SL55, back at the specialists yet again.

[mars1960]

When i read that if you buy a 10 year old SL55 you wont be having anymore holidays i should have listened.

First thing that failed was the charge cooler pump a week after purchase.
Second, the throttle sensor packed in and needed replacing.
Third, tensioner pulley needed replacing.
Fourth, the baffle has now come loose in the fuel tank, i will have to live with knocking for a couple of months.

It's now back in the garage yet again for a new boot seal and PSE pump at a total cost of around £1400.
Total spent so far, a bit over £2k, to date it now owes me over 22k and still needs around £1600 spent to have a new fuel tank fitted.
Is it worth it? hell yes .

 

[SH0X]

My close friend is in the market for one of these

Tell me more, what mileage is yours at, how many owners and what year
Are any of those issues known common faults on the car? Any tell tale signs you had noticed?

 

[mars1960]

My close friend is in the market for one of these

Tell me more, what mileage is yours at, how many owners and what year
Are any of those issues known common faults on the car? Any tell tale signs you had noticed?

It's a 52.000 mile 2004 with 2 previous owners.
The leaky boot and fuel tank baffle are very common, if you are lucky you may find one that had these issues addressed under waranty.
No tell tale signs but i new the charge pump needed renewing because it kept going in to limp mode when it got up to temperature.

 

[lxi]

My close friend is in the market for one of these

Tell me more, what mileage is yours at, how many owners and what year
Are any of those issues known common faults on the car? Any tell tale signs you had noticed?

charge cooler pump - very uncommon
throttle sensor packed - very uncommon
tensioner pulley - very uncommon
baffle has now come loose in the fuel tank - very uncommon

boot seal - common - easy fix at total cost about £5.00 (five pounds)
PSE pump - reasonably common - caused 95% of time by leaky seals

Obviously a run of very bad luck particularly with the tank baffle.

Sometimes the PSE can be salvaged depending on how badly it was allowed to get wet -

 

[AMGeed]

charge cooler pump - very uncommon
throttle sensor packed - very uncommon
tensioner pulley - very uncommon
baffle has now come loose in the fuel tank - very uncommon

boot seal - common - easy fix at total cost about £5.00 (five pounds)
PSE pump - reasonably common - caused 95% of time by leaky seals

Obviously a run of very bad luck particularly with the tank baffle.

Sometimes the PSE can be salvaged depending on how badly it was allowed to get wet -

Is it worth mentioning the airmatic struts/pump and SBC?

 

[mars1960]

charge cooler pump - very uncommon
throttle sensor packed - very uncommon
tensioner pulley - very uncommon
baffle has now come loose in the fuel tank - very uncommon

boot seal - common - easy fix at total cost about £5.00 (five pounds)
PSE pump - reasonably common - caused 95% of time by leaky seals

Obviously a run of very bad luck particularly with the tank baffle.

Sometimes the PSE can be salvaged depending on how badly it was allowed to get wet -

I thought it was a common problem given the amount of threads/posts on the forums and on many of the reviews, wern't Mercedes even taken to court over the matter?

 

[RattlerRattler]

blah, blah, issues, blah, issues, blah, blah.....
Is it worth it? hell yes .

Nice work

 

[E270 Owner]

Errrmm is it worth it

No...........

 

[DSB SL AMG]

Yep ABC struts, circa £1500 per corner...ABC pump about £700 ish, I would think commonish on older cars.

SBC can be re-set a few times before you need to change

Is it worth mentioning the airmatic struts/pump and SBC?

 

[IanA2]

Not a car I'd buy when there are granite hewn alternatives like SL60's

 

[Mat B]

charge cooler pump - very uncommon
throttle sensor packed - very uncommon

Perhaps these are just common to a 55 engine as i had to these within first few months of ownership

 

[markjay]

I don't think AMGs are particularly unreliable, however if you buy a second hand one then it is unlikely to have led a very sheltered life with its previous owner(s).

Yes it does look nice and shiny as 'Approved Used' on the fourcourt after good valeting and with FSH (what's 'Main Dealer' anyway? Does any MB dealer own up to being a 'lesser' dealer?), but people just don't spend upwards of £50k on a new AMG to drive it to the shops and back.

Drive it and enjoy it like the previous owners did....

 

[Terry_]

Unfortunately the R230 can break your heart with repair bills. I owned a 2003 SL500 a few years back and it emptied my pockets for around 3k in the first year.
As my labour was free this was just in parts!
All your issues are common failures unfortunately
And I'm sure there will be more to come! I will say, however, that they are an incredible car to own, and worth every penny.
If you had an equivalent vehicle from an alternative manufacturer you would no doubt be spending a lot more!!!!!

 

[E270 Owner]

Unfortunately the R230 can break your heart with repair bills. I owned a 2003 SL500 a few years back and it emptied my pockets for around 3k in the first year.
As my labour was free this was just in parts!
All your issues are common failures unfortunately
And I'm sure there will be more to come! I will say, however, that they are an incredible car to own, and worth every penny.
If you had an equivalent vehicle from an alternative manufacturer you would no doubt be spending a lot more!!!!!

All 10 year old Mercs will empty your pockets when a £3.00 pressure switch costs £70.00

I have no idea why MB parts are so expensive in comparison to other manufacturers they have no quality advantage
and break just as commonly as any Ford/GM/Fiat/ part.















.

 

[DSLiverpool]

When i read that if you buy a 10 year old SL55 you wont be having anymore holidays i should have listened. First thing that failed was the charge cooler pump a week after purchase. Second, the throttle sensor packed in and needed replacing. Third, tensioner pulley needed replacing. Fourth, the baffle has now come loose in the fuel tank, i will have to live with knocking for a couple of months. It's now back in the garage yet again for a new boot seal and PSE pump at a total cost of around £1400. Total spent so far, a bit over £2k, to date it now owes me over 22k and still needs around £1600 spent to have a new fuel tank fitted. Is it worth it? hell yes .

Tell me you didn't buy mine - tanzanite blue with black? I haven't heard anything after the sale which surprised me hope it's not you !!!

Sorry just read more - it's not mine phew !

 

[sssammm]

PM me for details, I had my fuel tank done for £500, a perfect repair, will never go again, and tank does not have to be removed

 

[mars1960]

PM me for details, I had my fuel tank done for £500, a perfect repair, will never go again, and tank does not have to be removed

Sounds interesting, i have a PDF with a few alternative repairs that include a spring from the fuel sensor to the baffle and even poking a broom handle through and bending the baffle to wedge it in place.
I dont seem to be able to PM.

 

[Alps]

seems like you have been very unlucky , its a shame you didn't have aftermarket warranty, at least its all getting sorted so you can enjoy the car again.

 

[mars1960]

seems like you have been very unlucky , its a shame you didn't have aftermarket warranty, at least its all getting sorted so you can enjoy the car again.

I wish i had, when i bought my 6 year old XKR the dealer offered me a 3 year gold star warranty at a very reasonable price so i took it, the car never had a single problem, typical.
Oh and i forgot, had a new leisure battery fitted 2 months after i bought the SL, that was another £100 lol.
Now i have been rather silly and bought a Eurocharged 180mm pulley kit , that with the v-max limiter removed a few weeks ago and i should have one of the fastest SL55's on the road if i manage to actually drive it anywhere other than to the specialists .

 

[Alps]

Im assuming you have bought the remap with the pulley?

you will need to remap it to avoid fuel starvation, last thing you want is something else going wrong