Mercedes sl500 r230
Discussion
Hi man this question comes up often enough so might explain non response. On page 2 you'll see myself and others answered the same question from another poster so that should guide you.
Plenty about this model on the net particularly horror stories but when they are going they are brilliant. I hope that helps.
Plenty about this model on the net particularly horror stories but when they are going they are brilliant. I hope that helps.
I bought a 2007 350 for summer commuting duties and the tops been down since I bought it in April, it has been a lucky charm!. I decided against the 500 as I didn’t want any hydraulic suspension expense however I’ll look forward to such delights on a 55 AMG once my 80mile a day commute comes to an end!
That said, I love the car despite being a BMW fanboy all my life. It can be frustratingly slow unless at the top end of the rev range so the bigger engine is definitely worth it. Things that have caught me out include:
I’m sure you will love it just as much! Happy hunting
That said, I love the car despite being a BMW fanboy all my life. It can be frustratingly slow unless at the top end of the rev range so the bigger engine is definitely worth it. Things that have caught me out include:
- Gearbox ECU failed, box gets stuck in gear - £700
- faulty volume buttons on steering wheel - £70
- new battery for electrical gadgets - £130
- new black trim panels on the rear windscreen (badly weathered) - £140
- keyless go start button doesn’t work, or passenger door sensor. Boot is sluggish too - on the to-do list
I’m sure you will love it just as much! Happy hunting
Edited by Crombers on Saturday 30th June 13:06
A few things to check for.
Active body control, struts and pump will go at some stage, if you can find one with these bits replaced already you will save a decent sum.
Boot seals on earlier cars leak and are expensive to replace. Check the boot for water ingress. The PSE pump
which operates the roof mechanism sits on the lhs boot floor along with all the electrical gubbins and is easily water damaged.
Sensotronic brake control or SBC pump has a set number of operations and when reached you will get a "brakes, visit workshop" message. The number can be checked and sometimes reset but if not a new pump will ne required.
Fuel tank baffles can break away and rattle. This used to be a tank out job but there is a guy based in London who will come to you and do an in situ repair at a very reasonable cost.
The instrument binnacle can be problematic and is a big job to take out but I don't think this is too common.
They are very battery/voltage sensitive so it would be wise to invest in a trickle charger.
The earlier cars do have rust issues particularly around the wheel arches.
I think the 7g box was introduced with the 2006 facelift but I stand to be corrected on this. I have a 2004 350 which has the 5g box.
HTH
Active body control, struts and pump will go at some stage, if you can find one with these bits replaced already you will save a decent sum.
Boot seals on earlier cars leak and are expensive to replace. Check the boot for water ingress. The PSE pump
which operates the roof mechanism sits on the lhs boot floor along with all the electrical gubbins and is easily water damaged.
Sensotronic brake control or SBC pump has a set number of operations and when reached you will get a "brakes, visit workshop" message. The number can be checked and sometimes reset but if not a new pump will ne required.
Fuel tank baffles can break away and rattle. This used to be a tank out job but there is a guy based in London who will come to you and do an in situ repair at a very reasonable cost.
The instrument binnacle can be problematic and is a big job to take out but I don't think this is too common.
They are very battery/voltage sensitive so it would be wise to invest in a trickle charger.
The earlier cars do have rust issues particularly around the wheel arches.
I think the 7g box was introduced with the 2006 facelift but I stand to be corrected on this. I have a 2004 350 which has the 5g box.
HTH
Bert-L said:
Hi thanks for the reply I think you just have to go into it with your eyes open and be prepaired to deal with any niggles that crop up.
hopefully i'll vet a good one.
If you've got £10k to spend on one then I'd respectfully suggest that you might want to think again. If you have a few problems - especially concerning the brake pump, tandem pump, shocks or PSE then you'll pay another £10K out in repairs no problem. You can buy a low mileage, FMBSH example and these things can - and probably will - happen. hopefully i'll vet a good one.
I would say that a 350 makes far, far more sense.
Cheers
That was my plan B and you are right probably need to consider that, don't won't to buy something that becomes a money pit. I'm assuming then the 350 is somewhat lighter on the pocket when it comes to spares and repairs. I do work on my own cars at the moment and quite happy to get the hands dirty .
That was my plan B and you are right probably need to consider that, don't won't to buy something that becomes a money pit. I'm assuming then the 350 is somewhat lighter on the pocket when it comes to spares and repairs. I do work on my own cars at the moment and quite happy to get the hands dirty .
Most 350's have the standard spring and shock suspension which I why I didn't go for the 500, scared of ABC issues.
Having said that the V6 is a lovely engine, mine is the 3.7litre without the potential for balancer shaft issues, and in the real world is almost as fast as the earlier 500's. It also falls into the lower tax bracket post March 2005 which is a bonus.
If you do go for the 350 post 2005 when they introduced the 3.5litre engine read up re the balancer shaft issue. This affected the earlier engines and you will be able to check engine numbers to see which are at risk.
The 3.5litre engine is as powerful as the earlier 5.0L V8's so no loss of performance either.
