trunk closure, seat bolsters and extensions, door locks), an idler shaft timing gear failure, ... or some other iteration of German revenge?

Rudeney

I laughed so hard I blew my sip Scotch out my nose!

carguyshu

don't waste your time with an SL500. At least get the SL55 as the maintenance is the same and the performance difference is night and day.

Also, just b/c you are a mechanic with a STAR, doesn't mean that things can't and won't get expensive. ABC is a crapload more expensive to maintain vs airmatic. It is not even close.

Marcus Larsson

Heatwave, you really did make me laugh. Thank you. So i did drove a sl350 2003 today, it was really mint. Like new. The 350 lacked power but i did like the feel and look. This one seem to have some problems. With the roof up there were quit a lot of noise coming from the roof. How common is this?

This one also hade some odd noise coming from front left, sounding like a compressor when pushing the throttle. And last, when i did almost full throttle, the car lost its gear, like it went in to neutral. Had to stop to get the gear back. What do you guys know about this? Just for kownledge.

i would love a sl55 but in sweden you can get a nice sl500 2002-2006 for around 14-25k usd while a sl55 cost 30-40k for a 2002-3. Im looking to spend about 16-17k and have some money over. So i will most likey look at 04-05, 06 if i get lucky.

Rudeney

If you're concerned about saving $5K-$10K, then an SL may not be right for you. These are very complex machines that will need a lot of TLC over their lifetimes. Saving $5K today on an older, higher-mileage car may cost you $10 over the next 3 years in addional maintenance.

alk247

I live much farther north than some other guys in this thread, but so far I did not have to drive SL in the snow. However, I drove it on the dry pavement at below freezing temperatures. I had my tail slipping from underneath me a few times. Nothing exciting, ESP took care of it, but a few times it happened when I was accelerating very gently. I blame summer tires for that, since there was no ice or frost on the road. At least not visible. But I also have a very low profile stretched tires on 20" rims (no, I didn't do it for fun, I bought it that way). And I did not plan to drive it through the winter, but my winter car is not up to snuff at the moment (front diff, followed by radiator, followed by PS pump, and now it wants a new transmission too).

Marcus Larsson

I must ask. Where and how do you guys do your maintenance to get up in those prices? Since i do my on work. I need to replace halft the car to get up in 5k usd. You can e.g buy a new abc sturt for 500 usd, 100 usd for a pair of new motor mounts.

latemodel21

do keep in mind that OE for motor mounts and suspension components is the best way to go.

factor in an SBC unit replacement, an ABC tandem pump and it does add up. I have put 50,000 miles on my 2003 SL55 in the 4 years I've owned it and do all of my own work (and buy parts at Wholesale) ... and I am in about $4000 dollars (2 SBC units, 1 top pump, 1 alt regulator, 2 batteries, 5 sets of tires , etc...)

cheers,
Chris

Marcus Larsson

Yes, i did look at oem parts for the price. 1000 usd a year sounds more resonable. Thought people payed 4k a year. Found a nice 2004 sl500 with only 90000 km. Going to have a look
​​

latemodel21

... but, if i were having it serviced at a shop (or, God forbid, the dealer), I could imagine my cost of ownership would likely be 3000 a year or more.

ABC system maintenance is critical on this car.

best of luck,
Chris

flowrider99

I've only had my SL500 for about 3 months and I have loved every minute of ownership but you need to watch out for a lot of things when buying to avoid big bills later on.

1. Check water drains are clear especially the drain in the airbox and the 4 drains by the "c" pillars (2 on each side). If the airbox drain is blocked the water will overflow into the passenger footwell and cause havoc with the electrics. Make sure the passenger footwell is dry under the carpet.

2. Check the area under the spare wheel is dry and the foam around the PSE pump is also dry. The seal at the bottom of the rear window is well known to leak, a cheap and easy fix.

