It's been 2 years since (3 years now!) I bought my R230 for $16k, I thought I'd share total costs and part failures thus far (outside of normal maintenance). My SL had only 1 previous owner, and only had 46k miles on it (I just hit 60k miles yesterday) (I'm up to 71k miles now as of 9/2020). Car ran great for about 1 year, the second year I got hit with a doozie. Luckily, I had purchased an extended warranty through a third party and they have covered every single thing.

- 1 rim had a small dent that would cause the tire to deflate slowly over time: $175 to repair the rim
- trim piece adjacent to the rear windshield snapped while opening the roof: $380 to repair the bent bracket and install new trim
- front hydrolock (sp.) cylinder started leaking fluid: $400 to replace the cylinder in the roof
- ABC pump started whining slightly, then began vomiting fluid: $2,000 to replace the ABC pump
- driver side front strut began to sag over night to the point where it bottomed out by morning: $750 to rebuild
- driver side power window switch broke, center console switches broke: $900
- factory COMAND stereo went perma-mute: $2000 (this was my decision, I went ahead and just swapped in a new head unit and amp)
- 4 new tires, Michelin Pilot Sport +: $1200
- valve body died in the transmission, it would not shift out of first gear, ended up having to rebuild everything: $4000

** UPDATES**
- Soft trunk actuator took a dump, bought a brand new one from the dealer: $380 and installed myself
- Trunk struts blew out: $45 on Amazon from Stabilus and installed myself
- Pulsation dampner gave out: $450
- ABC valvebody took a dump - $750 to rebuild

So at the time $16k felt like a steal (warranty included in price), after 1 year of ownership there has been an additional *$13,425* in repairs.

On the bright side...It feels like I'm driving a BRAND NEW SL now...its become my daily

 

In contrast to you, I owned an '03 SL500 for nearly 13 years and spent less than $1000. I drove c. 27K miles. My car needed new strut bushings and motor mounts (should have been done under that original 4-year warranty, actually), an o-ring for the ABC pressure sensor, a repair kit for a pair of SRS connectors, a passenger-seat sensor for Mercedes' proprietary baby seat which I elected not to fix, a window regulator, a voltage regulator, and a repair to the trunk lid latch assembly. That's it.

Mindful that insurance underwriters are fully aware of the cost of writing warranties and are for-profit business enterprises, my advice is to shun any and all extended warranties unless an owner can not afford $4000 or so for a worst-case repair.

 

I'm happy you did not incur hardly any expenses for repair. Only driving it 2k miles a year brand new I'm sure attributed to that, along with proper maintenance.

I felt $3200 for 4 years "just in case" was worth it. One can never know!

 

I spent $2700 on a 4 year, 80k mile extended warranty for my 08 SL550. Six weeks in, a/c took a dump. That repair covered over 1/2 of warranty cost. I feel better having it

 

There are people who go to Las Vegas for a weekend and leave town winners. If someone posted an account of a successful gambling trip, surely this wouldn't suggest that a visit to Las Vegas is fiscally prudent.

In the aggregate, people who purchase warranties for their R230s lose money. The "House Advantage" is with the underwriters -- not the owners.

 

That is because for many, it's a "fair weather" car. Mine is daily driven, 30 mile (x2) commuter. If it had been a "toy", the metric for my decision would have been different.

 

I think the insurance underwriters have your situation covered, frankly. They won't write a policy upon which they expect to lose money.

 

My '07 is also a daily driver. It's an 80 mile round trip to work each day. I bought the car last October with 92k miles on it, and as of today it has just over 110k miles, so I've put 18k miles on it in 10 1/2 months.

This is what I've done to keep it on the road:

• A set of Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D tires, including a set of used MB wheels. Paid $825 after rebates for the tires and $200 for the wheels.
• Replaced accelerator pedal because the car would go in a limp mode when I did a hard acceleration. Paid $55 on Ebay for a used accelerator pedal assembly and replaced it myself.
• Replaced a camshaft adjuster solenoid after getting an error code. Part was $30 on Amazon and I installed it myself.
• Replaced the drive belt idler pulleys as preventative maintenance. Parts were $50 from Autohausaz and I installed them myself.
• Thermostat went out. Cost $97 for a new thermostat and coolant from FCPEuro.
• Wrapped the C-pillar trim pieces with vinyl wrap to hide the fading. Cost $22.
• Replaced a missing jack pad for $10.
• Spent $400 on parts and fluids for the 104K mile B service. That included gear oil for the rear diff, tranny fluid and filter, ABC filter, engine oil and filter, spark plugs, engine air filters, cabin filters, and brake fluid. Did it all myself.
• My summer tires have worn out sooner than I had hoped, so I'm going to be getting a new set of tires tomorrow. That will be about $850 after rebates.

