SL-Class (R230) 2003 -- 2012: Discussion on the SL500, SL550, SL600

SL/R230: Damage on Leather dash

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Old 12-28-2019, 08:01 PM
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Damage on Leather dash

I am in the process of purchasing a R230, and I have seen many with this damage to the leather dash. It almost looks warped or seperated. Is this as common as it appears, and how difficult is it to fix, or must it be replaced?

Thanks for the help in advance.


Old 12-28-2019, 08:15 PM
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Originally Posted by nishboo
I am in the process of purchasing a R230, and I have seen many with this damage to the leather dash. It almost looks warped or seperated. Is this as common as it appears, and how difficult is it to fix, or must it be replaced?
My '05 does not have that damage. But it is garaged almost all the time - even in a garage at work. Could that be the reason? No idea about a fix though.
Old 12-28-2019, 08:51 PM
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I saw several SL600/65 during my search with the leather separating on the dash. Even the SL65 I ended up buying has a small spot behind the gages. The rest of the interior was pretty much perfect so I’ll live with it and hope it doesn’t get worse. I have a sunshade for the windshield for those random times it is parked outdoors for more than a few hours.

This should only affect the cars with real leather dashboards, which I think was only available on V12 models and maybe the SL63.
Old 12-28-2019, 09:26 PM
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Yeah. The car is a SL600.
Old 12-28-2019, 09:35 PM
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Pretty common. The replacement is very expensive. I have a widebody SL for sale on Autotrader and the dash has been replaced due to similar separation. What's your budget?
Old 12-28-2019, 10:20 PM
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Originally Posted by BlownV8
Pretty common. The replacement is very expensive. I have a widebody SL for sale on Autotrader and the dash has been replaced due to similar separation. What's your budget?
Already have a deposit on this car.

If it falls through I will let you know. Probably going to see it Tuesday.
Old 12-28-2019, 11:30 PM
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Originally Posted by nishboo
Already have a deposit on this car.

If it falls through I will let you know. Probably going to see it Tuesday.
What are the positives about this one? Is it actually what you want or are you just tired of looking?
Old 12-29-2019, 06:43 AM
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Good leather repair shop/person should be able to fix it. I have an 03 SL500 that had 3 spots. Two were near the center air vents the other on the passenger side. I used an insulin syringe to inject glue then press the spots into place.
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Old 12-29-2019, 09:25 AM
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Originally Posted by White Spyder
Good leather repair shop/person should be able to fix it. I have an 03 SL500 that had 3 spots. Two were near the center air vents the other on the passenger side. I used an insulin syringe to inject glue then press the spots into place.
Great Idea.
Old 12-29-2019, 10:54 AM
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If the rest of the car is as you like it, just get the price cut by enough to have the dash totally replaced. Plenty of others available out there.
Old 12-29-2019, 11:17 AM
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Originally Posted by White Spyder
Good leather repair shop/person should be able to fix it. I have an 03 SL500 that had 3 spots. Two were near the center air vents the other on the passenger side. I used an insulin syringe to inject glue then press the spots into place.
Ok that's a great idea. This is the only flaw in the car.
Old 12-29-2019, 12:30 PM
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Originally Posted by nishboo
Ok that's a great idea. This is the only flaw in the car.
That's a very expensive flaw. In a domestic car, it would be like saying only the engine is bad. The repair will cost as much as many domestic engine swaps. Make them deduct $4k off the price or swap a nice used one in it's place. That's like walking around with a supermodel who has a massive wart on the tip of her nose. Just ruins the cars looks.
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