R129 SL electronics / esp options

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

bigben

Active Member
Joined
May 29, 2009
Messages
97
Location
Cambridge UK
Car
1989 300SL R107, SL 55 AMG
Hello,

I am toying with buying an R129 SL, the I6 version. The reason being it will provide a reference for the ECU etc that is going into my project R107 SL.

My questions are:

i) What years have which security system (I need this to be the 1 button on the key fob type as on my donor car)
ii) Ditto ESP system.

Is it possible to get i) and ii) the same as a 1997 C36 AMG ?

Rather an obscure question I know but someone must know.

Cheers

Ben
 
I don't think any I6 R129 would have had ESP. On my 1997 UK price list (the year before the V6 engines came in) the 280 and 320 only had ASR ... ESP wasn't even an option on those (or the SL60!). It came as standard on the 600, and was optional on the 500.

Not sure about history of MBSS versions ... my '97 has the one-button flip key, if that helps any?!
 
I don't think any I6 R129 would have had ESP. On my 1997 UK price list (the year before the V6 engines came in) the 280 and 320 only had ASR ... ESP wasn't even an option on those (or the SL60!). It came as standard on the 600, and was optional on the 500.

Not sure about history of MBSS versions ... my '97 has the one-button flip key, if that helps any?!

Strange as my SL60 has ESP and its a 1997.
 
I was surprised the SL60 didn't show ESP as an option when it was available on the SL500 it was based on. Could be an error on the price list of course! Or if your car is late '97 it could be a '98 model year.
 
My 1994 SL600 has ASR not ESP.
 
I don't think the 129 got ESP at all till 1995 or even 1996.

It came in first on the V12 C140 (what became the CL600) sometime in '94, followed by the W140 S Class, then the R129.
 
I don't think any I6 R129 would have had ESP. On my 1997 UK price list (the year before the V6 engines came in) the 280 and 320 only had ASR ... ESP wasn't even an option on those (or the SL60!). It came as standard on the 600, and was optional on the 500.

Not sure about history of MBSS versions ... my '97 has the one-button flip key, if that helps any?!

In my mind (although not necessarily anywhere else) the one button flip key becomes a three button (lock / unlock / boot) on later cars presumably with a different security system. So yes that helps as my donor C36 has a 1-button flip key.

ASR is what I meant so that is also good info. So to have 'compatible' electronics with a 1997 C36 I should get a 1997 or earlier SL320.

One more question do all 320s have the 5 speed box ?

Ben
 
One more question do all 320s have the 5 speed box ?
No, it only became standard on the R129 as part of the big '97 model year facelift. It was an option before that though, so some earlier cars may have it.
 
My MY98 (Reg Dec '97) has a three button key if that's any help.
 
No, it only became standard on the R129 as part of the big '97 model year facelift. It was an option before that though, so some earlier cars may have it.

Just bringing up an old questions. But i've seen debate over whether the 5 speed came in 1996 or later? I don't suppose you happen to know?

Also, is there an easy way to tell? Is it tiptronic "D-4-3-2-1" or were not all tiptronic and you just have to count the gear changes?

Many thanks
 
As above, it was standard on the R129 from the '96 facelift onwards. But it was available as an option for some time before that (a number of years I think).
 
There's more than one type of 5-speed box. The later W124s used a hydraulic box with electric overdrive 5th and no gearbox ECU. Did the R129 use that box, the later electronic one or did it depend on year?

Nick Froome
 
OK that's probably the confusion. The electronic 5-speed gearbox came in as standard with the R129's 1996 facelift. It may have been an option for a year or so previously (think that box originally came out in 1995?).

Before that the 'old' 5-speed would have been an option on the R129, with the 4-speed being standard.
 
Before that the 'old' 5-speed would have been an option on the R129, with the 4-speed being standard.

Maybe I'm mistaken, but the only 5sp I remember in my owners book is the manual box for the 280. All autoboxes were 4sp hydraulic until facelift.

I'll check upstairs later and double check what it has to say.
 
Obviously you can't believe everything you read on the web :D but I found this
An important step in this process was the development of five-speed automatic transmissions, for example, which were premiered in October 1990 as optional extras for the 300 E-24 model, the 300 E-24 Estate, the 300 CE-24 Coupé (all belonging to model series 124) and the 300 SL-24 (R 129).

Mercedes-Benz History: In-Depth Look at Automatic Transmissions from Mercedes-Benz | eMercedesBenz

Of course options varied by country, so may not be true for UK cars.
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom