SL500 maintenance - how much did it cost? | Episode 66

A lot - but it was worth it.
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[@julesviolin]

I'm also of the anti dealer brigade. They are not interested in saving money and they are only as good as their mechanical team ! I've fixed quite a few items on my SL55 AMG last year. Secondary air pump (new brushes fitted) £40 SRS fault was plugs under driver's seat £0 ! Soft close boot mechanism was fixed with a flexible glue to the vacuum actuator £2 ! New seals into ABC valve blocks £80 Stuck in Park fault fixed by uprating the clip in the ESM module to metal £40 Total £162 !!! Dealer price would have been £8000 Now an awsome car and I'm chuffed to bits with it :)

[@grahamfranklingf]

Jules Anderson I know where to come then if mine plays up one day.

[@patrickprendergast9589]

that was awsom jules

[@henryzhang9915]

That's the most thorough maintenance I've ever seen, great job!

[@bevolkisch4628]

probably one of the best looking car ever made, and it looks as good today as it did in 2003.

[@bhapampa]

I was considering purchasing this same vehicle here in Lagos Nigeria, and this has given me insight of the things to look out for. Thanks a lot. It's quite affordable to fix mercedes of older models here in Nigeria.

[@mguytv]

Hope you find a good one!

[@marknorton5951]

Always good to hear other owners experiences. I have a 2003 SL55 and after trying a number of so-called specialists who could not cope with the complexity of the car, I’ve gone back to the Mercedes network… at a price. Before this, I had fixed separately the EIS which prevented the car stating on the key - Keyless Go was ok - and I found a car electronics company who could fix it. I replaced a faulty accelerator pedal myself. The dealer is replacing a badly leaking steering rack, worn ball joints, suspension alignment, supercharger belt, transmission service and the rear main seal on the back of the engine. Here in the UK, it costs £800 (1400 AUD) to remove and replace the transmission to change the seal which is about £30. Total spend on the car this year so far? £6500, 11500 AUD. Hourly labour rate here is £168, 300 AUD. That just leaves the problem of the boot/trunk self-close which may be the PSE pump or a leaking boot release and I’ve borrowed a known working PSE pump to find out which. Routine Mercedes maintenance is reasonably priced but the R230 is an extraordinarily complex car and repairs beyond routine maintenance are expensive. I’m always wondering what is going to go wrong next. That accounts for very poor resale values and the advice to anyone buying is to get the car checked and go into ownership with your eyes open!!

[@gotglasses]

Fascinating! I purchased an 04 SL500 two years ago and enjoy it thouroughly. The ABC and SBC ( which now has a 25 year warranty from Mercedes!) has saved my neck several times at way over a hundred - so yes it is worth it. I really appreciate the clips of the parts replaced as I compare it to my experience. My car with 58,000 miles had a good service record with the motor mounts replaced and the front valve block replaced. The systems need, like us, regular excercise. My car did drop in the rear after being parked several days and spit out some repetitive ABC/SBC codes. This was all related to low voltage in the rear battery, not leaking struts. My car draws ten amps when the ABC solenoids self level the car when parked if there is a pressure drop or disturbance. This can happen whenever you open the door or a garbage truck or snow plow rumbles by. My costs have been very low as I do my own maintenance. But yes - handing an ABC renovation to any mechanic is $$$. I started with a Rodeo and new filter and have had no further complaints. My bit of advice to any SL500 owner is to buy a CTek trickle charger ( BTW - new Corvettes come with those ) and keep the car plugged in to maintain battery voltage. My car no longer drops noticeably after several weeks storage. If the car is not garaged, drive it several times a week and enjoy the bargain thrills you bought!

[@JettaRedIII]

Engage Overdrive let me add that the valve blocks can be rebuilt for less than US$50 if the are the old style with removable valves.

[@narcissistinjurygiver2932]

sbc has warranty abc does not

[@kennethwillis5274]

They also make a battery disconnect switch because I just purchased a few and it is simple to install. Especially for the trunk battery

[@JettaRedIII]

The crank position sensor is not on the top of the engine-it’s near the crank. (Not to be confused with CAM position sensors.). Also, the B service replaces the A service-they should not have done both. Lastly, why didn’t they fix the steering wheel? It’s on the wrong side! 😛

[@JettaRedIII]

AUS$10,000 (~US$7200) is really not bad for the work done, even though I’m guessing parts cost about AUS$2800 and everything done you could do yourself. You would need to get a scan tool to do the ABC fluid exchange (Autel MaxiDAS will work-AUS$1000) and a MaxJax lift (AUS$2500) would help. Maybe another AUS$300 in miscellaneous specialty tools. But, if you are going to own a Mercedes, they’re a good one-time investment.

