Living with an R230

[s5tuart]

Arguably one of the most loved and most hated Mercedes of all time the R230 can raise heart rates for the quality of the driving experience and the frustrations of ownership.
This section is where you may be able to find some answers and information.
Please post your experiences and your tips and tricks and any videos that may interest the R230 owner.

 

[s5tuart]

Boot soft close repair.

 

[ajlsl600]

A grand, beautiful styled motor, let down a bit by not well thought out systems

 

[AMGeed]

Lovely looking car but the roof leaks and ABC problems put me off the model.

 

[LostKiwi]

Common issues:
SBC pump usually needs replacing around 80 to 130k miles.
ABC struts can leak, pump can fail, lines can corrode, accumulators can fail. No set time - totally random.
Central locking pump can fail either from overwork trying to compensate for leaks (see above) or water ingress to boot.
Water leaks from roof and boot seals. There is a fix procedure for the boot that's very effective.
Water can leak through high level brake light.
Boot key lock prone to seizing and needs regular attention to keep it working (WD40 or similar and work the key to keep it free)
CAN bus connection point in sill prone to corrosion giving canbus faults on diagnostics and intermittent random issues.
Early cars (pre 2004) use D2B fibre optic ring for connection to CD player, phone etc. No real support for add-ons this and few options to replace head unit etc.
Gear selector has a small plastic interlock that can break licking the cat in park. Cheap but fiddly to replace.
Leaving them unused for any length of time will result in a flat consumer battery (in the boot). If not in use for over a week put a charger on it to keep it charged.

I think that's most of them.

Any 230 owner will get very used to the 'bong' of a fault appearing on the display panel. Always a little heart stopping till you see if it's minor or not.

So aside from all that what are they like to live with?
They are not a sports car. They're a grand tourer and if you drive them as such they are a consummate cruiser. Roof up they can feel a little claustrophobic (the cabin is small for the size of the vehicle) but top down they're great. Even in the depths of winter driving with the roof down, wind deflector up, heated seats on and heater turned up is very enjoyable. Just don't expect to go too far if it snows. Wet weather grip can be a challenge too.
Cars with ABC have near zero body roll, pitch or dive and smooth out the bumps surprisingly well. They can also corner surprisingly quickly for a near 2 ton car.
I'm not going to discuss fuel economy - you don't buy these expecting frugal fuel usage!

 

[Chrishazle]

LK, you're making me glad my garage is a foot to short to allow me to get one - the SLK fits but an SL wouldn't! PITA is that the luggage area of an SLK, especially if you want to roof down, is too small for a week away - especially as SWMBO insists on taking the kitchen sink even for a weekend! She also (at 5ft 3"" tall) insists on having the passenger seat all the way back, then complains there's no room behind her seat for coat, extra shoes etc - women!!

 

[s5tuart]

Another day that is so far dry presents another minor thing that needs fixing. There is a very slow water drip from the passenger side front, right under where the headlamp washer is.
I should have heeded the clue to the empty washer bottle on the way home.
Hopefully not too difficult a fix if the weather is kind.

 

[ajlsl600]

I loved mine but head said I'd had a good time and time to move on. Did, bought w166 and although nice place to sit(as most benz) it's currently trying hard to bite me. 2x now. Big diff, I no longer have workshop to interview it and must wait for decent weather, on mud island???

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Another day that is so far dry presents another minor thing that needs fixing. There is a very slow water drip from the passenger side front, right under where the headlamp washer is.
I should have heeded the clue to the empty washer bottle on the way home.
Hopefully not too difficult a fix if the weather is kind.

Reminds me of my S210 leaking headlight washers can totally empty the screenwash reservoir, quick temporary fix disconnect the headlamp pump and plug the bottle connection - this may result in a ‘bong‘ though

 

[00slk]

Another day that is so far dry presents another minor thing that needs fixing. There is a very slow water drip from the passenger side front, right under where the headlamp washer is.
I should have heeded the clue to the empty washer bottle on the way home.
Hopefully not too difficult a fix if the weather is kind.

Any easy fix Stuart. My N/S one leaked, so when I removed the front bumper on the 55 and after purchasing 2 used ones, I decided to replace the O/S one too. before waiting to see if both worked without leaking I did the unthinkable and threw out both my old ones. O/S leaked straightaway

 

[Alastairp]

Check for rust in the rear wheel arches.

