New Owner of 1999 SL 500 & I have questions....

1839 Views 9 Replies 7 Participants Last post by IRLCK, Jun 15, 2007

MikeH21

Discussion Starter · Feb 10, 2005

I have a 1999 SL 500 Roadster convertible (Brillant Silver with Black leather interior) with the sport package...

The car only has 44,000 miles on it and the prevvious owner told me that he had it serviced at the dealer at 30,000 miles. However during my intial start up I see digital display that shows a small wrench and "-3,024"...I am assuming that this means I need some kind of service and would like someone to tell me exactly what this is and how to reset it....I have no owners maual!

The second thing is since I have the sport package on my SL to include the AMG rims I was just wondering why doesn't this car have the AMG emblem on the back?

I also noticed that the chrome on the back two rims (the lip)looks to be chipping off or discolored in some way. I asked him about this and he said that he had the front two re-chromed but had not done the rear tires yet...Is this normal and if so who does this kind of work? Is it cheaper to just get two new rims rather than recondition the other two and would they match if I got two new ones?

I also need someone to tell me how to cut on the airbag on the passengers side as I can see the light on the dashboard says it is off. Also, why does the SRS light come on the instrurment panel when someone rides with me?

Thanks in advance

Mike Hearing
Tuscaloosa, Alabama[?]

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pd99sl500

· #2 · Feb 10, 2005

the little wrench is a service indicator. i have the same car and you have about 3200 miles before you need oil change and possibly other service. these cars use mobil one and you should (according to manual) be able to drive 10,000 miles give or take between oil changes based upon your driving style, conditions, etc.
mine is sport too and no amg emblem...and a friend had his wheels re-chromed...probably less than buying new as those are around $2000 for 4. good luck

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pd99sl500

· #3 · Feb 10, 2005

just saw it reads -3200...maybe you're 3200 overdue.

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Black129

· #4 · Feb 11, 2005

The -3200 means you should get your oil changed. Negative numbers is BAD. If you have a oil change place that will do it(not going to a dealer) you can reset the FSS indicator your self.

To reset the indicator(manual does not have this info) you will have to turn the key to the 1st position. Here you will see the -3200 FSS indicator. Press and hold the trip reset button until the FSS resets. You will have to hold it down for about 10-15 seconds.

Just a quick tip. If you bring it to a non-mercedes dealer or do it yourself, make sure that the oil change place removes the Oil filter while draining the oil because the Filter system will hold about 1 quart of oil and will not be release until the filter cap is removed. Other wise you will get an oil change that only has 7.5qt new oil and 1qt old oil.

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G500 Reid

· #5 · Feb 11, 2005

You are 3200 miles overdue for service take it in to MB and they will service her and give you a printout of her history. You should have had them run it thru inspection before you purchased it. They will answer all these questions for you. Read my other posts if I can be of more help let me know... As for the AMG badge you only get one if you buy a car with an AMG engine not a sport package.

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lynns

· #6 · Jun 14, 2007

Is this a true statement?

Black129 said:
Just a quick tip. If you bring it to a non-mercedes dealer or do it yourself, make sure that the oil change place removes the Oil filter while draining the oil because the Filter system will hold about 1 quart of oil and will not be release until the filter cap is removed. Otherwise you will get an oil change that only has 7.5qt new oil and 1qt old oil.

Does anyone know if the above quote is a true statement?

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edcarls

· #7 · Jun 14, 2007

lynns said:
Does anyone know if the above quote is a true statement?

I don't know if oil filter holds 1 quart because I think the manual says 8.5qrts with filter change and 8qrts without filter change. I may be wrong.

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Black129

· #8 · Jun 14, 2007

The reason this happens is since the OIL filter is sitting higher in the engine the oil which remains, is in the lines running to the filter housing and filter itself. The Oil will not drain out due to the vacuum effect. It is like filling a straw w/ water w/ your finger over one end. When you pull the straw out to the water, the water stays in the straw until you take your finger off the one end and it will all drain out.

If you do your own oil changes(like i do) pull the plug drain the oil and let the car site for like 15 min. put a new clean pan under the drain and remove the oil filter lid and leave and come back in 15 in. See what you find in the pan. This is only my past experiences that I have had w/ my past SL's

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lynns

· #9 · Jun 14, 2007

Black129 said:
The reason this happens is since the OIL filter is sitting higher in the engine the oil which remains, is in the lines running to the filter housing and filter itself. The Oil will not drain out due to the vacuum effect. It is like filling a straw w/ water w/ your finger over one end. When you pull the straw out to the water, the water stays in the straw until you take your finger off the one end and it will all drain out.

If you do your own oil changes(like i do) pull the plug drain the oil and let the car site for like 15 min. put a new clean pan under the drain and remove the oil filter lid and leave and come back in 15 in. See what you find in the pan. This is only my past experiences that I have had w/ my past SL's

Thanks, makes sense!

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IRLCK

· #10 · Jun 15, 2007

about your SRS sensor, there is a passenger seat sensor which determines if somebody is sitting there or not. Mine went faulty very recently as the connector is located at the rear of the passenger seat and not designed very well. I dropped a water bottle down there and forgot about it. A passenger then moved the seat to the rear-most position, forcing the bottle against the rear of the seat and damaging the connector. My tech fixed the connector (it just got a bit bent) but SRS light has to be cleared by a main dealer (my techs computer was bust).

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