09 will be facelift. It will have the more modern and less problematic manifold than the 06.
The 09 will have 55kw more power than the 280.
The 06 engine likely to be in the balance shaft danger period but if that was going to be an issue likely to have already occurred. Ie at 140k likely safe from this.
Else look at features. Air scarf. Heated seats. Memory seats. Folding mirrors. Xenon headlights. Body kit.

Edited. Manifold not air intake.

 

What I have found...

Both are M272 engines.

The main difference between the 2006 and 2009 Mercedes-Benz M272 engines lies in significant updates introduced in 2008/2009. These updates included a move from a twin spark plug system to a single spark plug per cylinder, the adoption of continuous variable valve timing (VVT) on both intake and exhaust camshafts, and a new electronic coolant flow control system. Additionally, the 2008/2009 engines featured internal component changes and a power increase from 272hp to 305hp, according to PistonHeads.

Hope this helps.

 

My 2007 build 280 has one spark plug per cylinder. Previous generation motor was twin spark. Ie slk320.

 

Thanks for the inputs the 09 350 has 210,000 KM on it, if we assume the engine has been properly cared for with regular oil changes what its peak mileage life, do they go on for 500,000Km without rebuilds

 

I don't believe anybody can make that assurance. Some will, some won't. Too many factors come into play. What kind of a driver are you? Do you baby the car or hot rod?

 

09 brochure

https://ragtop.org/mbbrochures/2009/canada/MY09_SLK_eBrochure_en.pdf

 

So had mine 2007 280. And the M272 modifications (more hp,less problematic intake manifold because they dropped the flap system) only apply to the 350 engine. M272 in the 280 is still the old one. So another +1 for the 350.

 

It depends on maintenance and when parts have been replaced, because they were worn out, or preventative. Things that turn around for 200,000 km do wear. But on the other hand, a lot of short trips to 140,000 isn't good neither.

So you should try to get hold of the maintenance papers or history. Don't assume or rely that someone replaced/changed oil every 10,000 km (or earlier or later). Do a proper inspection to see if nothing is out of spec. Chains/timing belt. Sparkplugs. Coils. Bearings in hubs, driveshaft. Leaking parts (valve covers, exhaust manifold). Worn interior (seats, dashboard, steering wheel). Head liner. Lights (Xenon/LED/Halogen). Minor scratches everywhere or nowhere? Exhaust rusted through or still fine? Transmission overhauled/fluid replaced? Diff fluid replaced? How oil is the brake fluid? How good are the brake lines? Brittle? Rusted? Brake rotors, brake pads. Yellowed head lights? Good quality tires, how old? Check their age.

Then you can make a list of things you MIGHT have to replace on that car. Add that to the selling price and you often get a different picture.

Not a perfect indicator but a very honest one ; if the tires on the car are old and or of low cost then do not expect the owner to have spend a lot on proper maintenance.

If someone puts cheap Chinese tires on the car and they are already 4 years old and close to worn then I would not trust ANY statement on when oil was replaced or other maintenance was performed.

If the car sits on 4 good Michelins, Pirellis, and not the basic ones but the good stuff (Michelin 4S, Pirelli Pzero etc) then probably the owner had plenty of money to always do the proper maintenance.

Now this is not ALWAYS true and a 'smart' seller could buy second hand 2 year old Michelins or Pirellis and slap them on the car to make it look as if he cared, but I doubt many people even take the effort to hide their lack of maintenance.

Also if you see the car - is it washed nicely? If it is covered in dust ... you know they don't care. Was the car parked inside always, or has the paint and the dashboard been absorbing strong UV light for 10+ years while sitting outside ?

 

^ very good post
Tyre point especially valid.

When inspecting and finding shiny (a must) also look at roof rubbers. Do they have any green, or brown? The easiest check is the rubber below the rear window.
They dirty quickly if parked outside and need a minimum of a yearly clean and treatment.
Now, though that does not tell anything directly about engine, it does indicate attention to detail.

