rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

I definitely agree with you wholeheartedly...
I actually don't think the car has much higher of a failure rate than anything else...what kills people is that they normally can't fix it themselves, the parts are usually harder to find and pricier...
so all that leads to STAY AWAY FROM THAT CAR.

but realistically if you think about it...3G TL...cracked dash...cracked cup holder...compliance bushings cracking, can't hold an alignment...seizing calipers...corroded roof channels and center console pieces...failed auto tensioner...now if Acurazine didn't exist, and the parts weren't relatively cheap...that car would get a bad rap too!

I think you have the right mentality...
that's part of why I am venturing out to an American car...LS motor and tranny are solid...supercharger covered by GM...fk it...I'll give it a whirl. If I have to get my hands dirty to fix something, *should* be able to figure it out and source parts.

ttribe

I had to part ways with my E60 M5 for these same reasons. However, my '09 335i now has 111k miles on it, has been relatively worry free, and is still running strong (even with a tune that's been on there for the last 3.5 years).

wackjum

Before I got the Mercedes, I was considering either an NSX or a C5 Z06.

The NSX prices have skyrocketed. It makes me regret not getting one back when I thought 30k was overpriced...

The C5 Z06 was on the shortlist, but then the SL55 popped up and I ALWAYS liked the look of them.

If my ownership experience with the SL55 is manageable, this might open the door to me getting a C63 AMG or something similar.

wackjum

My existing grill has some cracked tabs. I'm thinking of changing it out but a factory grill is almost $500. Acceptable quality replacements exist. But I'm torn between a straight replacement, or some more modern looking designs.

Here is what the grill looks like now (car has been repaired and is running):



The first is a grill option is with one big chrome bar much like what the current MB models have.

Another possibility is to just black out the entire grill except for the star.

Here's some pics of both:









And then blacking out the bar altogether.

Oh Sickest TL

iTrader: (3)

hmm this is a toss up. they all look good lol. I like the blacked out one on the red but not the blacked out on the silver haha

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

I like the single chrome bar!

rossv1

Single chrome bar ftw

00TL-P3.2

I vote single bar in carbon
Otherwise, black like the red SL. But, I'm mostly anti-chrome, personally.

HeartTLs

iTrader: (5)

Either blacked out option looks better, I particularly like the single bar blacked out. Would you also consider debadging your front fenders like sillbeer?

wackjum

I changed the side markers to clears, and that helped clean up the front. European models don't have those sidemarkers at all so that's why in some cars you don't see them.

oonowindoo

I like the one on the red one. but honestly none of them including the stock one looks bad.

1StGenCL

Single bar in silver

CCColtsicehockey

Current grill blacked out. I think the multi bar looks better than the single.

wackjum

Yesterday I fixed the SL suspension. It had a slow leak in the passenger side that would cause that side to sag after about an hour of sitting there. I suspected it was the front passenger, but a leak on one corner will usually bring the other corner down due to the weight. One option was to rebuild the valves. Basically the o-rings get worn in the valves. According to Mercedes, the system can respond in about 10 milliseconds, so during an average drive, that's a lot of continuous motion out of these seals.

I opted to purchase a complete used front valve block. They are actually fairly common because they are shared between the CL55, S55, SL55, and SL500 with ABC. That way I could just swap in and out the entire unit. I will then try and rebuild my old valve block and either sell it or keep it as a spare.

The valve block was $450 shipped and came with a 30 day no leak guarantee. A new one from Mercedes is $1700.

This is my old one, but to give you a size of the unit we're dealing with:




I was previously mistaken when I thought there was a valve at each corner of the car. There is a valve for each corner, but both fronts and both rears are combined into their own valve blocks respectively. To access the front valve block, you remove the front driver tire and wheel liner. Actually the wheel liner was not too bad to remove at all, except in typical German fashion, they used 5 different fasteners. There was a Phillips head screw, 4x 10mm nuts, 1 plastic push rivet, 2x 8mm fender bolts, and 3x 10mm fender bolts.

