Considering buying a R129 500SL - what to check?

[IanT]

New territory for me, having owned three diesel Mercedes before, but never a petrol and certainly never a convertible, let alone a V8.

The car in question is a 1996 on 139k miles, very straight body with just one small patch of rust at the front of the of wheel arch. It has climate, memory seats and the remove able hard top. Soft top looks to be in perfect condition as new but the mechanism that releases it from the top of the windscreen looked stick when the seller demonstrated it - it took a couple of goes.

I know a little about fuel uneconomy and have this in mind for a weekend bit of fun, occasional commute to work, that sort of thing. I have a diesel Astra for mundane use, but basically want to own a V8 before I die or lose interest, saw this and thought 'why compromise?'

The underside of the car seems straight, there's no sign of repaired damage around the inside of any of the corners (under the bonnet, in the boot, under the car) so I believe it to be original.

My main question, is, is there anything I should look out for, be aware of or try out on a test drive before handing over my hard earned.

Umm... Price. The chap will accept £3700, the car has a full MB dealer service history up to about 3 years ago and has done about 500 miles since then. The paint finish all matches, apart from that rust spot on the front arch and a scuff on the corner of the front bumper, my picky eyes see pretty much no marks whatsoever to grieve over, save perhaps for a small rust bubble on the removable roof. The insurance quote was interesting - classic insurance means I can insure it for £200 on a limited mileage policy.

I've read about biodegradable engine loom insulation - what was the problematic date range for this?

Many thanks in advance for any help - I expect to go back and drive / buy it Tuesday evening.

Ian.

 

[BoyracerAU]

"I've read about biodegradable engine loom insulation - what was the problematic date range for this?"

Any MB from 1993-1996 would potentially have a biodegradable wiring loom. The looms have paper tags that show part numbers and dates, so look for this to check the date of manaufacture of the wiring loom.

 

[IanT]

Scary stuff. I will Google the part numbers / batches then. While I could make up a new loom myself that is most certainly not my idea of fun and I dread to think hat it would cost to buy one..

Thanks for your reply.

Ian.

 

[BTB 500]

There are quite a few previous threads on buying an R129, so start by running a few searches here. Roof operation is a biggie - problems can be very expensive and/or time consuming to fix. The plastic windows in the hood crack on the fold lines so look at those carefully and negotiate the price down if nesc. (£350 ish to fix).

Check ALL the controls including seat movement, rollbar, etc.

 

[jaymanek]

Ian there is a lovely one up for sale by a Mercedes Official Club Member David Kelly... I think 122K miles SL500 for £4200 ish I think... I know its been well looked after. If you are not a member, let me know and ill put you in touch.

 

[IanA2]

Ian there is a lovely one up for sale by a Mercedes Official Club Member David Kelly... I think 122K miles SL500 for £4200 ish I think... I know its been well looked after. If you are not a member, let me know and ill put you in touch.

That sounds like a better buy, and cheaper in the long run.

Don't be scared by the mileage in these cars. Mine's done about 96K and is just run in

A well looked after 129 will do as many miles as you want.

 

[IanT]

All, thank you very much, as I said, this is new territory for me and a bit of advice is very much appreciated.

A few things endeared me to this particular car, not least it's relatively rare colour and apparent condition. I'd be very interested to know more about David's car though, as a 'known' one is often a better proposition.

I'm intrigued by the roof mechanism though - it appears that only the front latch part was temperamental, and appeared to be cable operated, presumably with motors / solenoids hidden down at the bottom of one or both A Posts. That looked like a fairly straightforward (if fiddly) job to fix and I saw the rest of the mechanism work correctly. Including that on something like the third attempt. Maybe some use would fix it, as I didn't get the impression the car got out much. I still have Star so perhaps it is possible to actuate those solenoids using that for test purposes.

The plastic windows were excellent - recently replaced - and the hood looked pretty much factory fresh - clean, not all cracked, 'bald' or wrinkled, so that was a plus point.

As for loms, it sounds like it's pot luck and likely to become an issue if work needs doing on the engine rather than something I can prevent by identifying and rejecting cars with that loom.

Tell me more though Jay (great to hear from you by the way), what age / colour is David's car?

Cheers,

Ian.

 

[IanA2]

I'm intrigued by the roof mechanism though.... That looked like a fairly straightforward (if fiddly) job to fix and I saw the rest of the mechanism work correctly.

Ian.

Hmm....not sure there's anything too straightforward about these roofs. You may of course be correct, on the other hand.....£££££ kerching...

 

[IanT]

A quick look at EPC suggests that it's hydraulic, so perhaps more of a problem (or less?) than it might have been. Given the pump appears to run all of the folding roof mechanism just fine, my hunch would be that the two locks in the top of the windscreen rail might simply be under-used or under-serviced and simply a bit stiff.

