Fire Opal Red - 08 Plate SLK

[Chrishazle]

Tried the search on here and t'other side knowing there had been problems with this colour, but seems the problem is a lot later than an 08 registered car that has caught my eye. Would I be safe, or could there be or have been a paint problem with a car of this age?

 

[clk320x]

It affected earlier cars also, there was a member on here with a 57 plate W204 that had a full respray at MB.

 

[zipdip]

Well as you know it is a well known problem,if you like the car then best find out if it has had a problem in the past and what was done about it,I would have thought that a owner of a Fire Opal Red Mercedes would have documents to prove their car was repaired,that colour was a rare one even on 204's,and thinking back I have never seen a E or S with it,although I suppose there might be one or two owned by people who want to stand out from the rest,I would if I wanted the car inspect it maybe with a car sprayer to give a second opinion.

 

[st13phil]

FWIW, my wife had a 09-plate SLK350 (built in 08) in Fire Opal Red from new for 7 years and the paint was faultless.

If there’s no evidence of micro-blistering on the car now, it’s extremely unlikely that there will be a future problem, imo.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[GeeJayW]

Someone with a paint-thickness tester can check whether or not the paint is factory or has been repainted. If it has micro-blisters, you should be able to see them in decent light (and not in the rain). Given that the car you're considering is an 08, if it's still factory paint and has no blistering, then it seems unlikely that there'll be problems now. If it's been repainted, who knows?

Good luck, it's a great colour for the SLK (ours was Palladium Silver). We had a C220d coupe in Fire Opal from new and it looked great, but sadly blistered so had to go.

Good Lucks

 

[Chrishazle]

Temptation get the behind me Satan! Not changed either car in 7+ years now, which is unusual for us. Been thinking for a while that the 968 cab will have to go sometime as advancing age makes access and egress, especially roof up, more and more awkward, so have been looking at SLK's for quite a while, the one I found yesterday is the first one that ticks all my boxes (although I would like a pano roof which this does not have, but never mind!). Messaged the (trade) seller last evening, he says the paint is fine and has not initially said no to a PX where he gives me his car and money, just asked for more details of the cab...

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Temptation get the behind me Satan! Not changed either car in 7+ years now, which is unusual for us. Been thinking for a while that the 968 cab will have to go sometime as advancing age makes access and egress, especially roof up, more and more awkward, so have been looking at SLK's for quite a while, the one I found yesterday is the first one that ticks all my boxes (although I would like a pano roof which this does not have, but never mind!). Messaged the (trade) seller last evening, he says the paint is fine and has not initially said no to a PX where he gives me his car and money, just asked for more details of the cab...

Have you tried getting in and out of an SLK?

 

[GeeJayW]

Temptation get the behind me Satan! Not changed either car in 7+ years now, which is unusual for us. Been thinking for a while that the 968 cab will have to go sometime as advancing age makes access and egress, especially roof up, more and more awkward, so have been looking at SLK's for quite a while, the one I found yesterday is the first one that ticks all my boxes (although I would like a pano roof which this does not have, but never mind!). Messaged the (trade) seller last evening, he says the paint is fine and has not initially said no to a PX where he gives me his car and money, just asked for more details of the cab...

As far as I know, the R171 didn't come with a pan roof. If it did, I've never come across one with that option, so it's at least going to be a rare find. I think the pan roof was introduced with the R172.

You may not be looking at this model, but I would avoid the SLK200 auto, which for me felt sluggish even though the stopwatch says it's similar the the 6-speed manual version (which we had). Very different feel, had seven years of fun in ours.

It's also worth noting that the facelifted R171 came out in 2008, so it's possible to get pre and post facelift cars on 08 plates and maybe even some NOS (new old stock) pre facelift models on 58 plates.

My favourite R171 is the facelifted SLK350 with 6-speed manual gearbox. If you do go with a 350 (and maybe the 280/300), worth checking out the M272 engine thread first to see what issues to look out for.

Good luck.

 

[Smart320]

Have you tried getting in and out of an SLK?

We moved from an ML to our SLK earlier this year and the deciding factor was that my wife who has a bad leg due to nerve damage found she could get in and out without a problem and she said quote ' these are the most comfortable seats you have ever had in a Mercedes . That includes a w211 E class Avantgarde , 2 ML's and an A210 . I am 72 and she is in her mid 60's and other than in very tight car park spaces the SLK is easy to get in and out of.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

We moved from an ML to our SLK earlier this year and the deciding factor was that my wife who has a bad leg due to nerve damage found she could get in and out without a problem and she said quote ' these are the most comfortable seats you have ever had in a Mercedes . That includes a w211 E class Avantgarde , 2 ML's and an A210 . I am 72 and she is in her mid 60's and other than in very tight car park spaces the SLK is easy to get in and out of.

