Welcome to the world of R 230s, I owned a SL 500 03 year, loved it so much I bought an 05 designo Package SL 55 AMG, your car is beautiful however it is not an AMG, AMG come with the super charged 493 hp and lotta other little options. Yes all 500s are absolutely beautiful, bulletproof engine and transmission, just stay on fixing the lock cylinders for the convertible top change your camshaft sensor, your voltage regulator “easy “. Those are a couple common issues, dual batteries always have to be in top knot shape otherwise you get all kinds of little discrepancies with your electrical system, since your car sits a lot. Major priority, keep that ABC CH 11 fluid changed along with the filter, there’s a company that makes an add-on filter for the ABC they work wonderfully and I’ve been using them at all my ABC cars. I highly suggest putting a on/off switch on the rear convenience battery so when it sits you turn that off, enjoy your car is beautiful. I can’t express enough don’t forget to change that ABC, CH 11 fluid and filter “priority “ Beautiful car you’re gonna love it.
The front lock cylinder, trunk frame locks and frame/trunk lift cylinder are all on one circuit. If you have a bad leak on the front latch cylinder, which it sounds like, there is very little pressure available to the frame lock cylinders (or you have run low on fluid). You should be able to open the trunk with your metal key and lock the frame lock(s) manually. There are plugs in the trunk liner to access the locks. If you have a tool kit, there is an allen wrench in it for that purpose. If not, I believe it is a 6 mm. I currently have 5 R230's, two are SL500's with AMG sport and both have the AMG badge. I have heard that dealers added them, but I don't know if that is true. I wouldn't remove them, if it bothers someone that much, it is just another good reason to leave them on. Not the same as throwing on an SL55 or SL65 badge. You can tell by the headlights and some of the interior that this car did not see much sun. The clarity is very good for the age and mileage. Cars that sit this long are bound to have issues and you should take a close look at all the belt and hoses, especially the ABC high pressure hoses. Pull off both left side wheel wells and take a very close look, especially on tighter bends and near the end fittings.
Definitely chrome the wheels! Let us know where you get it done and how much. The AMG styling was an option from factory. It includes the wheels and front bumper.
Dont remove the AMG badge. Its factory. The AMG badge means you have the F1 package... the difference between the SL55 and the SL500 AMG is the engine. The F1 package is cosmetic spoilers and air dams on the body... the ABC suspension is sometimes included as well ... rims... and other items... so the AMG badge is not just there for looks... your rippling of the weather strip is the hydrolic leak from the front roof locking cylinder... it's a 2 to 3 grand fix at the dealer.. but if your handy... it's a $17 fix if you do it yourself. You can buy rebuild kits for any of the cylinders that leak and there are great videos on UA-cam to guide you. Owning a SL500 is a labor of love. Their values are so low because the maintenance is so expensive... a strut is a grand... a headlight assembly is $1200 ... but if you can manage working on it yourself you'll save a fortune and have a wonderful car. My advice is to change the hydrolic fluid in all the systems. They all use the Pentosin CH11 ... its about $30 a quart... I suggest buying it in bulk. You can get a 20L jug for about $250 ... change all the fluid and filters to reduce the risk of o ring failures in the systems . If you have the ABC system... you'll thank me... because that's over 10k to fix if you screw it up ... most people total the car when that happens... lol ... good luck... God Bless... amd have fun ... remember... it's a Mercedes... so not too many people except dealers even wanna touch them ...