You're right that it's quite complicated though... [hiding]Wallet![/hiding]

Ian.

 

[IanA2]

my hunch would be that the two locks in the top of the windscreen rail might simply be under-used or under-serviced and simply a bit stiff.
Ian.

Somebody else will know better but I don't hink this is a serviceable area. Afiaa they just work or they don't.

I doubt it's under use that's the cause; mine was once a year for a while, and sometimes once in two years. They make a hell of a "clang" when they're released, but release they do.

I'd be looking at the one Jay mentioned. Save yourself money , a cheap 129 can cost you a fortune

 

[IanT]

Yep, hopefully Jay will be along shortly to point me in the right direction.

I'm in a do it now or leave it a week mode - the car I've seen probably is very good, certainly it's tidy and sounds ok. I get on a plane on Thursday morning and if I don't do something about this car I will likely miss it - it's pretty much just around the corner too.

Miss it though, and that opens up a new paradigm of reflection and patience, which may be for the best...

Ian.

 

[IanA2]

Yep, hopefully Jay will be along shortly to point me in the right direction.

Give Jay a ring, his numbers here: Home - Mercland

 

[Biglee]

Check inner wheel arch rust, and be prepared to replace bits with second hand. New bits from mb normally needs a remortgage. Wonderful when they work right.

 

[Stratman]

There are quite a few youtube videos on how to repair the roof front latches. They're hydraulic and the seals wear. It looks a fairly straightforward job.

There's also one on how to repair the roof controller.

 

[BTB 500]

Incidentally, [pedant]a 1996 car will be an SL 500 rather than 500SL[/pedant]

 

[MD5]

Hi Ian,

If the car is well serviced and maintained, and all appears good, at that price, I don't think there's much to be concerned about, although the roof is very complex. The pic below reflects the same on the other side of the car, along with complexities across the top of the windscreen. With 32 switches, motors etc, diagnosis can be difficult, but it does sound like sticky catches, which will improve with use, and they do clonk and crack in operation.

My own car 96 500, which I've owned over ten years, has now traveled 151k miles, and the only major thing I've had done since your mileage is a gearbox overhaul 5k ago, requiring new seals and pump, about £1k + in all (two years ago). With mine, the seals were perishing, allowing gear box oil to leak internally, causing slipping in gears under hard acceleration, and the odd clonky gear change. This, along with new Continentals all round and £1400 worth of servicing and niggles this year is why I wouldn't let my car go for that, and why I now have two (just bought a 98 Special Edition)), both rust free and no wiring loom issues. Out of interest, what colour is the one you're looking at? Good luck!

 

[IanA2]

So, how did it go....are you V8'ing??

 

[IanT]

Thanks for all the helpful posts, I spent the last week in North America and having returned yesterday I am indeed sat outside John Kelly's house after he had just shown me his SL, which is a lovely example.

Am I V8ing? Not just yet, but only because I am not sure about the hood. The mechanism works perfectly but it is a bit worn and probably would want replacing - the question I have is really whether this is a big deal or not - I'm a practicalhands-on person so I could probably fit a new hood assuming it doesn't require special tools. I have never owned a convertible before, so I don't know how to judge quality of replacements.

The hood that is there looks original to me - a bit rubbed where it has opened and closed a lot, so these are the main flaws together with some cracking around the edges of the windows.

He has described it very accurately and everything seems to work properly, so accepting the worn seat bolster and hood as being normal honest wear and tear seems to be the right thing to do.

So why do I think I need to get an idea of the cost of a new hood? John will trade his car in this week, so I don't have long to make my mind up.

Ian.

 

[IanA2]

Thanks for all the helpful posts, I spent the last week in North America and having returned yesterday I am indeed sat outside John Kelly's house after he had just shown me his SL, which is a lovely example.

Am I V8ing? Not just yet, but only because I am not sure about the hood. The mechanism works perfectly but it is a bit worn and probably would want replacing - the question I have is really whether this is a big deal or not - I'm a practicalhands-on person so I could probably fit a new hood assuming it doesn't require special tools. I have never owned a convertible before, so I don't know how to judge quality of replacements.

The hood that is there looks original to me - a bit rubbed where it has opened and closed a lot, so these are the main flaws together with some cracking around the edges of the windows.

He has described it very accurately and everything seems to work properly, so accepting the worn seat bolster and hood as being normal honest wear and tear seems to be the right thing to do.

So why do I think I need to get an idea of the cost of a new hood? John will trade his car in this week, so I don't have long to make my mind up.

Ian.

Did you have a look at both cars?

ETA Around 650 plus VAT....maybe cheaper if you're lucky.

 

[jaymanek]

Mine was 1100 using a khm hood who supply factory spec.