Dr. Plastic

So… as you all know I purchased a used 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL500 Standard Roadster, a few months ago. The car cost almost $100K when it was new. It had 71670 miles on the clock when we bought it. We paid $15,500 for it out the door, selling the Harley to get it as I no longer felt confident in my handling and operation of a motorcycle any more due to medical problems.

I knew going in that there would be problems with the car so I knew to expect things to go wrong. I did my research. There are a TON of videos on YouTube and I have joined a few online forums. I love a challenge and I am no stranger to turning a wrench. I wanted a project car that I could tinker with and make whole once again. I wanted to bring this beautiful SL back to its former glory. The Active Body Control (ABC) system and folding hard top roof is what made this car stand out amongst the other sports cars back in 2005. Both of which works great.
So I made a list of what I found that was wrong with the car and what I have already done or will be doing to repair it. Many things will be done by me at home. I only need a lift when I needed to get all four wheels off the ground in order to take pressure off of the struts when working on the Active Body Control (ABC) system. The biggest problem we had was it had an ABC warning that would pop up on the dash. This was indicative of a blown accumulator. My Wife Anette got the dealer to knock $750 of the price of the car. I fixed the error for $320 in parts and bay fee.

So here is my list.

ABC warning on dash when hitting bumps (common problem). Dealer wanted $2000 to repair with $850 of that in parts and $200 an hour labor. I purchased two accumulators on line from FCP Euro for $300 and $10 lift fee and 1 hour at Autocraft shop and error is Fixed..

Information displays in the instrument cluster were roached by the sun (common problem). Unreadable during daylight hours. Sent in to Tannin Auto Electronix for repair@ $425 ($300 for the screens plus $125 diagnostic fee). The initially sent me the wrong screens or I would have fixed it on my own but they wanted me to send it in so they could look at it. Fixed.

Transmission C/S mode switch along with the gear position indicators (and panel edge lighting) not working. Either the board is dead or connectors came loose. Looks like the former as they are all attached to a common circuit board and nothing is working and plugs look intact. Received new panel. Awaiting installation.

Need to replace shifter parking pawl before it fails. New aluminum part has been acquired and will be replaces when practicable.

Plastic trim on rear window sides roached (common problem). New panels have been acquired. They will get replaced when it warms up. $300 for the two brand new ones off of eBay. Dealer wanted $348 each.

Paint needs some TLC but no major scrapes or scratches. Will get paint correction done next year by Rob Jahn at Venomous Works. He did my Mustang and the Red F150 so I trust his work.

Rear valance/trunk lid flaps are a bit loose but function OK. New housings have been acquired and awaiting warmer weather to install

Vario-roof flaps broken off (common problem). Found the flaps in spare tire well. Whew! Ordered and installed new 3D printed hinges. $25 from eBay. Dealer wants $385 for each side. Fixed.

Replace R/S upper door window seal (common problem). It was wavy from a previous leaking roof front locking hydraulic cylinder. I looks like the cylinder was repaired but the seal was not replaced. Dealer part is $385.

Mercedes hood badge worn down to nothing. Installed new OEM badge. $28 off eBay. Fixed.

Rusted lug nits. Replaced with new chrome. $40 off Amazon. Fixed.

Cracked fin, broken mounting tabs and peeling paint on grille. Bough new AMG grille of eBay. $200. Used CC points so no money spent. Fixed.

Chipped and flaking paint on R/F wheel.

Drivers door switches pushed into door panel. Pulled door panel and repaired mounting bosses. Repaired and repainted the plastic door lock button guide. I need to replace some of door panel mounting clips. Fixed.

Hardened and stiff leather shift boot with hole. Leather was never conditioned. New one inbound from England off eBay site. $70. Dealer wanted $365. Fixed.

Triangle shaped inner door window trim clip was broken off. Previous owner glued back with RTV. Cleaned up and used 3M Dual lock Velcro to reattach. Fixed.

Rear window interior trim panel was loose and vibrated when driving. Interior clip mounts separated from trim piece. Cleaned up and used 3M Dual lock Velcro to reattach. Fixed.

