What is reliability like on a facelift R230 SL?
Discussion
Hi All,
One of the cars I'm looking at purchasing is, as the title suggests, an R230 SL - specifically the 2009 facelift.
Despite the 500s costing similar money, I'm looking at the 350 due to not having the ABC suspension as I've heard that's troublesome.
The budget is up to £20k although really I'd be looking to spend £15k or so - which seemingly gets me an example with 50k miles and a decent service history.
Are there any glaring issues I need to know about or are they generally pretty robust?
It'll be a daily driver - albeit my drive to work is literally 10 minutes or so but I would need to rely on it to start each day.
One of the cars I'm looking at purchasing is, as the title suggests, an R230 SL - specifically the 2009 facelift.
Despite the 500s costing similar money, I'm looking at the 350 due to not having the ABC suspension as I've heard that's troublesome.
The budget is up to £20k although really I'd be looking to spend £15k or so - which seemingly gets me an example with 50k miles and a decent service history.
Are there any glaring issues I need to know about or are they generally pretty robust?
It'll be a daily driver - albeit my drive to work is literally 10 minutes or so but I would need to rely on it to start each day.
Many thanks for such a detailed response - I was already swaying towards an SL than other options I'm considering but now I am pretty much set on one.
You've also opened my eyes up to the prospect of a higher mileage example - I suspect I'll lose much less in depreciation, too.
They really are tremendous value and offer so much car for the money and definitely overlooked. Even when new they didn't seem that common.
My dad actually replaced a 2005 SL55 AMG with a facelift SL350 and whilst occasionally he missed the noise and power of the supercharged V8, on the whole he still loved the car.
I am pretty sure the airscarf is a factory option – but thanks for the tip on the Wind Deflector. I assume that every car came with one but they’ve just been lost over time?
You've also opened my eyes up to the prospect of a higher mileage example - I suspect I'll lose much less in depreciation, too.
They really are tremendous value and offer so much car for the money and definitely overlooked. Even when new they didn't seem that common.
My dad actually replaced a 2005 SL55 AMG with a facelift SL350 and whilst occasionally he missed the noise and power of the supercharged V8, on the whole he still loved the car.
Dog Star said:
You can get a Tune2Air Bluetooth thing that plugs into the media interface in the armrest so you can listen to your bangin’ choons and Waze.
There are some aftermarket head units you can buy that replace the aging factory system. Not just the horrendous £200 cheap Chinese ones that replace the entire unit with a screen, but ones designed specifically for the car that mirror the same design - but also include a modern infotainment with car play/android auto - so that's what I plan to buy. Something like this, although there are other options available. Dog Star said:
I’d really, really have liked a pano roof, but I couldn’t argue with my car only costing 14p so had to let that one slide.
I’d recommend the air scarf although it might be standard. Mine also has a fold up air deflector - these are nice to have as they’re about a billion quid.
I didn’t realise these were an option – assumed it was standard so I’ll be sure to look out for this as I’d love it. I’d recommend the air scarf although it might be standard. Mine also has a fold up air deflector - these are nice to have as they’re about a billion quid.
I am pretty sure the airscarf is a factory option – but thanks for the tip on the Wind Deflector. I assume that every car came with one but they’ve just been lost over time?
Dog Star said:
I wouldn’t worry too much on the mileage - I do about 5k a year now and it’s mostly holidays, so it’ll be ages before it makes big miles.
Headunit replacement - trouble with doing that is that (and this might sound daft as you lose the little g
Digital clock in the dash and the linguatronic ( that I have never ever used. Errrr. ).
Losing the clock would be a shame actually. That's a good point... I think it's worth the added functionality of a modern infotainment system- namely android auto.Headunit replacement - trouble with doing that is that (and this might sound daft as you lose the little g
Digital clock in the dash and the linguatronic ( that I have never ever used. Errrr. ).
Supposedly the steering wheel controls would still work - if they didn't, it would be a no-go for me.
But I also hate the feeling of missing out in features
Although I don't car for the linguatronic.
