GarciaE55

Hey guys,

I am about to pull the trigger on a pristine 2003 SL55 w 21k miles that is no longer under factory warranty.

This is a one owner car who I know personally, and he states he has not had any mechanical issues, except for IC pump failure which he upgraded to an Evosport system afterwards.

I am considering a 3 year extended warranty, which will cost almost $4k. Is it worth it or should I roll the dice? Am I taking a huge financial risk of owning this car without a warranty?

What is known to fail on these car? I read that the ABC suspension fails, but is this due to high mileage or just luck of the draw? How much is it to repair the ABC?

Thanks for the help

jmf003

When the warranty expired on my 2003 SL I opted not to extend.

In terms of problem areas I did have a small ABC leak that was repaired under warranty and has been fine since. My sense of the forum comments is that ABC leaks aren't all that common but failures with the ABC sensors and pumps are somewhat more common. That said, i don't know whether the mean time between failure is 50,000 miles or 150,000 miles. I'm at 43,000 miles and hoping for the best.

I did have the intercooler pump failure that everyone seems to experience sooner or later. Mine happened around 30,000 miles.

I also had a Command unit that would crash every 30 minutes or so. That problem was eventually fixed by removing some after-market cables that a previous owner had wired into the antenna system.

Other than those issues the car has been reliable, which is part of the reason I felt comfortable running without an extended warranty. The other part of the reason is, extended warranties are priced to be profitable and cash flow positive for the warranty provider. Rather than taking the certain expense of the extended warranty I felt comfortable keeping the money and taking my chances that my expected repair costs would be less. A more risk averse person could very rationally choose not to take that chance.

So there's no right or wrong answer on this. It's basically a risk tolerence decision.

Murtaza

I wouldn't own these cars out of warranty based on stories I have heard.

damian155

question what did you do to solve your ic pump problem.. did you upgrade to a different brand or just replaced with the standard MB part?

carcommander

You either pay for repairs or depreciation. My 05 depriciated about 20K in the last year. That would pay for a lot of repairs. If you are reaching up to buy the car and cannot afford a big repair bill then don't buy it without a warranty. If big repair bills are unpleasant but don't really matter then self insure.

drhodes

I just bought an 04 and got an extended warranty through Daimer Chrysler from a guy highly recommended on these forums, he set me up VERY fast, and was quite cheap, 50k miles or 5 years for 2500 or right there at it.

100.00 deductible. Way i look at it one big failure and that will pay for itself, its more of an insurance policy than a warranty. BUT like my mercedes service manager told me when i took mine in for first service, he said do ALL recommended services through mercedes, make sure you have documentation of this and if you go through MB of course they will have it in their computer. If yo uhave done your due dilligence in keeping the car tuned and serviced he said you are a LOT more likely to get all your claims covered, vs. a guy who hasn't had his sl serviced in 25k miles by a dealer and blows out the super charger or something.

i research and researched, i found it about 50/50 on those who said do it or don't do it, some said put that money in a savings account, some said do it. I look at it like this, i'll feel more comfortable driving the car harder and having more fun with it knowing im "insured" even for just a little, plus it has to help as a selling point if you go to sell the car in 3 years or so to put "2 years left on warranty"

jmf003

Because it was the OEM warranty the dealer installed the standard MB part. If I was paying for it myself, I'd have installed one of the Johnson CM30 pumps.

dan1495

I bought the exact same warranty as drhodes about 6 months ago for my 03 SL55 and it has worked out well. I have already had it pay for $2,000 of repairs and the car is at the dealer now for another problem that I think will be an expensive fix. I can't imagine owning one of these cars without a warranty. It is also transferrable which I thought would be selling point when I get rid of it someday.

damian155

OK I actually need one now and my aftermarket warranty probably doesn't cover it so i am deciding which way I should go.. upgrade or replace with the standard MB pump.

jmf003

My take is the only real virtue of the OEM pump is that it is completely plug compatible. With the other pumps you'll have to handle the different electrical and/or plumbing connections. However if you're willing to do that, you'll get a stronger pump which should help lower temps in the intercooler.

I also just stumbled across this thread which has good things to say about the Ford Cobra pump, which apparently is a Bosch pump that flows higher than the Bosch pumps that Mercedes uses: https://mbworld.org/forums/sl55-amg-sl63-amg-sl65-amg-r230/211741-intercooler-pump-replacement.html. I don't know anything more than what's in that thread but it sounds promsing.

Good luck! If you use something other than the OEM unit I, for one, would be grateful to get your impressions of the pump that you wind up using.

