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!

[595Heaven]

Thanks all - some good pointers there!

[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!!

[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

[595Heaven]

What is the walking stick for?!

How are you getting on with your car? Any issues / frustrating features?

Is the COMAND any good? I’m thinking a new CarPlay head unit will be better

Off to Goodwood tomorrow till Sunday and then on holiday for a week or so, so can’t really start looking until I get back...

[595Heaven]

juice said:

I've linked this a few times, but here's a great checklist for any car you go and see

https://www.slkworld.com/slk-r171-general-discussi...

I have no idea about COMAND as I don't use it. My car has a Quadlock mount on the dash and a Bluetooth install in the glovebox, so I stream my music through the Aux and also use google maps/Waze for the nav which plays through the speakers too so I have no use for the head unit apart from that.

The walking stick is to prop open the roof when you're doing work on stuff like gummi pflege the seals and lithium grease on the hinges.

https://www.slkworld.com/general-discussion/20937-...

And this, which I'll be doing this weekend to replace my faded trim.

https://www.slkworld.com/slk-r171-class-diy/29333-...

Good luck with your search !

niva441 said:

I assume the walking stick is for holding the roof for working on it. I made a prop similar in purpose to the workshop manual to fit between the header rail and roof which helped when working on the roof and seals.

Head units have move on a long way since that generation of COMAND, which I don't think was that impressive when current. If you do decide to change I've a Kenwood Garmin head unit and SLK fitting kit I've never got round to advertising you may be interested in.

Thanks both! Will need to invest in this special tool

[595Heaven]

Was at Silverstone Classic yesterday, and had a look round the Mercedes Owner Club stand/ Three SLK55s there - silver and black R171s, and a red R172. If I could have the R172 interior in an R171 that would be perfect.

Recognised the black one from some posts on here - has an apt registration plate. Think I prefer silver overall though, and definitely with the turbine wheels.

I've still not actually driven one, and am trying not to look too hard at the moment, as middle of summer is not the best (cheapest) time to buy a convertible. Still, once the perfect one comes up the money is ready and waiting...

This one looks good, if a little pricy... https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

[595Heaven]

irocfan said:

speak to me about mine

PM sent

Edited by 595Heaven on Sunday 28th July 15:17

[595Heaven]

Ref rust on front wings, how serious an issue is this?

I’m looking at a 55-plate one which has some bubbles under the paint at the bottom edge of the wing where it meets the bumper ahead of the offside front wheel. Not sure if this is caused by movement between wing and bumper removing paint, or from crud getting behind the wing.



I’m used to having much newer cars so don’t have any rust issues - do I need to calibrate my expectations of how good a 14 year old car will be?

I’m thinking it needs sorting sooner rather than later - Does that look repairable? What sort of cost are we talking?

[595Heaven]

juice said:

Not sure where you are but if it is the plate then there's a company Between Taunton and Exeter that do conductor plate repairs, fitted for 415 quid (plus the VAT obvs)

https://controlunits.co.uk/mercedes-slk-class-7g-t...

Worth knowing - thanks...

[595Heaven]

I'd be very grateful if people could give me their opinion of the underside photos of the SLK55 I am looking at.

Rear subframe and gearbox mount on a 2005 car....

[595Heaven]

Good choice! Loving mine...

I linked to a Buyer’s Guide a few months ago in this post https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Mine’s been pretty good - failed crankshaft sensor was the worst thing that has happened, but a cheap DIY replacement job (bh to get to it though!).

I’ve also had to replace the aerial as the original was corroded so no radios or remote fob reception, and I’ve replaced a few other bits as they weren’t perfect - petrol cap (broken retaining rubber), tyres (Michelin PS4), bonnet and tailgate gas struts, wiper blades, cabin filter etc.

Other than that, I’ve restored one of the headlights that was badly UV damaged, replaced the ‘pre-fuse’ box as the red cover had broken off, so the +ve electrical connection for jump starts was exposed, and have just last week replaced the battery. It had a pretty crappy Halfords one which had gone flat a couple of times, so I bought a Varna Silver which should be much better.

Engines are bulletproof by all accounts, but do need oil changes (as does transmission) on time.