TR4man said:
If you are wanting to avoid the high VED, you could even consider an SL300 which comes in at a more reasonable £395. However, finding an SL300 might be a problem as they do seem to be very rare and I’m not sure if there is a noticeable lack of performance compared to the SL350.
Thanks, I didn't know the 300 existed - although with 227bhp I think I'll take the higher VED.Thanks for you inputs, all.
Whilst I would love the added horsepower and torque that come with the V8 in the 500, ultimately this is supposed to a be a sensible, reliable, cheap to run daily driver – which of course I don’t really expect the SL to be – but not having to worry about the ABC and the generally simpler spec of the 350 is much more reassuring.
I’m ready to purchase now – but with an upcoming holiday in just over a week I was going to hold off for another month.
There is a seemingly nice example currently for sale in Glasgow on AT for £12,000. It’s red, FSH, well spec’d and only 50k miles.
Being based in Scotland, I can’t help but think of rusty parts and corrosion.
Am I being silly?
Everything in the south where I am based is much more expensive. I’ll travel for the right car…
Whilst I would love the added horsepower and torque that come with the V8 in the 500, ultimately this is supposed to a be a sensible, reliable, cheap to run daily driver – which of course I don’t really expect the SL to be – but not having to worry about the ABC and the generally simpler spec of the 350 is much more reassuring.
I’m ready to purchase now – but with an upcoming holiday in just over a week I was going to hold off for another month.
There is a seemingly nice example currently for sale in Glasgow on AT for £12,000. It’s red, FSH, well spec’d and only 50k miles.
Being based in Scotland, I can’t help but think of rusty parts and corrosion.
Am I being silly?
Everything in the south where I am based is much more expensive. I’ll travel for the right car…
carte blanche said:
If this particular car is painted in the colour that M-B have called Fire Opal or Jupiter Red at various points then it's worth being aware that there have been some documented issues with lacquer peel on cars finished in this colour (it's a paint issue so not model specific). Mercedes have resprayed cars under warranty, but obviously only if the paint is original.
More info and photos of the issue in this thread: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
You can also do a Google search for 'Mercedes fire opal red problems'.
Obviously this particular car is likely to be fine but I would still ask the question as to whether paint is original and if any panels were resprayed under warranty.
Thanks for the heads up. That is incredibly off-putting, even if the particular example I've seen is unaffected (yet). More info and photos of the issue in this thread: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
You can also do a Google search for 'Mercedes fire opal red problems'.
Obviously this particular car is likely to be fine but I would still ask the question as to whether paint is original and if any panels were resprayed under warranty.
It's a very well-priced example so I won't rule it out, but given it's 350 miles away from me I won't prioritise it.
There are several much closer to me which still look good and aren't priced too badly. Plus they're from dealers so you get a degree of protection.
Looking online, the wind deflectors are only £2-300, so I am not fussed if I don't get one of those as I can easily obtain another - unlike the luggage rack for my Morgan, a £300 factory option that typically goes for £1,500 on eBay these days!
Patrick1964 said:
TREMAiNE said:
Thanks for you inputs, all.
Whilst I would love the added horsepower and torque that come with the V8 in the 500, ultimately this is supposed to a be a sensible, reliable, cheap to run daily driver – which of course I don’t really expect the SL to be – but not having to worry about the ABC and the generally simpler spec of the 350 is much more reassuring.
I’m ready to purchase now – but with an upcoming holiday in just over a week I was going to hold off for another month.
There is a seemingly nice example currently for sale in Glasgow on AT for £12,000. It’s red, FSH, well spec’d and only 50k miles.
Being based in Scotland, I can’t help but think of rusty parts and corrosion.
Am I being silly?
Everything in the south where I am based is much more expensive. I’ll travel for the right car…
Did you look at the Glasgow car ? I'm in the same boat as you were, and was considering it.Whilst I would love the added horsepower and torque that come with the V8 in the 500, ultimately this is supposed to a be a sensible, reliable, cheap to run daily driver – which of course I don’t really expect the SL to be – but not having to worry about the ABC and the generally simpler spec of the 350 is much more reassuring.
