I’ve been shopping for R230s, and looked at a few options. I’ve been drawn towards later production units, as my thought has been that the R230 is full of electronics and hoses, neither of which age well.

Further, my primary use for the car would be long road trips, so reliability would be important.

Also, from what I have understood, every refresh fixed bugs and made the car work better.

So all else being equal, and not worrying about the price differential, am I right in thinking, let’s say, a November 2011 production SL550 would be a safer bet then a January 2004 production SL600?

 

The bigger thing you need to figure out is if the V12 is worth it.

Compared with the V8, you will probably spend a few thousand on having the coil packs rebuilt and replacing all 24 spark plugs. The engine mounts might only last 30-40k miles and the engine has to be removed for replacement. Gas mileage is abysmal. V12 cars have real leather on the dash that tends to delaminate after years of sunlight and can look terrible.

Personally, the only reason I bought an R230 was for the V12.

If you’re not a V12 enthusiast, I recommend test driving both and decide from there.

 

I hear you!
I share your love of V12s, but the costs you mention, and my planned use for this car, make that seem less palatable.

 

If you can afford it, I would totally go for it. At least test drive one.

Yes it’s a stupid decision, but tons of fun and makes you feel special on every drive.

 

"Long road trips and reliability in a 9+ year old Mercedes with ABC suspension"

I put that in quotes for you.

 

Depends on the owner and maintenance- probably good to buy from someone who is an enthusiast and took care good care of the car and knew about all the required maintenance (abc flushes etc)

I liked the design of the front and rear headlight/taillight in the 2003-2008 model- hated the new front headlights on the 2009 etc

I also wanted the all red taillights made 2003-2006

I also wanted an AUX outlet that only came with 2003 model- I didn't want to replace/upgrade the stock radio- and there you have it- the reason I went with the 2003 over any other model year

 

My recently sold SL600 had excellent HWY mpg. In town, yeah, bad. Dependability was good and, once the coil packs are updated, there should not be any coil pack issues. Never had an issue with engine mounts on either bi-turbo V12's I had but only drove each one to around 100k miles so my experience is limited to V12's and 200k mile. ABC can be a pain in any ABC equipped car but manageable if you are proactive with hose replacement and inspection. Pumps tend to fail regardless of maintenance from my experience and they are expensive new.

The V12's sound great and are easily tunable to 600+ hp with just an ECU tune. Beyond that, it gets expensive to mod. They, again, sound great, drive great, and are the deal of the century for what you get.

 

Honestly the stuff I worry about the most are: 1) ABC suspension, 2) Vario-roof, 3) SBC brakes; so going back to your question of 600, it's honestly a preference. I don't think the coil pack or related stuff is a big deal since it's a given if you get what I mean (it all depends on how much money you wanna throw at the car). I personally would avoid the V12s, but again that's me (they're honestly the best V12s out there the 600/65s, I don't think even Rolls or Bentley match up to their potential nor reliability by far; with my personal favorite V12 being the M120 from Mercedes in the 90s). I think more important than age is the maintenance history. If you find a 03 600 with 80k miles great service records and well maintained versus a 08 550 with 40k miles but very little documented service work, the later would concern me more (especially if it's just some car on a 3rd party dealer lot they bought from auction from who knows where). I kept my choices as the following: 1) 2009-2012: 550, 2) 2007-2008: 55, 3) 2008: 550 (the 07s suffered from the dreaded idle gear failure so I would avoid one unless it has been repaired already by the previous owner.

 

I daily drive my sl600 (170k) miles I'l have had all the issues that are mentioned, But every day I start the car up going to work or a road trip, like once a month i do something maintenance related.

planing on checking wheel hubs lubrication and differential fluid levels

this week replaced coolant hose adapter

last Christmas i replaced passenger coil pack & upgraded voltage transformer, and vac lines, intake tubing

Sbc pump change (free recall) last year feb (no problem since)

Abc hose replaced 2 yrs ago (no problem since)
I do have a gallon of abc fluid and filter that i will eventually flush through out the system (I recommend a new filter every 6 months to a year)

things i feel like i need to do is check rear main seal or oil pan gasket , because there is a oil leak around that area (add qt oil every 2k miles)

Update my Ac compressor, and will change belt and tensioner pulley

check alot of fuses because alot seat massage functions not working, And cruse control not activating

But one big Issue I'll had and rarely pops up is when sometimes I drive the car for hours with hardly any rest, it starts then slowly dies or run rough, SO YOU HAVE TO START IT THREE TIMES OR WAIT 30MINS, and this rarely happens so its hard to diagnose and does happens it so unexpected but you remember the symptoms. But the last time this happen I did run the car with red coolant light for hour to get coolant. And the other time i assume bad/cheap gas. And it could be a sign i need to replace the drivers coil pack.

