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  #1  
Old 01-05-2004, 03:13 PM
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Maintenance costs

I am thinking of purchasing a '99 sl500, but was wondering what the yearly maintenance cost works out to be?
I am planing on using the car as a daily driver.
Thanks

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  #2  
Old 01-05-2004, 03:59 PM
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There are other threads on this topic, but most will agree that the R129 series is pretty reliable.

Very little in terms of actual parts failures, which is good, since said parts are exorbitantly priced!

Most likely anomalies to crop up would be components in the complex electro-hydraulic top operation. Even those are uncommon issues.

Keeping the rear glass in good shape (why such a high-priced vehicle has a plastic window is beyond me) is paramount. Once damaged or faded, replacements usually entail refitting the rear area of the top, which varies from $340 DIY to upwards of $1200 for a pro install.

I've had my 95 since 2000 and except for accidentally cracking the gauge cluster glass ($273), I'm out a few dollars for burnt out dash bulbs ($12) and a broken console latch ($6).

Oh yeah, battery replacement last year ($120)...went to Interstate as the OEM version went for over $300 at the dealership!

Otherwise, periodic fluid changes is all I've done...I will contend that it's a fair-weather vehicle, so I put about 2500 miles per year cruising....
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  #3  
Old 01-05-2004, 05:01 PM
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My last year maintenance cost was $38 for an oil change at the dealer. I drive less than 3K miles annually on my SL though.

The year before I had to finally replaced my OEM battery (in the car since 1995) for $166.60 parts and labor from the dealer.

The SL is an incredible reliable car and the maintenance cost should not run you more than any other MB. I must say that when parts do break, they tend to be more expensive. But there is always FastLane you can get parts from, as long as you don't mind working on it yourself.

The main thing to do is to buy a StarMark car from a dealer, and have it looked over carefully. Spend a lot of time to find the right one will not hurt.
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  #4  
Old 01-07-2004, 05:34 AM
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Mine has been pretty cost effective. Not much more than my old C-Class. I put 25k miles a year on it and I am fanatical about maintenance. My dealer thinks I'm nuts. A full service usually runs the UK equivalent of $400; however just this week I have laid out the equivalent of $2,500 on a total over haul (all fluids and filters, including transmission, new discs and pads all round, some new suspension bits, steering damper, air con recharge, and various replacement parts which were far from essential, like washer bottle top and engine cover).
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  #5  
Old 01-07-2004, 09:40 AM
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I know this is a silly question, but what kind of gas mileage have you been getting with your SL?
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  #6  
Old 01-07-2004, 09:44 AM
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I am not sure how acccurate the gauage is. I sometimes notice that I get 35 on the highway crusing at 70 mph with top down and AC running!!
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  #7  
Old 01-07-2004, 09:47 AM
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Gee, elalu, what I have read in the past, mileage was around 18-20 on the hwy, now this is for the SL500, what SL do you have?
I am not sure of the designations 87 W124, 95 R129
98 W163.
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  #8  
Old 01-07-2004, 01:33 PM
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Between 20 and 30 miles per gallon (imperial miles and imperial gallons). Round town I sometimes struggle to better 18mpg, especially if I've been ragging it! On the open road, going steady, 30mpg is just within reach. Most tanks I get about 23mpg.

But really, who cares? There's nothing better than 5litres of petrol guzzling muscle under the right foot. It does 100 to 140 in the blink of an eye and I don't give a damn that it probably swallows half a gallon in the process!

The w124 is the mid-sized saloon which ran from 1984 to 1995; a beauty of a car.

The r129 is the same as mine, a SL from 1989 to 2001.

And I think the w168 is a M-Class, although it may be an A-Class, or is that the 163?
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  #9  
Old 01-07-2004, 01:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by jjrodger
And I think the w168 is a M-Class, although it may be an A-Class, or is that the 163?
The M-Class is the W163...and I also have the W124 and the R129...
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  #10  
Old 01-07-2004, 04:30 PM
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Parts purchased so far for my '93 500SL:

Window motor and gear assy: £120
Distributor cap: £80 - needed two
Distributor arm: £20 - needed two of course
Oil semi-synthetic: 8.5 litres - round about £4/l - £34
Oil Filter - £20
Pollen Filter - £25
Infra-red key - £55
Wiper Blade (complete assy) - £20
Front Grille - £405 - Ooooouch

All purchased directly from MB.

I've been pleasantly surprised as parts (so far) haven't really been much more expensive than for my 190E (apart from the recent grille incident) . I'm sure that you'll find that service parts are really no more than other cars and probably cheaper than many Japanese models ;-)

Lea
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  #11  
Old 01-07-2004, 05:20 PM
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Hi Learoy

What grille did you purchase, 6 or 7 slat?

I wonder whether they still sell the older 7 slat grille

Regards
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  #12  
Old 01-07-2004, 10:26 PM
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It is too funny. You guys are just going to confuse him to no ends.

OK. R129 is the SL that we all refer in this particular section of the forum. R stands for roadster, and 129 is the chassis number (if you look at the Porsche, they call the 964, 930, 993 and 996 as 911. 993 and 996 is just the chassis designations of one of many 911 series cars).

W124 is the E class. W actually stands for Wagon. It is a 4-door sedan.

W163 is the M class, the SUV.

We like to use chassis numbers to throw people off

As I mentioned, I am not sure if the guage is at all accurate but there is no reason for me not believing it. My R129 is a 320 (6 cyclinders, if you must ask).
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  #13  
Old 01-09-2004, 02:44 AM
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r129 300sl

Hi, I haven't actually made the big purchase yet, but I can confirm that both parts are available; well here in the UK anyway. MB supports their production cars for many years (I suspect some cars for around 20 years or so) and therefore every part should be available for our beautiful 129s.

However, before the purchase I'm going to see if a little glue and two new slats will resolve the issue, but unfortunately as I err on to teh side of perfectionist (especially where my car is concerned) I may have to bite the bullet and replace the lot!!

With regards to the 6 slat version, for my car I'm going to base the styling up to around '98 as there are quite a few styling changes needed to reproduce the post '98 models and unfortunately are too costly for me.

I think up to '98 only a few parts changed such where made such as the front/rear lights and 17" wheels and these are my prime objectives. So it's the 7 slat grille for me

Cheers
Lea
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  #14  
Old 01-09-2004, 09:37 AM
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Watch out for major services...

Watch out for the major services though. The 36k mile/60k km service set me back $2200, including new front rotors and pads. Very little non-routine other than that.

Momo
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  #15  
Old 01-09-2004, 10:21 AM
KPG
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Maintenance Costs

Mine is a 2000 that I bought two years ago with 7500 miles on it - now I have 21.000. I have spent nothing on the car other than oil changes. Being close to the end of its production run, both mine and yours should be farly "ripe" - meaning that bugs have been designed out over the years via warranty data.
I've been told that these cars are pretty bullet proof, reliable strong, and well made (unlike more recent MBs) If your car has been well maintained and keep doing so. you should have a long, happy experience. However...like any machine, eventually things do break. And when they do on an SL, back up the Brinks truck.

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