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I wonder if you could share your experience on the parts availability.
I heard that some parts are not available anymore for the car as it's almost 20 year old.
Is it the case for the most of time? I'm looking at the car with 40K miles in great condition but then it's almost 20 year old car. Anything could happen.
I understand now that the hard top and abc suspension are two high $$ repair item (maybe more frequent repair items?) but the parts for them should still be available? One guy at a shop did not recommend to get this car due to the high $$ maintenance/repair and parts availability.
Any feedback, buying tips, very much appreciated!
Thanks.
Most parts aren’t specific to the sl55 they share with other r230 cars like sl500. The engine and transmission shed parts with w211 e55 and w219 cls55 and others. Brake calipers and pads are shared with these cars as well.
Off the top of my head the specific parts are the ABC strut assemblies, instrument cluster, exhaust, front and rear bumper, seats, and possibly radiator, but I’m not sure about that one. Wiring harnesses are different as well. There are probably many more parts like axles and differential bits too.
As for it being lots of maintenance, he’s not misleading you. Between suspension and top issues it can and will get costly. If you can’t repair your own vehicles it gets really costly , especially at 20 years old. A couple more years, you can get an historical tag for the car.
Thank you for your prompt reply and great input! Really appreciate it!
Though as much as I'd like to learn/try fixing my cars, unfortunately I don't have tools/skills to do it. Currently I own C5Z06, I fixed retractable lights and other small things but nothing like replacing the suspension/fixing engines.
So if I have a shop fix the ABC suspension (not sure what's the main repair item in the suspension) and the hard top(again don't know what the major parts break down), how much do they charge usually? The other thing the shop owner that I spoke to told me that since it's 20 year old, there must be rubber parts needing to be replaced. Not sure how much they would cost... He also mentioned it usually costs $20K/year to keep the car running.... (really? Maybe I misheard...)
If I want to pull the trigger on this car, I'm thinking to take the car to the pre-purchase inspection to the shop who is specialized in Marcedez Benz using the OEM scanner and others. Would this usually give you a good idea as to what to be repaired/replaced and what to be expected to be broken?
They are complex systems that have many part failures, so determining a cost would be difficult. I will say that those two in themselves can cost lots of money. When broken they can essentially salvage a car simply from the cost of repair, and they will break at some point.
wow! That expensive!? Car is selling for $29K with 40K miles. Maybe not worth it, considering the possibility of salvage.... I guess even if the car goes through the pre purchase / thorough inspection, this will be a big gamble...
It wouldn’t salvage a car at that price, but can be expensive when they break. It’s simply amazing that 20 year old cars are getting these prices, and people are buying them. These cars are very complex and expensive to repair.
If I purchased that car with unknown service, knowing what goes awry on these cars I would be looking at the following repairs based on owning and driving an sl55 with that mileage, and owning an sl500 with 100,000 miles
To start with, a complete fluid flush from coolant to transmission differential and brakes as well as the ABC fluid flush which is extremely important to the life of the system. . Regardless of the car more than likely this hasn’t been done at 40,000 miles.
The intercooler pumps usually fail from sitting and mileage. The supercharger pulley bearings usually go around this mileage. ( having owned a c32 and currently owning an e55 sl55 and cls55 I can attest to that)
As for the R230 cars, the first problems usually show themselves with the suspension. At that age the accumulators should be preventatively changed to avoid them failing and stressing hoses and contamination of the system with debris ( frequent fluid flush and faulty accumulators seems to be the leading cause of expensive issues with the suspension) The ABC filter should also be changed at that point.
The other issues have usually been measured in mileage, but I would guess time is your enemy now. These include the top which seems the first problem rears up with the front latch cylinder leaking, followed by either the flap plastic parts breaking and roof actuation cylinders leaking. The seals in the cylinders fall apart. Most shops will be costly to repair these.
The vacuum pump for the locks may leak causing the pump to run when the car is off draining the battery.