Seat leather shiny and feels hard but no cuts, tears or frayed seams. Will be cleaning and contitioning them this spring

Seat lumbar not inflating (common problem). Investigating problem. Will remove and repair in the spring.

L/S cup holder broken. Will remove and repair in the spring.

Whining and slight vibration when engine is running (common problem). This is from a bad pulsation damper in the ABC system. Most likely was damaged when front accumulator blew out. Easy 30 minute fix. $170 from FCP euro. Fixed!

Car has slight sag at R/F wheel after sitting for a few hours (common problem). Again the blown front accumulator introduced debris into system and need to either the replace ABC filter and run the Rodeo test for 30 minutes as per WIS to flush out the seals and or flush the system with new fluid and filter or pull and replace seals in the front Valve block assy.

Do a full ABC System flush.

Refinish headlights. The were polished out but I want to spray with some clear 2k paint this spring.

Clean and detail engine bay

Clean and refresh carpets and leather


Things I would like to do but are not needed:

Looking to get all new wheels with Income Tax Refund. We will see.

Trunk lid spoiler

Replace Stereo system as it is 2005 tech and really needs an upgraded system.

Replace the wood trim with carbon fiber or get the pieces wrapped to look like such.

dyc1077

I am doing some similar stuff to me sl600 I got back in September. New intercooler pump and reservoir, fixing hydraulic roof leak, new taillights, trunk patch repair.

i am in need of a new passenger side window seal as a result of the hydraulic leak. Can you send a link to the one you purchased or suggest some search terms to find it? I tried to no avail.

Dr. Plastic

https://www.ebay.com/itm/185667591312

brucewane

Have you changed out your shifter's park lock lever? The original plastic lever is known to fail - when it does, you can't shift out of park. Not only does it leave you stranded, but it's MUCH more difficult to repair after it's failed because it's pretty much impossible to remove the shifter when it's stuck in park. You definitely want to change it out with an upgraded aluminum lever like this one before your original plastic one fails.

I've heard of people with stuck shifters resorting to cutting the shifter lever in order to get it out, then welding it back together after fixing the broken lock lever. The module inside the shift lever is coded to the VIN, so you can't just replace it with a used one. The dealer can code a new shifter to your VIN, but of course that's $$$$.

Dr. Plastic

I will give it consideration. It does not look like an easy repair. I can't find any video showing actual replacement of the lever inside the shifter. Most stop and then cut to the reinstallation back in the car or stop short of actually showing how to install the replacement.

Tom Manning

It is possible that the shifter lockout has already been done.

Listen to the shifter with it in park and with your foot on and off the brake. The original plastic pawl will make a quiet, almost inaudible click.

The new heavy duty aluminium pawls make a solid, distinct and satisfying, almost loud, click. Before you tear into the shifter to see, do the sound test and report back.

cdk4219

If it does break, it’s lots of trouble. Either yank the handle back and hit the shifter metal rod with a hard mallet, hoping it comes out of gear, or cut the rod and weld it back together. Either way it will more than likely leave you stranded when it goes bad. The tow truck will have to drag the back wheels onto the flatbed or put it on dolllies to get it on and off the truck. They won’t be able to move it at the repair shop or your driveway either.

I would be more concerned about this problem than some others you have mentioned. It’s a terrible design, and adding to that terrible design, there no strategy for when the cars battery is dead or it breaks.

Tom Manning

Agreed. It would be the very first thing - before anything - that I would get sorted on any 230.

The alu pawl is a set and forget item. Do once, and never need to bother about it again.

elMacko

Bruce, good advice...! How difficult is to replace the plastic with Aluminum???

Dr. Plastic

Good question Tom one that I asked before. the videos I have seen only address the removal and reinstallation of the shifter in the car. And they show the broken pieces but not the actual removal and replacement of the pawl itself..

elMacko

Dr. Plastic...what an irony...! I also have to sell my Harley to purchase my SL-500..! The similarities are the host of issues, but I got mine pretty cheap! Spent some time rebuilding it with a much lower budget!
My family was giving me hell for riding the Harley since they considered it dangerous....so I choose to get a convertible to feel the same openness in the road...but on 4 wheels! ...

