Just picked up my new SLK 350, 2005 vintage and with 15000 miles on the clock - mint condition & fully loaded.

I have been reading this brilliant forum for weeks before buying so i felt i should get back to everyone after taking possession.... however although the drive was incredible and looks stunning according to family, it is already back at MB - maybe people here would like to comment on the following...

1. Oil Smoke / Oil Leak / Engine tapping/roughness - drove it 50 miles, quite hard, and warning message comes on to fill it up with oil at next refuel. I duly refuelled (in error i used regular unleaded although I have learnt on this forum it is not a problem and MB say that the timing adjust automatically and there should be no problem with knocking as long - still they recommend 95 RON fuel). I used the recommended spec oil and only filled up 1 litre as I understand overfilling is worse than underfilling. As I continue driving sweet white smoke appears from the bonnet and the rear (although not sure if via the engine bay or the exhaust). I figured it is the few drops of oil that i spilt because no oil container never has a spout! Anyhow after 20 miles, still loads of smoke, so decide it could be a problem. Got home and called up Mobilife support. Amazing service. Not trying to get out of obligation - very understanding. They arranged for someone to come to my house on Sunday. Mechanic arrives and says before i open my mouth that smelling the radiator grille (last drove the night before!) there is an oil leak. Wow. He opens up and removes the plastic shild to reveal a rocker cover with loads of oil all over it. I told him the histroy as recounted to you above and he said that the leak is NOT an overfill and he suspects that the rocker cover has a minor crack causing a leak which is dripping down onto the exhaust manifold causing smoke. He checks oil level - empty but no warning in car. He says this is why the engine may sound a little rough with a very quiet ticking at idle. He assures me it is not the fuel.

- HELP please - How come there is no oil measurement gauge in the car (only the dipstick) - manual says there is one - i can' t find it (have comand if that matters). The only engine 'gauge' i can find is the water temperature on the OS.

- SICKLY CHILD - Is this car a frail little car that must be driven at 50% of it's potential or can you actually use the car as a sports car? I mean i didn;t really hammer the car - just took it out for a good drive. The advertsing from MB talks of 0-60 mph in 5.5 secs for the auto which i have. Can you actually drive the thing without getting engine problems? I used to have an MR2 from toyota - sure it was only a little 1.8 but you could drive it on the rev limitter from london to paris (i did) and it would be happy as anything. If i wanted a boulevard cruiser i would have got something else. Do you guys drive the cars to their limits (don't mean track days - but occasional bursts and enjoying fun mountain passes with several gear changes etc.)


2. Condensation in indicator units on windmirrors. I have noticed that both sides have minor condensation inside. Does anyone have insight into this. They look like they have never been touched and are in mint condition. Wondered if all are like this.

3. Swapping out CD changer for powered iPOD - I have the CD changer taking up valuable space in the glovebox and want to swap it out for the iPOD kit that people talk about on this forum - unfortunately no-one has mentioned where to get the kit from or how to fix it. What does anyone think about splicing off the CD changer's power and just playing playlists. I actually have a Sony Walkman mp3 player - does that work with this kit? I notice someone has said in this forum that they have a DVD disk with 8gigs of mp3s on. I presume this is a DL disk. Can the COMAND system read this? Perhaps I will make 6 of these and use the CD Changer as a very expensive cd case :-)

Any help appreciated - sorry for long post
pangaea

 

Sorry for your oil problems.

You can measure the oil this way...
First, make sure the car is level.
1) turn ignition on to second click
2) use arrow buttons on steering wheel to bring up odometer
3) press the reset button (on side of tach) 3 times fast.
(the display between the tacs will display 12 volts. it is now in service mode. use the arrows until you get to oil level. it will measure oil now.

Caution. This is all from memory. I'm sure you can do a search and find the steps as well. If you access the wrong menu, you can negatively affect your car.

I had condensation in my turn signal. I bought the car new and they replaced them once I brought it to their attention.

The car should be able to be driven hard.

There's all the answers I have. Good luck.

 

thanks for reply - i will report back to forum on how dealer treated me and how they solve the problem. so far they have called me 5 times over weekend and i couldn't be more delighted with their efforts to take prob seriously. C Class arriving tomorrow morning to tide me over.

can i just tax you further - no strings dont worry

- am i 'allowed' into service mode - is there a reason why it isn't pretty straight forward or in the manual. this is a UK car with comand. i noticed other people talk about a message saying "add 1 quart". mine just said refill oil.

- condensation in turn signal. I will try what you suggest but i have found a MB service bulletin sayng this is normal - here's the link..... even the picture is identical:
http://www.alldata.com/tsb/Mercedes-...-48/index.html

- glad i can drive it hard

** amazed at how many knowledgable and helpful people there are on this board. I will definately keep in touch and let everyone benefit from my experience. I have found ourt so much from others

 

pangaea, It is important for you to include your location in your profile because some of the advice that you get will depend on where you live. The specifications vary from one country to another. This is good advice to all members. Please add your location and the type of SLK that you own.

 

I don't think we are supposed to be in the service mode. Otherwise, it would be listed in the manual. It is simply a trick forum members found. You can also deactivate ESP, DSC, and BAS which is basically putting the car into Dyno mode.

 

thanks - just did it

 

right ok - will do with extreme caution - thanks

 

you put your info in your signature. that is ok but you should put it in your 'edit profile section' section. then it will appear under your avatar on the left

 

Just got car back from MB

They said the oil filler cap had cracked or the seals were broken. OIl was leaking out of the top and spilling onto hot engine parts, hense the smoke

I can't explain why there was oil on the road where i parked perhaps this was just oil that had leaked during the drive and had yet to drip off the engine parts.

Took for a good drive (raining so not hard) but long one on motorway and no problems at all - except it feels a bit slower - not when going through the gears to max revs but when at 3000 and just putting foot down without changing. (now i am becoming a hypochondriac!)

I took the car back but on the condition that this was phase one. If the problem reoccurs, i will be back to the same service dept. They were extremely helpful and I cannot at any stage fault MB service.

They even took me to meet the mechanic working on the car. I couldn't beleive the care they had taken over it.

Also left me a newspaper on the front seat on collection and fully valleted inside an out

- I will keep the forum posted

- also the ticking noise is still there - the tappets. the dealer said that the noise was because of the lack of oil but now it is supposed to be full up. Does anyone else have very quiet ticking noise when engine is idling?

Pangaea

 

Just to update the thread

1. now been driving for several days and no repeat of oil smoke
2. checking dipstick daily (cold and level) - looks like they over filled it but oil-level not falling at all
3. still feel power is less than before but that could be that i am used to it
4. the clicking noise is there - louder when car is war. had the MB service people have a listen. they said they could hear it but it was normal. i think i might have to test-drive another 350SLK at another dealership and see if this is true. only 1 year warranty left.

thanks for all comments and help

 

just out of curiosity did you buy it off ebay ?