Sorry to bother you, but you seem very knowledgeable about this subject.....Is the part number for the Space Master spare tire for the SL 65 the following:

211- 400- 31- 95

Dealers do not seem to know the correct information about this item for a 2005 SL 65 with 19 inch wheels. This part number also seems to be in use for the SL 55?

I called MBUSA and they said a space saver was made for the 2007 SL 65 and that was the only year it was made for the 2005-2011 SL 65. They did not have the part number?

Parts.com has the part number available for $ 480.00, $ 700 list......hopefully this will fit over the front brakes of the 65....

Thanks for any information.......

 

Dear Allen,

The parts.com website has a photo of the spare tyre bits in the trunk and I have attached it. The relevant bits are 22,23 & 24.

It appears to be missing one of the bits that I bought here in Australia... its the polystyrene donut

If you have a look at the photo of the extra bits I bought there is an additional "shim" or "take up tool" in the photo and on the order form.

I am not sure if the donut is the shim or take up tool

You should be able to order it from MB, it's a polystyrene thing and didn't cost the earth, surprisingly.

Hope this helps

Peter

 

Was able to source for SL 65 from BenzNL in the Netherlands for the 19" Spacemaster spare tire. MBUSA has correct part number - 230-400-1702 or 230-401-2702, but can't supply for legality reasons on cars that did not come with one....great people to deal with......great service........Steve and his sister Wanda....

 

i have 2 of them for sale if anyone is interested

 

If your trustworthy and honorable MB dealer tells you that there is no spare tire available for the SL55 then obviously the wheel you have does not exist!

It must be the light at a certain angle reflecting off cosmic particles that make it appear that there is a black spare wheel in your trunk... Close the trunk and I bet the wheel will instantly disappear... :- )

I for one totally trust and admire the all knowing service techs at my local MB dealer. If they tell me that Mercedes Benz never made the 19 inch SL65 Spare wheel thats in my garage with MB part numbers/stickers and MB logos.... Then the wheel is not there!!

Who are you going to believe the MB dealer or your Lying Eyes?

 

I will have to believe my lying eyes.......you are right that the 19" spare I obtained from Europe for the 65 does not fit perfectly in the trunk, as in the other SLs.

Kind of on a slant unless I trim a piece of plastic about a 1/4 inch, then I can lie it flat.....a project for me now....

 

Since the small 19" space-saver wheel/tire does not fit in the trunk....

As I asked before... What the hell do the MB engineers suggest that we do with a 9.5" rear wheel with a flat and possibly shredded tire?


After hours of discussion among the top MB engineering staff, a decision was finally made...

They determined that if a tire fails the only logical choice is to leave your $2,500 SL65 AMG wheel on the side of the road! They figure that if you can afford a $200K auto that $2,900 ($2,500 wheel+$400 tire) for a flat tire is acceptable!

Or since MB made it virtually impossible to get the SL65 spare wheel/tire (by denying they even exist) the other option if stuck without a spare... Then you have no other choice... Leave your SL65 on the side of the road and go directly to the closest MB dealer buy a new SL65! The new SL65 will have (4) new tires ... Problem solved!!!

 

LMAO.......+1

I also had lots of laughs speaking with MBUSA marketing personnel, customer service and VP of N. American parts about the availability of a SL 65 spare....the highlights...

- MB worldwide contract with spare manufacturer, Vredestein, states that MB is only authorized dealer (they do not sell direct) and that the US dealer by contract has to sell it to me...that got MBUSA reconsidering whether to special order one for me from Europe as there were none in N. American inventory - I sent them the email from Vredestein that I secured to illustrate that the 65 did have a 19" spare available in the rest of the world all model years 2005-2011....

- wanted me to sign a waiver for liability since car came with no spare and there would be legality issues according to them, but they could get me one via special order for $ 860.00.....they never followed up.......this was after I had already secured one from the Netherlands....

- I advised MBUSA that 5 people PMed me to help them place an order in the US for the 19 incher, and that they were losing sales, i.e. maybe 50 or more people might want one at approximately $ 800 a pop....how many $ 800 parts are there for the taking....probably a quick $ 40,000 in parts sales over time....that did not register with them....small potatoes probably....

- took MBUSA 2 weeks to respond with an initial answer to original inquiry of whether I could get a spare...

- MB dealer in Germany would not ship me the wheel, too lazy to pack it and ship it according to my friend in Germany....but did state that every 65 came with a spare in Germany....don't know how they designed the lower trunk to accommodate, other than to trim about a 1/4 inch off the lip of the rear trunk plastic panel which prevents the 19" spare tire from laying flat...an 18 inch or 17 inch would fit perfect as it does with the 55 and 550 with no modification to the rear panel

- Benz NL sold me the spare for under $ 450.00, no delay as they had 2 in stock....so much for the dealer only distribution authorization...which was great for me.......

As far as no where to place the flat tire/rim....you are only in business if you are driving alone, as you can place on the front seat in a large plastic trash bag.......(setting the rim on a passenger's lap probably would not score any points). I had a bad flat with my Porsche once that Tirefit could not fix and placing flat on seat worked out okay - 305 tire..........

Or.......... I guess you could always buy a roof or trunk rack for the 65 for long trips, that would definitely be uber stylish!!

