What Have You Done To Your Merc Today?

[Capra]

Had some fun driving around some quite B-roads. Who said an MB is not a drivers car!

 

[00slk]

Back from our wild trip from the north, got to 11.5 degrees with the top down before stopping for dinner.
Average 22.9 MPG, hmmm the 55 did better after the Scottish trip Hung on a minute, we had the top down 90% of the time in the 500, top up all the time in the 55, surely can't make all that difference in fuel consumption....Can it

Also something very interesting we discovered tonight while driving with the top down, heating on and the wind deflector raised. If you drop the wind deflector down flat the cabin is engulfed in nice hot air circulating all around as apposed to staying around the vents, it made it slightly more windy but having surround heat far out weighed the need to raise the top at below 11 degrees

 

[sl500amgsport]

Back from our wild trip from the north, got to 11.5 degrees with the top down before stopping for dinner.
Average 22.9 MPG, hmmm the 55 did better after the Scottish trip Hung on a minute, we had the top down 90% of the time in the 500, top up all the time in the 55, surely can't make all that difference in fuel consumption....Can it

Also something very interesting we discovered tonight while driving with the top down, heating on and the wind deflector raised. If you drop the wind deflector down flat the cabin is engulfed in nice hot air circulating all around as apposed to staying around the vents, it made it slightly more windy but having surround heat far out weighed the need to raise the top at below 11 degrees

Taking my SL500 to Scotland for a 7 day tour next month, will be interesting to see how the mpg compares between the R230 and the R231...

Mercedes SL500 R231

 

[00slk]

Taking my SL500 to Scotland for a 7 day tour next month, will be interesting to see how the mpg compares between the R230 and the R231...

Mercedes SL500 R231

Keep us updated Newer technology?
Didn't drive fast or show off this time so should have expected better from the 500, we did manage 29 mpg last time we were up in Glasgow in it and the average was 25

 

[sl500amgsport]

Keep us updated Newer technology?
Didn't drive fast or show off this time so should have expected better from the 500, we did manage 29 mpg last time we were up in Glasgow in it and the average was 25

I won't be gunning it much as we are travelling with friends who will be using a VW polo diesel. The R231 has pretty much the same performance as an R230 SL55 on paper (never driven one though). Mine has the 7 speed auto not the 9 speed so I guess the main tech difference will be the twin turbos..

Mercedes SL500 R231

 

[00slk]

Just make sure the Polo isn't in front

 

[sl500amgsport]

The owners are a great couple but more used to Coach trips than self drive, I feel a little guilty as they sort of invited themselves along when I had a Range Rover and I was going to be doing the driving. I then swapped it for the SL and they were not too impressed about having to take their car but there was no way I was going to leave it behind and drive the Polo!

Mercedes SL500 R231

 

[Wighty]

The owners are a great couple but more used to Coach trips than self drive, I feel a little guilty as they sort of invited themselves along when I had a Range Rover and I was going to be doing the driving. I then swapped it for the SL and they were not too impressed about having to take their car but there was no way I was going to leave it behind and drive the Polo!

Mercedes SL500 R231

You should get some great pics of your car up there on the dramatic north west coast . You could even share the odd one

 

[AnthonyUK]

16 years on and the original alloys are looking neglected.

I recently bought a set of 17" wheels but am not sure what I prefer so decided to just DIY these rather than have them professionally refurbed.

 

[Wighty]

16 years on and the original alloys are looking neglected.

I recently bought a set of 17" wheels but am not sure what I prefer so decided to just DIY these rather than have them professionally refurbed.

That is some seriously impressive work !

 

[John Laidlaw]

16 years on and the original alloys are looking neglected.

I recently bought a set of 17" wheels but am not sure what I prefer so decided to just DIY these rather than have them professionally refurbed.

Tyres in the 3rd picture look past their best too

 

[AnthonyUK]

That is some seriously impressive work !

Cheers. It was OK rubbing them down in the sun in between digging out a foundation trench for a pizza oven

Tyres in the 3rd picture look past their best too

Is that date based? They have plenty of tread and just one tyre is showing slight signs of cracking between the treads. It sailed through the MOT last week.

At the moment, my plan is to use these wheels with winter tyres and the 17" with summers but I have the wrong type on both sets of wheels
So that will be another job at some point but the next main task is having the rust bubbles on the rear arches resolved which I'm just waiting on quotes for that.

What is a reasonable amount? I'm out of touch for this sort of work but guessed at £400-£500.

I also plotted the annual mileage from the MOT history.

 

[John Laidlaw]

Cheers. It was OK rubbing them down in the sun in between digging out a foundation trench for a pizza oven



Is that date based? They have plenty of tread and just one tyre is showing slight signs of cracking between the treads. It sailed through the MOT last week.

At the moment, my plan is to use these wheels with winter tyres and the 17" with summers but I have the wrong type on both sets of wheels
So that will be another job at some point but the next main task is having the rust bubbles on the rear arches resolved which I'm just waiting on quotes for that.

What is a reasonable amount? I'm out of touch for this sort of work but guessed at £400-£500.

I also plotted the annual mileage from the MOT history.

Anthony, apologies just my extremely terrible sense of humour - I was referring to your masking which makes the tyres look shredded!
Your estimate shouldn’t be far off- my local guy here charges around £300 a panel but that’s of course a larger area.

 

[AnthonyUK]

Anthony, apologies just my extremely terrible sense of humour - I was referring to your masking which makes the tyres look shredded!
Your estimate shouldn’t be far off- my local guy here charges around £300 a panel but that’s of course a larger area.

No probs.

I knew those cards they gave away with your shopping at Sainsbury would be useful at some point.

 

[ZZZZ]

I also plotted the annual mileage from the MOT history.

Ah, so I'm not the only one ... cool ... now you need to add service points and corresponding mileage to that graph

 

[LostKiwi]

Fired up the bus for the first time in 6 weeks. Started first turn of the key.

 

[Craiglxviii]

Cheers. It was OK rubbing them down in the sun in between digging out a foundation trench for a pizza oven



Is that date based? They have plenty of tread and just one tyre is showing slight signs of cracking between the treads. It sailed through the MOT last week.

At the moment, my plan is to use these wheels with winter tyres and the 17" with summers but I have the wrong type on both sets of wheels
So that will be another job at some point but the next main task is having the rust bubbles on the rear arches resolved which I'm just waiting on quotes for that.

What is a reasonable amount? I'm out of touch for this sort of work but guessed at £400-£500.

I also plotted the annual mileage from the MOT history.

I would change the orange series to a column chart and plot it on secondary axis, for better effect

 

[ZZZZ]

I would change the orange series to a column chart and plot it on secondary axis, for better effect

Something I did two years ago, need to stop being lazy and update it ... the hand-drawn one is up-to-date however

 

[Rotorhead500]

Took mine for a drive... to see the medical examiner Jonny.

RoboChop is back in service!

And as I was running a wee bit early, I may have possibly got distracted on a very small detour... and taken something for a wee test drive.

 

[Jimbo1959]

Took mine for a drive... to see the medical examiner Jonny.

RoboChop is back in service!

And as I was running a wee bit early, I may have possibly got distracted on a very small detour... and taken something for a wee test drive.

Ok, I'll fall for it, "A wee test drive"? Do tell!