Hey everyone, I just joined the forum today and wanted to know what you think about the 230, especially the owners?
Have you run into any problems with the transmission, electrical..etc..I know ive had several oil consumption problems on my 01 bmw 325ci and its really frustrating
We are planning on getting the 230 for my mom for about 3 yrs, so do you think the car will have any major problems by then? my dad and ive heard that the quality of mb isnt that great in the US..many of our friends have had complaints..
I would really appreciate if you guys responded .. the car looks like a lot of fun and we like the fact that it is a hard top roadster!

 

I have had some annoying problems with my SLK.
Only one was mechanical, but that was a one time shot that the dealership resolved very quickly. Seems the latches on the roof were made of a metal that was a little on the soft side. The friction would cause burrs that would prevent the roof from detaching from the windshield. MB knews about this and It was resolved in all later models by using a slightly different latch. When I brought mine in, they replaced them and had the car back to me before the end of the work day.
I have however had about 5 electrical problems that were mildly annoying. The problems themselves were not too bad, but the mechanics at my dealership had no clue as to what was causing them. This resulted in me bringing the car back 3-5 times per issue. To me, it seemed that unless my dealership had the resolution in the worldwide database MB used, they were unable to troubleshoot the issue. Overall, none of these problems were ones that made the car undriveable or posed any type of safety problem. After the initial bugs were worked out, the car has been rock solid with no problems. Aside from the defective latches, I have had NO mechanical problems and have to say this car is a dream to own/drive. It is quick and nimble, and is jsut plain fun. If you don't value my opinion, Take a major car company's opinion instead. Lexus obviously thinks the SLK is such a kewl car, that they had to try and make a clone!!!!!!!!

GET ONE!!!
You will not be sorry.

 

Thanks a lot for that info. We are gonna go back to the dealership this afternoon to have my mom test drive! I really hope she likes it b/c I want to drive it too!!

 

Well, I'm not an owner, but I probably know every nut, bolt, and problem area better than any SLK owner on this website. The SLK230 is a great car, one of least-seen cars in the repair shop, so don't let this list of problem deter you. I'd buy one, and thats high praise coming from someone as jaded on Benzes as me.

-Taillight assemblies melt internally, usually after the brake lights have been on for a long time such as at a train crossing. This causes the bulb to stop working, but the bulb is not bad, the whole taillight has to be replaced.

-Retractable hardtop sometimes stops in mid-travel, due to sticky limit switches in the header latches.

-Bulbs in the climate control unit commonly go out

-Washer level warning and coolant level warning lights sometimes come on, even though the levels of both fluids are fine. Both sensors share the same circuit, so if one malfunctions, they both get replaced. Sort of like Christmas tree lights, if one goes out, they all go out.

-Washer fluid reservoir leaks, fairly common

Notice that none of these problems are vital, or would leave the car stranded. The engine never breaks in these cars, they are extremely reliable. This is a very light car, so the drivetrain components don't get much stress put on them, they last a long time. I've resealed a leaky differential one time on an SLK, and that's the only drivetrain work I've ever had to do to one. There's a man in Indiana I've heard of that has a '98 SLK with 400,000 miles on it. He's a traveling salesman, so his car in pretty much constantly on the road. They're great cars.

 

Here are some other problems that haven't been mentioned and these are THE most common complaints that affect every single model year SLK from 1998 to 2002.

1. The paint chips very easily. All SLKs have this problem, All Mercedes-Benz vehicles have this problem, and pretty much all German cars have this problem due to their paint formulas. Both my '99 SLK230 and my '02 SLK32 AMG have this problem.

2. The two-tone interiors are VERY fragile. If you get a chance, see if you can find an SLK in for service and take a look at the door pulls and console area around the handbrake lever and the shift knob. I have yet to see a used SLK with a two-tone interior that did not have any chips or scratches in those areas.

What happens is that the thin colored coating on those parts gets scraped, scratched, or chipped off (or in at least two cases I know of, it just peels off by itself, in places where it's never even been touched like the back of the console), and the scratched areas expose the black plastic underneath. The solid charcoal interiors also have the problem, but it's much harder to notice because the black plastic is very close to the same color as the charcoal coating. My '99 SLK230 had this problem, my SLK32 AMG does not (all SLK32s have solid charcoal in the affected areas).

3. The infamous C-pillar rub. I'd guess at least 20% of all SLKs have this problem (it was much higher going by a poll taken at a big SLK meet in Germany a couple years ago). If you have it, the car will develop a spot on one of the rear C-pillars. What happens is that the C-pillar touches the trunk liner when the top is folded and the vibrations that occor while driving cause it to rub right through the paint. The solutions are numerous, including using a heat gun to reshape the trunk liner (scary, but effective), removing and re-installing the trunk liner (usually does NOT work), installing felt on the trunk liner where the C-pillar touches it (not a permanent solution), and putting washers under the stops that hold the roof inside the trunk (most logical solution). My 2002 SLK32 AMG had this problem at delivery, but my '99 SLK230 never had the problem.

