R230 sl350 info.
Discussion
Good evening,
I am looking at 2004 sl350 r230 but was looking for some clarification. Do these cars have an automatic gearbox? I have read they have sequential manuals???
Do they have air suspension, adaptive dampers or good old regular suspension?
Is there any major worries? I know these cars are nearly 20 years old now.
I am looking at 2004 sl350 r230 but was looking for some clarification. Do these cars have an automatic gearbox? I have read they have sequential manuals???
Do they have air suspension, adaptive dampers or good old regular suspension?
Is there any major worries? I know these cars are nearly 20 years old now.
That model came with steel springs as standard, with air springs as an option (hardly any were supplied with air).
ALL have automatic gearboxes. You can also manually change gear by moving the gear stick left/right to change up/down, however, the underlying technology is of an automatic gearbox. So, manual gearshifts need to be 'anticipated'. In reality, once you know what the time delay is between moving the gear lever and the box actually shifting this can be rather satisfying. When changing down the box you can still rev match with the throttle to speed up the shifts.
ALL have automatic gearboxes. You can also manually change gear by moving the gear stick left/right to change up/down, however, the underlying technology is of an automatic gearbox. So, manual gearshifts need to be 'anticipated'. In reality, once you know what the time delay is between moving the gear lever and the box actually shifting this can be rather satisfying. When changing down the box you can still rev match with the throttle to speed up the shifts.
Ian-27xza said:
ALL have automatic gearboxes.
Not quite correct, the early SL350 was available with the short-lived "SEQUENTRONIC" transmission as standard, but was gone by about '06. It was a 6-speed robotised manual, similar to BMW's SMG. I worked at a Mercedes dealer at the time and went on the introduction course for it. Nice idea with a few little tricks like a "creep" function for when sat in traffic, but it was quite fragile in practice and was prone to a few expensive failures. Added to the fact that the robust 722.6 automatic option was available for about £700 more, means there aren't many around.
I've never used one in an SL, but have experienced the sequential box in contemporary CLK and C-Class models, and couldn't really find any advantages over the torque converter auto. The biggest negative for me was that the shift function on the gear lever was backwards and counterintuitive. Anyone used to watching touring cars or rallying over the years where sequential shifting is well established, changing up was always by pulling the lever back towards you, and changing down was done by pushing away...for some reason Mercedes did it backwards on the Sequentronic!
Agree with above about auto and “Sequentronic”. Very few of the latter around and I wouldn’t bother with it.
The very early SL350 has the old 5 speed auto and it’s very strong. Only known issue is the failure of a pin in the selector mechanism that means you can’t get out of park. The later one has the 7G which I believe is more fragile.
The early R230 chassis isn’t very well rust protected and you might find some nasty surprises underneath.
They leak. The roof mechanism is poorly designed and the seals are tensioned in a way that causes them to detach from the c pillars and base of the rear screen. The roof rattles.
The suspension is complex and expensive to repair. Even the standard steel suspension which, if worn, will require many joints and bushes.
Tyres are expensive. Brake friction parts cheap.
The SBC (brake controller) is needlessly complex and has a pump that is, in effect, a service item.
Headlamps might be going milky by now and they cost a fortune. The SL350 has single xenons as standard, other models bi-xenon.
Parking sensors are optional, which is criminal for such a high end car.
I had an intermittent dashboard problem where one of the led outputs went dark. Never knew why, it self healed.
The climate control buttons are very elegant and well designed and the quality of the interior puts any modern merc to shame.
If you have deep pockets and a garage, go for it.
The very early SL350 has the old 5 speed auto and it’s very strong. Only known issue is the failure of a pin in the selector mechanism that means you can’t get out of park. The later one has the 7G which I believe is more fragile.
The early R230 chassis isn’t very well rust protected and you might find some nasty surprises underneath.
They leak. The roof mechanism is poorly designed and the seals are tensioned in a way that causes them to detach from the c pillars and base of the rear screen. The roof rattles.
The suspension is complex and expensive to repair. Even the standard steel suspension which, if worn, will require many joints and bushes.
Tyres are expensive. Brake friction parts cheap.
The SBC (brake controller) is needlessly complex and has a pump that is, in effect, a service item.
Headlamps might be going milky by now and they cost a fortune. The SL350 has single xenons as standard, other models bi-xenon.
Parking sensors are optional, which is criminal for such a high end car.
I had an intermittent dashboard problem where one of the led outputs went dark. Never knew why, it self healed.
The climate control buttons are very elegant and well designed and the quality of the interior puts any modern merc to shame.
If you have deep pockets and a garage, go for it.
In addition to the above the fuel tank baffles can come loose and cause rattling in the tank. It used to be a tank out job but there are people who now repair them in situ.
They are also sensitive to small drops in voltage and suffer battery drain which can result in the car shutting down some of the convenience functions like to roof operation and central locking until the auxiliary battery is back up to full charge.
Nobody has mentioned the balancer shaft issue with the early 3.5 litre engine from 2005 to about 2007. There is a list of engine numbers affected if you do a search. The earlier 3.7 litre engine is ok though.
Lovely cars if you get a good one with proper service history and garaged all it's life.
They are also sensitive to small drops in voltage and suffer battery drain which can result in the car shutting down some of the convenience functions like to roof operation and central locking until the auxiliary battery is back up to full charge.
Nobody has mentioned the balancer shaft issue with the early 3.5 litre engine from 2005 to about 2007. There is a list of engine numbers affected if you do a search. The earlier 3.7 litre engine is ok though.
Lovely cars if you get a good one with proper service history and garaged all it's life.
Hi Jumpinjackflash,
Have an SL350 for sale. It's a 2004 (54) with 46,000 miles. Full history both main dealer and specialist.
Had it 6 yrs and only done 5000 miles during that time.
Had its B service 3 weeks ago. Drove it back from the garage, parked it in my garage and it has not moved since. Did less than 500 miles between services.
Lovely car, but just doesn't get used. If you think it might of interest please contact me.
Have an SL350 for sale. It's a 2004 (54) with 46,000 miles. Full history both main dealer and specialist.
Had it 6 yrs and only done 5000 miles during that time.
Had its B service 3 weeks ago. Drove it back from the garage, parked it in my garage and it has not moved since. Did less than 500 miles between services.
Lovely car, but just doesn't get used. If you think it might of interest please contact me.
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