First Time SL500 Owner Questions - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

beerme · #1 10-10-2004, 08:50 PM

Hello all, I just bought my wife a 95 SL500 (that is what I told her anyway) and have a few questions on what things to watch out for since I am not very familiar with this car. The car as 82,000 miles on it and seems to run great. One thing I have noticed is that the oil pressure gauge at the stop light seems a little flakey and I have seen a few post about sending units going bad. It will sometimes drop to just above the peg and 0 at idle, then when driving down the highway it will jump up to 3. That is the only thing I have found to be a potential problem, other than that I need to replace a couple light bulbs. Are there any items or common problems that I should have my mechanic look for outside of the oil pressure gauge? Also I am a Mobil 1 synthetic oil customer with my other vehicles, is this something that I could use in this engine as well? Any advice and insight on these autos is greatly appreciated.

Thanks very much and happy motoring......

elau · #2 10-10-2004, 08:59 PM

What bulbs are you referring? It can be costly if they are bulbs for the air vent and shift gate since I could not perform the work myself. The bulb for the shift gate was $.92, but the labor was what cost me (total bill was like $60). Same for the air vent dials, it will cost you unless you know how to get the thing apart to replace the bulbs.

beerme · #3 10-10-2004, 10:45 PM

Sorry, I was vague on the light bulbs. They are external, one is the front drivers side fog light at the bottom of the air dam, the other is one of the small bulbs for the brake light in the trunk lid. Thanks for your reply...

G-Benz · #4 10-11-2004, 10:49 AM

Welcome to MercedesShop!

As a 95 SL owner as well, actually, I should be asking YOU those questions since you have a few more miles on yours than I do...

And truthfully, it's ALSO my wife's car!

Nevertheless, the M119 engine is probably the most bulletproof engine MB has ever made! I wouldn't expect issues there unless the car was driven hard and severely undermaintained!

These were pretty much pampered vehicles by first owners, so you won't see many issues other than normal wear and tear.

Nevertheless, here are a few things to look for (based on my experiences):

Tires: These are heavy cars, and any out-of-spec alignment issues will manifest itself on rapid tread wear (especially on the fronts).

Softtop/hardtop: This is probably the most prevalent problem area for most owners, as the hydromechanical operation is pretty complex. Problems that cause the top switch light to remain on require codes to be pulled in order to diagnose. In most cases, a limiter switch here or there will cure it. Most frequently though, the top lock cylinders will start leaking or fail altogether. As with most SL parts, it's a king's ransom to obtain, (those little cylinders go for $150+), but the R&R is quite doable from the comfort of your garage.

Seats: No fewer than six motors drive the seat positions...our first owner was presumably heavy set, as I discovered a seat motor with a broken shaft. I wasn't about to pay $350 for a new motor assembly, so I just disconnected the module and disabled that seat operation (for now).

Interior parts: Pretty solid, but I had the console latch break some time ago (very young daughter climbing all over the car). Fortunately, it was a very cheap part (under $10) and took about 10 minutes to replace. Bulbs (as elau mentioned) burn out (pet peeve of mine with MB as I never owned other makes that required dash lights to be replaced...I've replaced several on ALL of my MBs). Bulbs run between $6-$12, and most aren't hard to replace (with proper tools), but you have to be careful. I replaced gauge cluster bulbs, but didn't disconnect the battery. When I uncoupled the plugs from the rear, I now have a SRS light starting at me whenever I start the car (until I get around to getting the code reset). I also broke the gauge cluster lens...that set me back $372 at the dealership!!! The climate control lights by the air vents are actually surprisingly simple...the panel just snaps right off and the bulbs are right there.

Oil: I've run synthetic oil on the ML since new, but the other cars are on dino ...they run fine on that. Wouldn't go synth unless I had a real need to do so, and because of the smaller molecular dimensions of the synth polymers, older cars with aging seals may actually develop leaks when switching from dino to synth. And as far as your oil pressure gauge, these are very tactile units, so you will see your display change as you drive. Typically, 1.5 bar or so at idle, 2 or more bar with light driving, and 3 bar (pegged) when accelerating and after a cold start. 0 bar is a bit of a concern with the oil pressure switch, but since you are seeing it go to 3 when you stomp on the gas, your oil pressure itself is fine. I would get the switch checked.

Anyway, aside from the softtop/hardtop operation issues, I believe this is an extremely trouble-free car. Most here in the forum would agree. Any other issues (if any) you may experience will be isolated to your car's history and maintenance, and not reflective of manufacturers defects in general.

The owner's manual will give you guidelines on some issues you may encounter, such as re-synching your switchblade key after changing the batteries in the fob, or re-synching your top operation after changing the car battery (which sits in the right rear footwell in the trunk)...btw, it's a weird size battery, so don't expect to find a replacement at Costco!

Pete Geither · #5 10-11-2004, 01:06 PM

The only real issues with mine have been distributor caps, rotors and plugs. The fuel filter in front of the right rear wheel may puke out gas now and then and need replaced. The car just all of a sudden almost quit running one day and the problem was the corroded dist caps and rotors, and they are very easy to change.

Overall I give this car a 10, with wonderful power and looks to die for.