I’m ready to purchase now – but with an upcoming holiday in just over a week I was going to hold off for another month.
There is a seemingly nice example currently for sale in Glasgow on AT for £12,000. It’s red, FSH, well spec’d and only 50k miles.
Being based in Scotland, I can’t help but think of rusty parts and corrosion.
Am I being silly?
Everything in the south where I am based is much more expensive. I’ll travel for the right car…
The ad is a little misleading, it's missed several services.
A few things the seller said doesn't quite add up, too.
He has only owned it for 6 months which is off putting, although I've sold cars for genuine reasons after that little time so maybe I'm over analysing.
Could be genuine but given I'm 350 miles away, I don't think it's something I want to risk. Could be a bargain but could also be hiding something problematic.
If you do have a look or buy it, I'd love to know if I missed out or not!
I appreciate the advise - this is certainly not a purchase I'll make the mistake of rushing into.
Most dealer-priced cars in the right spec are mid-teens but I feel they’re all pushing their luck at those prices.
WBAC offer is £7,430 and Motorway has an expected offer of £10,880.
Seller indicates he’d accept £10,500 so may well have tried Motorway and had lower offers than what they claimed for me.
For example, the ad indicates full MB history. It’s not – it has some MB history, some specialists, some just local garage. That’s fine – most of the time its just oil and filters – but why not just put the truth.
Additionally, the car was not serviced in 2017,18 or 19. The seller said that was because the car was off the road during COVID except 1) that pre-dates COVID and 2) it wasn’t off the road, it was MOT’d each of those years with increased miles. The seller wasn’t even the owner in this period so why lie?
I also asked about general condition, stone chips, marks on the paint, interior wear (bolster/wing wear common on driver's seat it seems), scratches on the console etc. I acknowledged that I was aware it was 13 years old and didn't expect perfection - but the seller insisted there were no marks and it was spotless - which may be true but I just don't believe its that clean. There will 100% be blemishes - there is no reason to not be transparent about them.
And supposedly bought as a summer car, hence why its being sold after 6 months – but also not fussed about selling it and it can sit in the garage if it doesn’t sell (despite 2 price drops in 2 weeks) and now staying his wife is going to stick it up on Motorway next week (so its her car?)… I just feel that he is desperate for it to sell because either a) it’s a lemon or b) he’s desperate for the money and I don’t want to risk it being option a.
GeniusOfLove said:
I think I've changed my mind on them if you're spending £12k, that's proper car money. They're really slow to shift and trade in values are in the toilet so I wouldn't rush and I'd haggle hard and be willing to walk away and come back in a month. It's winter too, I know from very recent experience that selling a car like this as the nights go dark and it's raining all the time is really difficult - buyers are that seasonal.
I think I've changed my mind on them if you're spending £12k, that's proper car money. They're really slow to shift and trade in values are in the toilet so I wouldn't rush and I'd haggle hard and be willing to walk away and come back in a month. It's winter too, I know from very recent experience that selling a car like this as the nights go dark and it's raining all the time is really difficult - buyers are that seasonal.
I reckon £10-12k is probably about right for a top-level example and mirrors what they were pre-COVID – or at least begins to approach it – but I’d not jump to spend more given that I imagine there is going to be a big crash on their prices soon as most are just sitting for months at a time for as much as 20k. I think I've changed my mind on them if you're spending £12k, that's proper car money. They're really slow to shift and trade in values are in the toilet so I wouldn't rush and I'd haggle hard and be willing to walk away and come back in a month. It's winter too, I know from very recent experience that selling a car like this as the nights go dark and it's raining all the time is really difficult - buyers are that seasonal.
Most dealer-priced cars in the right spec are mid-teens but I feel they’re all pushing their luck at those prices.
GeniusOfLove said:
If you want to know what you should be thinking about paying for a car in a private sale get a WBAC value and stick £1.5k to £2k on top. Add another couple of grand for a dealer car from a decent looking dealer. WBAC values are normally about the same as auction CAP clean, or thereabouts, which is the MOST any dealer will have paid for it in the first place, so don't get robbed. For a car like an SL in early autumn they might have paid as little as half that.