[@glasser2819]

yep, this was right above basic maintenance. ALL Benz are built to need that super service around 70kMi (right out of any warranty). Left out was...: transfer case 75w90 gear oil dyal AGM batteries Failed PCV (oil consumption) Alternator brushes swap 👍

[@henryzhang9915]

just bought a same car, amazing looking car, addictive noise.

[@joaomatos9194]

Its a problematic car??

[@Prestigiousguy]

Hi M guy! I watched your video before purchasing my 2005 SL500, its a mars red. I’m in need to replace the rear abc accumulator I was told, as the car bounces around too much on a bumpy road. It was perfect before. Owned it for 7 months and no drivability problems other than new abc hiccup. This all happening exactly as I reached my schedule A maintenance.. coincidence? Foregoing some of the maintenance you have described as the car drives great mostly, just a bit unsettled on uneven surfaces. Ordered one new accumulator for the rear. Hope it fixes it. I won’t be doing much other than oil changes and front brake pads after this, as I live in remote part of US without much official help. I must say I absolutely love my car, it’s amazing! The best car ever when it rides correctly.

[@mguytv]

Check out this link, it has everything: mercedes-abc-drive-carefully.blogspot.com/

[@Prestigiousguy]

I have read and bookmarked it before! With red abc ‘drive carefully’ light, it indicates an accumulator fault apparently. There are a multitude of abc warnings that can mean different things. I have also joined BenzWorld forum and the help on there has been great. Sounds like rear accumulator should fix it, maybe also replace front. The ‘return’ accumulators cannot be linked to this problem I was told.

[@RipMa]

I just bought a 2003 SL500 w/43k miles for $13k yesterday from a private owner. I really hope I can enjoy this car this summer without any repairs this year.

[@tokyo1469]

This is not a car to buy if you have limited funds, trust me it is a VERY EXPENSIVE car to run......& worth every penny. I've owned an R230 SL500 for 12 or so plus years (since it was almost new), I love it, nothing else on the road looks like it or drives like it, but it's really only a car for people who appreciate what they are getting into & not afraid to do a few minor repairs themselves, avoid the shit head main dealers & know a good independant Mercedes specialist mechanic who know these R230's inside out........ IT'S EXPENSIVE TO KEEP ON THE ROAD...END OF !!

[@lee.boy.dmv3177]

What was mentioned above is the 10 commandments handed down by the lord to R230 SL Mercedes new or future owners absolute truth 🙏

[@m60kaf]

Service, plugs, mounts, belt, ABC and 722.6 flush cost me £350 and a day work DIY - whats that 700 aus. Think if you're into older cars you need to DIY. Amazes me the %age of people say they are petrolheads and rely on garage labour.

[@glasser2819]

on German rides, labour is synonymous with extortion! Too many needy cars not enough gear docteurs 👍

[@KrisThatsit]

Here in America European cars are status symbols and shops tend to charge whatever price they want, I got quoted for 700$ on a brake job for my CLK and it was only the front. I bought the brakes for less than 100$ and did both sides in 2 hours

[@johnpro2847]

...so you got out of it reasonably well ..but keep in mind ..it is a Yacht on wheels and so the expenses are on going. ..as you well know. Prestige costs...if it didn't everyone would have one.

[@xxx1xxx275]

Dude love your vids and I can understand taking the Maserati to the dealership but you should repair the Benz yourself cos the dealership is clearly scamming you. #DIY

[@jgonzalesm6]

Agreed, most of the stuff listed if not all, are all DIY IMO provided one has the time, knowhow, tools, and a second vehicle. All the parts you can get online. One mention though, the motor mounts--> that I would take to the dealer but everything else is just DIY. I would have also replaced the intake-manifold lever and linkage with aluminum instead of the current OEM plastic lever and linkage ( there are youtube vids on this).

[@mguytv]

Would love to do more stuff DIY - eventually I will when I can get a shed that I can kit out as a workshop

[@xxx1xxx275]

@@mguytv looking forward to that

[@alexmalmstrom7299]

XXX1 XXX2 I totally agree with this comment! A qualified Mercedes mechanic could've done it for half the price. I've learnt the hard way not to ever take my Mercs to the dealer... you pay a lot to make their work shop spotless!!