 

[rorywquin]

..................... PITA is that the luggage area of an SLK, especially if you want to roof down, is too small for a week away - especially as SWMBO insists on taking the kitchen sink even for a weekend! She also (at 5ft 3"" tall) insists on having the passenger seat all the way back, then complains there's no room behind her seat for coat, extra shoes etc - women!!

I had exactly the same problem. We did a lot of touring in our SLK in Australia but wifey always complained about no space for handbag & coat (she is also petite but always had her seat right back. However, it makes sense - she didn’t want to be sitting ahead of me & I (6’2”) had to have my seat as far back as it would go.

I also had a lot of camera gear back then so it was a proper squeeze on trips longer than a few days. I also didn't like the idea of several small packages stuck into every nook & cranny and needing multiple trips to and from our acommodation on arrival and departure.

 

[noonboots]

The fuel tank baffles come loose in early cars causing a banging noise from behind the passengers. Most will have been "fixed" now. Some brave souls like me changed the tank.

 

[SL63 Mark]

Check under your carpets for Damp

 

[s5tuart]

Any easy fix Stuart. My N/S one leaked, so when I removed the front bumper on the 55 and after purchasing 2 used ones, I decided to replace the O/S one too. before waiting to see if both worked without leaking I did the unthinkable and threw out both my old ones. O/S leaked straightaway

Thank you but I'm not sure I'm happy taking the bumper off
Can I reach without resorting to that?

 

[00slk]

Thank you but I'm not sure I'm happy taking the bumper off
Can I reach without resorting to that?

I don't think so?

 

[LostKiwi]

LK, you're making me glad my garage is a foot to short to allow me to get one - the SLK fits but an SL wouldn't! PITA is that the luggage area of an SLK, especially if you want to roof down, is too small for a week away - especially as SWMBO insists on taking the kitchen sink even for a weekend! She also (at 5ft 3"" tall) insists on having the passenger seat all the way back, then complains there's no room behind her seat for coat, extra shoes etc - women!!

To be fair the 230 isn't as bad as all that and I've not had all those issues but they are known issues that can afflict them.
The bong of despair only really starts being feared after a major fault like SBC pump failure. That really is squeaky bum time.

Practicality isn't bad. Not as good as a 129 but not bad. The space behind the seats can accommodate slim cases (think oversized laptop bags) and they can be secured using inbuilt 'seat belts'. Boot space is adequate for another 2 reasonable sized suitcases and a case of wine.
I found the Smart Roadster specific luggage set worked very well in the SL with it taking two large cases with ease and the small one. Mind you we managed the same in the Smart Roadster (even though it was only intended to take one large one we could squeeze the second in too and still open the roof).

The only negative for long trips in ours is the noise levels aren't low, at least in part due to the road noise from the large tyres and in part from the exhaust which I suspect may be down to 'Malcolm mods'. Only really an issue after 3-4 hours at french motorway speeds and after 6 hours you just want it to end.

 

[s5tuart]

To be fair the 230 isn't as bad as all that and I've not had all those issues but they are known issues that can afflict them.
The bong of despair only really starts being feared after a major fault like SBC pump failure. That really is squeaky bum time.

Practicality isn't bad. Not as good as a 129 but not bad. The space behind the seats can accommodate slim cases (think oversized laptop bags) and they can be secured using inbuilt 'seat belts'. Boot space is adequate for another 2 reasonable sized suitcases and a case of wine.
I found the Smart Roadster specific luggage set worked very well in the SL with it taking two large cases with ease and the small one. Mind you we managed the same in the Smart Roadster (even though it was only intended to take one large one we could squeeze the second in too and still open the roof).

The only negative for long trips in ours is the noise levels aren't low, at least in part due to the road noise from the large tyres and in part from the exhaust which I suspect may be down to 'Malcolm mods'. Only really an issue after 3-4 hours at french motorway speeds and after 6 hours you just want it to end.

I've noticed my rear tyres are noisy. I keep meaning to see what make they are while I check the treads! The fronts are Goodyears, new and whisper quiet. I'll put the same on the rear when it's time.
I agree that mine is not as spacious as my R129 but it's not bad. There are plenty of cubby holes inside and the boot eats quite a lot of stuff.

 

[LostKiwi]

I've tried Goodyear and Falken and Falken are noticeably quieter but still not quiet. The issue is the width coupled to your close proximity to them.

 

[Mark Q]

Common issues:
.......

Your not really selling this to him are you ?