Aluminum or Steel or Both? I believe the original SLs were named for Sport and Light but over the years they have grown to be pretty heavy.

 

I believe the 231 is about 500 pounds less than the 230.

 

Take a look @ this:

http://500sec.com/models/mercedes-r231-sl-class-2012/

 

Great link-Thanks

 

Great find. Thanks.

 

An amazing link, which I merely glanced at. I’ll save reading it for my next long plane trip.

I was, however, struck by these words close to the beginning of the article: “Other new features include the unique Frontbass system, which turns the luxury sports car into a concert hall regardless of whether the top is open or closed.........”

If that B.S. is any indication as to the soundness of the tech info contained here, then it isn’t even worth reading. The audio system in ALL R231’s was ill conceived from day one and when discovered to be a bad design, was virtually NEVER improved upon during the 8+ year run of this very high end, luxury vehicle. I know we have beaten this topic to death, but it still amazes me when I see how pig headed MB was, still is and, most likely, WILL BE in the future, with not admitting and then rectifying their mistakes, when it would have been SO simple to do. For their reluctance to admit a mistake and to NOT fix it, EVERY R231 owner has to suffer the consequences. How many “Man Hours” of poor audio experience do you think that might be? Think about that.

The other brief takeaway from this huge article, most of which appears to have come straight from the factory, is how proud MB was of this car and how much they valued the history of the SL. Now, they are pretty much dumping the basic SL concept of a luxury 2-seat convertible and piggybacking the new car onto the next AMG GT platform and making it a 2+2. If that isn’t bad enough, IMHO, they will be going backwards, by once again reverting to the simple, cheap & easy rag top, compared to the truly amazing retractable hardtop that we all love. I know all the reasons why, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

 

Article is quite dated but does contain a lot of good information.

 

Streamliner,

You got to get your audio fixed.

I was at my dealer Monday and the Hd Mechanic had another R231 customer who was complaining about the sound system listen to the upgrade I did and the guy went nuts comparing the difference.

So.....You can get it to sound like you want with little effort; don't need to go to the level I did as even the simple AMP fix will make a big difference.

I now actually enjoy listening.

 

Soooooo.........back to the question, it looks like body is aluminum...............

steve sl550 , did you write up your solution for the audio upgrade????

 

I know, but that’s not the point I was making.

 

I appreciate the link you provided Steve!...Although as some pointed out, it's a bit dated now, it's still very applicable to my beloved 2013 SL550...

 

They make things called “magnets” now....

 

For andy-gts

See thread:

SL550 back speakers PROBLEM SOLVED!

somewhere in the middle of the thread there are pics of the install showing where the fader controls are located in the rear "smuggler box" (behind the center console)

but, here are the specifics

Fun33 asks:

"I love your installation. Could you share a few more details of the panel you installed in the rear center console? Is there a separate potentiometer for the left and right rear deck speakers or do the potentiometers control the front to rear left and right channels? Do all your steering wheel controls still operate as OEM or has any of their functions changed as a result of the modifications you made? Is the panel with the potentiometers permanently installed or friction fitted in the console? Would really appreciate any other details of your modifications; anything you would add, delete or change if you had it to do again?"

My reply to your questions here: 1)"I love your installation." THANKS, me too. 2)"Is there a separate potentiometer for the left and right rear deck speakers or do the potentiometers control the front to rear left and right channels?" Front pot controls all front speakers volume, rear pot controls all rear speakers volume. All OEM command control of sound, bass, treble and balance retained. O/I rocker sw between front and rear pot to reset to factory default if desired . Installation required the following: a) Alpine KTA-450 50W X 4 Power Pack Amp b) 2 L Pad Volume Controls (the large pots vs small ones selected to insure they handle the current generated) c) 8 relays to allow isolation when changing to and from factory default set up d) AX-MLOC725 AXXESS line level converter 150 watt e) wiring and misc hardware for mounting and PVC to match MB interior for pot and sw mounting (note how all the wiring is braided for easy ID and dressed alongside the OEM wiring all under the storage box with no wiring exposed) 3)"Do all your steering wheel controls still operate as OEM or has any of their functions changed as a result of the modifications you made?" Steering wheel controls as well as command "sound" control remains as OEM 4)"Is the panel with the potentiometers permanently installed or friction fitted in the console?" Panel with the pots and sw fabbed from PVC to match interior plastic and cut/trimmed/bent formed to fit snug in the forward space that holds the removable bottle holder that I never use (bottle/large cup holder easily snaps out and the panel assembly sits over forward lip and friction fit at rear STILL offering storage space of approx 5X5 at rear of the pot/switch assembly. 5)"Would really appreciate any other details of your modifications; anything you would add, delete or change if you had it to do again?" Hard for me to not always want to impoove something but, in this case I'm totally happy. Hope this helps.
Regards, Steve
Last edited by steve sl550; 04-08-2019 at 10:10 PM. Reason: mistake/ clean up

 

LOL. How droll you are...but I was thinking the same thing.

 

I used a paint depth checker and the trunk lid seems to be plastic while the rest (save for the A pillar) is aluminum.