Mercedes SL55 AMG - Buying Advice

[bonnim]

Hi forum!

I've been reading the forum for ages and there are loads of helpful tips out there.

I don't want to ask the same old questions but I test drove a 2003 SL55 over the weekend. It seemed very well looked after and had a good amount of mercedes / specialist history however I noticed a couple of things which I am worried about. Firstly, under hard acceleration I could here a noise or squeal which sounded like it was coming from the rear of the car. It could be the supercharger as I have read this is common but to my untrained ear it seemed to be coming from the rear of the car. Could that be a problem with the rear diff? Although it wasn't raining, the road was wet and I drove in 'winter' mode. Every time I was aggressive on the throttle the car span and moved from side to side, then the electronics kicked in and cut the power. Is that normal? I couldn't really test the brute force of the machine in wet conditions but poodling around at low speed it was a joy to drive. The engine sounded very nice.

Also, it had been raining heavily and when I looked in the boot it was a little wet. Not drenched but there was a little water in there. If everything still works should I be concerned about potential electrical problems from the leaking boot? Finally, I looked at the rear wheel arches and on the outside they were fine but the inside was rusty bubbling. Will the rust continue to spread if left along?

Any advice from owners would be really helpful as I am not used to the sounds of the car so I don't know what is perfectly normal and what isn't!

Thanks guys

[bonnim]

Anyone?

[bonnim]

Ben,

You are a true gent, I can't believe that... I almost want to come over and buy you a pint! I love in Kent so a bit of a way, but thanks!

It had been raining heavily and the seller brought the car inside. The car was completely wet so it had been hammering it down. The first thing I did was life the boot and felt the carpet, it was not soaked but was ever so slightly wet / damp. Perhaps it was from opening he boot as you say but it did feel that it was all over rather than in one place. Anyway, if I pay an mb specialist to look the car over and it has no faults should I really be worried? Could I just wrap the pump in plastic for extra piece of mind?

[bonnim]

Thanks again Ben!

Incidentally, what are your maintenance costs like for your sl55 (excluding tyres, brakes, servicing etc).

Should I be worried about a little bit of bubbling on the inside of the rear wheel arches? Can that be sorted for sensible money?

Cheers

[bonnim]

Thank you very much! Where about a in Kent are you??

Do all sl55s have soft close? I'm worried now because this 2003 I went to see didn't have soft close for either the boot or doors...

Thanks for the tips on mainentance and servicing, that's really helpful!!

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Thanks to you all, really helpful tips. I'm having the vehicle inspected by an MB specialist tomorrow and if they say it's ok I will take the plunge... A bit scary but you only live once and owning the sl55 has been a distant dream of mine for a long time!!

[bonnim]

OMG!! More than 10k on the suspension? I heard the costs were more like 5k... And I thought the arnott gear was cheaper than the Mercedes gear!! Now I really am scared! The one I'm looking at has had about 7k recently on suspension and ac pump. That's what attracted me to it!

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Think it was 2 sets of struts and shocks reunion bushes track rod ends as well as abc pump and fluid. Also replaced gear selector module, alarm siren and ac compressor. It looks like nsf and nsr has been replaced.

I guess I just have the worry about 2 of the 4 struts if that's the case right... Other than the supercharger that's most of the worries items I guess??

[bonnim]

Well guys, the car had the all clear from the mb specialist and they told me to stop worrying it's a cracking car! So I've paid the deposit and hopefully in a few days I will be the proud owner of an sl55!!

Thanks to all of your helpful comments! I'm sooooo excited!!

I will let you know how it goes.

[bonnim]

Hi forum,

I am pleased to announce that I am the proud owner of an SL55

After ragging it around since the weekend, I have noticed some hydraulic liquid on the abc pump (at least I think it is). This is a bit worrying to say the least. Could it be that this was just a spillage from when it was last put in? Or is the beginning of a huge bill? The ABC suspension seems to be working fine and it lowers and rises OK...

Also, I have noticed the smallest amount of water in the boot after its been raining. The water seems to settle on the inner roof contraption (the thing you need to have in place in order to put down the roof). But the carpets themselves have not collected water so I reckon only a small amount of water is coming in. Is it possible that the seals just need a good clean, rather than replacing? I suppose if they are not clean then water could back up.

I have posted a few pictures of ABC pump and the boot water.

Many thanks guys!

[bonnim]

[bonnim]

Hi Ben,

Nice to see you.

The collects like a little puddle in the corners. It seems like it takes a long time to collect, which leads me to think that something is blocked. I had a poke around the seals and it certainly looks a bit dirty, so I will give that a try first.

Do you think I will need to take the seal off entirely and then bond it back or just touch it up in certain places?

[bonnim]

Thanks very much swisstoni!

Well before I bought the car I had an MB specialist do an inspection check for me. They said the car passed with flying colours and only noted some rust coming up on the inside of the wheel arches, which they advised me to sort in the summer.

However, now I am a little concerned seeing that (i) I know for a fact that a small amount of water is definitely coming into the car and (ii) there is some liquid on the abc pump. Maybe I should wipe it with a rag and see if it comes back?

[bonnim]

Guys, thank you very much! I will do as suggested!!

[bonnim]

Thanks a lot guys, really appreciate the advice.

Michael

[bonnim]

swisstoni said:

Have a read about the ABC. There's a dipstick affair in there somewhere ( I haven't delved in there myself yet (only had mine a little while) and one level is for engine on and suspension in use, and another level for everything off.

Sometimes people fill up to the wrong level - could be happening to yours. Would certainly be the cheapest answer.

Hi Merc Guys,

Regarding the ABC reservoir leak, I think it was just spillage onto the reservoir as some of you suggested, so huge sigh of relief. Thanks to all for your help.

Regarding boot leak, I put newspaper and tissues inside the boot and washed my car the other day. After drying I opened the boot and clearly some water (not a lot in all fairness) had come in from somewhere under the rear windscreen (falling roughly where the boot hinge is, or more specifically, where the the thing is which you need to put into place in the boot order to collapse the roof - sorry no idea what it is called but it is covered in some sort of fabric). I have bought some Gumi Pfledge which I will use, but I reckon some part of the seal needs to be stuck down again. Can anyone recommend what adhesive to use?

Also, does anyone have a picture of the drainage holes some people mentioned, I have looked for them but can't seem to find them. I want to check that they are not blocked because this might be making it worse... It seems that the boot seals are designed so that water flows down inside the seals themselves.

One final thing, which is totally my fault. I was messing around with the luggage space behind the front seats and I accidentally knocked a small piece of aluminium trim on the side of the anti roll bar (the thing which comes up automatically if the car senses that you are going to roll over, which you can put up manually with a button next to the roof mechanism). I tried to put it back, which is super sharp by the way, and I managed to drop the piece of trim inside the mechanism. I am too scared to switch up the thing manually now for fear that it will break. Is there any way I can get inside it to retrieve this flimsy piece of trim? I hope that not having the trim in place will not damage it...

About driving the Sl55. I have had it for a few weeks now and, if possible, I am more and more impressed with it every day. It is such a treat to drive and when you put your foot down it's so fast and entertaining. I can't believe the technology and luxuriousness of the car which is now 13 years old. Love it.

Michael

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Thanks very much guys, that picture was very helpful. It's obvious now I know where it is!

On another matter, I wonder if anyone has experienced a problem with seats not returning to their 'stock' position when you turn off the ignition to let you out of the car easily. I don't know if I have fiddled with something but this function was working perfectly fine when I bought the car but now it seems to not move back automatically... The seats move just fine when you push them back manually though, so surely it can't be a blow fuse?

[bonnim]

thanks a lot mate, will give that a go!!