I just bought a 2013 SL550 in Palladium Silver, Premium 1 Package, Sport Wheel Package, Driver Assistance Package. The car has 55K miles on it and it's my first Mercedes. My previous three cars were BMW M3, Audi S5 & C7 Corvette. With that is mind.....

1) What advice would you have for me on this car?
2) Are there particular issues with this year/model I should be cognizant of?
3) Recommendations on preventive maintenance I should consider having done now?
4) What sort of phone cable should I buy that works with my iphone (lightening cable) yet interfaces to produce the best sound and charges the phone?
5) I do not want my phone laying inside the center console, I spend 3-5 hours a day in the car and need to mount it where I can view guidance from Ways app.

Appreciate any constructive advice and welcome links to the cable & holder you would recommend.

Thank you.

 

Congratulations....Palladium Silver Metallic is an excellent color choice for the 231...MB should never have dropped it!


With regard to your phone question, I suggest the WeatherTec Cup Phone Holder. Allows you to keep your phone handy and in a place where you can see it.

 

Thanks. Unfortunately I use both cupholders so I need to mount it up somewhere... I was disappointed to find that ProclipUSA didn't make a mounting solution for the SL series. I have used them for the last 20years on every vehicle application.

 

For audio I would recommend using bluetooth or the aux port on your phone and charging with a 12v socket charger.

 

How about a cell phone mount? (Not the cupholder one either)

 

2Intense, I have been using a fitfort magnetic holder and love it. It does mean I have to take my cover off before I can use a wireless charging pad, but I think it’s worth it.

 

Thanks, I ended up doing basically the same thing.

 

I have a 2013 SL550 purchased w/ CPO about 2 yrs ago, less than 20K miles. Had the following issues:

1. Seat massage would just stop working, usually while it was poking me in the back. A cycle of ignition would reset it. This was diagnosed as a leak in the air system that required replacement of the pump and tank. That fixed it. If you have soft close doors then I believe that's tied into the same air system.
2. Trunk wouldn't stay open in colder weather. They replaced the struts.
3. Trunk would not latch in cold weather, would re-open, and other strange behaviors. They updated software. This didn't fix the problem. I eventually found the problem was a bad trunk lock mechanism and replaced it myself (after CPO ended).
4. I reported a few seconds of excessive engine mechanical noise after an engine re-start while still warm. They replaced high pressure fuel pumps under CPO. Not sure this was the correct fix, but it did slightly reduce mechanical noise from the engine.
5. If it still has the original main battery (in trunk under floor partition) you should definitely consider replacing it.
6. Replace engine and cabin air filters if that wasn't done. When I did mine I found a handful of sand and lots of dried leaves in both engine filter air boxes (watch out for those Florida cars). The filters had never been replaced.
7. Tires were replaced and fairly new when I bought the car and were not run-flats. You'll find that most people replace the original run-flat tires with regular tires. The ride is a bit smoother with regular tires so that's OK. But it leaves you possibly stranded if you get a flat. I bought a can of goo and an electric tire pump to cover for the loss of run-flats. I hear it's also possible to go with a donut spare used on some other models. I haven't tried that route.

You probably didn't get a CPO warranty, but I learned that you can't depend on that when buying a car remotely. My car had all sorts of "detailing" issues that apparently the CPO inspection doesn't cover, including etched in water spots in the paint (hard to see on a white car, but there they were), pitted headlight covers, and a pitted windshield (that time it spent in FLA I suspect). I'm still working to fix all those issues.

Overall, it's been a pretty reliable car and we really enjoy the top down cruising. I'll probably make the jump to a 2017 next year.