Mercedes 380--450--560 SLs

Mr_Shiftright

Okay, fixed 'er up for you.

texases

Thanks - seems like no one asks about the 560s, maybe because their weren't made for many years.

rzdave

I have a 450 that was pretty much just sitting in my garage last 5 months. Last I drove it, it was still running fine as it has since the beginning of time. This time, however, I tried starting the car and it would start but it acts as if gasoline is not reaching the engine. Herky Jerky sound and then it cuts out.

Mechanic thinks its one of the plugs misfiring but I dont know why the gasoline is not reaching the engine. Might it be the fuel filter? I dont think that filter has been changed in 10 years. Any advice?

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah probably a bad spark plug wire or an engine misfire. If you could get it out on the highway that might clear it up. Moisture collects in the engine bay when a car is stored a long time in a garage.

fintail

These things are getting down into R107 territory, too

briandelsol

I did not know they made them back then, I am searching on craigs list and ebay, I think the round headlights look better than the square ones, they used in the 90's

fintail

The round lights were also only for North American-market cars. Some of the older SLs sold on this continent have been converted to the square/flush European lights. It is not difficult to correct this if desired.

tinhorse34

For some reason my 89 560SL's security system has started acting up. When I open the door's or trunk the headlights and tail lights start flashing. Since I am using my cars master key, this shouldn't happen. They keep going off for the 2-3 minutes before they reset and kick off. As soon as you open the door again, off they go again...lol I checked the owners manuel (The Car's Original Manuel) and can't find any help. I also checked the fuse box, next to the passengers right side kick board and can't figure out which fuse to pull to kill the security system without killing a lot of other things. Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this problem? Since I only have a couple of more weeks before I put the hardtop back on and put it back in the garage and tinker with it all winter, I sure don't want to take it to the shop for the last sunny days of the year. How about a little help.

fintail

The last 450SL

mjbaut1

mjbaut1

I want to sell my 560 SL and am looking for suggestions on the best way to do it (e-bay, trade-in, etc.). I realize that there is likely a limited market for this car and am looking for help.

Mr_Shiftright

Perfect car for craigslist.com I think. it's free. If not that, then Hemmings Motor News (www.hemmings.com), which is cheap.

sunn

IS THIS A GOOD DEAL. I LOVE THE THE 380 BUT MY 1984 HAS 300,000 MILES AND IS SHOT AND I'M LOOKING TO REPLACE IT. WHAT DO YOU THINK. THIS WOULD BE MY PRIMARY CAR AND I HAVE A 70 MILE ROUNDTRIP COMMUTE A DAY.....ADVICE WOULD BE WELCOME......

hpmctorque

I assume your '84 is a 380SL, in which case you should know whether it suits you for your commute. Maybe I'm missing something.

sunn

MAYBE I DIDN'T MAKE MY QUESTION PLAIN ENOUGH. WOULD I BE BETTER OFF PUTTING MY $$ INTO A NEWER VEHICLE. READING THROUGH THE POSTS IT SEEMS THERE WERE ALOT OF PROBLEMS WITH THE OLDER CARS. I NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH MY 84 AND IN 5 YEARS ONLY PUT APPROX $2000 INTO IT. DO YOU THINK I WILL GET THE SAME RESULTS WITH THE 82....?????

hpmctorque

$2000 is very low maintenance, of course, but how many miles did you drive your '84 in five years?

freshairfiend

I have read with considerable interest most of the foregoing posts. Although there have been just a few mentions of the various Euro (grey market) models, not a great deal of information has been given especially to some of the members requesting information about what 107 model to buy. The 1975-85 280SL is not all that hard to come by. It enjoys the slimline bumpers,a dual ohc 6 cylinder engine with 185 hp with which one could chop wood, and is available in both auto and stickshift versions. It also enjoys a fairly reliable air conditioning system and reasonable fuel economy. There was also a Euro 380SL with a lot more power than the American version, and a 500SL with, I believe, a little more power than even the 560. Although I have seen a few Euro 500SL's for sale, I have never come across a Euro 380, but all three of these Euro models have superior performance, and parts and maintenance is not really a problem. Due to the relative scarcity of these models, there is every possiblity that they will appreciate rather than stagnate as most of the 107's seem to be doing. I would certainly advise anyone looking for a 107 to at least investigate the Euros.