The only issues I have had with mine revolve around battery /low voltage if like me you only use it every couple of weeks or so. This will bring up a "convenience functions temporarily unavailable" warning and you won't be able to operate the roof and a few other functions. Normally a brisk 20 min drive will fully recharge again.
Low voltage can also throw up a few alarming other warning messages which all disappear when the battery is charged again. Leaving the car on a trickle charger attached to the convienience battery in the boot when not in use will eliminate these issues.
Having said that the V6 is a lovely engine, mine is the 3.7litre without the potential for balancer shaft issues, and in the real world is almost as fast as the earlier 500's. It also falls into the lower tax bracket post March 2005 which is a bonus.
If you do go for the 350 post 2005 when they introduced the 3.5litre engine read up re the balancer shaft issue. This affected the earlier engines and you will be able to check engine numbers to see which are at risk.
The 3.5litre engine is as powerful as the earlier 5.0L V8's so no loss of performance either.
The only issues I have had with mine revolve around battery /low voltage if like me you only use it every couple of weeks or so. This will bring up a "convenience functions temporarily unavailable" warning and you won't be able to operate the roof and a few other functions. Normally a brisk 20 min drive will fully recharge again.
Low voltage can also throw up a few alarming other warning messages which all disappear when the battery is charged again. Leaving the car on a trickle charger attached to the convienience battery in the boot when not in use will eliminate these issues.
I've had an SL500 for 15 months now and love it. Its an 03 plate, paid £9k for it. It needed a new set of boots and its just had a service and changed the pads and discs, but other than that all is good. It sits on the drive, starts first time, wife pinches it regularly. Everything works except the seat lumber pump (vacuum pump i think) but I can live with that. Off to Le Mans tomorrow in it, can't wait.
A friend also bought one at the same time, similar age and he too loves it.
A friend also bought one at the same time, similar age and he too loves it.
Monkeylegend said:
Most 350's have the standard spring and shock suspension which I why I didn't go for the 500, scared of ABC issues.
Having said that the V6 is a lovely engine, mine is the 3.7litre without the potential for balancer shaft issues, and in the real world is almost as fast as the earlier 500's. It also falls into the lower tax bracket post March 2005 which is a bonus.
If you do go for the 350 post 2005 when they introduced the 3.5litre engine read up re the balancer shaft issue. This affected the earlier engines and you will be able to check engine numbers to see which are at risk.
The 3.5litre engine is as powerful as the earlier 5.0L V8's so no loss of performance either.
The only issues I have had with mine revolve around battery /low voltage if like me you only use it every couple of weeks or so. This will bring up a "convenience functions temporarily unavailable" warning and you won't be able to operate the roof and a few other functions. Normally a brisk 20 min drive will fully recharge again.
Low voltage can also throw up a few alarming other warning messages which all disappear when the battery is charged again. Leaving the car on a trickle charger attached to the convienience battery in the boot when not in use will eliminate these issues.
So lets get this correct pre 2005 it was the 3.7 with 250bhp and post 2005 its 3.5 with 272 bhp or am i barking up the wrong tree. Did the 7g auto kick in around 2006 ? I think i would probably look at a 2007 if that was the case. Who thought buying something to use every now and again would be so difficult 🤔😐Having said that the V6 is a lovely engine, mine is the 3.7litre without the potential for balancer shaft issues, and in the real world is almost as fast as the earlier 500's. It also falls into the lower tax bracket post March 2005 which is a bonus.
If you do go for the 350 post 2005 when they introduced the 3.5litre engine read up re the balancer shaft issue. This affected the earlier engines and you will be able to check engine numbers to see which are at risk.
The 3.5litre engine is as powerful as the earlier 5.0L V8's so no loss of performance either.
The only issues I have had with mine revolve around battery /low voltage if like me you only use it every couple of weeks or so. This will bring up a "convenience functions temporarily unavailable" warning and you won't be able to operate the roof and a few other functions. Normally a brisk 20 min drive will fully recharge again.
Low voltage can also throw up a few alarming other warning messages which all disappear when the battery is charged again. Leaving the car on a trickle charger attached to the convienience battery in the boot when not in use will eliminate these issues.
Hi think this might help with the general info rather than the user experience side of things. Also for the money you might be able to afford the 5.5L V8 upgrade that came with the mild face lift (still got the nicer twin light design) or the new light design. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_SL-Cla...
Bert-L said:
So lets get this correct pre 2005 it was the 3.7 with 250bhp and post 2005 its 3.5 with 272 bhp or am i barking up the wrong tree. Did the 7g auto kick in around 2006 ? I think i would probably look at a 2007 if that was the case. Who thought buying something to use every now and again would be so difficult ????
The 3.7 is 245bhp. Not sure of the exact date for the facelift but it was post March 2005 maybe early 2006 sometime and I think it coincided with the 7g box. My 2004 has the 5g box.The 3.5 was then further revised to 305 ish bhp so on a par with the early 500's. If you go for the 3.5 just check the engine nos for the balancer shaft issues.
There is a big thread on the MBClub UK forum which will tell you all you need to know.
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