SLK55 R171 - what to look out for

[595Heaven]

Thinking of an SLK55 as my next fun car

Was originally looking at either a 996 or 987 Boxster / Cayman, but the potential engine issues (£££s) are putting me off. The lure of a big AMG V8 is tempting me though...

From what I’ve read, powertrain is pretty bulletproof, but brakes and road tax are not cheap.

What else should I look for when viewing? What goes wrong?

What are the must have options?

Thanks!

[niva441]

The powder coating on the rear subframe fails, so there is potential for rust. I managed to catch mine about in time.

[MattyB_]

AirScarf, rear parking, COMAND.

Make sure gearbox oil changes are done every 40k - obviously on top of impeccable service history. Don't worry if heated seats don't work, they're stupidly easy to break and expensive to repair. As mentioned, front disks are expensive as they're 6-pot. Later models are 4-pot and cheaper. Sparkplug service is expensive.

I've mentioned on here before, but of the countless performance cars I've bought over 20 years, the SLK55 was the most surprising on how badly many were looked after. Missing history, poor condition, crap tyres, scratches and dents. I got the impression that most were bought by people who didn't care about cars, but purely due to the fact it was the top of the range.

So look at loads! Great cars though, liked mine a lot. Just remember they're a very much GT car, not a dynamic masterclass.

[bennno]

had two of these, dependent on model specification some can have 3 piece wheels which cost a fortune to refurbish and the floating disks on some models are over 2k an axle....

[juice]

If you do buy one there's a fantastic checklist on slkworld. I used it when I bought mine

Edited to add

Engine : Rocker cover gaskets, they weep.. cheap fix
Gearbox: conductor plate. Not cheap...symptoms are stuck in 3rd or cluncking on downchange when cold.
Up to 08, 6 pot 340 mm fronts, try and get one with plenty of life on the disks..luckily the one I bought had brand new disks and pads
Torque arm bushes, shows up as a simmy through the steering on braking.
Engine/gearbox mounts will need doing eventually, mine do soonish

Apart from that check the roof seals and that everything (test all switches and airscarf) works.

Edited by juice on Friday 14th June 21:14

[niva441]

Yes I forgot the obvious thing to check the whole boot for roof leaks

[595Heaven]

Thanks all - some good pointers there!

[purenrg]

Or you could always consider an
SLK32AMG

[Dog Star]

The join near the headlight where the bumper joins the wing. Check this carefully for rust bubbling through. Only place I keep seeing bodywork rust.

[irocfan]

some mods are very desirable - Quaife LSD for example. Bilstein B8 shocks are a nice upgrade too.

Although the 6 pots ARE more expensive than the later models their price has dropped drastically too so this shouldn't be a massive worry. Airscarf is certainly worth having and whilst electric seat heating elements do fail there are enough SLK55s for sale to find one where everything does work. Most will be black or silver, beware of red as Mercedes seemed to have an issue for a period during the lifespan of the R171. Mystic blue is a lovely colour (yes, I'm biased as the one I'm selling is blue ) and there is another blue which is quite nice too.

[Mr M]

I would say from my own experience, just be careful who you buy it from and buy the best you can afford. I've ended up with a Merc Main dealer car with two years warranty which has one year to go. There was only two in the country at main dealers as they are now getting on a bit but I'm sure you'll find a good second hand dealer that will be able to help you out.

Check you can go through all the gears up and down manually using the stick and the paddles. Someone had spilt a sugary drink on the first one I bought and it had gone into the gear box module through the gaitor. Probably the idiot dealer I bought it from I shouldn't wonder :-). Things like that are quite expensive to fix.

Lovely cars. Good luck.. and show us some pics when you get it.

[eldar]

One rarely mentioned - check the drains at the read of the underbonnet area, they can become blocked. Then water leaks into the heater, soaking the pollen filter (a bit smelly, easy to fix) and the heater fan - £400 to £500 to fix...

[595Heaven]

Thanks all

Do any of you do any touring with your cars? I’m a bit concerned the luggage space is tiny if you want the roof down.

I guess I need to look at a couple and have a drive. Want to understand if the gearbox would frustrate. Problem is, I’ll hear the engine and feel the power and nothing else will matter!!

[Dog Star]

595Heaven said:

Thanks all

Do any of you do any touring with your cars? I’m a bit concerned the luggage space is tiny if you want the roof down.

I guess I need to look at a couple and have a drive. Want to understand if the gearbox would frustrate. Problem is, I’ll hear the engine and feel the power and nothing else will matter!!

I've not toured in an R171, but have in an R170, R172 and R230 - three weeks camping in the R230 was something - every morning I spend an hour tessellating everything into the boot perfectly.

The SLKs - you can get purpose sized luggage from a company called Roadsterbag (I sold mine to a PHer as it happens) which maximises your storage. I've never found it to be an issue.

[irocfan]

595Heaven said:

Thanks all

Do any of you do any touring with your cars? I’m a bit concerned the luggage space is tiny if you want the roof down.

I guess I need to look at a couple and have a drive. Want to understand if the gearbox would frustrate. Problem is, I’ll hear the engine and feel the power and nothing else will matter!!

From memory there's a minuscule difference in luggage capacity betwixt the R172 & R171 and the R172 was more than capable of a 2 week drive to Austria and back

[niva441]

Its easy to pack the boot with large bags. However after lowering the roof, with the small access slot they won't come out again until the roof goes up.

[buzzer]

niva441 said:

Its easy to pack the boot with large bags. However after lowering the roof, with the small access slot they won't come out again until the roof goes up.

I thought this would frustrate me... but in real terms, if you pack the stuff you need to the rear and the bigger bags towards the front it has not been a problem. when we get to a destination we always park with the roof up.

Have to say we love ours...

[niva441]

buzzer said:

I thought this would frustrate me... but in real terms, if you pack the stuff you need to the rear and the bigger bags towards the front it has not been a problem. when we get to a destination we always park with the roof up.

Have to say we love ours...

First day I had mine in November I went travelling for a week. Without using the folding roof there is a surprising amount of space in all the nooks and crannies that the roof mechanism would need for clearance. With the roof folded the slot to remove stuff isn't that large, although compared to the Volvo C70 I looked at the other day it is relatively generous.

[irocfan]

niva441 said:

With the roof folded the slot to remove stuff isn't that large, although compared to the Volvo C70 I looked at the other day it is relatively generous.

To be fair though the C70 has an extra 2 seats

[595Heaven]

Thanks for the replies all!

Finally got round to ringing my insurance to cancel the old policy for the Abarth. Ended up suspending it instead, and got a quote for an SLK55 - £278.88!, so about a tenner more than the Abarth!

Also been looking at prices on a well known car sales site that is somewhat easier to use than PH...

Don't want to spend more than about £15k if I can help it, but £12-15k seems to be a sweet spot anyway, unless you go for mega miles...

Sorry for the crap chart, but it serves a purpose

Edited by 595Heaven on Monday 1st July 19:39