fintail

I've seen a 107 280SL for sale in my area, and there's an 80s 500SL around here too, with full period AMG trim (and sadly, it's kind of a purplish blue, not the best color). I'd certainly give one of these Euros a chance over a glitchy mid 70s 450SL or an underpowered NA spec 380SL.

hpmctorque

How do the Euro versions manage to pass state environmental and safety inspections?

fintail

I believe grey market cars would have been retrofitted with period emissions equipment when they were imported back in the day. Regarding safety, that's not so much an issue as the cars were far ahead of NA requirements to begin with. Headlight assembles would be the only big change, replacing sleek modern Euro units with clunky simple NA units.

freshairfiend

I believe Mercedes ran a program whereby one could pick up the car of choice at their factory, drive it around Europe while on vacation, then have it shipped to a local dealer for pickup. I think it was the dealer's responsibility to ensure the car met local/national safety and emission standards. I have no idea as to whether this program still exists, but from what I have been able to find out, somewhere in excess of 5,000 SL's were imported under grey market conditions over approximately a 10 year period. I have seen both 280's and 500's for sale, though quite a few more 280's, but no Euro 380's. Perhaps the 380SL was not allowed because it would directly compete with the existing American imports. I even came across one 280SLC which must be pretty rare as it was nowhere near as desirable at the time as the SL's.All the Euros that came into the US were equipped with the single square headlight assembly, though some were later retrofitted with the better looking twins.

Mr_Shiftright

It's a two-edged sword with the Euro cars. They perform better, often looks better, but they are worth less in the USA because you can't always get the parts you may need, and some shops might not work on them. Of course, an industrious person can always manage.

Personally, I think they are a good "buy" but a bad "investment"...in other words, whatever gets you into a car cheap, comes back to haunt you when you sell. You can't have it both ways. American buyers are shy of Euro cars for various reasons, some sound, some fictitious---nonetheless, the market reacts accordingly.

For me, the biggest concern I'd have with a Euro car is rust issues. Many of these cars were patched up and dumped here during the Boom Years.

Last thing that comes to mind is whether they have all the crash protection built into North American models.

Smog laws are definitely a concern for Euro cars in California.

As for rarity, as you know, that alone means nothing. The market has to "care that its' rare". There are plenty of extremely rare cars that aren't particularly valuable.

texases

Those European pickup programs were for US-spec cars. The factory and dealers weren't involved in the grey market, it was a number of independent importers/modifiers. The factory programs are still in use today.

freshairfiend

Re Mr Shiftright's comments - I'm a little surprised as the NADA values of a 1985 380SL vs a Euro 280SL are very close. In fact the 280 ranges from $14,500-$26,600 while the 380 goes from $15,200-$27,900. Personally I think the folks at NADA must be smoking something as I don't see anywhere near that kind of pricing on the street. Regarding the difficulty of obtaining parts or getting a shop to work on a Euro, I can only say that in my experience this is a non issue. I have had no problems at all in this area. I can't speak to any difficulty in passing the California smog test, but if you look on ebay or any other listing, most of the Euros seem to be in either California or another of the sunshine state. The safety issue is valid as the Euros do not have shock absorbent bumpers but I don't really think there are more rust buckets of one model than another. Many 107's have been hard driven and most of them started off life as daily drivers receiving whatever kind of maintenance the owner felt like providing. There are certainly more bad than good cars on the roads, many of them for sale at any given time and as with any brand, one must be extremely careful when looking to buy.
Actually, I didn't start out on this site to get into an allout discussion of the merits or otherwise of Euro models - so I guess I got sidetracked, but rather to try to find some definitive advice on putting a car away for the winter. I usually fill the gas tank making sure to include some gas stabilizer, but what about an oil treatment that offers to keep the seals in good condition? Is this a good idea? Is it best to park on styrofoam or jack the car up? Disconnecting the battery is recommended by many, but what if it was left connected with a trickle charger in the loop? For years I used to start the car every 2-3 weeks and run it for 15 minutes, but I've been told that this is not necessarily a good thing either. Every year I have muddled through with various cars, but this one (a 1985 280SL incidentally) is a keeper and I want to do it right. There must be many people on this site who know a lot more about this kind of thing than I do, and advice would be welcomed.