Engine. Look in nooks and crannies for signs of old and ignored oil.

Personally, at that mileage and regardless of service stated I would cost to replace all fluids, filters etc, trans service.
Trans and engine oil condition reveal true level of maintenance. Has trans ever had proof of service? If not I’d avoid.

 

Sadly in this part of the world you get what you see, no bills no rarely any service history as dealerships here are monopolies charge a kidney for a serivce A lol so mostly owners go private and private garages cut corners, will pass on this 350 and wait for a good Jap import to show up, those have low mileage and you can see oil change stickers and get in touch with thoe garages in Japan for history.

This 09/ 350 has had five minor shunts over its life, looks like never saw the inside of a garage and owner asking AED 14K i could get it for AED 9K which is around $2500 US

 

I had a pre-Fl 280 that came with the 7G gearbox but no paddles. Think,but also not 100% sure,paddles were an option. Part of the sports package.

 

. .. Think,but also not 100% sure,paddles were an option. Part of the sports package.

My 2007 build 2008 first registered 280 has the 7G gearbox and:

428 STEERING WHEEL SHIFT BUTTONS/GEARSHIFT PADDLES
486 SPORTS SUSPENSION
952 SPORTS PACKAGE

The front brake rotors at the front are bigger (same as used on the 350), AMG spoiler kit. Suspension is lowered and stiffer.

 

09 will be facelift. It will have the more modern and less problematic manifold than the 06.
The 09 will have 55kw more power than the 280.
The 06 engine likely to be in the balance shaft danger period but if that was going to be an issue likely to have already occurred. Ie at 140k likely safe from this.
Else look at features. Air scarf. Heated seats. Memory seats. Folding mirrors. Xenon headlights. Body kit.

Edited. Manifold not air intake.

Hello all. Been a while since I posted here, joined the forum around 2012 when i had just bought a R170 SLK320, got lots of sound advise which was a great help, especially from Mr. Banks who is a treasure trove of info.

Moved to a 2005 R171 SLK55 in 2015 and had a blissful 5 years with her, put 300,000+ on the clock till someone came along offering good money and like a fool sold her to someone who took her to Moscow, hope she's still purring around!

Now looking to get back behind the wheels of an SLK, the R172s still outside my budgets so looking at a R171 350 or 280 and wanted advice on which is a good choice, what years are good etc please advise.

Looking at a silver 09 SLK 350 which has 205,000 KM on the clock, drives fine wanted to know if 09 is a good vintage, how long more will the engine last before it needs a rebuild and what are the common issue to keep in mind on this year / model

Another is a black 2006 SLK 280 with 140,000 KM on it again want to know what to look for and what are the pros and cos.

Both are auto boxes GCC spec i live in Abu Dhabi UAE

Thanks in advance

A general rule of thumb is the further into a production run the more of the bugs and other annoyances have been worked out.
According to Long the most produced cars where the 200s followed at some distance by the 280s, further back the 350s and even further back the SLK 55 AMG. Long says 227 SLK55 were built in 2009 whereas MB Canada said 292. Regardless I have 1 of the 19 in Canada.
The reason I am adding this is the lower powered cars are a greater source of use parts. I needed an oil cooler for the SLK 55 and they were just not available. Fortunately I found a guy on line breaking one for parts and after cleaning and demonstrating in a time lapse was able to show me it had no leaks but I was getting desperate and thinking bespoke. To this day I cannot fathom why MB would put a bespoke critical part in an expensive limited edition car rather than use on on something more mass produced such as an E class.
Hard choice. Lower powers lower mileage mid production vs higher power higher mileage end of production. Cannot comment.

 

Unless you self build, every car has some degree of parts bin. (Home self build is parts bin mostly too).
The beloved 55? Stolen from the SL basket.
It should have longevity as designed for a turbo, it is turbo free in the 55.

This has always been the case. Sourcing from the parts bin keeps production and sales costs within target.

