SLK 230 - what are the pitfalls?
Discussion
Hi all,
looking for a bit of advice please; my Wife fancies getting an SLK 230, probably a late nineties model. I know very little about Mercedes myself, so I'm hoping the folks on this forum can tell me what to be wary of. I'm thinking mechanical issues, rust problem areas etc., rather than best colour for resale or which is faster/more economical type of info. Condition and reliability are the key points for her, and the budget is £6-7K
I know cars, and have no problem checking them over myself, I just have very little knowledge of this model or Mercedes generally TBH. I have googled the subject but there either wasn't much good info, or so much info that you need to trawl through loads of irrelevant stuff to find the odd useful bit.
I have learned that the auto is reputedly better than the manual due to quality of the manual change?
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give, and apologies if this has been done to death before - I couldn't find it on the search.
looking for a bit of advice please; my Wife fancies getting an SLK 230, probably a late nineties model. I know very little about Mercedes myself, so I'm hoping the folks on this forum can tell me what to be wary of. I'm thinking mechanical issues, rust problem areas etc., rather than best colour for resale or which is faster/more economical type of info. Condition and reliability are the key points for her, and the budget is £6-7K
I know cars, and have no problem checking them over myself, I just have very little knowledge of this model or Mercedes generally TBH. I have googled the subject but there either wasn't much good info, or so much info that you need to trawl through loads of irrelevant stuff to find the odd useful bit.
I have learned that the auto is reputedly better than the manual due to quality of the manual change?
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give, and apologies if this has been done to death before - I couldn't find it on the search.
The missus has a 1999 230 SLK
Main points - rust under the wheel arches and bootlid- some will have been repaired under warranty but at the age you are looking most will be just be outside ( MB is 8 years and full MBSH)
Apart from that they are pretty much bulletproof. They are quick enough but the 4 pot engine can sound a bit harsh sometimes when pressing on
there are plenty out there so take your time and choose a good one
Main points - rust under the wheel arches and bootlid- some will have been repaired under warranty but at the age you are looking most will be just be outside ( MB is 8 years and full MBSH)
Apart from that they are pretty much bulletproof. They are quick enough but the 4 pot engine can sound a bit harsh sometimes when pressing on
there are plenty out there so take your time and choose a good one
Have a browse on www.mbclub.co.uk
Rust on bodywork as previously mentioned and rust underneath are probably the main things to look for.
Check the colour of the auto trans fluid. The 722.6 gearbox was designed to be filled for life but after about 40K miles the fluid will have turned a manky brown colour. It should be refilled and the transmission filter replaced. Not a hard job to do yourself but budget about £200 for a garage to do it for you.
Rust on bodywork as previously mentioned and rust underneath are probably the main things to look for.
Check the colour of the auto trans fluid. The 722.6 gearbox was designed to be filled for life but after about 40K miles the fluid will have turned a manky brown colour. It should be refilled and the transmission filter replaced. Not a hard job to do yourself but budget about £200 for a garage to do it for you.
They are great cars, very reliable and well-constructed. There are loads out there, so find a good one.
Rust, as mentioned.
Transmission service, as mentioned.
Throttle body sometimes needs cleaning.
K40 relay can cause stalling issues.
Driver's door window sometimes fails to seal properly. Usually needs a new glass due to a little guide notch breaking off.
Wheels corrode.
Interior trim paint flakes off.
Avoid accident damaged cars.
Heated seats are worth having, as in any convertible.
One in my family has now done 130,000 miles with no significant problems. Personally I prefer the pre-facelift design: it is very pure and unadorned and surely will be a future classic.
Rust, as mentioned.
Transmission service, as mentioned.
Throttle body sometimes needs cleaning.
K40 relay can cause stalling issues.
Driver's door window sometimes fails to seal properly. Usually needs a new glass due to a little guide notch breaking off.
Wheels corrode.
Interior trim paint flakes off.
Avoid accident damaged cars.
Heated seats are worth having, as in any convertible.
One in my family has now done 130,000 miles with no significant problems. Personally I prefer the pre-facelift design: it is very pure and unadorned and surely will be a future classic.