Personally I think coilpacks last only three years if you drive the car often and spark plugs should be change every year. ( which is reasonable maintenance for a 16yr car capable of going 200mph)

also im planing for a major performance upgrade, im getting tired of modded 1000hp cars, but won't be able to road trip often.

And with my car @170k miles and i drive it everyday and long road trips (which i plan on going to spring break 2k miles away) sounds like pretty typical maintenance for an car with my capabilities. faster then 99.999% of cars i see on the road especially on the highway. I personally havent seen another v12 sl

So its not as scary as it seems or rumors, there's alot v12s roaming around with around 200k miles just take care of the car, and many problems might look very bad but simple fix then you thought it was.

And its easier when you have a garage with good tools in it.

 

Endless Roads

 

To answer your question (from my limited experience) " How Important is Age in a R230 purchase?" My opinion re: SLs (and perhaps MBs in general).
1. These cars have many rubber hoses, seals, fittings and fluids. The fluids must be changed on time (and more eg:ABC). Age and mileage wear these cars. They are mutually inclusive. E.G. Low mileage cars still need tranny and motor mounts given age of 5+ years. My low mileage (29k 2007 SL550) needed mounts and ABC pump dampener to eliminate vibrations and whine. My 2012 S550 99k miles needed same. No big deal repair, just know Age vs. mileage is a lens that may not be important with R230s. All MB cars are highly engineered with electronics controls and SOFTWARE.. (As are most modern cars). I recently updated my 2012 S550 software and noticed immediate improvement in performance and fuel economy. This is the good thing about these cars, they can be "software tuned" (in the right hands). I choose not to join the V12 vs. V8 wars. Both are excellent engines giving HP and torque on demand any time any speed. Whatever "floats your boat" you can't go wrong with MB.

 

EXEPT for that, the 2003 model is the worst one of ALL , models produced from March 6 is the good ones

 

Things to watch out for:

Early 7-speeds suffered from known issues (SL500: 04, 05, 06; some SL550: 07). Would recommend to make sure it was rectified by previous owner.
Early M273 engines suffered from idle gear failure (some SL550: 07). Would recommend to make sure it was rectified by previous owner.
Early 63 vehicles suffered from many issues including headbolts, lifters, and MCT problems (SL63: 09). Would recommend to make sure they were rectified by previous owner.
600/65 V12 issues have already been discussed here.

Ideally, I would go with a 08 or up for 550 (07-08 for 55). I would avoid the 63s as many issues didn't get resolved by MB until MY2012 or on (even 2011s suffered from couple of issues). Again, it all comes down to budget and what you're personally looking for. I choose facelift 09 550 body styling and updated infotainment tech over 07-08 55 performance. I did not bother looking at anything before 07 nor any V12s.

 

I read Mr. Rudeny post on this subject and copied it below. It states which Use your Venicle VIN at lastvin.com to determine Engine VINs. Then Engine numbers greater than below in 2007 are "safe"Rudeny quotes on safe engines

Anyhow, it seems that MBZ cannot track which bad parts went into which engine, but they know that the problem was caught and corrected after M272 engine #30-468993, and M273 engine #30-088611. So, anything before that could have a bad part, but the ones after that do not. beyond the range for balance shaft (or in this case timing idler sprocket) failure.

There is one other problem with early version of these engines. They got a bad supply of magnets for the camshaft sensors. This affects engines up to 30-759427 for the M272 and 30-193592 for the M273. Luckily, this is a very easy (even DIY) and fairly inexpensive (about $150 in parts) repair job.

You can also get your engine serial number by calling your MB dealer. The serial number will look something like this.

Example: How to check your MB for balance shaft problem by VIN and Engine Serial Number.




Mercedes-Benz with the improved parts have engine serial numbers that are higher than:

· M272 Engine Serial No. 2729..30 468993

· M273 Engine Serial No. 2739..30 088611

 

Yea- first year for the facelift- the guinea pig

I don't drive the car much- probably 1200 miles in the last year- only thing I've done is change engine mounts- life is going to change in a few weeks when I remove Strutmaster and replace with the stock ABC- crossing my fingers that the system is still intact and all I need is a swap and new abc fluid/filter

 

teflon treat all on car , engine ,gearbox powersteering ,ABC from QMI , and you should be ok, the ABC need Hydraulic treatment from QMI if have no leak, if has leak

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