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Hi,
I took Benzie out last Monday. For a little photo shoot.
The sun was shining and warm enough to drive with the top down.
Now, today and tomorrow, it's nearly 15 degrees colder with some snowing...🥶😭

Benzie in front of castle Henkeshage in my village

Benzie on the grass near our old town hall.

Benzie on the road in nature

Little Benzie on the deck of big Benzie...
Little Benzie is for on my computer desk in the living room...

 

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Hi,

...so we had a glass of wine or two,...

Very nice pics, very nice cars.
But I hope you didn't "drink and drive"... 🍷🍸
There are to many victims made by thinking, I still can ride my car or motorbike after drinking a "little"... 🤬
I have lost a good friend and his kid years back, the other driver had too much to drink.

 

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Thank you.
That was one of the main reasons I fell in love with this SLK280.
It is its original colour: 300, 6300 periklasgrün.
Benzie is looking great with its 18" anthracite/polished GMP Stellar wheels...
Its hub caps were a tiny "problem"
The light grey ones and the black ones weren't nice enough.
I tried caps with light grey carbon look... also not good...
I bought anthracite carbon foil, removed its chrome star, removed the light grey carbon foil, stick the anthracite carbon foil onto the caps and put the stars back on.
Perfect!
It's all in the details...

 

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OMG...🤭🥴💄👩‍🦳
Thát won't be my favorite...

 

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Hi,
I also went "topless" a few times last 1,5 week... The weather was very good... Sunny, nearly no clouds and around 20ºC.
Having fun at single track roads, even one I shouldn't drive... For local residents only... But hey, I'm paying all my taxes...
There is a quite narrow tunnel under the higway... 😁 Fun! Benzie likes to share his sound to nature in that tunnel... 👂
One cyclist didn't like it... He showed me on of his fingers . I horned back... and went on towards over 160 kmh (60 kmh allowed).
I had quite some fun during these rides. Not good for economic fuel consumption...
Mostly I can reach 325-375 km with my tank of LPG (43 liter), now 240 km and red light is on already...
I think 1 liter LPG per 6 km... steady legal highway use, 1 liter per 10 à 11 km.
Yesterday, at one point on a nice curvy road, I didn't see a car on a certain spot...
It could have bin a civilian police car for a speed trap... I hope not, the bill will then be quite hefty.

I have to drive a bit more legal speeds and still have fun.
It's possible, I can do it. I will do it

 

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Hi,
Quite sunny and warm weather overhere 😎...
So, having to go a bit shopping I drove over some tiny roads a little around.
Having some fun with Benzie... 🏁🚙💨💨

Just under my license plate I have the text: "SIX PACK INSIDE"...
People behind me can choose... Is it the driver...? Or is it the car...?
It's definitely not me.. 🍻 (when not driving...)

 

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Hi,

Is that a green paint work with tan interior? Looks very nice. 👍

Yes, it is... Periklasgrün metallic (300) with Beige (874) interior.
It's this color combi I fell in love with... Love at first sight...
Straight from the ad on the Internet... I got goosebumps when I saw this SLK for the first time in Germany
And I still am in love with him 😍🥰 (Benzie is not a "she"...)

These two are from de ad on "mobile.de".

This is how Benzie is now, with chrome accents and new 18" Antracite/polished GMP Stellar wheels; 225/245 Goodyear tires.

 

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Hi,
Yesterday, around noon, I did a little trip to "investigate" what Benzie's petrol use is driving steady and as constant as possible riding on the highway.
Good weather, the sun shining onto my shining head... 😎 😁 So top down...
A round trip from about 70 km (43,75 mls).
Result in petrol use, 8,2 liter/100km or 12,2 km/liter 👍
Why?
The last 2 full tanks of LPG (what Benzie is running on, most of the time), where quite fast empty...
I used to drive around 300 - 400 km with a full tank (80% safety results in max 40 liter), between 14 and 10 liter /100km (7 to 10 km/liter)
One tank I used driving quite fast, much to fast on tiny back roads... 🤫
Result... after 245 km I filled up with 37 liter LPG... 6.6 km with 1 liter LPG (15,15 liter/100km)... Okay, during fast use...
Second tank load, last weekend a highway trip to our children in West Netherlands, 2x 140 km... steady driving...
Red light on again... again 37 liter LPG... result 13,3 liter/100km or 7,5 km/liter.
I think, something is not 100% with my LPG equipment. I think Benzie is using to much LPG (petrol use is okay).
I'm still looking what current tank load is doing.
After that, I will let my LPG expert look into my "problem".
Benzie is driving very, very good on both fuel's.
Petrol is doing €2,20/liter, LPG €1.06. I have to pay €30 more tax/month because I drive LPG...
So I have to use 26,5 liter/month to get even...