03 SL55

DO NOT BUY THIS CAR OUT OF WARRANTY! MY 03 SL55 IS IN THE SHOP RIGHT NOW! I am friendly with a mechanical and I am still throwing away over $3,000 on this car. Everyone's experience is different but I am having serious issues with the alternator and all of the electronics, which is a major issue on this car. BE CAREFUL. Don't but this car out of warranty.

jicl55

don't have an sl55..... but bought my car with different bs aftermarket warranty.... didn't cover anything.... finally got tired of it and bought mercedes warranty.... why? estimate over 15k in repairs in 1 year.... by the way ABC pump $3000 (I know.... came outta pocket).... nav system went out 4k for REFURBISHED replacement (otherwise 6 or 7k for replacement non-refurb)..... upgraded whole system for 8k (including speakers and everything). SRS sensors... couple hundred a pop. supercharger pulley.... 600. Belt tensioner pulley couple hundred. window switches (just the switch, not the motor).... couple hundred a piece. Pixels went out on climate control.....1300. various other things i can't remember.... seat slider assembly broken?... whatever it was...... another couple of hundred. Could have saved myself a lot if I just purchased that Mercedes warranty in the first place..... may be a waste of money or it could be the best couple of grand you ever spent.

BlackHammer

How much will your collision/liability/comprehensive insurance be ($1K per year)? What are the odds of an accident happening (stastically very low).

Think of it this way. $4K (or an average of $1,333 per year) to protect yourself from digging potentially DEEP (maybe likely) in your wallet on a car with thousands of parts/electronics that could go bad on a car with almost 500 hp.

No brainer. Buy the warrantee (shop around, too). Just call other dealers and get a quote.

T

IngenereAMG

I have had my '03 since new. I was one of the first guys to take delivery. It has been fairly bullet proof.

I have tracked the car. Taken it on long trips and everything in between. It has also been the test bed for allot of our 55K software. The only problems in 5 years have been an IC pump, some tire pressure sensors and an AC compressor.

These are/were expensive cars. Just because they are a great used car bargain, does not mean that the cost to play is cheap. Servicing them is relatively easy and fairly cheap, but they need to be maintained and not neglected. Deferred maintenance and repairs will come back to haunt. I see this with guys who buy their first Ferrari. When they take it in for a major service and are told that it will cost $8K, many will sell the car or just neglect them.

If you take care of the SL55, it will take care of you.

BrabusTrojanSL

03=Get a Warranty!

photonut

I would not buy a used SL55. with or without warranty. i bought a new SL55 in 2004 had problems with the abc suspension form DAY ONE!! went to 2 dealers multiple times and the problem could not be fixed. i am now in litigation. suggest stay with the simpler 500SL!!!

sker66

WoW! This just put a dent into my decision to buy!

sker66

drhodes..........Can you provide the contact info and some description on what warranty you purchased ?
Have you had to use it yet and did they pay?

Thanks.........Geno

damian155

Whatever you do..stay away from AutoSource aftermarket insurance they suck. I got the highest package they offered and Ive gotten 3 claim denials already because the parts that I needed to be replaced were not "exactly" listed on there covered parts sheet. I wished i would have kept my extra cash But the way things work is that if you don't get it you will have wished you did and vise versa. Good luck

mark anderson

This is one reason I bought the warranty my dealer was selling. I wanted to cut down on this possibility and so far it has never been a problem.

jicl55

And also Buyer's Choice by Royal Administration.... same exact thing happened to me.... it was presented to me as "everything was covered" and was their "best" warranty.... what did I get? A bunch of repair bills for about 8k.... cuz the parts were not "exactly listed." Dumped them and have a MB warranty now.... wish I would have done that in the first place.

jpohl402

Very true.......

AMG 17GT

I bought an :Easy Go warranty. 3years 60k for $2100.00

You have to have a warranty on these cars, its really great peace of mind. Especially 2003 55s!!!

One major hit could easily cost 10k. Plus when you sell its a huge bonus to the potential new owner.

Paul

AMG 17GT

Hey Murtaza, I have to ask. What product did you use on your black paint? That is really a mirror like shine. Very nice.

Paul

drhodes

I got mine from chryslerservicecontracts.com

i got the guys number at work, he was highly recommened on this forum and on benzworld. I just had to use it the other day.....i had the 40k mile service completed and the valve covers were leaking they said, 100.00 deductible and the insurance covered the other 600 and change. Service manager just called them and they immediately approved it, waited two days for dealer to clear funds and they fixed it

SO GLAD i got the damn warranty