4. Check engine light comes on for no apparent reason. About 80% of the time when this happens, you can just remove the gas cap and put it back on tightly and the light will go out the next day. The light is indicating a leak in the fuel vapor recovery systems (a federal requirement) and the problem is that the cap isn't making a perfect seal. My '99 SLK230 had this problem once.

The interesting thing is that all of these problems are all really minor but they're annoying, especially to first-time M-B/luxury car owners who think their expensive new Mercedes is never going to have a problem. I knew about all of these problems, including the ones that mbtech208 listed, and I even experienced a few of them, but I still bought another SLK.

 

I wonder why you guys never told me when I asked the same question a year ago?

Anyway BenzChik02, I hope your Mom likes the car and buys it! You both will have a great time with it.

Just like Brian, I had a 99 SLK230 and still got another......SLK32 with a lots more punch for the bucks.

Good luck!

 

Same here Beng!

But, sometimes you just do your homework and KNOW you're buying the right car. You (and your mom) will love it... and never regret it.

 

Apologies for resurecting a long-dead post but I have a query guys...

I have a 29000mile 5 year old SLK 230 which I have just had serviced by my dealer here in the UK. The service was OK except for a small leak on the side of the rear differential - ie facing the inside of the rear tire. The dealer told me it didn't need doing immediately and I should just keep an eye out for drips on the driveway - he did fill it up again. He told me it was £400 to replace - so I don't mind delaying the expenditure while the leak is small.

Anyway i searched the board and found this post where mbtech says he has resealed the diff. I didn't discuss this with the service tech I saw at the garage but I'm interested in this if it is an option. mbtech - is this a long term solution?? has anyone else run into this problem??

Thanks for any suggestions.

lonny.

 

I have a 2003 slk230. The right brake light wont come on. The bulb is fine. The left is fine as well. I switched bulbs and the right worked in the left but the left didn't work in the right. Could there be something wrong with the housing? Please help!!

 

Welcome. I thoroughly enjoy my '99 SLK 230. Manual transmission. I plan on modding it just a little soon.

 

There was a recall regarding the taillights, go to a MB dealer to see if the fix was done on your car.

 

one other thing to add to the list of things to watch for is the hydraulic cylinder for the hardtop release latch. According to my service tech, after about 10 years (sometimes shorter or longer depending on the # of times the top is lowered) this cylinder will go bad. When that happens it can leak hydraulic fluid onto the headliner, causing wrinkles. This repair cost me about $1000 to fix, which means it's probably $3000 at a stealership.

For anyone looking at buying an older SLK, do yourself a favor and ask the previous owner if this has ever been an issue. If they say no, budget to fix it later and the moment your top won't unlatch take it to get the cylinder replaced.

Other than that, the only other thing I'll add is that SLK parts are EXPENSIVE!! When I bought mine in 2008 I didn't fully appreciate just how expensive every little thing was. I've probably spent an additional $5K on repairs and the list is not nearly long enough to justify that kind of money. Here's everything I can think of that I've had to do to my SLK (in addition to the normal oil changes and other routine maintenance):

Crank position sensor (self installed), cam position sensor (self installed), MAF (self installed), K&N air filters, coolant overflow tank cracked (stealership replace), windshield washer nossles (independent shop replace), hardtop hydraulic cylinder (independent shop replace), secondary air pump (independent shop replace).

 

I just bought my 98 slk230 a month ago and radio only picks up 1 radio station anyone else with this problem?

 

My 98 SLK has an active antenna amp. located inside boot, left side. behind hard plastic liner and just under the antenna mounting (if your 230 is same as mine) you will find the amp---- you probably have a bad amp, loose coax connecter or not getting 12VDC to amp. Good luck!!!

 

I will have to look and see when it gets warm here in MD
thanks for info

 

I just bought a 2001 SLK230. The radio reception sucked! I notice someone added an FM adapter for an iPod or phone. Since it connected through the antenna I thought this was the problem. While I was at it I replaced the head unit with a new Kenwood HD radio. Reception is even worse.

Do you know if the 2001 has the same amp? is it in the same place? I took off the cover in the trunk and checked to see if the antenna was loose. Its very tight in there so I just felt around, didn't feel a loose connection or an amp of any kind.

 

I never took mine apart to see. I just play CDs and my daughter has one of those cassette things to play her i-pod with.
lazy me! I would like to know but sounds out of my league with electrical stuff and the radio so involved with everything else in thr car

 

Where is the antenna amp? I only get one station, a local one,... but when I first installed this radio I got all FM stations but they were kind of fuzzy... not clear. Any suggestions?

 

Where is the antenna amp? I only get one station, a local one,... but when I first installed this radio I got all FM stations but they were kind of fuzzy... not clear. Any suggestions?

 

Hi guys,

M slk 230 1999 glove box has fallen off and it doesnt seem like it will fit in again. Any suggestions on what to do? Does an one know where i can find a replacement ?

Is looking really ugly so suggestions are welcome.

Thanks