Tom Manning

.... the actual removal and replacement of the pawl itself.

Shifter comes out through the top, after you cut the cross brace on the console.

Be assured that if you can get the shifter out, you can take it apart and change the pawl. It's obvious how it goes together. You have to drill out three or four rivets that hold the curved stainless cover on the shifter. After that it's easy.

Here's a good thread with some pictures:

https://www.benzworld.org/threads/di...epair.2144953/

Do not buy the aftermarket plastic pawls - they're rubbish. Must be the milled aluminium replacements you can get on eBay.

Dr. Plastic

Aluminum part on order

Dr. Plastic

Why do you have to cut the crossmember?

Tom Manning

You have two options if you want to take out the shifter:

1) With the car up on four axle stands (or hoist), get under there, unbolt the cross brace under the transmission tunnel, undo the various nuts on the heat shield then slide it back a few inches, allowing access to the clip that holds the shifter to the selector rod. The shifter then comes out vertically, or,

2) Cut the plastic cross brace on the console, allowing you to slide the shifter back and up, exposing the selector rod which will poke out a bit through the slot in the floor pan, allowing you to slip the clip off.

Without cutting the cross brace you won't be able to slip the shifter up to expose the clip.

I've done it both ways and the second method is easier. The console is plenty strong enough without the brace, but you can also glue it back up or fit aluminium brackets and self-drilling screws to bolt it back up.

cdk4219

You don’t have to cut it, but the alternative is to take the whole center console out to access remove the shifter.

brucewane

You can get the shifter out with the crossmember in place; you'll just have to access and disconnect the linkage connecting the shifter to the transmission from underneath the car.

I left my crossmember in place, but I did drill two 1/4" holes in it to allow easier access to the two rear allen head bolts that secure the shifter to the floor. Most instructions say to use a ball-end allen wrench to access these, but I could not get that to work. It was too much of an angle, I couldn't get the ball-end into the bolt deep enough. I didn't wrestle with it too much before deciding to drill the holes, because it looked to me like even if I did manage to get them out, it was going to be even harder to get them back in. Drilling the holes made both removing and installing the two rear bolts very easy. The crossmember is quite thick and sturdy so I don't feel like the holes made it weak in any way.

The top of the crossmember is not entirely flat; there's a kind of rounded drop right in the spot where you'll want to drill. I first drilled a small 1/16" pilot hole right at the edge of the rounded drop so that the 1/4" bit wouldn't "walk" over the rounded edge.

I'm sure it's fine to just cut the crossmember out, but I felt more comfortable leaving as much structure intact as possible. Don't want to risk adding a rattle or a squeak. But if getting the car up on jack stands for access from below was a problem, I would have cut the crossmember and done the whole operation from the top.

brucewane

Eh, that's not actually true. Once everything's disconnected, you can slide the shifter forward to get it out from under the crossmember. It's tight, the shifter will try to hang up on the carpet when you slide it forward, but it will come out.

Besides, there is no separate console to remove - it's part of the entire instrument panel.

cdk4219

Been a while since I’ve done it, but now I remember just drilling the access holes, not cutting.

Dr. Plastic

The holes are for easier access to the rear mounting bolts They say to cut out the cross member so you can pull the shifter up and to the rear to get access to the linkage and clip underneath. I will see which route I take when I pull mine out.

cdk4219

Getting to the clip and reinstalling it would be a hard job on jackstands. I have a lift and it is easier

Tom Manning

It's not too hard on a creeper. Just time consuming.

The whole rigmarole of getting the car up on axle stands safely is pretty tedious each time you need to do something. I'll be buying a hoist next year.

Without a hoist, it's much easier to remove the shifter through the top. Replace the clip with the new updated type - it's a much more secure design.

Dr. Plastic

Do you have a link for the updated clips?

Tom Manning

Here you go, Doc:

https://www.benzworld.org/threads/ne...#post-18403272

brownboy

I can't DIY so what's a reasonable cost for my indy to install the aluminum shifter I bought? Should I give them any instructions?