Mr_Shiftright

Just for one winter? I don't think you have to do anything really except keep the car dry, add some stabilizer and maybe pump up the tires to maximum. I suggest NOT covering the car, and placing a small fan underneath it to circulate air, as well as a slight opening of the windows. If your storage area has rodents, this can be an issue.

I agree NADA pricing is hallucinogenic to say the least. CPI (Cars of Particular Interest) is a far more accurate book--they show a range of $8,500 to $15,000 which is just about perfect for the nicest #3 to #2/1 cars.

wmalange

I hit someone with my 560 sl 1989 and crimped the hood. it was deep this time and cracked where it had been straightened and splinted with reinforcing steel before. Should I try to have an aluminum repair or shop the junk yard for a straight hood?

freshairfiend

These little things are sent to try us I guess. I would suggest finding a repair shop that can provide an as new repair and get a price on it. At the same time shop the auto wreckers for availability and price. Last but not least, I would suggest you contact Mercedes for a price on a new part. Admittedly some of the pricing from this source is arm, leg and firstborn, but there are also some surprisingly affordable parts available too. It may be worth finding out if this is one of them. There are also a few local Mercedes repair shops that occasionally part out a car and a 107 hood could well be available from one of them. Good luck

fintail

I'd think with so many old 107s being off the road, a hood for one wouldn't be too hard to find. A new factory original part would cost a fortune, I would use that as a last resort. As far as I know, all US market 107s should have a pretty identical hood, search for MB dismantlers, and you might even get one in your color that'll bolt right on.

tinhorse34

Try checking with performance products, you might just get lucky. Their website is: www.performanceptoducts.com they specialize in MB parts only. I have a 89 560SL and they have had almost every part I have looked for and even though they can be a bit high, the products and customer service dept has been a big help to me. Even when they did not have what I was looking for they pointed me in the right direction. Try giving them a ring.

la8956sl

I have an `89 560SL with approximately 135,000 miles on it. The car is in good shape mechanically, but when it is warm or hot and I park it, then start up after 15-20 minutes, it misfires and idles very rough when I come to a full stop (like at a red light or stop sign). What is even more mysterious to me is in the morning, when it is cold (I live in Southern California, so it's never really THAT cold), the car sputters when I accelerates, like it's not getting enough fuel, or one of the spark plugs is not operating properly.

I recently had a valve job, and my mechanic changed the fuel/air mixture, but the problem only went away for a brief period of time before coming back.

Any idea if this is an electrical problem, or something related to the fuel delivery system?

fintail

My 89 300SE had a similar problem, and it turned out to be a 'fuel distributor' or something with a name similar to that...when I started smelling gas I knew something was up, so I had it looked at. I don't know how the 6cyl fuel delivery compares to that V8 though. There could also be a problem with a cold start setting on the FI - older MBs are well known for hiccups in that area.

Mr_Shiftright

That's a good possibility, the fuel distributor. Obviously the mechanic thinks so, since the fuel distributor is where you change air/fuel mixture. And right again, these older SLs are fussy in fuel delivery systems.

Of course, I'd check simple things like bad ignition wires and a bad injector.

emarsh

With my 1973 450SL Mercedes the dooe lock would work witha key. To open after unlocking, with a strong upward pull the door would open. After trying to fix and removing the door lock and then replacing, after locking with a key and then unlocking woth a key, the door will not open. Anyone with experience on door locks?

Mr_Shiftright

Does it open okay from the inside?

It's hard to say what's up...it could be the door is just badly adjusted because the hinges have sagged or if the car has had any rust, the body could be sagging a bit as well.

If it opens easily from the inside then you have a lock or internal door problem.

If it won't open from the inside unless you bash it with your shoulder, I'd say you have a door alignment or lock alignment problem.