[@xxx1xxx275]

@@alexmalmstrom7299 I'd go farther and say learn to do as much as you can yourself because it's really hard to find a good honest mechanic. Like 99.99% of them cut corners and purposefully mess things up on your car in hope that you will be back soon.

[@michaelcheatham7665]

Beautiful car...Will give you many years of enjoyment.

[@mguytv]

I have an SL55 now - check out my latest videos.

[@glasser2819]

once you get used to the frequent pit stops, everything is good... 👍

[@nosherz]

It's always better to try & track down an SL with proof of no expense spared on the maintenance, unless you can pick one up REALLY cheap. Many still look nice, but are 3rd, 4th, 5th owner cars driven by cheapskates, who buy them just for appearance value & half-ass it on the maintenance.

[@cintrelg.2474]

Nice car bro! But, Grab a wrench some coilovers(75% of. Est)...and a Indy shop!! A novice could have cut that est. in half easy... My CLK55 has never seen any EST. over 2k...js

[@nickhawkins1099]

Hi Simon, thanks very much for your lumbar support repair video for SL500, excellent! Just a quick question if one seat fails do both not work as a result? Neither passenger or driver seat lumbar supports work on my car and was deciding where to start

[@mguytv]

I think any leak in the system will shut down the air pump so it's not running all the time, so in all likelihood yes. If it's like my CL, each time you start the car the pump is reset, so should run for 10 mins or so to allow you to listen for where the air is escaping (do this with the engine off but ignition on)

[@yurivilchez9081]

I own the same car when Bought I make sure no light is on but after one week just found out the car is garbage 2 owners they never replace anything in the car so now cost me too much to get fix it, I still like this car but just decided to sell it get some money back.

[@IXFlameXI]

Hey, did you had any problems with roof noises when the roof is closed? (rattle while driving over bumps) Is it louder in the interior than your previous CL500? I don't have any problems with my SL, just this... was at the dealer quite a few times because of that. Very annoying.

[@BobWebb1066]

what a dog of a car to buy. I bought one 7 months ago....it has been a joy to own....until i needed 4 tyres and a new brake caliper.....at over a grand

[@Jpcars636]

Great video I had to subscribe as I just got a sl500 r230

[@mguytv]

Congrats! Enjoy!

[@thelowlychicken]

Very informative thank you. Just found.

[@mikec3304]

How 🤔much in American dollars? I'm thinking 🤔about purchasing one. Not sure 😕after watching your video.

[@markwilson8475]

Great insight into how expensive these machines are to maintain. Hope you don’t mind me asking but how much was the purchase price?

[@mguytv]

It was AU$45k, which is OK for similar age/km examples: bit.ly/2Pzhn9P Car prices here are RIDICULOUS compared to the rest of the world...

[@JettaRedIII]

A car like that would be between US$15,000 and US$18,000 in the US, less than half of what you paid. But it’s all relative. You’re on the beach when I’m shoveling snow.

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

They are dirt cheap here in the UK. Under £5000 for a higher mileage one. Under 9k for one with sub 50k miles on it. It's not the sort of car people buy here when they want a sports car though. They will usually buy Porches, Lotus, or something Japanese.

[@glasser2819]

@@BlatentlyFakeName recently Benz is pushing its 300 4Cyl-turbos engines (even with 4Matic) as a replacement for v6 3.5L engines.

[@andybenz6579]

How many miles do you have on your car

[@skiperoo]

you must be kidding ….purchase price plus $10000aus is simply crazy …..yes it is a 500 but half of those expenses will come up again in 25000 miles …...way too expensive …...envy the car but the mistake people make is that they compare their car to the original $100000 and think it is worth it....remember the margin on the original car to MB was around 40000!!!! imo

[@islandknight6105]

It’s still a $100k car for a quarter of the price. A brand new one doesn’t drive or look much better than a R230. So, it’s the cost of admission if you want to join the club. ... or you could buy a Mustang GT and forget all about ABS and SRS and all that Jazz.

[@michaeldamico9592]

I’m buying a 2006 today Hopefully don’t need to do all of the above…!!