Edited by r129sl on Wednesday 5th August 12:02
My wife has a V-reg 230K auto, we tested both the auto and manual, and the auto is definitely the one to go for.
Aside from that and the aforementioned ATF change and rust issues, can't think of that much really. If you can find a good local indy to work on it, that's a real plus.
Test the roof functions properly all the way through the operating cycle, bring it up and down a few times when testing. Make sure everything fits snugly with the roof, it can become slight misaligned and leak water on occasion. Any sort of electrical roof problems, just walk away.
I've seen quite a few SLKs of this age with condensation is the headlights, but I've read its an easy fix to reseal them.
Make sure the rear drain holes are cleared, one either side next to the rear bumper. When I drained ours, litres of water came out.
We had ours for a year now, done 16k in it, had two services and four new tyres, but so far its not missed a beat and was great as a mini-GT in the winter. Off in it next week to do 3,000+ miles to Italy and back.
Aside from that and the aforementioned ATF change and rust issues, can't think of that much really. If you can find a good local indy to work on it, that's a real plus.
Test the roof functions properly all the way through the operating cycle, bring it up and down a few times when testing. Make sure everything fits snugly with the roof, it can become slight misaligned and leak water on occasion. Any sort of electrical roof problems, just walk away.
I've seen quite a few SLKs of this age with condensation is the headlights, but I've read its an easy fix to reseal them.
Make sure the rear drain holes are cleared, one either side next to the rear bumper. When I drained ours, litres of water came out.
We had ours for a year now, done 16k in it, had two services and four new tyres, but so far its not missed a beat and was great as a mini-GT in the winter. Off in it next week to do 3,000+ miles to Italy and back.
Gazzab said:
Also the engine is a horrible one. If you like cars and like driving then you may find this engine pretty horrid. I certainly did in my CLK (auto Kompressor). Very noisey, weedy, poor MPG....
Have to agree on this. the engines are agricultural. Try and spend a bit more and get a 320. That is a peach of a car (the most 'sursprisingly good' car I ever owned)Hi Redbull
I am probably selling the 230K I purchased for my GF 3 months ago in September. I looked at many in May/June and this was ne of the better I could find, and they are rarely under 100k miles at this age (although they go forever supposedly). The reason for the sale is that we now have 3 cars, and the GF has just quit her job so.....
Its a silver withblack leather, 86-87k miles with a upgraded stereo on a V plate. I purchased for 5.5k in June and put it through the big B service (plugs, transmission oil etc) at £550 and fitted 2 new rear tyres. It has a very small dent on one of the doors that was there when I purchased but would be a "Dentman" job (and of minimal economic importance
. I haven't spotted any rust but inspection welcome and some very minor marks in line with a 10 year old car. The brake pads are half worn according to my specialist.
PM me if you look around and get a bit stressed out - as there are some funny 230's out there (imho). This car should of course not be needing anything for a year. Good luck, and it would be interestig to hear how you get on (as I did the same exercise 2 months ago).
I am probably selling the 230K I purchased for my GF 3 months ago in September. I looked at many in May/June and this was ne of the better I could find, and they are rarely under 100k miles at this age (although they go forever supposedly). The reason for the sale is that we now have 3 cars, and the GF has just quit her job so.....
Its a silver withblack leather, 86-87k miles with a upgraded stereo on a V plate. I purchased for 5.5k in June and put it through the big B service (plugs, transmission oil etc) at £550 and fitted 2 new rear tyres. It has a very small dent on one of the doors that was there when I purchased but would be a "Dentman" job (and of minimal economic importance
. I haven't spotted any rust but inspection welcome and some very minor marks in line with a 10 year old car. The brake pads are half worn according to my specialist.PM me if you look around and get a bit stressed out - as there are some funny 230's out there (imho). This car should of course not be needing anything for a year. Good luck, and it would be interestig to hear how you get on (as I did the same exercise 2 months ago).