I must and have to say and write... while juggling with these numbers... And wants to have everything near to perfect...
I still enjoy riding Benzie very, very much! I love this wonderful appearance, this exceptional way of "transportation"...
Sun is shining again... I think, Benzie wants out, top down again...
Coming afternoon there will be very heavy thunderstorms in my region, Benzie has to be back in my "man-cave" in time.

 

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Hi,
went out for a moment... Top down of course.
A nice route, not to long, over tiny back roads, to stop in a village near to me...
To buy "ultra high quality petrol" for the boss... For use outside the car only...

2 bottles of "Oer Bier" and 2 bottles of "Le Fort Quadruppel"
(I share these with my misses... 🥰, she loves this "petrol" too)
Benzie is in my man-cave again. Still shining and satisfied (like his boss)
In an hour or so, rain is starting in my region.
Within a few hours a massive thunder- and hailstorm area is going to pass here.
Dutch weather forecasters expect a thunderstorm area maybe with big hailstones big as an inch 😱
At the moment this weather front is going through Belgium...
But Benzie is safe... He's in his house, my man-cave.

 

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Hi,
That's €2,27/liter (LEN's 3.08 CDN)...
About the same as we pay here in my region, the south of the Netherlands.
That's why my Benzie is using LPG... €1,05/liter...
Benzie uses 10% more as with petrol, but it is still a lot cheaper.

For long(er) distances, our "family" car is a VW Golf 7 1.6 TDI...
Diesel is with us € 2,05/liter... "Golfie" is only doing 1 liter/25 km 😱😱 Between 1ltr/22 to 28 km...
1 liter diesel per 24 km driving through Germany to Berlin with a constant speed of 160 km/h...
A trip of 650 km... Speed is legal there

 

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Hi,

26.1mpg in a V6!?? I get 27-28mpg in a V8 .

With my SLK280, I did 28,7 Mpg (1 liter/12,2km)... Constant speed of 100 km/u on a highway...
19 mpg playing on backroads... both using petrol.
LPG a bit more... 24,5-17 mpg. But lpg is costing not half the price of petrol 😁

 

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Hi,

Meteora Greece

Nice locarion - interesting background scenery too!!

That "background scenery" didn't fit in your SLK... 😭
And wasn't there, in the beginning of May, when my wife and I visited Meteora...

I had this weekend again a great party with my former motorbike club.
So my tent and sleeping gear in the back of Benzie and hit the road.
Very sunny and warm weather on Saturday, of course, driving top down to my friends...
Arriving with a big smile and playing the music of Willy Nelson "on the road again" loud...
The party and fun could begin... 😎😋🍻🍗🍖🍔🍻😋🤪 Party till aprox 3 in the morning...
A bit later in the morning, nearly noon... raining... a few good coffee, with roof up, driving home.

 

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Hi,
Yesterday, I had my first coming together and a ride with other Mercedes cabrio drivers/lovers...
We met in the middle of the country, in de Bilt near to Utrecht.
R171: 1x SLK200, 2x SLK280, 1x SLK350
R172: 2x SLK350
R230: 1x SL500

Chatting a bit and we started a ride...
But due to some road works my Garmin navy lost control of the planned route.

A bit later, I lost the group, I had to stop 2 times for red traffic lights... pitty...
But it was fun to meet and ride with other SLK fans.
I drove a bit more as 220 km top down... that was fun...
When I drove from home, with side windows up, airscarf in middle position plus heater on...
It still was quite chilly.
Later windows down and enjoy... The views and sounds...

