Author Topic: Surprise SLK! (Read 10152 times)

Firm · « **Reply #20 on:** March 28, 2022, 08:38:05 pm »

Good question, I didn't know, so I flipped through the stack of bills that came with the car and confirmed they were installed, at the Benz dealer (interesting that they installed an 'off brand' tire) in 2007 at 61,000kms. So, those tires are 15 years old and had 115K kms on them! Kinda impressive actually. I do know, from my last SLK, that the tire wear on these (assuming you drive conservatively) is very slow. They wear pretty evenly, and the car's lightness helps keep the wear down I guess. On my previous SLK, I put 50K kms on one set of tires and they still looked like new when I sold it.

JohnnyMac · « **Reply #21 on:** March 29, 2022, 08:21:15 am »

Looks good. So remind me, is this the SLK with the smaller 4 cylinder engine or still the 6 cylinder like your old one? That is some impressive mileage on a set of tires. It must be pretty “light on its feet” to not chew through tires quicker.

Firm · « **Reply #22 on:** March 29, 2022, 09:41:02 am »

This is the supercharged ("Kompressor") four cylinder, a 2.3L, that makes 192hp and 200lb.ft of torque at 2,500 rpms. It's more than enough power to be fun on the streets and the supercharger adds some character. It's the more 'common' of the available engines as it was the base engine. The 3.2L V6 (like my old one) was an upgrade with a bit more power (215hp) and just a more refined experience. Then there was a supercharged version of the V6 in the SLK32 AMG, which makes a really healthy 349 horsepower. The SLK32 AMG is a really underrated car, right from day one, and if I ever found a decent one for a good price I'd grab it and hang onto it.

2JDM · « **Reply #23 on:** March 29, 2022, 07:52:07 pm »

Looks great Firm!

rrocket · « **Reply #24 on:** March 29, 2022, 08:18:15 pm »

Something satisfying about bringing a dirty car to as close to showroom as possible...

Have fun!!

Firm · « **Reply #25 on:** March 29, 2022, 08:25:46 pm »

Quote from: rrocket on March 29, 2022, 08:18:15 pm

Something satisfying about bringing a dirty car to as close to showroom as possible...

Have fun!!

Yep, that's a big part of it for me.

ktm525 · « **Reply #26 on:** March 30, 2022, 02:02:39 pm »

Quote from: Firm on March 29, 2022, 08:25:46 pm

Quote from: rrocket on March 29, 2022, 08:18:15 pm
Something satisfying about bringing a dirty car to as close to showroom as possible...

Have fun!!

Yep, that's a big part of it for me.

You should make a trip west and polish to your hearts content..

Firm · « **Reply #27 on:** April 24, 2022, 08:52:39 pm »

Making steady progress on this unit....Today I finally finished the paint correction process, so the paint is looking and feeling good again. I've also fixed the height adjuster on the driver's seat which was seized (wouldn't go low enough for me to comfortably fit) and re-fixed the right brake light circuit board (FGC garbage). The top was sticking a bit, so I cleaned and treated all the seals, plus located and lubed all the hinge points....working beautifully now.

Put about 200kms on it so far this spring, it feels great, no issues, no weird German stuff, just a nice driving car - fuel economy is nice to have too.

I still have a few little repairs to make; door panels are loose and the air line for the passenger side door lock still needs to be fixed. It also still needs fluids swapped, but I've been holding off until I get the other cars out so I can get it up on the lift and make it easy work.

Otherwise, just a lot of cosmetics left to do; paint the grille, touch up stone chips, re-paint the interior panels, pull the wheels and detail them, paint the rusty looking calipers, replace the lug bolts (I have new ones left over from my previous SLK)...stuff like that.

Really enjoying having it around right now though for quick around town errands.

Firm · « **Reply #28 on:** April 30, 2022, 08:24:23 pm »

Coming together now; fixed the air line for the door locks, repaired the loose clips on both door panels and repainted the console, glovebox and other trim. A company in Germany, Volico, sells the exact match paint. It's fantastic stuff and is actually applied with a small sponge. Interior really looks good now, and I am digging the light beige (called Siam Beige) with the aluminum combo.

Also took the car on it's longest trip with me yet, into DT Toronto and back. The new tires have transformed it into a really comfortable highway cruiser. Sips gas too, which is pretty nice right now.

BEFORE:

AFTER

Hannibalsmith · « **Reply #29 on:** April 30, 2022, 08:37:23 pm »

Huge difference…is the paint pricy?

Firm · « **Reply #30 on:** April 30, 2022, 08:49:57 pm »

For paint, yeah, but for the results it's a bargain. The little bottle below (no size marking on it) was around 20Euro on eBay, with exchange and shipping it ended up costing me a little over $60. I only used about 1/4 of the bottle though.

Hannibalsmith · « **Reply #31 on:** April 30, 2022, 08:53:51 pm »

Yes, a bargain. Probably like any painting job, prep, prep , prep.

Looks good. It will be interesting if its somewhat durable.

rrocket · « **Reply #32 on:** April 30, 2022, 09:57:58 pm »

Looking good!!

Bubba · « **Reply #33 on:** May 01, 2022, 09:01:07 pm »

Quite the improvement!

Serniter · « **Reply #34 on:** May 01, 2022, 10:17:32 pm »

Looks good!

Shorlaw · « **Reply #35 on:** May 02, 2022, 08:31:41 am »

That’s a shocking difference!

PJungnitsch · « **Reply #36 on:** May 02, 2022, 10:14:38 am »

Like new again, that must have been satisfying!

Firm · « **Reply #37 on:** May 02, 2022, 10:24:24 am »

Thanks guys, yes, super satisfying. Took a few hours, but nice relaxing work (and good weather too).

Firm · « **Reply #38 on:** May 08, 2022, 10:07:43 pm »

Just about at the bottom of the list now...Wheels detailed, brakes painted (calipers and rotor hats), engine oil and diff fluid changed, top seals and hinge points all treated and greased, and grille re-painted in 1982 Camaro Berlinetta Charcoal Grey (which happened to be a damn near perfect match for the OE Mercedes grille color).

Whoever thought this was a reasonable location for the oil filter can go to Hell....

Arthur Dent · « **Reply #39 on:** May 08, 2022, 10:29:01 pm »

Massive improvement from when you got it! Very nice.