For the most part I don’t see this as a negative.
More popular parts are less likely to hit NLA as quickly and (as said) leads to wider secondhand availability.

What has killed the motor factor parts availability is legislation.
As makers made changes to comply and then eliminate ICE, it brought changes sooner, making parts production runs shorter.

Those sticking with ICE face more change as the next stage after ending production, is targeting emissions from tyres and brakes.

Expect prices for those to rise in the distant future.

 

Hi,
I would buy the 2009 one.
Because it won't trouble you with a nasty balance shaft problem.
Plus a few things more.
Although the 350 has quite more power, what does it matter...?
That 0.8 sec faster towards 100km/h?
The sound is with both...WOOOOW
I'm enjoying a FL model 2008 SLK280 (... a green one... 🤩 😍), I love him from top to bottom, from front to the last bolt at the back...
Also look at all the features which are factory build in.
For the rest... Enjoy, enjoy enjoy!!!

 

Regarding parts not available anymore ; unless it is something internal to the engine, like a connection rod, piston etc then after market and even custom made is just an option.

I didn't want to pay $1000+ for a new radiator for my 55 and I didn't like to get a second hand one, which could have been corroding and getting jammed up with hardened gunk on someone's shelve for years. So I found a custom builder and for 25% of the cost of a new one I got a new custom radiator. It has been installed already (after the first try it didn't fit - that happens), and they're pressure testing it now. Should be ready on coming Friday and then I hope to share a bit more.

The oil cooler is even smaller than a regular radiator. I even think you could fit -any- oil cooler that has a similar capacity and thickness. It is just a matter of mounting (on the frame) and tubes. And luckily mounting isn't that hard even if it requires a bit of metal fabrication and the tubes/connectors can easily be changed if they'd be for some reason non-standard (which they normally are).

On a brand new car I would definitely go for new / OEM parts. On any car which is out of warranty and well over 5-6-7 years old - look around.

Many car enthusiasts upgrade their cars all the time with custom manifolds, exhaust manifolds, LSDs (I did as well), Recaro seats, sequential gearboxes etc etc. Those cars are FINE, actually they're often more sturdy than the OEM stuff. You just gotta keep an eye on the labor costs of course. And maybe add some extra time in case a part doesn't perfectly fit and needs a bit more customization.

I don't mean we should all add custom exhaust and Recaro bucket seats in our cars - I just mean that custom (one off or mass produced) after market parts can be a very decent choice on older cars to keep your wallet a bit more happy without reducing quality standards.

If a radiator from a VW Jetta would have fitted in the '55 then I probably would have put that in, if the capacity/size etc was the same. Who cares if there are only OEM parts in a 15+ year old car - the next buyer wouldn't care about it, he would care that there is a NEW part in place.

If the car is a classic car, something 50+ years old, where OEM parts influence the value a lot, then sure go for (expensive) OEM parts. For 'our' SLKs anything that fits should be good enough. I know some see it as a better alternative to buying a new car - but that is not what this is about - our cars (SLKs) can run really cheap, if you want to. That means I have more money to spend on more preventative maintenance like a yearly oil change, trans fluid change, diff fluid change, air filter change, coolant fluid change, oil filter change BETWEEN oil changes (think about that!), transmission fluid filter change, brake fluid change etc etc. Lube them bearings (wheel hubs!), replace that thinnish half axle boot, replace those plastic trim pieces which are a bit sun worn etc etc.

I might sing a different tune if a custom part would break within a year (or 5) and then have to pay the price of a new one, repairing it and labor to install it, but will I still have this car in 5 years? I cannot predict that. Anyways, enough rambling. What was the subject actually?

 

Off my original topic but seeing as you all seem to be paying huge amounts for parts I could probably get used or even new parts from here in the UAE, ship them out to you and you'd still save money.

So happy to help PM me what you need so I can get prices. Lots of our babies have been blown apart for parts here