 

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Hahaaa...
Sneaky Pete's sister in law took a picture of Benzie and me...
Toppy...

Just before we left the parking.

 

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Nice colour!

Who... Me?🤣🤣
Just kidding...
Thanks, I really love my Benzie

 

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Hi,
today a "test" drive, what Benzie's mileage is with constant driving on a highway using LPG.
I filled up my LPG tank.
And started my round trip of 220 km, with a contant speed of 105 à 110 km/h (mostly using my cruise control).
The first 110 km with roof up... to chilly...
Than I opened my roof, with side windows up.
After again 60 km to dark clouds came up, so I went to a parking again to do my roof up again.
And I drove home.
At home I filled up my LPG tank again.
In those 220 km Benzie used 22,47 liter LPG, that means he used 1 liter at 9,8 km or 10,20 liter/100km.
This is not real bad, but also not very, very good... With petrol he used 1 liter at 12,2 km (8,20 ltr/100km) with the same easy highway use.
I will make a appointment with my LPG garage and let check the LPG system.
After that, I drove a little round in my neighborhood. I like that much more...

Crossing the highway I rode this morning...

Oh yeah... something about a month ago LPG cost €1,10... 🤬 Now a much more friendly €0,89 a liter (petrol E10 €2,20 a liter).

 

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Hi,

Agree that it's not good BUT what kind of L/100km should you be getting? From what I've read, that's about normal.
...

Mine is on LPG too.....8,5-10 L lgp/100km
LPG consumption will always be slightly higher than that on petrol / 100km. The gain is in the price difference LPG-petrol.

Leonardo, Benzie did less in the beginning... Maybe doesn't differ very much... I think nearly 10% less...
But I don't know why. My driving style hasn't changed...
Goganu, yours is the SLK 55, with the V8... Mine is the SLK280, with the 3.0 V6.
8,5-10 liter LPG/ 100km????? That would be a dream... 10,2 liter/100km is the least during easy highway use.
Benzie is now using nearly 15 liter/100 km LPG during some playing on curvy back roads.
That is still not expensive, that's not the problem, not at all.
Driving on petrol Benzie is using between 8,2-11 liter/100 km, which is still twice the price as driving on LPG.

 

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So you're actually saving 60% on the cost by going LPG!?? That is very very nice!
If that saving was constant, how long (how many km) would it take you to recoup the cost of the conversion? I guess that wasn't cheap?

The conversion was quite expensive... around €2900,- all in... (and I had a discount cheque of €600) So I payed €2300,-.
But I don't calculate how long it takes to recoup the costs. I rather see it as a part of the price of buying the car.
Besides the costs of the conversion, I have to pay €30 more tax every month... 😭 (that's less as 1 tank LPG a month 🤪)
I like it more, every time I go to the gas station to fill up, I won't have to pay €90-100 for 40 liter of petrol... I pay less as €40 for 40 liter LPG (€35,55 at this moment)

 

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...
It only looks like 55 but is 200.

Looks very good... but 😱 ... I would get rid of the SLK55 signs... but that's personal taste.
As with my SLK280... many don't like the chrome parts I attached on Benzie, I 😍🥰 it.
But now I can understand your mileage 8,5-10 liter LPG/100 km. 👍

 

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Hi,

think something like duo valve allows it to be cold on one side and hot on the other , they also pack up but not sure they are in the dash...more like engine bay from memory

Frogfoot, you are right...
When your airco is one side cold, the other not... The problem will likely be the duo valve...
A SLK college driving a 350 had this same problem a little while ago.
This duo valve is situated in the engine bay, just under the battery tray. Quite difficult and very narrow to reach...

He wrote a topic at a German SLK forum. Yeah, in German...

MBSLK - SLK & SLC Community - Die MBSLK.de-Foren - Duoventil tauschen

www.mbslk.de

But we are getting off-topic (again... sorry...)
Nicer to write and read about top down and sunny warm weather... 😎 👍