Yes, the Brilliant Blue is a rare color and quite beautiful, especially on the SL. I had a Mars Red 2004 for 12 years before I got my 2019. Best of luck with your search.

 

I want to keep it as long as I can drive it, but I'm almost 81 so who knows. When I do have to sell it, I'd rather sell it to someone who really wants it than see it to a dealer.

 

Thanks for the response, Bill. Enjoy every day of it. I've been driving a black 2009 SL550 for about 8 years now, and it's time to retire that one. Been a fun car to drive and I'll miss it. My 2nd black one and 5th SL overall. But now I've got it in my head that I want one of the blue metallic 2017-20 models. I may be car-less until I find one! (here is my first, a 1978 Silver 450 SL, in Denver, CO!)
Reid C

 

Oh, so we are taking a drive down “Memory Lane,” are we?

 

My 2013 has rarely surprised me - touch wood!

1. Struts on the trunk gave up. replaced them myself with parts and tools from Amazon
2. The pnuematic reservoir that holds air for the seats etc. blew. I think there was probably moisture in the lines that froze on a very cold morning. Indie replacement wasn't expensive.
3. A pillar trim pieces following windshield replacement. This was probably the most expensive reapir. Safelite replaced the windshield twice and left me with buzzing. Dealing with them was a nightmare and when they started mumbling about 'clips' I gave up. I took the car to a major MBZ/Audi/Porsche dealer with a glass tech on site. They diagnosed the problem as A pillar trim pieces and said I need new ones. When they came in from MBZ, the color didn't match, so they sent them out to a local paint shop. The fix is good and I will never go to Safelite again!
4. Cracked rim - difficult to find a replacement and expensive. If it happens again I will replace the OEM wheels with some of those nice turbines.

Gary

 

I don't know how common the A-pillar trim buzzing is, but I had a problem with mine. I bought the car used and the CarFax report did show it had been minorly damaged, but I could never find where. Maybe if I got one of those paint thickness measure devices I could find it. That said, I never heard the buzzing, but my daughter did. Also I could move the trim a little by hand. So, I ordered a new piece online and it came with all the necessary clips. When removing the old piece, I found a broken tab and missing clip. It was very easy to replace. I'm thinking the part was less than $200.

SL/R231 Exterior A-Pillar Trim - MBWorld.org Forums

 

I am glad to hear you guys say quality is normally good... I bought a 2017 SL450 yesterday. My First Benz. It looks like no one ever touched it other than a spot on the seat where you push to help yourself get out has a TINY bit of discoloration. 40k miles. carafe looks like this thing was beloved and detailed all the time at the dealer. I was so excited I drove it home with my daughter who is too young to drive and went to go get a friend to pick up my SUV from the private sellers house. Half way there (90 min) the ABS, ESC, ESC Off, lights all came on at once... a few minutes later the check engine light came on. It still seemed to run and drive fine, so I decided to try and get to the sellers house where I could get my SUV (I kept a careful eye on temps and drove slow and easy)... But then it started to sprinkle. The Vario roof would not go up. It was stuck open telling me I need to reduce speed. I am in park while doing this. also tried with car off and in Acc mode. Same message. Day one of owning an SL450 was amazing! Day 2 sucked! The seller feels terrible and is paying to have it sent to the dealer on a flatbed. I do trust that these light were not something he had seen before and it was just a coincidence. My guess is there is a speed sensor or something that went bad. I will update.
Here is my question though... I do not have the air suspension or magic roof but otherwise it has everything. Should I be afraid to take this car on long trips (3-7 hours)? Currently I am worried I will be afraid to drive it as it is unreliable in my head. Can someone convince me that it was bad luck and with only 40k miles I really should have a few years of mostly trouble free driving other than maintenance (3-4 k miles per year ).
Apologies for the long first post! I just have such mixed feelings. It is a dream car I bought cash and now fear I made a huge mistake. It is less the financial aspect than the fear of getting stranded.
Thanks!!!

 

Hey Brand: The R231 SL’s are for the most part BULLET PROOF! I would not hesitate to take one cross country—if I were 40 years younger. I’m sure your issues will be resolved quickly. Wishing you many tens of thousands of safe, happy, trouble free miles. Please post photos when you get your car back. Welcome to the forum!

 

I only had time to take two pictures last night when it was already dark… will take some good ones later. :-)

 

Welcome and congratulations,
Sounds like the car may need a battery. These cars put quite a load on the electrical system and batteries need to be replaced fairly regularly. The cars can act unpredictably (like what you described) when the batteries get weak I bet the car sat for a while and is probably due for both batteries to be replaced. timing is about right if they are original batteries…

see this thread
https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...ent-guide.html



Could be, but check batteries and not just voltage, but under a load. Speed sensors should store an error code and should be relatively easy to diagnose.


Good Luck!

 

How do I determine my engine model, ie, M278 or M276.
I have the 2015 SL400. Trouble free so far, 39,000 miles.

Thanks,

Joe

 

​​​​​​You have the tried and true M276 : )

 

Thank you!!

 

You're welcome and enjoy in good health : )

 

So the guy I bought it from took it to a local specialist. The guy books out many months but he offered to read the codes at least and maybe reset them to get the top closed. Once he looked at the codes he offered to sneak the car in the schedule and get it fixed tomorrow! According to the codes, we are both right. The auxiliary battery is weak. He thinks it would be fine once it was driven more after sitting for a while, but the seller really wants to give the car to me in the condition he told me it was in which was impeccable, so he is just having a new battery put in. Also the right front wheel speed sensor (the side where he had a faulty tire replaced a few months ago) thinks the car is going over 500 miles an hour. haha. They thought this could be related to the battery but opted to replace that sensor too. I think I struck gold with an honest and kind seller! I signed the title to by it "AS IS" but he feels so terrible he wants to make it right.
I will update again if I get more info after the repairs are done and there is more to add.
For others who missed my long earlier post... TLDR. ABS,ESC, ESC off lights came on. A few minutes later the check engine light. Running and driving normally. Vario top will not close as it is stuck fully open and saying to reduce speed. Cause: faulty accessory battery and wheel speed sensor. 2017 R231 40k miles.

 

I found a puddle of clear hydraulic fluid ahead of my rear ps tire?
what’s involved with diagnosing this ?

 

ABC suspension?

 

What behavior is the roof demonstrating? Normal function or not normal?