@@sluggosloan yea, the tip off that you have the F1 package are the rims. They are the AMG rims for that year. There were so many options in the F1 package that you could ADD to the F1 package... like larger brakes... so be careful when you buy parts. If you do the brakes remove that pads and take them with you to the parts store and make sure the ones you get match. Also... speaking of brakes... you need to unplug the electronic brake controler... I forget its actually name... or the cylinders could slam shut on you while your working... they call it the finger chopper... best get that roof fixed asap... you dont want water getting all over inside the trunk. It will only cost you more. Also, your probably gonna have to change the batteries... the front one is a V4... strange size... and dont forget... the rear battery is a Glass Mat, not ... I repeat NOT A REGULAR FLOODED battery. And when you disconnect the batteries the rear must be disconnected first. There are so many specific sequences that have to be done in certain orders when you work on this car that it is wise you research the job before you begin so you dont burn out a system, chop off fingers, or detonate things like the battery controller in the trunk that has a tendency to literally explode when it's not happy... having said all that... when it's good its good... so make sure you take your time and do it right for your own benefit. PS ... I'm having a hard time locating a replacement seal... the one that rippled ... the diagrams are confusing... lol
@@probeteam9936 Holy cow! Lots of good stuff..thank you! The car got all new tires rotors and brakes plus a new strut before I bought it so I lucked out there. Has 2 new batteries 2 but I didn't replace those either. Basically a MB dealer went over the whole car and a week later the roof stopped working and I got it for about half what it WAS going to sell for 😃
@@sluggosloan excellent... your set with those things for a while. Check out UA-cam for the front roof lock piston rebuild... I bought the kit on Amazon for under $20 and it worked perfectly... the whole job took less than 3 hours... but like i said... I'm having a hard time identifying the part number for that window seal that has rippled ... to fill the reservoir in the trunk i used a syringe with a short hose extension. It shows that in the UA-cam videos as well... i used brake cleaner to clean the parts that got the hydrolic fluid on them... all in all i would say it was a fairly easy job...
@@probeteam9936 yes, I plan on doing that job sometime in the next 6 months and will do a video on it. I have done some other small repairs in the last month or so but I'm unable to do anything until December due to busy work schedule. I posted a couple new videos last month check them out! Thanks!!
Welcome to the world of R 230s, I owned a SL 500 03 year, loved it so much I bought an 05 designo Package SL 55 AMG, your car is beautiful however it is not an AMG, AMG come with the super charged 493 hp and lotta other little options. Yes all 500s are absolutely beautiful, bulletproof engine and transmission, just stay on fixing the lock cylinders for the convertible top change your camshaft sensor, your voltage regulator “easy “. Those are a couple common issues, dual batteries always have to be in top knot shape otherwise you get all kinds of little discrepancies with your electrical system, since your car sits a lot. Major priority, keep that ABC CH 11 fluid changed along with the filter, there’s a company that makes an add-on filter for the ABC they work wonderfully and I’ve been using them at all my ABC cars. I highly suggest putting a on/off switch on the rear convenience battery so when it sits you turn that off, enjoy your car is beautiful. I can’t express enough don’t forget to change that ABC, CH 11 fluid and filter “priority “ Beautiful car you’re gonna love it.
Thank you!
Thanks!
I just bought a on and off switch and put it on but haven't actually used it yet. Great advice for everyone though
The front lock cylinder, trunk frame locks and frame/trunk lift cylinder are all on one circuit. If you have a bad leak on the front latch cylinder, which it sounds like, there is very little pressure available to the frame lock cylinders (or you have run low on fluid). You should be able to open the trunk with your metal key and lock the frame lock(s) manually. There are plugs in the trunk liner to access the locks. If you have a tool kit, there is an allen wrench in it for that purpose. If not, I believe it is a 6 mm.
I currently have 5 R230's, two are SL500's with AMG sport and both have the AMG badge. I have heard that dealers added them, but I don't know if that is true. I wouldn't remove them, if it bothers someone that much, it is just another good reason to leave them on. Not the same as throwing on an SL55 or SL65 badge.
You can tell by the headlights and some of the interior that this car did not see much sun. The clarity is very good for the age and mileage.
Cars that sit this long are bound to have issues and you should take a close look at all the belt and hoses, especially the ABC high pressure hoses. Pull off both left side wheel wells and take a very close look, especially on tighter bends and near the end fittings.
Wow..thank you for your comments! 5 R230's huh? That's awesome 👍 you must really love them 😆
I can't wait to spend more time with this one.
Early on, Mercedes did create a few SL500s with the AMG pack - rear bumper, front bumper and the AMG wheels. I believe that you have one of them.
Really? That's an interesting comment 😁
Where did you hear this? And thank you!
@@sluggosloan research it. My friend owns one.