Not counting tires and B service, I've spent $175 keeping my SL on the road. It needs a pulsation dampener, so that will be another $230, taking me up to $405. One common theme I've seen here in the R230 discussions, is that if you don't know how, or aren't willing, to do your own repair, the cost of owning a used SL will be financially draining. I believe that. It would have taken a lot of fun out of ownership if I had taken my SL to the dealership for the repairs and maintenance. And I've actually enjoyed working on it. It's given me a great deal of satisfaction to keep bringing the car into better condition than when I got it, and to become more familiar with the design and function of the systems.

I knew going into it that this car would take maintenance. If I had wanted a car that was more reliable to own, I would have considered a Lexus or Acura. Or a Corvette. But none of those pushed my buttons like my SL.

 

It is likely that engine and transmission mounts need replacement. Add another $100.

 

It is always interesting to see what people been through with this car! You won't find 2 people with same story! 😄

Here's breakdown of my ownership cost of that car, not including regular maintenance (oil changes / brakes / fluids):

Started with 20' wheels and tires - my choice(!) - $1400. 2 years down the road replaced them with 19' - too bad roads here in Cali. After selling the OEM and the aftermarket that I got 1st time, had just enough for a set of 19' 5 spoke AMG wheels + tires.

Bad EIS module - bit of troubleshooting there with a friend, luckily he had a good scanner to play with. $921 - parts and labor at the dealer, problem solved.

Sprint booster - $300 - my choice again - changed the car completely while driving.

Last year trunk soft close assist went bad - 2 hours of labor in the garage, couple beers and some glue solved the problem. No issue since.

Tinted the car right after purchase - my choice - about $160, still good.

Battery charger/tender - another $150 for the CTEK, but I've used that one on another 10 cars since and borrowed to friends and family multiple times.

And that's it, from what I remember. It is not a daily driver. And also unfortunately I don't get to drive it as much as I want. The car does sag every now and then after sitting in garage for a week or so. But besides that no issues at all. I own it for almost 4 years, maybe even more, don't remember exactly. But any minute of driving this car it's a pleasure and puts a smile on my face 😎

Regards

 

I'm on my 4th SL now, and so far I've been kind of lucky with them.

My first one was a 560, it was beautiful, but it cost 18k in maintenance over 2 years - so much went wrong with it I swore I'd never get another SL!

Then through a deal I couldn't pass up I then ended up with a 3 year old '03 Launch Edition which I kept as my daily driver for 8 years. The suspension went, and batteries had to replaced, but that was it, wonderful car till some girl on a cell phone destroyed it.

With the insurance I got an '04 AMG SL 55, and loved it, kept it for almost four years and nothing at all went wrong with it. Wish I'd never sold it to be honest.

After an eighteen month break I was having SL withdraws, so I just got this new to me '07 SL550 as my daily driver. It's done just 28k. Had it fully serviced, and my MB guy said it's perfect, so fingers crossed!

 

honestly, i started working on my own cars replacing parts that i can do using youtube videos, and saved alot of money in the process. some things i can't fix because i dont have the necessary equipments.

 

Just bought my first dream car... a ‘low mileage’ 07’ SL550 AMG 2 days ago. Call me a “Dreamin’ of an SL Big Eyed Dummie”. Got it home and checked those ‘perfect looking tires. Well, they're 6 years old. Not feeling good about that, I bit the bullet. Staggered Michelin Sport A/S 3+ $1,400. Not a great day 2, but nothing like a car wash to make you feel better after a bad bump. Oops, damn wipers are shot. Not so bad. I’ll head home for lunch, then I’ll go out for new blades. I jumped back into the car after lunch and... hey! Whaddya know, a check engine light! Y’all be sure to say a few prayers for me tonight.

