R230 servicing schedule

[julesn]

Hi All will be starting to look at second hand SL's next month os so - will be a 350 / 500.

Looking to pick up an 2003 - 2005 and am keen to understand the recommended service types and timescales etc so how many stamps in the book should I be looking for

anyone help ?

 

[bostonmj]

julesn,

Whilst I understand what youre saying I would be concentrating on other issues such as leaking rooves, discharged batteries, faulty suspension, faulty dipped beam control modules etc that cost a dam fortune to fix, what are you talking about I hear you say!

I recently bought an R230 (SL500) on a 52 plate (Dec 02) however I think its one of the very first R230s which I think came out in 2003 - happy to be corrected here! Whilst I did my research, thought I knew what to look for etc i'm now being stung.

Upon getting the car home i took it to my local independent MB garage for a quick svc and check over. Almost immediately, the mechanic pointed out that the front suspension sounded iffy (i thought the knocking was the very responsive brakes). When he put it on the ramp he showed me that the lower suspension bushes had excessive signs of wear and need replacing and by the way, they are connected to the suspension strut/spring thing and cost about 1k each.

Then there is the rear suspension which again is showing signs of excessive wear, thats another 300.

Then the front headlight dipped beam fault light came on, after inspection we discovered that it was the control module however the module is connected to the headlight and you cant buy it separately thats 700.

Now its raining a lot, my roof/rear window seals are leaking - not a major problem but a pain.

The convenience battery in the boot is discharging very quickly - need to check the electroltye and give it good charge before I bin it but there is another 70 or so!

Now, I thought I knew what I was looking at, gave the car a good test drive and bought it from a reputable dealer specialising in high performance cars however, whilst I love the car I'm starting to regret buying it.

Some of the readers will be saying take it back, what about warranty etc?

Well, I've had the initial inspection and offered to pay for another independent report however the dealer refuses to accept these and wants the vehicle returning for him to look at. Not unreasonable however, he is a long way off (excess of 100 miles) and I'm not keen on driving the car in its current state that far. Also, how long will he keep it, will he fix it using new parts, using a reputable garage etc and what about a courtesy car? I have talked to the warranty company who say they dont want to know as the problems are wear and tear - go back to the dealer who shouldnt have sold it.

So were am I now, talking to Trading Standards and writing letters that were!

So to summarise what I'm trying to say - yes ask such questions however really know what your looking at, take a good expert if you know/are one and dont get stung like me.
I wish you luck and hope all goes well - perhaps I got the only bad one!

Martyn

 

[Matt45]

On your original post:

Servicing should be carried out iaw the on board computer which will tell you when it's needed. Up to about 2006 they were variable service periods on milage alone. From then on 06/07 MB went back to mileage and time periods so when it comes out of an A or B service the computer will be reset to 15500 but will change to a time-to-go within a month of the anniversary.
My first R230 was a 2004 350 and so I was on the variable service interval. This, however, changes depending on your driving style so you may only get 10000 miles out of each service; OK if you only do 6k a year. If you did 15-18k a year it would adjust and you'd probably get nearer 15k between services.

The R230 is quite pricy to run [see post 2, although I think he was unlucky]. Bank on a min of £500 per service from MB - better deals from indi's but no Mobilo cover. My last 230 cost me about £1000 a year in servicing and replacement parts that I chose to have done, ie shocks, brakes, ATF changes, Hyd changes, odd jobs. Trick is to buy from MB and get a tier 1 warranty then get all the probs fixed within the first year no questions asked.

Everything on an R230 is expensive through MB. Hyd change = £300, ATF = £300, Rear roof seals can be £thousands, Tyres = £300 each corner, and it's full of elecrical problems that are generally expensive to fix, ie new COMAND = £4000 + VAT + Fitting.

Hope this helps.

 

[bostonmj]

Scary stuff, makes you want to buy an MX5!

 

[Matt45]

I feel that one only buys an SL if money is not the prime concern. An MX5 makes good sense for fun but if, like me, there are only 2 of you and you want to cross the continent in sublime comfort then there is no finer car [my opinion]. Most people groan at the fuel consumption alone, but if you have to think about that then get an oil burning hatchback! Bit like looking in a shop window; if there are no prices then you probably can't afford it

 

[Burger]

I started looking at 2004/5 SL 350's and 500's when I became interested and soon realised that the late 2006 facelift made a huge difference in spec and performance, particularly for the 350, which while it dropped from 3.7L to 3.5L gained BHP and performance no end. To the extent where a late 2006 SL350 is about on par with an early 500.