Check everything works. Mine has pretty much every option and it all still works fine.

Check underneath for corrosion - the rear subframe is a known weak point and can actually get so bad as to fail.

When you go to see one, poke and prod around before the engine starts - once you hear that noise you’ll forget what you were checking for

Mine never made it over to Europe this year. Roll on 2021...

[595Heaven]

pidsy said:

Thanks for that.

Car will be absolutely stock otherwise I won’t bother looking. Appreciate the housewives point - posing rather than driving can be a killer for cars like these.

Can’t believe that it comes in at approx £100 less a year to insure than my current Abarth. There’s not much in the classifieds atm but I’ll keep an eye out.

My insurance is up for renewal - £250 for 6k miles fully comp (with max NCD). Peanuts! Even better, Direct Line have said I can apply for a refund on last year’s premium if I did less miles then I expected to! The Euro trip is usually c. 2500 miles so that is a result!

Forgot to mention in my previous post to check for corrosion on the front wings where it abuts the front bumper - it tends to catch and hold crud behind it and rusts from the inside out...

Oh, and also check the drain points at the bottom of the screen and in the battery box - if they are clogged, expect the passenger side carpet to be wet. Easy to lift this up from under the glovebox. There is a lot of wiring and electrical stuff (amp etc.) under there which you don’t want wet... Stuff like that will give you a good idea if the previous owner(s) took care of it.

Check all the roof seals (there are a lot of them) - these are £££ and a PITA to change apparently. There are two drain tubes at the back which run through the boot - check they are connected and unblocked
Check the boot floor (take the carpet and spare wheel out) for water.
Check both keys unlock / lock the doors AND start the car - these are £££ to replace

Buy a cheap OBD-II reader and check for fault codes as well. Also, as with any car, check VIN and engines number match

Edited by 595Heaven on Friday 9th October 14:10

[595Heaven]

That black one looks good!

Be aware that the VED (road tax) is a lot higher on the later (post 55-plate) cars - £580 vs £330

[595Heaven]

pidsy said:

That’s a goldmine. Thank you. Out of all the reading I’ve done - the discs are what puts me off.
I’ve owned an M car previously so I know what big bills feel like but I’m wary of walking into potentially 15 year old car territory again.

Don't worry about the brakes too much - the prices nowadays are much more reasonable than they used to be. Just had a quick search and the discs are available for £200 each here: https://www.onlinecarparts.co.uk/brembo-7898686.ht...

They are very good!

[595Heaven]

Check the drains at the bottom of the windscreens scuttle - they can easily get blocked. The water then tends to run into the battery compartment and then into the passenger compartment...

[595Heaven]

You are putting the roof up aren’t you?

[595Heaven]

BlimeyCharlie said:

I think I've found the cause of the leak...
It is where the horizontal rubber that the roof sits on attaches to the metal above the windscreen above the 'A' pillar.

There is a small gap that I've spotted today and that would allow water to run behind seal and then ultimately find it's way down inside door and then onto carpet. I might put a bit of sealant in there, and found someone had the same problem via Google - it is a part that does not move so can seal it up.

Also spotted a slight gap where window butts-up to what would be 'B' pillar.

None of this is specific to 55' owners though, as SLK350 before that was exactly the same.

One thing I prefer is that I run gearbox in 'C' when car is cold and prevents clunky downshifts that I've found I get when in 'S' when car is stone cold. I prefer the AMG seats to SLK350 ones as well.

Brilliant car I must say.

Hope that’s fixed it!

Found a couple of engines that are bigger than the M113 today...

[595Heaven]

What about a blue one? It feels less and less likely that a big Euro trip will happen this year for me...

[595Heaven]

pidsy said:

595Heaven said:

What about a blue one? It feels less and less likely that a big Euro trip will happen this year for me...

Not thinking about selling 595?
I’d take blue.

I really want to do a trip in it, which is why I bought it, but for obvious reasons couldn't last year and this year looks unlikely. Not sure whether to stick or twist. It's a briliant car, but I've got nowhere to go in it.

There are also other itches to scratch... I've never had a 3-cylinder turbo four-wheel drive Jap hatch for starters!