Searching for secondhand SL350's

[jpod]

Visited two dealers today with a pal who is in the market for an SL350.

Both had flat batteries in their boots, so flat that we were unable to test electrics in the first car including the hood.

The first was a 2005, 90k, ~£7,500 rust in the rear wheel arches, bit on the front. Bit of rust on corner of the metal tonneau cover, alloys bubbling, engine bay uncared for. Pulls to the left. We walked away, somewhere a German engineer was crying into their beer.

The second 2007, 89k, £10k-ish, one key, engine bay cared for, little rust in the rear wheel arches, bubbling alloys, chunk out of the right front OS tyre where it had been kerbed but wheel and tracking appeared ok, needed two new front tyres, boot carpets damp, water in clear indicators in both wing mirrors. Roof worked once - very well, quiet and fast - but then rear battery flat - so again can't test electrics. It needs a service. No sign transmission fluid has been done - has been serviced by MB a few times, a specialist a few times and then a regular garage once in 2013. Test drive was fine.

Possibly interested in the second motor, my estimate to make it mint is as follows, assuming all things are equal:
Service £200 to £300
New key £250 (that is how much the one for my C class cost)
Tracking? £?
Transmission fluid & filter £250?
2x front tyres £200
Refurb alloys £380 to £400
2x indicators (DIY fitting) £50

Needs an mot, garage guy said I could get that done elsewhere and he was happy if I had a Pro inspection. He was very fair indeed.

I guess you nurse the small rust spots until it needs the bodyshop in a few years time.

Any Pro tips about what to look for re SL350's would be appreciated.

I am still searching for a mint SL350 for my pal. Am I expecting too much to find a Mercedes with no rust?

 

[Monkeylegend]

They are about but you need to search carefully.

I bought a 2004 350 two weeks ago, one owner from new, 50k miles, service history, no rust, absolutely immaculate inside and out, alloys have been refurbished.

Everything works as it should, even the roof

The garage renewed the secondary battery which goes flat quickly if left standing. Check inside the boot for water leaks, a well known issue which affects the roof operation, and check engine timing gear mods to avoid the dreaded balancer shaft issues.

You will probably need to pay a bit more than £8/9k for a really good one, but I think it will be a good medium/long term investment.

 

[jpod]

I hope she serves you well.

Crivens! And I thought the rust issue was a headache? Thanks for posting that ML.

I will have a read, I can see that the issue can affect 2005 - 2008 SL350!

I am not 100% sure what the balance shaft is but what I do know is that the camshaft is extremely beneficial, primarily tasked with holding the pistons in the luxury German sports car!

Mercedes Benz balance shaft engine issues. How to check by VIN. M272/273 - Mercedes Medic

 

[Monkeylegend]

The 350 is a lovely engine, very smooth but a nice exhaust rasp when pushing on a bit.

I would have loved a 500 but put off by the ABC issues.

The only other thing to look out for is the SBC braking system. The SBC pump has a finite life in terms of number of actuations, and requires replacement, but a lot of these were replaced by Mercedes even outside the 3 year warranty period on a goodwill basis. It is worth checking if this has been done, and possibly one benefit of a higher mileage car in as much as it is more likely to have been replaced.

 

[jpod]

Another thing?!

I have had a read about that.

The first car we examined had a bit of oil in two places - front face of the engine - top left facing the engine - beneath a stand with a thing on, and on the left face mid way down.

What is the oil likely to mean?

I can't find a picture of that engine to point out where it was. Sorry.

 

[DaveLondon]

Funnily enough, a good friend had a similar experience when looking for an SL500 at dealers, with a budget in the high teens. You would think these guys would actually want to sell the cars, wouldn't you?

 

[jpod]

I think we caught them unawares which isn't a bad thing because you get to see it without the garage lad fettling it with wd40 and mr sheen for 48 hours non-stop.

It was also a force 8 gale but sunny - behind glass, preferably two layers, in a wooly jumper with a hot drink it was comfortable - the last thing they expected was me and my mate pitching up asking to check out their convertible!

At one point I actually blew over whilst crouched down inspecting Mercedes dizzying array of rusty wheel arches. Much to the amusement of my pal and the garage owner!

Obviously any day spent looking at cars was 100% bliss.

 

[DaveLondon]

I think we caught them unawares which isn't a bad thing because you get to see it without the garage lad fettling it with wd40 and mr sheen for 48 hours non-stop.

It was also a force 8 gale but sunny - behind glass, preferably two layers, in a wooly jumper with a hot drink it was comfortable - the last thing they expected was me and my mate pitching up asking to check out their convertible!

At one point I actually blew over whilst crouched down inspecting Mercedes dizzying array of rusty wheel arches. Much to the amusement of my pal and the garage owner!

Obviously any day spent looking at cars was 100% bliss.

Haha! I spent an hour this past Saturday crawling around on the floor under the CLK430 I just bought, in 2degrees! I feel your pain.

However, my friend had actually arranged to view/drive the cars at the dealers that let him down. Even worse in my book!

 

[oldguy57]

Bought one last year 2004 with 23000 on the clock and full service history. We looked at a few before buying and none we saw had rust issues - most (but not all) seem to have been well looked after. Check for rusting though just below the rear window- expensive to sort out. There are loads out there so you really have a good choice of colour spec condition etc. Apart from the general mechanics which you would check anyway the model does seem to have problems with water ingress through the roof and boot seals. These may have been sorted by a previous owner - you may find that the drain holes in the roof and boot area are blocked and need clearing. Stains on the plastic trim on the roof is a sign of water leaking. Check the boot there is a lot of electrickery in there which is expensive to repair if water damaged.(in particular a large block of foamy stuff which holds water nicely and is there to protect the electrics!) One car we looked at had water sloshing about in the boot. Find a nice one and you wont regret it- really nice little cruiser and comfortable even if you're over 6foot.