[@Barry-26]

Once been done by service. How long will it’s last (month or year)

[@glasser2819]

one thing leads to another. Sce A and B are simple oil change and basic inspection to give you a call about surprises. Luckily they all fail the same way at the same mileage, so don't be caught off guard with inflated figures. All the maintenance is routine else when ignored its a surprise failure repair. 👍

[@Hmmm313]

So how much was it??????

[@mrkongsimr]

OK ! here is another video and I thought if the steering was on the left side it would be nice to buy a car from you , as you make them perfect and then you sell them. I would rather buy a car like that and drive it rather than fixing them up. Thank's

[@nigel.w]

How many kms had the car done?

[@mguytv]

From memory about 60k?

[@nigel.w]

@@mguytv Quite a lot needed to be done for such low mileage. So that leaves age, maybe lack of pre-emptive maintenance and/or hard use by previous owner/s. A good example that even a low mileage car purchase may need a significant cash injection to bring it up to par. I think back in the UK, these initial repair costs would have fallen on the dealer. And the price you paid there in Oz one would have hoped so too. When I lived in NZ it was the same. Pay the dealer top money and when things go wrong you're on your own. I note that good dealers in the UK often take responsibility for repairs for several months (at least three and the better dealers six) and justify their higher prices in so doing. So, I think in UK, at least, these potential costs give good reason to buy from a good dealer and pay their premium. In Oz, it would seem that the way you did it with the BMW is the better option.

[@kennethwillis5274]

You should have brought a new car dude

[@mguytv]

Where’s the fun in that? 😉

[@nvansickle]

Why are you buying Mercedes when you are the Maserati guy?

[@glasser2819]

its a case of dual personality! besides Benz take on rain leak bumper to bumper so need a rainy day car 🙄

[@BlacKnightRising]

I mean why even bother fixing the headlight 'washers' since wiping them down will suffice I wouldn't even bother with that, nor would I bother fixing the seats that 'massage' either....who needs those things, they're totally unnecessary/unneeded and something else to go wrong...those 'heat scarfs' in the headrests make me laugh, I mean do you really need your neck 'heated' with the top down should a cold front come in all of a sudden, it's so ridiculous, outrageous and absurd LOL

[@gianni300rpm]

the mercedes psycology is, sell these nice cars for a whole bunch of money to these sucker and then sell it to them again in parts,

[@nowthatsfunny1]

I have this car and its absolutely the worst mistake I've ever made on my life. I've never seen a car with so many repairs that other cars would never need. These cars have so many problems it seriously is unbelievable. Leaky valve covers, worn out idler pulleys, bad accumulators, bad struts, bad top pump, bad pse pump, bad torque strut, break in seat air hose, bad door lock actuator, leaky trunk gasket, rust along the rear window under the deal, bad premature faded pillar covers, rattles behind the dash, it goes on and on at least 10 more things that was bad. Car only has 75,000 miles. Bad battery 2 times. I bought car 2 years ago and put 10,000 miles on car, paid 24,000 and it's only worth 9,500 because only clueless people will buy these cars. I'll buy a toyota next time.

[@julesviolin]

Ah but a Toyota would bore me to fuck !!!!

[@flamingguy21]

Get a Lexus instead. Mercedes luxury with Toyota reliability

[@joaomatos9194]

So,this car its a very bad deal?

[@tokyo1469]

Like all things in life some are good, some are bad examples of the same model. I've owned an R230 SL500 since 20007/08 when it still had very little miles on the clock.....everybody thought it was some mega rich mans car, it looks expensive (it still does, except now it's coming into classic territory) it is by a country mile the most amazing car to own & enjoy.....I've owned top end cars that don't come close as an all rounder to this superb timeless beauty. Sure I've had to replace a few things over the 12 year + ownership, but nothing else on the road looks like or drives like an R230 SL500......................ANYBODY BUYING ONE NEEDS TO KNOW IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE TO RUN, SIMPLE AS THAT !! It had an average price tag of £80,000-£100,000 PLUS when new......people slating them should just buy a car more suited to their budget & stop winging about something they cannot afford to run......end of !! THEY ARE EXPENSIVE TO RUN.......MOVE ON & BUY SOMETHING MORE IN LINE WITH YOUR POCKET PEOPLE, RATHER THAN MOANING ABOUT THE COST OF OWNWERSHIP !

[@fisherrr333]

cheap!

[@khndenmark]

You really don’t know very much on these cars, that is for sure.