Mercedes-Benz SL-Class Convertible (2012 - 2020) SL 500 (455bhp) AMG Sport 2d Auto Owner Review

Having driven high perf cars for the last 15 years and having turned 55 I decided to go for something more leisurely but still with a good turn of speed and performance. Mercedes was the obvious choice and having moved out of central London, the option of convertible with a hard top was tempting. Moreover, despite the high ticket price I still felt confident that with Mercedes build quality this car would see me for a good 7-8 years and thus the initial depreciation would be acceptable. Moreover, having had outstanding service from my premium car dealers ( e.g. Porsche) I thought Mercedes would be the same. Despite the car being an anachronism versus modern cars of the same price point was prepared to the overlook that, given the legendary & classic reputation of the Sports Leicht Mercedes. Finally, overall impression of driving & handling is that this car is more a GT than a Sports Convertible and whilst it has road presence, the automatic transmission is slow witted but the V8 engine is great at pulling away rapidly on dry roads but like many high torque Mercedes it struggles for grip on rear wheels in the wet. In terms of ownership two issues have spoilt the ownership experience A) Build Quality B) Dealership support Build Quality: a) The car has had to go into the the dealership at least ten times over the 2.5 years i have owned this car ( besides servicing) to have minor issues with bits of exterior trim coming loose ( e.g. washer jet cover on both sides) . b) The Engine has developed an oil leak after 16, 000 miles. C) The upholstery has developed a problem despite specifying premium upholstery which needed remedial treatment d) The roof mechanism for converting the car has also had electronic glitches with the wind deflector getting stuck. Servicing & repairs: On balance, the dealership experience has been abysmal, in that having a cracked windscreen it took 6 attempts for the replacement windscreen to be correctly fitted by a main Mercedes dealer and that was after complaining to Mercedes GB, who arranged for it to be sorted out at Mercedes HQ service at Brooklands. In interests of fairness, after trying three different dealers I have finally found a dealer who now does do good servicing but would have expected all Mercedes dealers to be reasonably same standard. In summary, this car when it is all working looks fabulous drives beautifully but the overall ownership proposition has been decidedly poor especially with regards to dealership support. I would never again buy a new one of these but shop around and find a second hand one BUT check thoroughly around the body work, electrics, upholstery and engine bay.