Another attraction for me, apart from slightly better fuel economy (not something you can care much about with an SL) was that the 350's have 'standard' suspension. The pneumatic? suspension was available as an option but it seems very few people had it fitted.

I fully appreciate your budget might not stretch to a late 2006/early 2007 model but if there's any way you can, I would strongly advise it. Problems such as roof leaks seem to have been well sorted.

Martyn: That sounds like a real disappointment apart from anything else - hope you get a satisfactory resolution.

Matt45: Full of electrical problems? First I've heard of that. In fact just about every electrical problem I've read of to date has been caused by water ingress.

Regards,

 

[Matt45]

What I meant to say was the R230 is very 'automatic' operated by lots of electrical systems. Most of my reading of problems do stem from water ingress but there have been elecrical probelms with seats, instruments, batteries, the roof, and others. Mechanically it's as sound as a pound and I totally agree with your view about the suspension.

 

[Burger]

That makes sense. I must admit I thought I had a problem with my consumer battery but it turns out it was just in a poor state of charge and I obviously wasn't driving it often or far enough to make much difference. Now I've had it on the charger/conditioner for a couple of weeks, it seems much happier and holding its charge well.

You're right of course that any electrical/mechanical system is prone to failure at some point - another reason I'll always buy the latest car I can afford. However, the increase in complex technology seems to be the 'norm' for most up-market cars now and not just restricted to SL's. IMO.

Regards,

 

[jaymanek]

Sorry to go off topic but Bostonmj, You need to let the dealer sort this out for you...

You are wasting your own time and money trying to put things right when it will be nothing for a dealler to sort out.

Those arms and joints you mention are day to day consumables for any decent used car dealer and they should sort this out.

However no dealer I know will pay for any external work, they will want it done under their terms and in their garage.. and according to the law, this is their right.
They just have to ensure its fit for purpose when its back to you.. If they used good second hand parts, thats up to them, its not a new car and so you cannot demand new parts.

I would stop spending time and money and going around the houses by talking to trading standards etc. Just drop the car back off to them and leave them with a list of the items that need attention.
If they are any good they will lend you a runabout car, but again, under the law, they dont have to.

Hope that helps.

 

[Matt45]

Dave,
Interestingly I had rear battery probs on my 2004 car. Had a new battery and it turned out to be not good either so MB gave me another, but this one needed regular [weekly] top-up from my charger to keep the 'consumers offline' caution away. Without wishing to tempt fate, my 2007 car has not needed a charge and remains fine on the same type of milage/driving style. I think some SLs do have drains to the elec system that are not easily found. Overal I love the car and would buy another.

You're dead right that all new cars are complex. My wife's new Golf has virtually all the comfort extras that the SL has. Hopefully with time they will all develope the problems away as technology gets smarter.

All the best, Matt

 

[lxi]

You do need to go into the R230 arena with your eyes open and not expect budget motoring, however like all makes, there are good ones and bad ones.

There were problems with water ingress up to about 2004 from poor boot seals, but that's all that caused it, easy(ish) to fix and the only thing that was likely to suffer was the PSE pump in the boot (at the lowest point, wrapped in foam sponge - really logical for something that needs to be kept dry). PSE's tend to be binary - they work or they don't. Again, easy to protect once you know.

The ABS suspension on the 500s & 55s is superb. It's hydraulic & operates in a completely different way to the air set up on other models. Suspension legs can & do go and at £1k a corner, not a happy experience, however the problem is preceded by its reputation - in other words, it's not at all that common, not nearly as much as some might believe.

Remember also this forum is used by many as a source for knowledge & solutions to problems, so although you will see R230 owners (me included) moaning about issues, for every one of those, there are hundreds out there that don't even know the forum exists & are driving about quite happily in cars that don't have a problem so it all needs to be kept in perspective.

Battery problems? Not really - the car has one under the bonnet for starting only and another big one in the boot for all the toys. It has lots of toys, and if the car doesn't get used much or is left for a week without moving, the alarm and some of the insomniac toys will reduce the voltage such that an error is displayed when you start it, you are deprived of some of the toys, but it all sorts itself out after 15 minutes of driving. Best in cold weather if only doing short trips to give it an overnight top up charge once a month.

I had an Sl500 first, now an SL55 AMG - it's a bit of a love/hate relationship sometimes, but I wouldn't have changed for another if they were that bad! All in all, a super car with some silly design faults, but particularly glorious in better weather.