The above maintenance and repairs is what I would definitely budget in for ownership. Accumulators and fluid flushes I would do immediately, and plan for the other repairs.
The 722.6 transmission plug seal was a problem on some of these car, causing transmission fluid to enter the wiring harness and wick up to the TCU. At least 2 of my cars had this issue early on.
Since the car has 2 batteries, there is a battery control module that seems to go bad as well. It’s up for debate as to whether it’s a replace when broken or replace as a preventative measure. Either way jump starting or fast charging these cars is a no go in my experience. It causes lots of issues.
The next issue dives deeper into the ABC system and has to do with the valves that control the individual struts. Contamination and or age allows internal leakage which requires either new valve blocks or rebuilds which sometimes don’t. The sl55 I have at 48,000 miles is exhibiting these issues and drops the right front sometimes within 2 hours of parking it.
The 2003 sl500 I have had an abc pump replaced at 67,000 miles and that lasted to 107,000. I didn’t own it before, but I would guess fluid flushes weren’t done regularly. The guy I bought it from had just put $7000 into the car and then the top latch started leaking, and the last straw was the red suspension warning light and drop to the ground.
The suspension hoses have also been known to leak and rupture. Some are more easily accessible, a few not so easy to get to. If that happens lots of times the pump runs dry and it doesn’t like that.
The SBC pump usually fails with higher mileage, but Mercedes warranties these for 25 years. The accumulator in the pump also fails, which some have not had good luck getting warrantied.
All of these items above will more than likely have to be addressed as not only a mileage, but probably a time issue in your car. If they have already been addressed then that’s good. They are complex cars, and these are the most common problems that you likely will encounter.
Thanks again, cdk4219!
First of all, if I don't trade in my car, I would not buy any used car right now as the market is just crazy. I think it's the worst time to buy cars now.
Great info on the preventive maintenance. I just don't have any idea as to how much it costs to do each item you mentioned. Would it cost >$10K easily for everything you listed?
Would it be possible to give me a rough figure ($$) for the preventive maintenance I should do right after I purchase and the rough figure for the rest? (done by dealership or shop) That will give me some idea how much it would cost me to own the car annually.
Thank you so much for your continued support on this!
Last edited by aviator_jpn; 04-25-2022 at 03:40 PM.
I'm in the UK and Mercedes has a parts distribtion centre here but as the car gets older, the parts are more likely to have to come from Germany where they maintain a worldwide stock. My guess is it's the same in the US with most common parts readily available but unusual parts needing to come from Germany. Interior trim is a problem, mine has red leather interior and replacement parts are just not available. It pays to protect the car from the elements, especially sunshine, when not in use to slow deterioration. Mechanically my car has been good, it's everything around the core mechanicals which gives trouble, anywhere where electronics meets hyraulics meets pneumatics. The car was very complex from new and the built-in diagnostics are not the best. That all translates to very high repair costs - the cost of parts and the cost of skilled labour - and in my experience, the possibility of going up some blind alleys with incorrect problem diagnosis. Nothing of course is repaired - it's replace and hope it works - though I did manage to get my EIS (Electronic Ignition Switch) fixed by a specialist repair company. Mercedes will only ever replace parts, never repair them.
In Stuttgart (Bad Canstadt), Mercedes have a classic restoration centre when they restore cars from the ground up and do an excellent job. They can also remanufacture many parts on-site, at a cost. I asked them about my SL55 and where would it be in twenty years time. They told me the car had a design lifetime of 15 years, after that, it's best efforts only. They told me that my SL55 in twenty years time will be in mechanically and structurally good condition but it's likely the electronics will have failed, parts will not be available and the car won't start. Sad to say, the arrival of electronics in cars has shortened their operational life.
Electronics issue....
The more I read about these input, the more I feel that I should not buy this car....
But I'd assume there are many people with 03' SL55 out there still enjoying the car...? But it's just matter of time until they salvage it?
The car is just great looking and has great performance. Hard to just walk away from it... But I don't want to file bankruptcy, either....
Hmmmm......
Most here work on their own cars , especially 20 year old cars. If you can’t do that it’s a lot different and a lot more expensive. This car is 20 years old this fall that’s old in any mechanical item much less this car. If you buy this simply because it has 40k on it and think you’re going to dodge a bullet, you may or may not. Odds are you will probably get grazed at least.
Electrical issues are less, but engine issues when they happen are more. I have purchased 2 996 cars with bore scoring. Any 20 year old car is a gamble, the cars you are looking at just are more expensive to fix than most. The 996 is much simpler than the sl55, but the engines are more problematic than the Mercedes ones. The electrical problems I have in my 996s are stereo, door switches and latches to lower the window when opening the door, and window regulators.
The r230 has many more issues, it is much more complex. The 996 engines seem to run fine, and suddenly they don’t.
Do you happen to know if Porsche 911s in 20 year old are easier/cheaper to maintain?
911s of this era are rather simpler than the R230 SL
which has a lot of complexity, for example a braking system which proved very difficult and was subsequently abandoned. 911s were called 996, the tail end of the first water cooled generation and they were far from problem free. The turbos were different and used a different engine.
My SL55 has 44k miles and is valued at just $12000 here but it’s worth much more to me than that. As the dealer likes to say, it may be only worth $12000 but it cost (say) $120000 new and the maintenance costs reflect that. It’s a great car to drive but if you are going in at this sort of level, you should budget 25% per year to maintain it over the long term.
My SL55 is going in to the dealer tomorrow, basic maintenance, new TPMS sensors, replacement keyless-go card, two worn ball joints, an oil leak and a loss of power steering fluid. I don’t expect change from $4000 if the power steering pump needs replacing. It’s a lot but it came back from being valeted this afternoon and looked great sparkling in the evening sunshine. It’s a great car to drive and I hang in there with it for that reason.
No reason not to buy it but don’t think it will be inexpensive to maintain. Look for a good maintenance history and pay to get the car assessed before you commit.
Electrical issues are less, but engine issues when they happen are more. I have purchased 2 996 cars with bore scoring. Any 20 year old car is a gamble, the cars you are looking at just are more expensive to fix than most. The 996 is much simpler than the sl55, but the engines are more problematic than the Mercedes ones. The electrical problems I have in my 996s are stereo, door switches and latches to lower the window when opening the door, and window regulators.
The r230 has many more issues, it is much more complex. The 996 engines seem to run fine, and suddenly they don’t.
Agree with all of that, we posted at the same time!!
911s of this era are rather simpler than the R230 SL
which has a lot of complexity, for example a braking system which proved very difficult and was subsequently abandoned. 911s were called 996, the tail end of the first water cooled generation and they were far from problem free. The turbos were different and used a different engine.
My SL55 has 44k miles and is valued at just $12000 here but it’s worth much more to me than that. As the dealer likes to say, it may be only worth $12000 but it cost (say) $120000 new and the maintenance costs reflect that. It’s a great car to drive but if you are going in at this sort of level, you should budget 25% per year to maintain it over the long term.
My SL55 is going in to the dealer tomorrow, basic maintenance, new TPMS sensors, replacement keyless-go card, two worn ball joints, an oil leak and a loss of power steering fluid. I don’t expect change from $4000 if the power steering pump needs replacing. It’s a lot but it came back from being valeted this afternoon and looked great sparkling in the evening sunshine. It’s a great car to drive and I hang in there with it for that reason.
No reason not to buy it but don’t think it will be inexpensive to maintain. Look for a good maintenance history and pay to get the car assessed before you commit.
25% of $120,000 or $12,000?? Hope it's the latter..
I've been watching YouTube on how to and others on R230. And happened to see the "Rodeo" testing. I was very amazed by it but at the same time, it made sense on the cost to maintain. For 20 year old car doing that kind of testing.. it just wowed me. This car ages very well, I mean if it were sold today as a new model, I could still believe it.
Thank you both for the info on the Porsche. Heard about IMS bearing issue on the engine.