The only real solution would be if the trunk was a bit larger, but probably not practical from a design standpoint........

Also.....I saw you were looking for some 65 front brake rotors....I have a set that were taken off my car at 30K and are in pretty good shape.....very heavy though to ship......have one in an original box.......you can PM me on what you would be willing to pay, etc....I suspect that they are still within spec and they were changed to pacify me relative to squeal I was experiencing which I believe now was a old pad issue.............

 

I am interested if you still have them, if so, can you PM me more info?

 

Having spent ages reading thru all the posts here and elsewhere on the tricky subject of obtaining a space-saver tyre for my 2004 model SL55 (instead of the useless goop bottle and electric pump provided as standard with this approx. £100k car) I finally started making calls to specialist suppliers in the UK. However, I drew a blank everywhere including at the appointed Vredstein importer into the UK. Then I registered with some web-based car salvage outfits but had no useful response whatsoever other than a massive increase in spam mail at about the same time - funny?

In this forum the MB stealers/dealers had received a bad press for being unhelpful (in US, Oz etc) but I finally decided to call my regular MB dealer, Tony Purslow at Basingstoke. The service representative, Jim W, listened to my spare-wheel problem, fully appreciated the need for a proper spare arrangement and made enquiries for me to Germany. He soon came back with a detailed quote for £435.96, which I accepted, and the wheel kit arrived in about a week. Yesterday I called in and Jim W quickly and easily installed the space saver in the boot. It is a really neat job and fits very well.

There is a plastic foam fitting that becomes redundant as well as the molded 'well' which formerly sat under the boot floor. There is probably little point in keeping the goop canister except for a quick repair to a slow puncture at an inconvenient time.

In summary, I am absolutely delighted with my new space saver and the service provided by Tony Purslow in sourcing and fitting it. Now I can happily use the car for long journeys in the UK or abroad without the nagging fear that if I get a puncture I become immobilised, perhaps on the roadside, whilst trying to source and replace a replacement tyre for this vehicle which would be unlikely to be readily available from a typical garage or local tyre specialist.

This car should never have been sold without a space-saver tyre and I feel sure that this feature will make the car much easier to eventually sell when the time comes.

All the best.......Martin

PS with 531 ft lbs of torque from 2650rpm why would I want to trade "up" to the newer 6.2l naturally-aspirated models with just 475 ft lbs not becoming available until 4750rpm?

 

Glad you got your spare and piece of mind..........

I got mine also as mentioned in previous post above........

Mercedes in Montvale headquarters NEVER followed up all the way with a yay or nay on whether they got final approval to start carrying the spare.........

I spoke to the guy that approves part orders from Germany and he dropped the ball...

Didn't anticipate that they ever would follow through..........

 

the sl 55 and 65 spare are the same wheel, tire. The wheel has the same part # molded in it.
The 65 version has a 65mm spacer attached to it. The wheel is tapped and 2 screws hold the spacer on.

 

My 65 spare is a 19 inch versus the 18 inch for the 55 and goes right on without any spacer, etc....sourced from the Netherlands........German 65s have the spare - all years......I was told it is two different parts.....due to larger calipers on the 65.......

When I got a flat one time in the rear, since I have had the spare, I placed the spare on a front wheel and moved a front wheel to the back that had the flat as a precaution - see below........clearance was fine over calipers.......

The theory as to why the 65 came officially with no spare until 2009, as explained to me by MB is because of the limited slip and sheer power of the car on its rear wheels........

Glad I have one, even though it doesn't fit perfect in the trunk like the 55's 18 incher......

 

the 19 is not available in the US, the 18 for the 55 and same for the 65 with the spacer.

 

Exactly, we are on the same page.......Read above posts.....I obtained a 19 from Europe after conversing with MB USA to no avail......I realize that the 18 will work with spacer per my research

Just wanted to advise that a 19 that is made expressly for the 65 and can be found if you search far enough......only drawback is fitment in the trunk which is really minor.....My memory tells me that I paid about $US 410 with shipping, which was a deal in my book.....don't know what 18 with spacer costs, but it is probably much more based on the dealers I contacted.....

 

I found a 19 Inch SL65 Spare wheel/Tire at one of the Large MB salvage yards so they are around but are very rare...

It might be possible that the CL65 or S65 came with a 19 inch Spare which might be the same wheel as used in the German SL65...

You cannot research which parts fit the different models using only a part number. You would have to research and try cross referencing the part numbers yourself because the MB parts system does not tell you what models a certain part will fit...

For example if you enter part number 000 500 0386 it says only Auxiliary Water Pump. The fact that the same pump is used in about 15 different models /applications is not referenced anywhere in their system.

Even a part that is entirely specific like the SL65 Front Grille with the Chrome on the leading edge (yes the SL65 Grille is actually different then all other R230 grilles) when you enter the part number the system just says Grille not SL65 Grille.

 

Is there a trick to having the 19" stored flat in the trunk of the 65.....I have mine on a slant......cuts into small trunk space but not a biggie for me.....

My 19 " spare tire part number for the SL 65 is 230-400-1702....European dealers have it listed.....expensive.......almost $ 700.00 USD......before shipping....

 

I think the sl65 spare is $1100

 

Actually, I might be wrong and you could be right......