After I got access to the valve block, which is held in place with 3 nuts, one of which is located in a crazy spot between the lower portion of the engine block and the blind side of the valve block, I started marking off the various hoses and connectors so everything would bolt back to the same place.



I started undoing the hydraulic lines and got about half a quart of fluid leakage. Another interesting thing is that the fluid that came out was practically black. New Pentosin is a medium green and clear. I just did a flush about 7 months ago. The entire system is supposed to take 10 liters, and I used over 7. I guess the valve blocks still hold quite a bit of fluid in there.



I bolted everything up and let the car sit for an hour. It didn't sag so I took it for a test drive. Some hydraulic fluid started leaking but I wisely didn't put the wheel liner on just yet so I turned the wheel to full lock and tightened up the leaking connection. Then I let the car sit overnight and in the morning, it was still at full height. So I'll consider the ABC fixed for now.

Here is the "new" part all bolted back in.



I plan to do another flush soon, and this time I will get to the rear valve blocks and drain some fluid off of there. According to the Mercedes service manual, I should be performing a "rodeo" but I need the Star Diagnostic System to do that. This is a diagnostic mode that will aggressively work the suspension to get the fluid mixing up before you drain the fluid. I may get myself a Maxidas so I can properly work on this car.

Finally I can actually leave my car for a while and not come back to it slammed on one side.



Here's a rodeo:

00TL-P3.2

Still one of my favorite generations of the SL.
And in the proper color too

TylerT

iTrader: (1)

Nice DIY work my friend! How long would you say the job took you?

10 liters of hydraulic fluid?!

wackjum

Now you know why Mercedes-Benz cars weigh 2+ tons... There's quite a bit of fluid because it has to fill all 4 shocks, plus the accumulators, the lines that are running to everything, and the reservoir at the front.

It took me about 2 hours, and then another hour spread out over a day of checking it and filling the reservoir to optimum levels.

wackjum

Wow I can't believe I haven't updated this thread since last year!

So the car continues to run well. I changed the front grill to a modernized design instead of the electric shaver look, and I also changed out the various marker lights to clears. The difference has been dramatic and really freshens the car up.

Mechanically, I think I have finally cleared the ABC issues after I replaced the front valve block and repeatedly flushed the rear valve block.

The current issue I am dealing with is that the driver seat air bladder located around the lumbar won't hold air. It uses this air bladder to provide massage functions, but it also needs the air bladder in order to maintain lumbar support. Without the bladder working, the seat is actually concave around the small of the back.

It sounds like a small problem, but if you drive the car for any significant length of time, and especially because of the car's high power, you get lower back pain (at least I do). I've rectified the problem for now with a small pillow but eventually I'll need to take the seat apart and try and fix it.

Also, I had photos taken of the car with a model (Shelby Leger) done by the same photographer (Alex Ventura) who shot my 911 previously. My time with the SL may be coming to an end as I've gotten some interest in it recently, so I decided to get pics taken of it as a last hurrah.

cu2wagon

Looks like a fun ride.

RPhilMan1

Awesome photos and model. That came out really great.

CCColtsicehockey

Great photos

Majofo

Majofo

Where the pics of the Moto V60 bruh?

wackjum

Cell phone?

Majofo

Yeah, didn't these gen AMGs come with a moto flip phone?

wackjum

Wow. Learn something new everyday. Apparently it did come with a factory option for a cradle that could hold the Motorola V60.

It has long since disappeared unfortunately if the option was ordered.

My car is not in showroom condition.

Majofo

aww.. too bad. I always thought that was neat.
The SL looks great. I was just looking at one on CL the other day.. entertaining the thought.
Looking at CL again..

wackjum

Buy mine!

For a limited time, it comes with the model's printed picture.

ttribe

Well, there's always this if you want to complete the "set"...so to speak: Motorola V60: Cell Phones & Accessories | eBay

oonowindoo

holy shit...... not this again....

dallison

Yes she does.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Wow, very cool set of pics!