3. Check all the ABC struts for leaks.

4. Check the colour of the ABC fluid, it must not be brown or black and should be changed every 2 years.

5. Check the operation of the vario roof, it should operate smoothly and open/close in about 16 seconds.

6. Look for rust on the rear wheel arches, this area has a tendancy to collect road dirt on the wheel arch lip.

7. Test everything electical, all switch gear, seat operation, everything basically.

Hope this helps.

alk247

What exactly do you mean by "airbox"?

flowrider99

The airbox is under the passenger side hood vent.

rorywquin

Why would a SL be more expensive than say an E class - they are probably just as complex if not more so than an SL. Just curious?

carguyshu

The SL is way more complex. The driveline is the same, but airmatic is a breeze to maintain and service compared to ABC. You also have hydraulic top components the E doesn't have (with a front latch that is a common problem as the first to have a leaking seal) and a pneumatic system that operates the door locks, soft close trunk, and lumbar that often leaks on the soft close trunk. The SL front suspension components also take a terrible beating and there are 2 control arm bushings that will need to be replaced about every 40,000 miles.

They both have SBC, so that area is a push. The E class doesn't have any other systems that I'm aware of that the SL doesn't have (I own both) that would make it anymore complex than the SL except for dynamic seats (if equipped). If you have the electric trunk closer on the E the wires will wear through and need to be replaced, but that doesn't make it anymore complex, just another common issue.

Heatwave

flowrider99: What can you tell me about cleaning/clearing the airbox? I never gave mine any thought until I read your post. I looked inside mine with a flashlight ... nothing in there that I could see. Is "cleaning the airbox" a maintenance item? Should I run a snake-brush or such down through the box? Does MB sell some outrageously-priced "tool" for the job?

calgary

If you see "nothing in there " you should be OK. The most common problem: are leaves from parking under trees - not a good idea during late fall..

flowrider99

No water in the airbox is good, the issue is leaves etc clogging the drain at the airbox end but also at the end that drains into the passenger wheel arch. To clean this end needs the plastic inner arch cover removing to get at the star shaped outlet. This end can be difficult to find but what you are looking for is a pipe that drains into a "cup" moulded into the plastic liner.

Noir230

Marcus, I bought my 2007 SL55 with 60k miles on 3/1/16 and here's a list of the items that my indie found on inspection that needed to be done:


ENGINE MOUNTS/TRANSMISSION MOUNT 366.00 716.80 1082.80


Part Number Part Description Part Price Each Quantity Extended


S 220-240-27-17 ENG. MOUNT 144.00 2 288.00


S 212-240-04-18 MOUNT 78.00 1 78.00




REAR MAIN SEAL 113.00 1008.00 1121.00




Part Number Part Description Part Price Each Quantity Extended


S 112-011-02-08 PLATE 43.00 1 43.00


S 112-997-02-46 SEAL 37.00 1 37.00


200-009-05-00 SOLVENT 6.00 1 6.00


S 003-989-98-20 SEALANT 27.00 1 27.00




8 CYL VALVE GASKET REPLACEMENT 124.00 448.00 572.00


Part Number Part Description Part Price Each Quantity Extended


S 112-018-04-82 HOSE 16.00 1 16.00


S 003-989-98-20 SEALANT 27.00 1 27.00


200-009-05-00 SOLVENT 6.00 1 6.00


N 111-018-00-80 GASKET 4.50 2 9.00


S 113-016-02-21 VALVE COVER GASKET 25.00 1 25.00


S 113-016-03-21 VALVE COVER GASKET 25.00 1 25.00


S 112-018-01-82 HOSE 16.00 1 16.00




ABC PUMP 2435.00 672.00 3107.00


Part Number Part Description Part Price Each Quantity Extended


S 005-466-70-01 PUMP 2070.00 1 2070.00


S Q-1-32-0001 HYDRAULIC FLUID 36.00 8 288.00


200-009-05-00 SOLVENT 6.00 1 6.00


S SEALS 20.00 1 20.00


N 003-184-61-01 OIL FILTER 51.00 1 51.00




STARTER BATTERY 196.00 33.60 229.60


Part Number Part Description Part Price Each Quantity Extended


S 230-541-00-01 BATTERY 196.00 1 196.00




STARTER 379.00 224.00 603.00


Part Number Part Description Part Price Each Quantity Extended


S 006-151-06-01 STARTER, REBUILT 379.00 1 379.00

I did the valve cover gaskets myself, bought new front and back batteries which I installed, saw no need for a new starter and found a rebuilt ABC pump that my mechanic installed. In addition to the rest of the list, I had them flush the coolant, transmission and brakes. I changed oil and spark plugs.

I have had no problems since and am quite happy with the car. The only issue is that my wife keeps on me about selling my 1997 SL500, but I'm able to hold her at bay with a parade of excuses - for now.