 

Thanx for sharing the story. It's only a matter of time before these cars (Mercedes Benz) need work done. Great advice you've given to future/current owners I'm currently without warranty in my AMG ownership......for the first time. And it's cost me a couple of thousand in the last month alone.

 

I've had 4 SL's now, and by far the most expensive to keep in tip top shape was....

1988 560SL - bought in 2000 with 44k miles, added around 15k to that. I paid $18k for it, but had to put 18k into it over the following 24 months as everything imaginable went wrong with it!

2003 'Launch Edition' - bought in '06 with 30k miles & added 55k miles to that over 8 years. It was very reliable and easy to live with, the only major expenses were brake pads, motor mounts, ABC pump and shocks.

2004 SL55 - bought it in '13 with 23k miles & added 44k over 4 years. Stunning car and no expenses at all beyond yearly service.

2007 SL550 - bought it in August of this year with 28k miles - had to do motor mounts already, but it's otherwise like new. I plan to have this one a very, very long time.

 

You're the first person that i've seen go from an SL55 to SL550.

 

Just got an ‘06 SL500 w/57k miles and stealership service records from day one. I’ve put $750 into it, mostly DIY and mostly routine maintenance, to make it perfect.

 

Is 2006 SL500 more reliable than 03/04 specially the valve body transmission ? How about the ABC suspension the same as 03/04 ?
I am considering a 2006 SL500 or 2001 SL500 (R129). The price is very similar but not sure which one will be more reliable. Any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks.

 

Bought my 04 SL600 V12 twin turbo 2 years ago with 87K miles. Since then I have had the trans serviced, rear differential serviced, SBC fluid and brake fluids changed, a hose to the intercooler system began to leak so we replaced every coolant hose on the car as they were 14 years old, all new coolant, a few oil changes, then the driver side coil pack went bad. Removed that and had it rebuilt by Clark the guy in California, while that was out I also removed the passenger side coil pack and took out all 24 spark plugs which appeared to be original from the factory. All new and correct spark plugs (NGK Iridium as prescribed in owner manual) and runs like a champ. I took out the ECU and sent it to Kleemann for a tune as they had a special going on for around $600 and they reported back that the RennTech folks had already been there and i should have over 630HP already with no other mods! Put the ECU back in and contacted the Previous owner who confirmed that he had in fact done the RennTech ECU tune as well as the intercooler pump upgrade. So I went to my local exhaust shop that's full of motor-heads and removed the little mufflers at the rear of the car. The day I first got this car it was amazingly fast, it seemed like someone had stolen an engine off a Boeing 747 and stuck it under the hood. I got a carbon fiber rear spoiler and matching carbon fiber-look sticker material for the two panels each side of the back window as the black pieces there had been in the hot Arizona sun. no-where else on the car showed any wear from intense sunlight. The car had been in Arizona almost all its life having been purchased new in Brooklyn New Yourke, USA and living there a few years. The car has been rained upon one time in my possession for about 15 minutes. I figure this car has close to 700HP and looks as new, runs as new. For SL's - First I had a R107 1980 450SLC then a 1991 R129 500SL, then this R230, with a whole pile of W124s and W140 and W202 in between, with an ML W163 and W220 and X164 SUV in there too. I certainly do as much as I can on these cars, the coilpacks and spark plugs were actually pretty easy to do maintenance on. With new spark plugs now I doubt the second coilpack will go bad, it's my belief that when plugs wear that causes the coilpack to quit. The only thing that's nearly due to get serviced would be the ABC fluid, I'll have that done or do it myself by springtime. This car covered about 3000 miles the first year, so I am trying to use it more often but only if there is no rain, and certainly not snow!! Hell of a car that cost $136,000 new and still looks like new and there is almost nothing anywhere that is faster! Just have to Always be careful with this much power. LOL

 

Oh and I also bought genuine AMG tail lights assemblies for almost $800, crazy I know, and have yet to put those on the car..

 

Always wanted a V12TT in proper German silver. Nice car!

You said this was an AZ car, which means temps under the hood will be extreme when you stop. I know...I lived in PHX for 7 years.

Good that you replaced the coolant hoses. Expect all the vacuum hoses under the hood will go as well before long. Fortunately, there are not many. I recommend the silicone hoses to replace them.