Baby seats in 1993 300SL 24V ????

[Lloydmic]

Hi. I have found a nice 1993 Mercedes 300 SL 24v that I want to buy. I live in HK so it's not like I can pop to Halfords
Question is. Does anyone know if I can fit 2 baby car seats in the small back seats?

Also any thoughts/tips about this particular model and year?

Any advice greatly appreciated!!

 

[jaymanek]

you couldnt even fit a six pack of stella on the back seat, never mind a baby seat...

Totally useless.

 

[d w124]

Hi Lloyd and welcome to the forum.I might be wrong here but I think the rear seats only have lap belts

 

[BTB 500]

The back seats in an R129 are fine for older kids - they were specifically designed as child seats.

You do have to move the front seats forward a bit - this isn't an issue on the nearside but can be a bit cramped for the driver (I'm 6' 1"). OK for local trips.

However ... there are only lap belts in the back, so you are not going to be able to use baby seats (or even boosters) there. I waited till baby BTB (now 4) was able to go in the front:

Having said that, some people have had 3-point belts fitted in the back. If you do a few searches here you may find the details. This is the back of ours:

 

[Lloydmic]

Many thanks too all of you for your comments. Really unsure what to do. Had a 911 Porsche but sold it when the twins were born. We have a Volvo xc90 but I fancied a Merc for a bit of fun for me. Being on a small island like HK, a second car is a bit of a luxury. I love the Sl55AMG but unlike uk, they can't be picked up reasonably second hand here. Baby 3 due in 1 month so was only thinking if I ever needed to whack 1 kid in the back to take them somewhere,i needed to be able to do it..80pc of the time I'll be driving.
I still like the look of this car I've seen. it's circa £4k so not big money. Also the current owner is an old school English gent whose owned and cared for it for the last 9 years. May have to just bite the bullet and be selfish

 

[stevieb15]

I dont think the rear seats are safe to use without the roll bar being in the up position

 

[BTB 500]

I dont think the rear seats are safe to use without the roll bar being in the up position

That's correct - the handbook specifically says the rollbar must be raised while the rear seats are in use.

In the first pic. I posted we had just arrived at my parents' house and were about to get out - I'd already lowered the rollbar.

 

[Lloydmic]

Is the roll bar easy to fit/remove or a pain?

Looks like my new fancie may have to be put off for a few years.

Kids aside. Is that model and year generally a good car?

 

[BTB 500]

The roll bar raises/lowers via a switch on the console, so not a big issue

In a potential rollover scenario the bar is 'fired' up automatically in a fraction of a second. The speed it deploys at is the reason you need to have it raised manually when anyone is in the back - you wouldn't want them to get hit by it on the way up!

[YOUTUBE]czEO0X6D4-g[/YOUTUBE]

Have you seen the famous R129 autobahn crash video:

[YOUTUBE]F-2O7W44-Z4[/YOUTUBE]

Kids aside, the R129 is a 'proper' M-B ... great build quality, and pretty reliable. I've had mine for 8 years now.

 

[Lloydmic]

Thanks once again for the advice BTB

 

[BTB 500]

You're welcome, just shout if there's anything else we can help with

 

[Lloydmic]

I just looked at your picture again and don't see why I couldn't put one of my kids in a baby seat in front passenger seat as you did. What year is your MB and what seat was that please?

 

[BTB 500]

My car is a '97. The front passenger seat has a weight sensor to detect whether the seat is in use or not, so you need to make sure it is fully back (away from the airbag) - this is covered in the handbook. Later cars can detect a child seat (provided it has the right chip in it!) and automatically switch off the airbag, so seat position isn't so important.

We have two child seats - one fitted in the SL OK and the other didn't (the seatbelt wasn't quite long enough - although you can get 'extended' seat belts as an M-B accessory). I will have a look tonight and see if I can remember which one worked with the standard seatbelt. My son has just turned 4 and is very tall for his age so we just use a booster seat now for his occasional rides in the SL.

Found another pic of him in the SL aged 13 months (January, hence the hard top!):

 

[A210AMG]

^ I've yet to put either of our little ones in the front

Didn't even know it was legal...and our smallest now nearly 5 !

 

[BillyW124]

Question: In that clip it shows the Sl's hard top comming off. Does the roll bar work in the same way if you have the hard top on?

Or beacuse now because the hard top works as support the roll bar isnt needed? Quite scary the top comming off in that clip!

 

[BTB 500]

The hard top is aluminium ... it's not 'structural' and the roll bar operates in the same way whether it's on or not.

 

[BTB 500]

^ I've yet to put either of our little ones in the front

Didn't even know it was legal...and our smallest now nearly 5 !

The only thing you can't do in the UK is use a rearward-facing carrier in the front if there's a passenger airbag. Other than that you are fine, so long as they are in an appropriate child seat (or using a booster, depending on age/height) e.g.:

Child Car Seats : The Law

 

[Lloydmic]

I'm sure you're right about UK. In Hong Kong where I live, there are zero rules about car seats. It's up to parents discretion. I asked the owner how easy to turn off airbags and he told me that
there is an airbag control unit (X11/13) under the bonnet which can be unplugged. So I may be able to buy this car after all

Someone at work is trying to sell their 1994 320 SL but it's a vile emerald green colour. He tried to convince me that they changed the enginine after 93 and the 300 24v SL that I'm looking to buy is inferior. Is there any truth in what he says?

 

[BTB 500]

He tried to convince me that they changed the enginine after 93 and the 300 24v SL that I'm looking to buy is inferior. Is there any truth in what he says?

Not AFAIK, both have the M104 DOHC 24-valve straight 6 engine. The 1994 onwards "320" is 3.2 litre rather than 3.0, but bhp is about the same. Not sure about torque etc. but you could Google that. Both engines were used in other M-Bs of the era.

Pre-'94 there was also a "300" (as opposed to "300-24"), which had the less powerful 12-valve SOHC M103 engine ... that's possibly what he was thinking of.

 

[Lloydmic]

Hey BTB me again. Found a 1995 SL320. Is that a far better car than the 1993 300SL?