Mercedes SL500 - R230

[RZ1]

I have always liked the Mercedes SL, I've always really liked the R129 and then when the R230 came out i thought it was a lovely looking car. Loved the idea of the folding metal roof as never been a fan of the canvas roof, and thought they were wonderful looking cars, but the thought of ABC suspension issues was always something that scared me.

A couple of weeks ago i happened to see a SL500 for sale and it was only down the road from me, gave the guy a call and had a long chat with him. Seemed really genuine and a very nice guy so i decided to go take a look at it, i had told him i was still pondering and was not likely to buy one just yet, but he was still more than willing for me to take a wander over and take me for a spin in it.

So i went and had a look and it was even better then i had thought, it was the first SL i have ever sat in, he took me for a spin round the block and it felt very nice, we get back to his and he asks me what i think, my response.....
Will you accept a bank transfer?

Its the first time i have ever made such an impulsive decision, we agreed on a price based on me checking all the paper work and me driving it myself, so we went out for another spin, this time me behind the wheel. I instantly had a massive smile on my face. Took it out for about 30 mins then headed back, filled out the paper work, did the bank transfer and then took a wander down the road to grab some lunch whilst the funds cleared.

A few hours later I'm back home with a new car, wife was not too impressed as i told her i was just intrigued and had no intention to buy it, well that was the truth. Took her for a spin and she very quickly changed her mind and suggested that i get her added to the insurance too :-)

So i now own a SL500 with a decent level of kit:
Heated & Cooled Seats, Bose Sound, Auto Xenons, Keyless Entry and start, Bluetooth, Linguatronic and am amazing V8 engine.

Everything seems to work except i can't figure out what the little rotary dial on the seats is for, numbered 1-5 but does not do anything. Also no idea how the linguatronic thing works, plus one of the keyless key card things says its not recognised, luckily the other one works, but also have 2 normal keys as a backup too.
The TV does not work, but i don't care about that, the Sat Nav is not great as does not show that a local road is now only one way and i have no idea what the strange seats belts looking things in the back are for. The owner has now found the manual and is going to drop it off at the weekend

Its not great on fuel around town, but then again its a V8 and it won't be my every day car, however i have been using it every day since having bought it....

Edited by RZ1 on Thursday 21st May 16:28

[Hi]

Nice purchase!

The seat belts in the back are to hold luggage, you can plug them in lower down to go over a luggage bag etc.

The dial on the seats sounds like it will be for massage seats, put up a pic if you can.

The TV won'the work as it's analogue, it can be modified to run a digital signal but you'don't have to have a search on Google. Edit, http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t...

Sat navigation can probably be updated but not 100% sure on that.

Edited by Hi on Thursday 21st May 16:43

[V12 AMG]

Push yourself firmly into the seat and roll the dial. You should feel the air pocket inside the seat back inflating or deflating to increase or decrease lumbar support.

Roll the dial quickly from 1-5 to feel the change easily.

[television]

Hello, lovely cars I have had 2. If you find that the wheel that operates the multi contour backrest does not work, it will probably be a broken vacuum pipe under the seats.

If you want to convert the existing TV to digi it was me who did the articles in the link above.

The keyless card does need batteries, do check them, a new one cost £160 but has to be programmed to the car

[RZ1]

Thanks for all the feedback.

It seems you are right and the rotary switch on the seats is for the lumbar support, i will check the vacuum pipes under the seats over the weekend. Is it normal for both to stop working though?

Im not ging to bother with the TV, the reality is i will never use it so going to leave it as it is.

I have noticed the last few days that i seem to get a pool of water under the car, is this just the air con?

Is it straightforward t change the batteries in the key card myself, do i need to do anything to pair it back to the car once the new batteries are in?

[CarsOrBikes]

Water is most likely a/c, batteries are easy to change, but can't remember if the card needs anything else, and the ABC oil can be changed for at least some peace of mind if it's been a previous concern. I think the seat lumbar can be a coding thing too if not a pipe off just under the roller switch.

[W8aMinute]

The air line to the passenger seat comes from the driver's side so if both have stopped working it's probably due to a leaky pipe. I had the same thing on my CL when I got it - some plastic piping from a pet shop, a couple of small cable ties and some flexible superglue sorted it out. You might need to pull a fuse (not sure which on the SL) to reset the PSE pump once the pipe has been repaired.