 

[Burger]

One other thing to check for on earlier models is the passenger foot well. Feel if the carpet's damp and if you can lift it a little. I'm not sure if this problem was restricted to just the earlier models but due to blocked drains, water somehow finds its way into the car and I've read a couple of instances where owners removed buckets full from the foot well. Perhaps an exaggeration but worth checking on any SL. Perhaps someone else will know if this was also restricted to certain years?

particularly glorious in better weather.

Hallelujah to that... and it can't return soon enough

 

[bostonmj]

Jaymanek

You are of course correct however, to say I'm miffed with the chaps attitude is an understatement. TS have however advised me that it is financially impracticable to sent it back to the dealer then I can fix it myself and take him to court and recover as much of the cost as possible - he could argue that he could fix it cheaper! Either way, everyone is telling me that I should let him get away with this and ensure that TS are involved. Its the garages reputation at stake!

Regarding the car, i do love it to bits and I always have a smile on my face when I drive it. So what if I'm getting 18mpg going to work and back, I just want the mechanical bits sorted!

Martyn

 

[julesn]

Hi All thanks for all the feedback and for highlighting the potential issues.

Re servicing is there just an A or B service or is ther there a horrendous every 4 year service or the like (my Current car is annual / 12k - 1st=minor, 2nd =major, 3rd=minor, 4th = major +++ £££)

 

[blaser24nig]

Hi All thanks for all the feedback and for highlighting the potential issues.

Re servicing is there just an A or B service or is ther there a horrendous every 4 year service or the like (my Current car is annual / 12k - 1st=minor, 2nd =major, 3rd=minor, 4th = major +++ £££)

Read post #3...

And as Dave has said on his previous post, I too have recently bought an SL350 2006 facelift and cannot be more happy. I do not get any of the issues older SL's get like the roof leaks amongst others. I have left my car for over 2 weeks several times and it always starts first time, no drain on anything. What I am trying to say is that if you have to buy an SL, try and get an '06 onwards SL 350 which will be less problematic for you...

 

[julesn]

ok, so an A or B service (small / large) no major worries such as cambelts etc ?

 

[BTB 500]

M-B engines have cam chains (rather than belts) which should be good for 100k miles +.

Reading this thread I'm glad I stuck with my R129

I just had a main dealer A service on my SL500 - £295. And £120 of that was oil - I stupidly forgot to provide my own Mobil 1 (from Costco) this time ... which they are quite happy with.

 

[vibesg]

I agree with Jay on sorting out the gremlins on Bostonmj's car and Matt45 on servicing schedules.
I've had my SL 350 for almost a year and a half. I went for a 2003 model and researched the car very well until I was a walking / talking R230 guru. I would hazard buying an E, C, ML etc privately or from an independent dealer but not an SL. Too many motors and electrics.
I bought mine from MB Doncaster with a Tier 1 warranty and boy am I glad I did.Though purchased from MB I still did all the checks under the boot floor for damp and leaks and t'was all bone dry. Forgot to garage it one night in the rain and I was shocked to discover a wet boot and soaking battery cover. I jumped up and down and threw a hissy fit at Mercedes and wouldn't take no for an answer. Took them 2 months but they renewed the seals 2ce and eventually did a bare metal respray under the seals and resealed the boot and rear screen surround. I also got a new antenna for the Navigation and had the pleasure of trying out the new A E and C Class as courtesy cars whilst mine was in the shop. I got to be on 1st name terms with the service dept but it all ended well. I prefer to wash with a bucket and sponge but drove it through a hand car wash just to test the seals after the work was done..bone dry. The consumer unit went low after I parked it for 2 months in the coldest weather last December but it charged up after taking it for a run.
You will realise that the 350 is a V6 and 500 a V8. Try both to see which is better for you. Not much difference on paper in terms of fuel consumption and neither is cheap to maintain but personally I think the 350 is gentler on the wallet.
Go for the latest car you can afford but unless you regularly floor the car or do regular motorway runs I do not feel the 30 bhp difference from the 2006 model. The Comand NTG1 is much nicer though (I'm planning an NTG 2.5 upgrade longer term) and the boot is slightly larger. Try to get as much spec as possible. I like my dark wood, glass roof and 18n inch wheels. I've installed digital TV and can see my Ipod tracks.
Long winded I know but get a proper warranty and use it to sort any anomalies.
Good luck.