Specifically a SL350 R230 - 2006 vs 2009 ish

[JBell]

NJS5/Blobcat...hmmm 19s ride quality? A friend just collected a E450 cabriolet last weekend, on Monday he didn't make to our meet up because he had a cracked alloy, and from reading up on this it seems common for Merc and BMW especially when the wheels are 19s.

It's not just the wheels, it is the Run Flat Tyres that ruin the ride and their extra stiff sidewalls also help destroy wheels

 

[JBell]

I even do that on my 16"s on my SLK... there's a reason you see lots of cracks on the inside edge - with wide wheels it's a long way from the supporting spokes

I do it in every car I drive

 

[sausage]

I do it in every car I drive

I do as well now, thanks to Blobcat I also go over them very carefully. I know this annoys the people behind me, but I am not going to risk my alloys for thier impatience.

I also hope that sooner or later these things will be seen with a more balanced view with their pros and cons. I.e. They damage wheels, cause more pollution, cause more wear and tear, and use up more fuel than necessary. Perhaps if more people crawled over them like some of us do, then other people would get more cheesed off once they stopped blaming people like me and put the blame on the speed bumps, and hopefully to complain to councils. I am wishing on a dream.
However, the fact that they damage so many wheels should be enough for these things to be considered for removal. I imagine at this point in time the govt who see no evil, hear no evil about their initiatives would likely just say "People are driving over them too quickly".

 

[Hotspur]

I get the same impatient idiots honking and flashing at me as I slow down and crawl over the humps - when I point out that we are passing an infant school and the speed limit is reduced to 20 mph they swear and gesture...wonder if they would do that to a policeman? Bunch of *******, I get abused for abiding by the law and speed limit, taking care of my property whilst also respecting child safety outside their school amidst all the inconsiderate parents that park on the yellow zigzags outside school and I kid you not on a roundabout to drop their kids off making it n times more hazardous with kids, parked cars, double parked cars, humps, speedsters etc..., yet I am the bad guy because I drive a fast car and in the eyes of the idiots 'don't know how to use it'...!!!

 

[sausage]

There does seem to be a lot of idiots around these days, more than before. Or maybe I am just approaching my "Meldrew" years. Being tailgated and harassed for doing 30mph in a 30mph zone is infuriating. A couple of times in that situation and passing by a police car, amazing how the idiot behind me backs off when they notice the police. So, they know they are doing wrong. Tailgating is harassment, nothing else and it winds me up so much. There was a little old lady doing a reasonable speed in a 30/40 zone and a builders truck behind with three lads in, right on her bumper. I totally lost it with them at the next set of traffic lights. Poor lady. The idiot builder said "It's not harassment, It's not harassment!". Course it ****** is.

I like my speed and am known amongst the TIPEC E.Mids crew as being particularly fast. However, I firmly believe speeding in a 30mph zone is unforgivably stupid.

 

[Hotspur]

There does seem to be a lot of idiots around these days, more than before. Or maybe I am just approaching my "Meldrew" years. Being tailgated and harassed for doing 30mph in a 30mph zone is infuriating. A couple of times in that situation and passing by a police car, amazing how the idiot behind me backs off when they notice the police. So, they know they are doing wrong. Tailgating is harassment, nothing else and it winds me up so much. There was a little old lady doing a reasonable speed in a 30/40 zone and a builders truck behind with three lads in, right on her bumper. I totally lost it with them at the next set of traffic lights. Poor lady. The idiot builder said "It's not harassment, It's not harassment!". Course it ****** is.

I like my speed and am known amongst the TIPEC E.Mids crew as being particularly fast. However, I firmly believe speeding in a 30mph zone is unforgivably stupid.

100% mate - speeding in built up areas is just stupid - there is absolutely no need for it...I love my speed and there are places where I can enjoy my 600+ BHP and believe me, I do...but never in a built up area...the question that one has to ask is why? why would anyone need to speed (except for emergencies) in a built up area????

 

[sausage]

..I love my speed and there are places where I can enjoy my 600+ BHP and believe me, I do.

Yep, 100% !

I am sure, like me, autobahn and proving grounds ;-) I used to get access to a track for about £70 an hour. I found an hour on an empty track was more than enough.

Speeding in a 30 mph: It is probably the same mindset that empowers the people in their first Mercedes/Audi/BMW - usually a 15 year old BMW 1 series or A2/3 they think they are expert racing drivers, their confidence in the car over inflated compared to their previous bangers/wrecks; they think the car seems unshakable and so they drive them like weapons. We have a lot of these in this county.

 

[Hotspur]

Yep, 100% !

I am sure, like me, autobahn and proving grounds ;-) I used to get access to a track for about £70 an hour. I found an hour on an empty track was more than enough.

Speeding in a 30 mph: It is probably the same mindset that empowers the people in their first Mercedes/Audi/BMW - usually a 15 year old BMW 1 series or A2/3 they think they are expert racing drivers, their confidence in the car over inflated compared to their previous bangers/wrecks; they think the car seems unshakable and so they drive them like weapons. We have a lot of these in this county.