Yes, been monitoring the car sale sites vigorously. WBAC offer is £7,430 and Motorway has an expected offer of £10,880.
Seller indicates he’d accept £10,500 so may well have tried Motorway and had lower offers than what they claimed for me.
GeniusOfLove said:
I also think you need to manage your expectations about servicing on what must be a 12+ year old car , if it missed an oil change stamp in 2017 and 2012 that's not worth stressing over but it is worth sucking your teeth and haggling over.
It’s not the missing history I have a problem with, it’s more the misleading ad and lack of transparency. For example, the ad indicates full MB history. It’s not – it has some MB history, some specialists, some just local garage. That’s fine – most of the time its just oil and filters – but why not just put the truth.
Additionally, the car was not serviced in 2017,18 or 19. The seller said that was because the car was off the road during COVID except 1) that pre-dates COVID and 2) it wasn’t off the road, it was MOT’d each of those years with increased miles. The seller wasn’t even the owner in this period so why lie?
I also asked about general condition, stone chips, marks on the paint, interior wear (bolster/wing wear common on driver's seat it seems), scratches on the console etc. I acknowledged that I was aware it was 13 years old and didn't expect perfection - but the seller insisted there were no marks and it was spotless - which may be true but I just don't believe its that clean. There will 100% be blemishes - there is no reason to not be transparent about them.
And supposedly bought as a summer car, hence why its being sold after 6 months – but also not fussed about selling it and it can sit in the garage if it doesn’t sell (despite 2 price drops in 2 weeks) and now staying his wife is going to stick it up on Motorway next week (so its her car?)… I just feel that he is desperate for it to sell because either a) it’s a lemon or b) he’s desperate for the money and I don’t want to risk it being option a.
Patrick1964 said:
TREMAiNE said:
He has only owned it for 6 months
.If you do have a look or buy it, I'd love to know if I missed out or not!
It's been for sale since early August on the FB SL group, so I suspect it has issues. I'll pass, and thanks for the info..If you do have a look or buy it, I'd love to know if I missed out or not!
There is a black car in SW10 that appeared on eBay yesterday, no panoramic roof but may be of interest to you ?
Anything but White or Black I think.
Venisonpie said:
I thought I'd register a first issue with my SL500. Central locking and boot soft close have stopped working and a quick Google points towards the PSE pump.
Good news is there's an abundance of experience on Youtube and in general about how to suss out the extent of failure and repair. It's too bloody cold today but I'm going to have a go at sorting it myself rather than just throw money at it. Starting with the fuse..
Keep me updated with the fix and cost!Good news is there's an abundance of experience on Youtube and in general about how to suss out the extent of failure and repair. It's too bloody cold today but I'm going to have a go at sorting it myself rather than just throw money at it. Starting with the fuse..
Still on the hunt, a few that interest me but are priced at double what WBAC would theoretically offer, so waiting for prices to soften a little before taking the plunge.
PositronicRay said:
TREMAiNE said:
Venisonpie said:
I thought I'd register a first issue with my SL500. Central locking and boot soft close have stopped working and a quick Google points towards the PSE pump.
Good news is there's an abundance of experience on Youtube and in general about how to suss out the extent of failure and repair. It's too bloody cold today but I'm going to have a go at sorting it myself rather than just throw money at it. Starting with the fuse..
Keep me updated with the fix and cost!Good news is there's an abundance of experience on Youtube and in general about how to suss out the extent of failure and repair. It's too bloody cold today but I'm going to have a go at sorting it myself rather than just throw money at it. Starting with the fuse..
Still on the hunt, a few that interest me but are priced at double what WBAC would theoretically offer, so waiting for prices to soften a little before taking the plunge.
Don't buy on price, assess each car on its individual merits.
I'd be expecting £11-13k being about right for the better examples given the age of the car, age of the platform and fact its the base model.
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