You could easily pop the door panel off and see if turning the key actually works the lock mechanism or not.

emarsh

It works fine when unlocked. I have taken off the door latch assembly including lock and have tried to replace per the Chilton book. It does not open at all when I turn the lock to open by key. Prior to that a I tried to remove the top piece trim; supposedly it lifts right off, but there is another piece looks like a chrome tab that blocks removal?

Mr_Shiftright

Well either the tumblers inside aren't working or there's something busted in the lock. You should be able to remove the lock and key and bench test it for proper operation. I haven't taken off these panels for a while so I'm sorry I don't remember but it wasn't difficult. I think you just have the arm rest, the screw behind the iside door release handle, and then I believe there is a chrome plate at the edge of the door at needs to be unscrewed. Then you pop the edges of the panel all around and lift it straight up.

emarsh

The lock itself is working as far as the tumblers. I have removed the lock assembly and bench tested. It seems that the pull hook that must work the door latch does not engage by the key movement to open the door. Once the inside latch is used to open, the outside door assembly works fine. The problem is I can not lock the car to prevent any theft then unlock the car with a key. I have been using "Haynes" manuel 63030 page 200 and 204. I want to remove the door panel for better viewing access, but the rear trim piece in addition to being held on by 3 screws has a square chrome piece on top of the rear trim piece that prevents me from lifting off the rear trim piece.

Mr_Shiftright

This is one of those jobs where I need to have it in front of me to be of any help.

panza

Hi there, new member. Planning on replacing US bumpers on my wife's 1975 450SL with a pair of Euro Bumpers. Not a mechanic and would like info on any problems I would encounter in fitting. Do the bolt holes line up etc. It has existing fog lights. Thanks

fintail

I know on the sedan cars bumper conversions are simple...I can assume the same is true for a 107, but I don't know for sure.

texases

Can you contact the vendor? They might know...

Edit - Here's an SL links page - something here's gotta help SL links

panza

Have to pull my instrument cluster out of 450SL. Anyone know the correct way to do this. i have pulled the steering wheel but can't locate any fastners in the front dash. Thanks.

zman00

This site may be useful http://www.dieselgiant.com/repairyourodometer.htm

burdawg

I believe it just pulls out like on the sedans - there's a kind of rubber ring that holds it in if I remember right. In the factory manual for the 280 I had it showed a picture of prying it out with plastic wedges. I used wood ones. That seemed to work fine the times I had to pull it.

panza

Thanks, but they just cover diesel engine mercedes.

master_axe

Hi there,

you're removing your US bumpers? Why? :P.

Do you still have the US bumpers? Im in dire need of a front bumper... for an '80 450SL. So... still have it? :P, thx,

Franz

master_axe

After reading a bit in this thread, I realize that there's a bunch of serious SL enthusiasts here!
Too bad I only found this site now...

I have a 1980 450 SL (my dad has one, at least), that we brought to Austria when we moved back here. that I got for my 18th birthday (December '06). I totalled it in October '07. I hit a lamp post with the right headlight head on, going 40 km/h. After a lot of contemplation, my dad decided to get it repaired, for €15k.

By now, the frame's been straightened, the front right part of the frame replaced, and the front of the car more or less rebuilt. We bought new front fenders, and supposedly the mechanic has a neighbor who can get us a used aluminum hood. We bought a new radiator and a/c condenser and new US headlights. The next step is to take off all of the chassis, remove the rust, and repaint the car (included in the price), and I need to find a replacement bumper.

The car has 85k miles. Its in a kickass yellow. It's got a brand new soft top, a redone catalysator. Too bad it's a '80 build, but since I've never driven a different one, I'm happy. Couldn't convince my dad to get a new one, anyways, it's too much of a hassle. The inside is worn a bit, but I can redo that slowly, once it's back on the road.
Thanks for your attention, I guess ^^,

Franz

panza

Yes, have both front & rear US bumpers in Showroon condition.

master_axe

Hey, cool!

Is there a chance you'd sell the front bumper? My dad has work colleagues who constantly have to go to the US, so one of them could bring it oversees. Maybe we should continue via e-mail? Anyways, thx so far,

Franz

panza

Both front/rear US bumpers are in showroom condition but will sell together & not split up.