Greetings. I searched this forum and did not see any definitive posts regarding these little things so I figured I would ask in a 'mini-meta' Q&A. I found a decent SL550 and bought it under the trade-in value but it has a few issues that perhaps some of you may have experienced before:

1. The driver's compartment heater seems to only blow cold (regardless of the setting) but the passenger control responds to any setting given. I am assuming the previous owner might have routinely used the cup holder and condensation may have dripped onto the climate control knob and it may not be registering. Anyone else had this happen?

2. The driver's side 'Pulse' feature on the seat worked fine for about a week but now only stays on for the lowest part of my back (3 seconds), then the light goes out and doesn't come back on when the button is pressed until the car is turned off and turned back on. all other lumbar, etc. controls on the panel work fine and the passenger's Pulse feature works as designed. Anyone have this happen?

3. The Verio top worked wonderfully for 2 weeks until one day when I tried to put the top down and heard a spray. There was oil dripping onto the driver's side 'leather' panel (that takes the place of the top when the top is down). I am assuming a leak. I had to follow the manual top replacement instructions to get it re-seated. My local German car tech (who has worked on all of the MB products I have owned) has said that for the SL class, only the dealer can repair the top due to the computer. Is this true?

4. The headlight washers don't seem to be spraying directly onto the headlights - are these user-adjustable?

5. The one thing I miss about my SLK is storage space for cigarettes and my quarters for toll booths. Anyone remedy this in the R230 with aftermarket products?

Thank you in advance for any guidance and input!

 

That seems like a plausible explanation for the problem. To investigate connect a Star Diagnosis System (SDS) to the vehicle and read form the climate control unit the values it is reading from the dial.

SDS typically consists of an old Dell D630 laptop and a "multiplexer" and cables to interface the PC to the car. Cost is about $250 for an SDS kit purchased from China via aliexpress.com, and the Dell is $50 on eBay.

SDS can assist you in troubleshooting your seat problem.

What you were told is so nonsensical that I suggest you either look for another tech to work on your SL550, or you handle repairs yourself.

 

Depending on where the "spray" is coming from; a burst line or bad "o" ring at the front lock cylinder, the repair can run as low as 15 bucks and 3 hours of your time. If the Line has burst , you might be able to fix with a splice kit no need for a dealer to do the job.

I did a photo thread thread on the "o" ring repair here on the Forum.