![]() Recently driving from London to Bristol on M4 started to loose power, obviously running only on 3 cylinders, after a bit longer got worse now down to two, but managed to limp home, awaiting mobile mechanic to fix. MB wanted to fit a new hydraulic pump, megabucks (cost represented about a quarter of the vehicle's value). Had it repaired by a local mobile mechanic, it now works but makes a terrible bang when it goes up and locks into position on the w/screen. Big prob! Solution brute force and ignorance, I enlisted the help of 2 French guys and we physically lifted the roof up and forced it up into position and attempted to lock it into position at the top of the W/screen. On holiday in France one day the retractable roof failed to lift back up. MB solution a new £600 printed circuit board. First the indicators until someone told me that you can extract a printed circuit board and tap the flasher relay to get it working again. My car(SLK230Kompressor) has been bedevilled with electrical faults. I marked practicality low as lets face it, you can get much in the boot and only a 2 seater but even so after 10 years, this style and model is still my number 1! Get a C180 estate as a second car to take the kids and rubbish to the dump! On that subject, full beam (even without the condensation) is average and greatly improved by fitting HID units. A couple of blown indicator fuses and some condensation in the headlights. To be critical there has been a slight rattle somewhere in the lid which merc spent 1500 pds not finding! One anoyance is with the exhaust which is SS and still original, but you just have to change the ordinary steel connecting bolts when they rust away. Realiability is second to none, not a single serious problem in 10 years. The ability to raise and lower the lid has never lost its appeal. Performance is great and the traction control can really come in useful some time when pushing it too hard round bends. I was six months old and I have had it for 10 enjoyable years. The SLK proved a big success all over the world, especially to women, thus paving way for the R171, a second generation version in 2004.I feel in love with the car. Shifting was performed through a 5-speed automatic transmission. The SLK was equipped with a supercharged 2.3L inline-4 that produced 193 HP at 5300 rpm and 206.8 ft-lb of torque at 2500 rpm. ![]() What made it unique in the segment was the folding hardtop, which the company called Vario roof, allowing the car to possess the qualities of both a coupe and convertible. It measured 157.2 inches in overall length, 67.4 inches wide, and 50.6 inches high. The R170 model SLK utilized the C-Class chassis for its foundation with wheelbase shortened to 94.4 inches. ![]() And that's exactly what this vehicle was. The car's name was derived from the German Words Sportlich, Leicht, and Kurz which translates to Sporty, Light, and Short. Whether it was a response to the popularity of the Mazda Miata can't be confirmed, but its main rivals turned out to be the Porsche Boxster and BMW Z3. ![]() In 1997, Mercedes-Benz introduced the SLK, a stylish compact two-seater convertible. "The Mercedes compact sportscar which utilised the Vario-roof for the first time."
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