Hi Christer,
thanks for the info, but I'm afraid that silver is a no-no for her. Like me, she doesn't like silver cars. It has to be yellow, turquoise, or red, and aroudn 50K miles or so. She has compromised on colour in the past in favour of condition and mileage etc. But this time I have advised her to hold firm for exactly what she wants, as we expect she will want to own the Merc for a long time. There are 1 or 2 on Auto Trader that we're thinking of looking at. I'll update the thread when we get one, but we're not in a hurry so we have time to get exactly what she wants.
thanks for the info, but I'm afraid that silver is a no-no for her. Like me, she doesn't like silver cars. It has to be yellow, turquoise, or red, and aroudn 50K miles or so. She has compromised on colour in the past in favour of condition and mileage etc. But this time I have advised her to hold firm for exactly what she wants, as we expect she will want to own the Merc for a long time. There are 1 or 2 on Auto Trader that we're thinking of looking at. I'll update the thread when we get one, but we're not in a hurry so we have time to get exactly what she wants.
Hi Redbull
Good luck with your search then, and as you say if she wants a particular colour even if it makes it less easy to shift (potentially), this won't be an issue if you keep it for a good while.
My main tips are that SLK's prices seem to be all over the place and on several occasions a car was posted up as FSH, when really it was nowhere near. Very frustrating. One in particular at a Turbocentre in London (forget the full name) had 120k miles on the clock with FSH advertised. When we went through the book (and trust me that did not take very long) I actually found that according to the book anyway it had not been services from around 45k miles to 118k or so. The salesperson did acknoweldge only that it was a "slight gap". Make sure you compare like for like of course!
Enjoy the search!
Good luck with your search then, and as you say if she wants a particular colour even if it makes it less easy to shift (potentially), this won't be an issue if you keep it for a good while.
My main tips are that SLK's prices seem to be all over the place and on several occasions a car was posted up as FSH, when really it was nowhere near. Very frustrating. One in particular at a Turbocentre in London (forget the full name) had 120k miles on the clock with FSH advertised. When we went through the book (and trust me that did not take very long) I actually found that according to the book anyway it had not been services from around 45k miles to 118k or so. The salesperson did acknoweldge only that it was a "slight gap". Make sure you compare like for like of course!
Enjoy the search!
Hi Christer,
resale isn't a considertaion TBH - she's always fancied a Mercedes, wants a 2 seater for the first time in her life, likes the hard top and the semi usefulness of the boot on the SLK. So in truth I can see her owning it for years and years, providing we get a good one of course. There are some real sharks out there, I've bought a lot of cars over the years and encountered most of the dodgy types at one time or another. Completely agree that prices seem to be all over the place too, crazy really.
resale isn't a considertaion TBH - she's always fancied a Mercedes, wants a 2 seater for the first time in her life, likes the hard top and the semi usefulness of the boot on the SLK. So in truth I can see her owning it for years and years, providing we get a good one of course. There are some real sharks out there, I've bought a lot of cars over the years and encountered most of the dodgy types at one time or another. Completely agree that prices seem to be all over the place too, crazy really.
Edited by RedBull on Wednesday 19th August 18:02
If the indicators fail to flash (i.e. just remain on when selected) or are tempremental consider walking away.
It is indicative of dried electrical joints in one of the main ECU's and replacement of the whole ECU (c £5-700) is the only solution unless you can obtain a correct second hand one.
A commom fault on early SLK's.
It is indicative of dried electrical joints in one of the main ECU's and replacement of the whole ECU (c £5-700) is the only solution unless you can obtain a correct second hand one.
A commom fault on early SLK's.
Bit of a thread resurrection, but just to let you all know that we picked up my Wifes SLK today and she's over the moon. We managed to get a 2001 SLK320 in green metallic (her very favourite colour), 47K miles, one owner with full MB service history, no rust anywhere (I checked all the usual places) except a couple of minor stone chips which the dealer is getting sorted next week.
I convinced her to go for the 320 as I understand it's a nicer engine, plus this one is everything she wanted and was local too. I drove it home and confirm everything works exactly as it should and it drives perfectly. We paid a shade under £9K with a full 3 month warranty, so I think we did OK all told.
Thanks for all the advice, it was extremely useful.
I convinced her to go for the 320 as I understand it's a nicer engine, plus this one is everything she wanted and was local too. I drove it home and confirm everything works exactly as it should and it drives perfectly. We paid a shade under £9K with a full 3 month warranty, so I think we did OK all told.
Thanks for all the advice, it was extremely useful.
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