Yeah the kids (and its not just kids) in their first quality car Merc/BMW even if it is on its last legs, they seem to believe the car makes them Michael Schumacher, and always find out the hard way....mine is still new and has the advanced 4 wheel MX Drive so as safe as tech gets but even I know it does not offer any magic physics defying capabilities and wont push it to points of no return...and god forbid what the limits of a 15 - 20 year old 325 are without the safety technologies of today and perhaps a far from perfect maintenance record on things like brakes, tyres and suspension etc...

 

[sausage]

Yeah the kids (and its not just kids) in their first quality car Merc/BMW even if it is on its last legs, they seem to believe the car makes them Michael Schumacher, and always find out the hard way....mine is still new and has the advanced 4 wheel MX Drive so as safe as tech gets but even I know it does not offer any magic physics defying capabilities and wont push it to points of no return...and god forbid what the limits of a 15 - 20 year old 325 are without the safety technologies of today and perhaps a far from perfect maintenance record on things like brakes, tyres and suspension etc...

Yep, my home city seems to represent some of the worst driving I have ever seen and it is the people in their first Merc/BMW/Audi that seem to be the most dangerous. Quite frankly I would not lament the loss if they all crashed and died, but it is the other drivers that I think of. The amount of times I have seen one of these kind of cars do utterly stupid manoeuvres, the worst one was on a dual carriage way/ring road and the idiot floored it past a line of stopped cars in the right lane (that's Leicester for you - even stopped at lights that majority of people are in the wrong lane) driving straight over a pedestrian crossing at speed, the poor pedestrians got a shock, but no one was hurt.

I know we were all young once and I was pretty darn stupid at times, but now I am older I find I am self righteous and hypocritical, but I am also right

 

[sausage]

..and god forbid what the limits of a 15 - 20 year old 325 are without the safety technologies of today and perhaps a far from perfect maintenance record on things like brakes, tyres and suspension etc...

I think Hammond may have demonstrated that in one of their challenges when he turned up with an E36, probably a 325/328. It was not a safe car at all.

 

[outsmartsmart]

As to the OP...........

When I decided on a Merc' SL I decided on buying the best I could find for my budget, around £20-£21k (part-chopped a BMW so all about price-to-change rather than screen price), and I think I found it. Wasn't bothered if SL500 (but liked thought of V8) or SL350 (but liked the thought of no ABC).

My ideal choice would have been the last of the 'twin round headlamp' model with the V8 or the later 3.5 engine but I ended up with the 'square' headlamp facelift 2012 3.5 model with the AMG options. I still prefer the round headlamp model even now. As to colour it was 'anything but silver' for me and I ended up with black/black (certainly my 'second choice') but if I could have chosen the metallic blue with a tan interior would have got my cash.

As to cracked wheels I did two on a Range Rover Sport hitting a pothole (crater would be more apt) at about 35-40mph on a country lane, was filled with water to disguise it..... Dealer quote was something like £2400. Front wheel was badly dented/buckled with a three inch crack on reverse. Rear was rim dented and an inch crack on reverse. Both tyres were fubar'd. This was during first phase of Covid and all dealers closed but I was still commuting to Liverpool a few times a week and around many sites delivering/setting up Covid safety controls, etc. so in the end was authorised to get two wheels from Solihull manufacturing (I worked for JLR) to enable me to keep using my car!

 

[SL63 Mark]

You certainly have to be really careful over sharp edged potholes in the SL, I have had two 5 spoke 18" AMG alloys bend on my SL. I was told because they are so wide, and with the inner edge unsupported, they tend to be particularly susceptible to pothole damage. They can be straightened, but I have never found anyone round here who could do it effectively. Most repair shops won't touch it. Of course once they bend even slightly they are impossible to balance.

The worst thing is when potholes fill with water you can't even see them. That's why I now take the Defender in the wet and dark.

 

[LostKiwi]

You certainly have to be really careful over sharp edged potholes in the SL, I have had two 5 spoke 18" AMG alloys bend on my SL. I was told because they are so wide, and with the inner edge unsupported, they tend to be particularly susceptible to pothole damage. They can be straightened, but I have never found anyone round here who could do it effectively. Most repair shops won't touch it. Of course once they bend even slightly they are impossible to balance.

The worst thing is when potholes fill with water you can't even see them. That's why I now take the Defender in the wet and dark.

Northampton Alloy Welding straighten them well. Do it while you wait.

 

[Boom's Dad]

You can check for balance shaft issues on the M272 engine with the below website:

Mercedes Benz balance shaft engine issues. How to check by VIN. M272/273 – MB Medic

www.mercedesmedic.com

I had my SL350 balance shaft replaced by MBS in Southampton. I recently traded my SL for a E400 and the SL is for sale at the used car dealer in Dunton Green, Kent. It's a good example if you're interested.....

 

[00slk]

You certainly have to be really careful over sharp edged potholes in the SL, I have had two 5 spoke 18" AMG alloys bend on my SL. I was told because they are so wide, and with the inner edge unsupported, they tend to be particularly susceptible to pothole damage. They can be straightened, but I have never found anyone round here who could do it effectively. Most repair shops won't touch it. Of course once they bend even slightly they are impossible to balance.

The worst thing is when potholes fill with water you can't even see them. That's why I now take the Defender in the wet and dark.

Even more susceptible too pot holes are the 19" wheels as we found out and to the NCC's expensive!