SLK230 Maintenance Suggestions

[Delta]

Car in Question: '03 Mercedes SLK230 Kompressor 2.3L Supercharged I4, 6 speed manual with 65K.

So I've been suckered into getting a family members little summer car back up to snuff. Although it seems I drove it way more this spring and early summer than them. The car has always been a dealer baby, but as it ages it no longer makes sense in paying out the nose for routine stuff. Quick list is it needs an oil/filter change and a set of spark plugs as it seems to be having a little bit of spark knock on decel or changing gears. I'm sure the less than quality fuel over the years has not been kind to it. I had a set of tires put on it recently (the front ones were dated 2007!). The drive belt is newer and the supercharger clutch had been recently adjusted. It appears the air filter is pretty new. Coolant looks clean and does not seem to overheat. Anybody on here know anything about these cars and anything else I should look out for? Any help would be appreciated.

For fun here's a quick shot of the car in question:

To me it's like driving a heavier Miata, but as much fun!

 

[WyrTwister]

Check all the fluids you did not mention . Check all the rubber parts ( hoses & belts ) . How about the brakes ?

As for specifics , sorry , never owned a MB .

Best of luck to you ,

 

[Delta]

Originally Posted by WyrTwister
Check all the fluids you did not mention . Check all the rubber parts ( hoses & belts ) . How about the brakes ?

As for specifics , sorry , never owned a MB .

Best of luck to you ,


Hoses look in excellent shape actually. Brake fluid could use a flush (I'm sure that'll be an adventure...) and the pads themselves are about 1/2. Valve cover does apparently have a small seep in the front, but no oil loss. The car doesn't look too bad to work on honestly.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Had this car in the stable years ago. The only model specific issue I remember had to with with interior trim panels failing but I'm sure Benz figured it out by the time the 2003's came out.

 

[Kestas]

I believe the top's electro-hydraulic mechanism is prone to springing leaks at the cylinders. Report back when it does.

 

[Audios]

6 spd is very rare! Carbon buildup was a problem especially from poor quality fuels, so maybe try a good cleaner and a blow out on the highway. Secondary air issues can get pricey since theres no air pump, it takes supercharger air, so air mass metering and system too lean or too rich can really throw some techs for a loop and send them down the wrong path. The air injection check valve can go bad and cause an unmetered leak, very rare and hard to diagnose if youve never dealt with it. Typical SLK issues like SAM/fusebox problems, blower motor melting, tops can also be a nightmare unless you know someone. Other than that these are usually pretty reliable vehicles, and we used to get a few really really beat c230 coupes with 250k plus on them, and they were not taken care of at all.

 

[Delta]

Originally Posted by Audios
6 spd is very rare! Carbon buildup was a problem especially from poor quality fuels, so maybe try a good cleaner and a blow out on the highway. Secondary air issues can get pricey since theres no air pump, it takes supercharger air, so air mass metering and system too lean or too rich can really throw some techs for a loop and send them down the wrong path. The air injection check valve can go bad and cause an unmetered leak, very rare and hard to diagnose if youve never dealt with it. Typical SLK issues like SAM/fusebox problems, blower motor melting, tops can also be a nightmare unless you know someone. Other than that these are usually pretty reliable vehicles, and we used to get a few really really beat c230 coupes with 250k plus on them, and they were not taken care of at all.


This is some great info, thank you! I agree the car needs fuel cleaner and driven more. It hasn't been driven much, the longest trip has roughly been 30 miles to my work. I'll take it for a couple good runs for the week I have it.

Also good to know about the air injection check valve, I'll definitely keep that in mind. The only real issue I've had with it is traction and ABS lights every once in a while will come on and go off after a couple drive cycles. One time the speedo quit working along with the lights until I restarted the car. That hasn't happened again. What I've been reading it could be the brake switch and/or just normal gremlins.

The 6 speed is definitely a finicky thing to get used to. The shifts are so close together you have to watch "speed shifting." The clutch is also an on and off switch!

 

[Eddie]

Owners manual available is a good read. Ed