JT4

The pics look great.. So if you decide to sell it, do you have something in mind that will replace it?

wackjum

Here is Shelby's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_shelbyjames/?hl=en (maybe not work safe)

I don't really want to sell it, but it looks like I can sell it for a small profit and that's very good for a car. Plus the endless small issues that keep happening make me apprehensive of the future of the car. Part of it is me wanting to lock-in a profit before something destroys its value.

I'm also wanting to consolidate because I just acquired an NSX a few months ago that I should be working on.

So there might not be an immediate replacement. But here is a shortlist of cars I have been kicking around:

• BMW E39 M5 -- Pros - the best looking M5 ever made. 4 doors fills a hole in my lineup. Cons - Getting old and yet prices are on the way back up.
• M-B S55 AMG or E55 AMG -- Pros - I've basically worked on these cars (from the SL55). 4 doors fills a hole in my lineup. Dirt cheap at this point. Cons - More good ole M-B reliability.
• Aston Martin V8 Vantage -- Pros - It's an Aston Martin and supposedly a great fun car to drive. Cons - Another 2 door 2-seater.
• Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged -- Pros - 4 doors fills a hole in my lineup. Cons - I hear Land Rover is even worse than M-B/Germans.
• Porsche Cayenne Turbo (1st gen) -- Pros - A more reliable alternative to the Land Rover. Cons - Ugly.

Marcelechka

We have similar taste in classics

Clean E39's are hard to come by these days as the sellers are unrealistic with the prices... definitely made my short list.

W211 E55 or W220 S55, if you're referring to either of those two, they can be found for peanuts... but again, clean examples are hard to come by. (Why not an W220 S65 if you can find one )

L320 5.0L S/C is a classic... quick & sexy looking; but, riddled with suspension issues that can get costly.

00TL-P3.2

E39 takes my #1 vote! Even something like a 6MT 540i wagon (did they have MSport in the E39 era?)

I'd have an S55 over an E55, I think. An MMC W220 would fit the bill. Not sure what maintenance is like on the S65 A W221 S63 wouldn't be bad, but the W221 was never my favorite; personally, I'd but it just above the W140, out of the SClass from W126 to current.

Not a huge fan of the interior color combo...
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=459115079&zip=77386 &referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fsearchresults.xhtml%3Fzip%3D77386%26startYe ar%3D1997%26sortBy%3DderivedpriceDESC%26incrementa l%3Dall%26firstRecord%3D0%26endYear%3D2003%26model CodeList%3DM5%26makeCodeList%3DBMW%26searchRadius% 3D75%26transmissionCodes%3DMAN&startYear=1997&numR ecords=25&firstRecord=0&endYear=2003&modelCodeList =M5&makeCodeList=BMW&searchRadius=75&makeCode1=BMW &modelCode1=M5

on the tan interior, but damn it's cheap
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...elCode1=S55AMG

Majofo

Just replace airmatic with coilovers.. done!

Majofo

One day.. a 99 (W210) E55 with monoblock wheels.. It will be mine.

JT4

Nice list.... I have always liked the Aston's, love the design and the fact that you don't see them often..

wackjum

No official shooting-brake M5s in the US. I have seen at least one that was a conversion though. S65 is cool but the engine is known to be problematic. At least with the 55 series of cars, the engine and transmission are a known quantity. It is just the rest of the car's tidbits that aren't holding up well.

That $24k M5 is why I am not getting one. That's just too much money for that car. They should be priced under $20 at least, and probably closer to $15.

Also the 6.3 V8 just doesn't have the get-up of the S/C 5.5 V8. It feels better because the 6.3 is paired with the 7AT whereas the 5.5 has the craptastic gooey 5AT, but the 5.5 is the better engine for these big tank-like cars.

Yes coilover conversion is possible on the airmatic S-Class. Not sure about whether it is possible on the ABC S-Class. But that would sidestep a huge maintenance issue.

My friend has one. Haven't rode in it yet but I hear it is an experience.

I want the MT and that high-revving V8. Supposed to be almost like driving a Ferrari. And the styling is amazing.