Sl 500

[sylvia brent]

Hi all I just bought my Mercedes SL 500 2002 but Ive been having alot of problems with it and I m just wondering if some of u have been experiencing the same thing.

1)First of all the SRS light coming on

2) ESP light came on and increased breaking distance emergency light flashes on and the car wont break anymore.

3) Terrible squeeking noises in the roof when driving over small bumps and uneven roads.

[Peter Lack]

Originally Posted by sylvia brent

Hi all I just bought my Mercedes SL 500 2002 but Ive been having alot of problems with it and I m just wondering if some of u have been experiencing the same thing.

1)First of all the SRS light coming on

2) ESP light came on and increased breaking distance emergency light flashes on and the car wont break anymore.

3) Terrible squeeking noises in the roof when driving over small bumps and uneven roads.

Hi Sylvia

I bought an SL 500 in September 2003.
1] Unfortuneately this SL squeeks, groans and rattles really badly mainly from the roof, driver seat and rear compartment area. It sound more like a $64,000 car than a $126,000 one .
By the way, Does yours have a Glass Roof - as peple have told me this might be my problem?
My Dealer is great and spent 3 days trying to fix it [realignment and putting silocone on the fittings etc.] This initially got rid of 70% of the rattles - but by the end of the week-end, some 130 miles later the noises were back in force and are probably worse now!
2] The gearbox- transmission also sounds rough - not at all like the other 7 Mercedes I have had. I'd be very surprised if this one made 20,000 miles without breaking.
3] The Mobile Phone keeps failing to activate itself?

So I feel rather disolutioned and stupid. Did I buy a Lemon or is the whole design flawed or cost cut to a point of no return.
If they fix yours please let me know - as I think I will sell this one quickly

Peter

[blindside.AMG]

Yes, unfortunately the SL500 hardtop does squeak and rattle. That is by far the most complained about problem on the car. And being a technician I can tell it is one of the hardest things in the world to fix. There are so many joints and contact points on the top it is almost impossible to narrow down each and every rattle you hear. And adding spacers, felt tape, lube, etc. usually requires disassembly of the interior panels on the hard top and rear storage areas. This, in turn, usually creates more sqeaks than you started with. I remember one car I had to spend 4 days on it to make it suitable for this particular driver. Take it to the dealership and hope that they can fix most of the noises you hear, but don't count on it being 100% silent. As for the other problems, they can't be diagnosed with out a test drive or SDS machine. If you can live with the rattles it really is a great car to drive.

[Peter Lack]

Blindside - many thanks,
Are you a MB trained technician? Sounds like it.
If so do you know:
a] if the new 7G gearbox is any good? and
b] can one replace the current 5 speed in a new R230 SL easily, or is it a massive job with loads of new modifications/physically does not go in etc. or would it just slot in?.

[MB tech]

We've had no complaints at our dealership about the 7 spd trans but we're a smaller dealership. As for the second ? if you wanted to repalce the 5 spd trans with a 7 spd It's probably never been done and all the drivetrain control modules would have to be programed to work with the trans. Really it wouldn't make that much af a diffrience in performance or gas milage for the trouble and cost IF it can be done.

[blindside.AMG]

Originally Posted by Peter Lack

Blindside - many thanks,
Are you a MB trained technician? Sounds like it.
If so do you know:
a] if the new 7G gearbox is any good? and
b] can one replace the current 5 speed in a new R230 SL easily, or is it a massive job with loads of new modifications/physically does not go in etc. or would it just slot in?.

a] We only started getting cars with the new 7-speed a few months ago. So far, no real problems with them.
b] I can almost gurantee you that the new 7-speed will not bolt right up to a 5-speed equipped car. And I'm pretty sure that a dealership would not be willing to do a conversion for you for warranty and cost reasons. If it can be done then I'm sure companies like Brabus, Kleeman, and Carlsson would be the ones you would want to look into.

[Peter Lack]

Hi All
Many thanks for your posts - much appreciated in making up my mind about my choices.
So far the main Dealer in London say they have a specialist unit for servicing the new Maybach Limo for the whole of the UK, this department will also handle the New SL's and All new AMG's (E,SL,& S Class).
The manager of this department assures me he can fix all the rattles, (quote 'I guarantee we can fix these noise problems to your satisfaction ...and they won't come back'). Interestingly he'd not heard about the bad smell issue but did say the transmission was a bit noisier than on say an S Class.... deliberately to give the 'sporty effect'. But also said if it sounded rough in my opinion they also would check this out at the same time just to make sure.
Overall I guess this is my best option, as at least it documents my concerns over the transmission...in case i get problems at say 30,000 miles or one day after the warranty runs out - which is usually how things pan out for me!
I'll let you know if this plan works.

Just a comment fortunately it seems dealers in the UK are very happy to resolve warranty work for us.