@@avinstallations I will definitely look into it. Thanks 🙏
If you hear anything interesting from your friend please pass it on 😁
You should be able to Polish those rims to a mirror finish if they're aluminum.
Definitely chrome the wheels! Let us know where you get it done and how much. The AMG styling was an option from factory. It includes the wheels and front bumper.
I see on another of your video you have a different grill? Why did you change? I am looking for an original for my sl600
Hi. Well I wanted to change it up a little so I changed it out. I have the original but I'm going to keep it.
Nice ride ;-)
Thanks!!
U have to brake the lens on tha rear boot light and stick a screwdriver into the trunk lock
Dont remove the AMG badge. Its factory. The AMG badge means you have the F1 package... the difference between the SL55 and the SL500 AMG is the engine. The F1 package is cosmetic spoilers and air dams on the body... the ABC suspension is sometimes included as well ... rims... and other items... so the AMG badge is not just there for looks... your rippling of the weather strip is the hydrolic leak from the front roof locking cylinder... it's a 2 to 3 grand fix at the dealer.. but if your handy... it's a $17 fix if you do it yourself. You can buy rebuild kits for any of the cylinders that leak and there are great videos on UA-cam to guide you. Owning a SL500 is a labor of love. Their values are so low because the maintenance is so expensive... a strut is a grand... a headlight assembly is $1200 ... but if you can manage working on it yourself you'll save a fortune and have a wonderful car. My advice is to change the hydrolic fluid in all the systems. They all use the Pentosin CH11 ... its about $30 a quart... I suggest buying it in bulk. You can get a 20L jug for about $250 ... change all the fluid and filters to reduce the risk of o ring failures in the systems . If you have the ABC system... you'll thank me... because that's over 10k to fix if you screw it up ... most people total the car when that happens... lol ... good luck... God Bless... amd have fun ... remember... it's a Mercedes... so not too many people except dealers even wanna touch them ...
Thank you so much for all the great info. I plan on doing all that you suggested. God bless!
@@sluggosloan yea, the tip off that you have the F1 package are the rims. They are the AMG rims for that year. There were so many options in the F1 package that you could ADD to the F1 package... like larger brakes... so be careful when you buy parts. If you do the brakes remove that pads and take them with you to the parts store and make sure the ones you get match. Also... speaking of brakes... you need to unplug the electronic brake controler... I forget its actually name... or the cylinders could slam shut on you while your working... they call it the finger chopper... best get that roof fixed asap... you dont want water getting all over inside the trunk. It will only cost you more. Also, your probably gonna have to change the batteries... the front one is a V4... strange size... and dont forget... the rear battery is a Glass Mat, not ... I repeat NOT A REGULAR FLOODED battery. And when you disconnect the batteries the rear must be disconnected first. There are so many specific sequences that have to be done in certain orders when you work on this car that it is wise you research the job before you begin so you dont burn out a system, chop off fingers, or detonate things like the battery controller in the trunk that has a tendency to literally explode when it's not happy... having said all that... when it's good its good... so make sure you take your time and do it right for your own benefit. PS ... I'm having a hard time locating a replacement seal... the one that rippled ... the diagrams are confusing... lol
@@probeteam9936 Holy cow! Lots of good stuff..thank you!
The car got all new tires rotors and brakes plus a new strut before I bought it so I lucked out there. Has 2 new batteries 2 but I didn't replace those either. Basically a MB dealer went over the whole car and a week later the roof stopped working and I got it for about half what it WAS going to sell for 😃
@@sluggosloan excellent... your set with those things for a while. Check out UA-cam for the front roof lock piston rebuild... I bought the kit on Amazon for under $20 and it worked perfectly... the whole job took less than 3 hours... but like i said... I'm having a hard time identifying the part number for that window seal that has rippled ... to fill the reservoir in the trunk i used a syringe with a short hose extension. It shows that in the UA-cam videos as well... i used brake cleaner to clean the parts that got the hydrolic fluid on them... all in all i would say it was a fairly easy job...
@@probeteam9936 yes, I plan on doing that job sometime in the next 6 months and will do a video on it. I have done some other small repairs in the last month or so but I'm unable to do anything until December due to busy work schedule. I posted a couple new videos last month check them out!
Thanks!!