Between 911(996) and Cayman (987 2006-2012), equally reliable? Cayman is affordable but maybe quality/reliability is inferior to 996?
25% of $120,000 or $12,000?? Hope it's the latter..
I've been watching YouTube on how to and others on R230. And happened to see the "Rodeo" testing. I was very amazed by it but at the same time, it made sense on the cost to maintain. For 20 year old car doing that kind of testing.. it just wowed me. This car ages very well, I mean if it were sold today as a new model, I could still believe it.
Hah! No, not the new price. I meant the current value of the car. It’s easy to see an SL55 which is 20 years old costing 25% of what the car is worth each year. I was just trying to say that while the price to buy in seems very reasonable and it’s a lot of car for the money, you’re going to spend much more on maintenance. I’m expecting a bill of at least $3k for the package of work I wrote about.
you’re right though, the rodeo was a popular demonstration back in the day when people thought ABC was the best, and it was until it went wrong.
Thank you both for the info on the Porsche. Heard about IMS bearing issue on the engine.
Between 911(996) and Cayman (987 2006-2012), equally reliable? Cayman is affordable but maybe quality/reliability is inferior to 996?
Yes, back in the day, the early Boxsters and Caymans were made in Finland by a company called Valmet. Subcontracting manufacturing is far from unusual - Porsche used to make the Mercedes 500E - but the quality and reliability are linked to the car and manufacturing tech and the early Cayman and 911 of the day shared a lot.
Today, they are built on the same line in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. The 911 has always been built there, the Boxster and Cayman have moved around a bit, mainly to meet varying demand.
The Stuttgart Porsche manufacturing plant, viewed from the museum across the street.
Hah! No, not the new price. I meant the current value of the car. It’s easy to see an SL55 which is 20 years old costing 25% of what the car is worth each year. I was just trying to say that while the price to buy in seems very reasonable and it’s a lot of car for the money, you’re going to spend much more on maintenance. I’m expecting a bill of at least $3k for the package of work I wrote about.
you’re right though, the rodeo was a popular demonstration back in the day when people thought ABC was the best, and it was until it went wrong.
That's what I thought. :-) Thank you for the confirmation.
25% of current value of car is much better than $20K/year which I was told by a tech. :-)
Was there any year that you did not have any issue with the car? Do you drive it often? I probably drive here and there as I work from home. So I won't put lots of miles.
What an educating info! I did not know that Porsche made 500E. You must have worked for Porsche before? :-)
Will check 996 and Cayman also before I make up my mind on SL.
Never worked for Porsche but owned them since 1981 and pre-COVID, I used to visit the factory once or twice a year, you learn a lot.
There’s no reason not to buy an older car but you should go into it with your eyes open, get it checked out and look for evidence of regular maintenance. If the basics have been skipped, you may be storing up trouble. Normal routine maintenance is not bad, it’s when parts fail which were expected to last for the lifetime of the car that things get expensive.
An older car like this is not really suited to being a daily driver, it’s an interesting car for the weekend and summer trips. Keep it in the dry on a trickle charger when you are not using it and, especially with an R230, make sure water is not leaking into the trunk.
I took mine to the dealer yesterday for the work I mentioned, spring sunshine, roof down, I took the back roads and enjoyed the drive. They gave me a loaner, a current E class estate, ludicrously long, it felt like I was driving a hearse with a gaming machine for a dash, all touch screen and swirling graphics. Pretty dull to drive and none of the driver engagement you get from an SL, still less a Porsche or a Ferrari. Driving the two back to back made me think that if this is 20 years of progress, I’ll pass, thanks.
Good luck with your search and enjoy whatever you buy. Let us know!!
The SL55 and the magnificent Millau viaduct in southern France.
Thanks for sharing the pics! Beautiful scenery with the beauty. Actually SL55 is the beauty and the beast. lol when everything is in working condition, beauty but once something starts breaking down, the BEAST!
04-21-2022, 12:43 PM