I find the Mrs' SLK a bit tight, it's OK with the roof down but when up I struggle to get my shoulders in (and down low enough).

Maybe I'm not SLK size any longer?

Agree the seats are comfortable but I struggle to get the seat angle right, to tilt back you have to move the seat too close to the pedals and steering wheel.

 

[Smart320]

Probably should have said I am 5'10 and my wife is 5'3 , both fairly slim, suspect if I was over 6' then I would be struggling

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Probably should have said I am 5'10 and my wife is 5'3 , both fairly slim, suspect if I was over 6' then I would be struggling

I must admit that I'm finding the 7 series a bit more comfortable

 

[Chrishazle]

To my surprise he did not run for the hills at the suggestion of taking the 968 cab as PX, especially as he'd have to give me a cheque for what he wants for the SLK - as well as the SLK - to take my 968 cab as PX! Had an email from him requesting further details 9so have sent him loads) plus thanks to this forum and t'other side I've asked him a couple of pertinent questions - VIN/Engine Number so i can check if it's in the dangerous range, rear subframe rust, paint thickness to see if it's original. All being well next would be a trip to see the car, it's about 1 3/4 hours drive away but worth the trip if the car is right, haad to go a lot further to view and then collect my 968 cab!

BTW, 200/230/250 are not on my wish list, I can't have a 55AMG (management veto) so it will have to be 280/300/320/350. Also not black, not silver, first choice is a bright red as my first 3 "toys" were FE porsches (944 lux, 944S and 968) in Guards Red, could not find a GR cab when I was after one so settled for Tahoe Blue. Performance of the SLK280 is really similar to the 968, although I suspect the road holding will not be quite as good - but I do not intend to examine the limits of roadholding on the car!

 

[st13phil]

Performance of the SLK280 is really similar to the 968, although I suspect the road holding will not be quite as good - but I do not intend to examine the limits of roadholding on the car!

From that sentence, I guess the target car is a 280? If so, be aware that it will lack memory seats / mirrors unless spec'd as an option. These were standard kit on the 350, which also has better performance with no fuel consumption penalty. Personally, I'd hang out for a 350 unless your target car has a good spec on it.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

All due respect to the 968 - to my mind second only to the "off the wall" 928 - you might be pleasantly surprised by the SLK's roadholding.

A full decade on, and all those electronic gizmo's do have their uses.

It can be debated either way, but the decade made quite a difference.

.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

It's a while since I was looking for an SLK, but I do remember I was after a 280, rather than 350, even though I'm a bit of an "extras" tart. From memory, I "think" the issue for me was that the 350 only came with larger wheels, whereas the 280 was available in "comfy." Coming from an early 90's Porsche, you might prefer softer suspension than big wheels / sports suspension set ups.

 

[Chrishazle]

Honest John's one downer on the 280 was the ride on 17" (which the car I'm interested in has), he recommended going for 16's! Memory seats would be nice, but we don't have them on the C220, only takes a few seconds to return things to my setting after the odd occasion herself drives it!

 

[st13phil]

Ride quality will be fine on 17's. My wife's 350 had the Sports Pack and 18's and that was very firm, but nowhere near as crashy as the R56 Cooper S that preceded it.

I have a soft spot for the SLK as it works really well as a sort of "mini grand tourer", but their desirability is very spec dependent, with poverty spec examples tending to hang around while anything with a good spec on it tends to move quickly.

 

[GeeJayW]

If you're considering an SLK280 I'd suggest looking for one with sport pack. Clues are lip spoiler on the boot lid, Red seatbelts and stitching,17" or 18" rims, upgraded brakes with perforated discs and two or four piston calipers and lowered suspension (only 15mm iirc).

If it has 16" rims, it does not have sport pack, you'll have single piston front brake calipers which at best are disappointing if driven in a spirited fashion.

 

[Chrishazle]

280's in something other than silver or black are very thin on the ground, I've been sort of looking for most of this year and this is the first one that floats my boat, hoping to see it Tuesday. It does not have sport pack but is facelift and ticks the boxes on my wish list. We'll see what happens when I come face to face with it, depends on whether seller will do a deal on my 968 cab.