R230 SL55 - tips on what to look out for?
Discussion
Hello folks.
Parents have been offered the chance of a 53-plate SL55 AMG from someone my dad knows through his work - it has had every service from new in the official Mercedes dealer network, and it has only covered 14,000 miles!
Is there anything specific that they should be looking out for if/when viewing the car in terms of problems, or would most problems have been fixed by now? And would any owners be able to give a rough guide to servicing costs, average tyre wear etc?
Thanks in advance for any help!
Parents have been offered the chance of a 53-plate SL55 AMG from someone my dad knows through his work - it has had every service from new in the official Mercedes dealer network, and it has only covered 14,000 miles!
Is there anything specific that they should be looking out for if/when viewing the car in terms of problems, or would most problems have been fixed by now? And would any owners be able to give a rough guide to servicing costs, average tyre wear etc?
Thanks in advance for any help!
Press the search button at the top of the page and type 'SL55 AMG'. Your question has been discussed many times in these pages as recently as a few weeks ago.
ABC suspension system, front ball joints,
SBC Braking system
Water leaks in boot ruining electrics
Baffles in fuel tank coming loose to name a few common issues. Remember it is a £90k car that is ten years old, not a £15-20K Car!
ABC suspension system, front ball joints,
SBC Braking system
Water leaks in boot ruining electrics
Baffles in fuel tank coming loose to name a few common issues. Remember it is a £90k car that is ten years old, not a £15-20K Car!
I has a 53 plate SL55, with the F1 performance pack. It is an astonishing car. I'll repeat it for effect...astonishing! Hugely powerful, comfortable but docile when pootling around. The only thing is it is very, very complicated. Electric everything...roof, obviously. And for example, the seats had massagers, built in air conditioning, motors to move it up, down sideways, forwards..... There's a pneumatic system built in. Two batteries....one of which constantly runs down unless you leave it on trickle charge when the car is idle for more than a couple of days.
A full main dealer service history would be top of my list when buying. Preferably with Merc warranty. Apart from being complicated, the SL55 does have some documented issues (see previous post in this forum chain). Mine had 'service assyst' (and I guess all might), which is a condition based moniotring system....I had mine 18 months or so, and the computer never told me it needed servicing! Never needed tyres either, but as they were low profile 19" bridgestone something or others, you should budget at over a grand for set. Say 600 notes for a pair of rears. Never needed brakes or discs in that time either, but saw a previous owner had had them done....can't remember costs, but this is an infrequent expense. My local specialist told me he could have looked after the SL55 for me (I have serviced Mercs and Beamers with him for years), but I always 'felt' that this car warranted the specialist AMG touch. Hence, top of the list (which you state your potential car has) is Full main dealer history...
Good luck!
A full main dealer service history would be top of my list when buying. Preferably with Merc warranty. Apart from being complicated, the SL55 does have some documented issues (see previous post in this forum chain). Mine had 'service assyst' (and I guess all might), which is a condition based moniotring system....I had mine 18 months or so, and the computer never told me it needed servicing! Never needed tyres either, but as they were low profile 19" bridgestone something or others, you should budget at over a grand for set. Say 600 notes for a pair of rears. Never needed brakes or discs in that time either, but saw a previous owner had had them done....can't remember costs, but this is an infrequent expense. My local specialist told me he could have looked after the SL55 for me (I have serviced Mercs and Beamers with him for years), but I always 'felt' that this car warranted the specialist AMG touch. Hence, top of the list (which you state your potential car has) is Full main dealer history...
Good luck!
I found that the main dealers (maybe bad luck but I tried two and they were both awful) just took info from the reg number to determine service requirements and had no idea what actually needed doing. They didn't check the time related items, just hopeless.
I took mine to an indy and haven't looked back.
I took mine to an indy and haven't looked back.
CliveM said:
I found that the main dealers (maybe bad luck but I tried two and they were both awful) just took info from the reg number to determine service requirements and had no idea what actually needed doing. They didn't check the time related items, just hopeless.
I took mine to an indy and haven't looked back.
I'm currently facing the dilemna of main dealer vs Indy with my '03. It's got full main dealer history and is on 51k miles, so should the next one be main dealer or Indy??? I've got another 3k miles to decide according to the car but that'll be next summer and I'd prefer it to be done in the next month of two. I took mine to an indy and haven't looked back.
Sure, 159 for an oil and filter change is fine I guess.
The problem comes when the advice you're given from the visual check is nothing more than a sales pitch for extra work, whether it needs it or not.
Case in point was the inspection of the poly V belt on the SL55 - the ACTUAL requirement is for an inspection of the belt, the standard service quote I was given was for a replacement of the belt (sight unseen). When I queried it, the dealer stated that the service schedule required the replacement of the belt rather than an inspection (which is absolute cobblers).
If you can find an honest dealer, good for you. I asked and was underwhelmed with the response, so went to an indy with a good reputation.
The problem comes when the advice you're given from the visual check is nothing more than a sales pitch for extra work, whether it needs it or not.
Case in point was the inspection of the poly V belt on the SL55 - the ACTUAL requirement is for an inspection of the belt, the standard service quote I was given was for a replacement of the belt (sight unseen). When I queried it, the dealer stated that the service schedule required the replacement of the belt rather than an inspection (which is absolute cobblers).
If you can find an honest dealer, good for you. I asked and was underwhelmed with the response, so went to an indy with a good reputation.
Blu3R said:
CliveM said:
. I asked and was underwhelmed with the response, so went to an indy with a good reputation.
.... Who was.....?Prestige Car Services in Horndean near Portsmouth get a good write up on the MB Club forum too.
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