Consumer Review Video - 1998 Mercedes-Benz SL500 5.0L V8

Common problems and easy repairs on a 1998 SL500

The 1998 Mercedes-Benz SL500 is a moderately easy car to maintain, with a few difficult aspects that shouldn’t be too hard for the experienced car owner. Accessing the tail lights is not a problem to do on this car. The bulb assembly can be disengaged in the rear of the vehicle, allowing you to replace any of the tail lights easily. Checking the oil level is easy to do on this vehicle, as the oil dipstick is reliably accessible in the engine bay. The components of the spare tire are easily accessible in the rear of the vehicle. This keeps the jack kit and tire ready to go in case of emergency.

Some things are tougher on the 1998 Mercedes-Benz SL500. To access the petcock, you will have to remove a large panel from beneath the vehicle. This can be a problem, as you will have to crawl underneath the vehicle, and use tools, in order to complete this repair. You will have to disengage a few screws, and a fastener, in order to access the cabin air filter. This is more complicated access than you’ll find on other vehicles. In order to access the engine air filter, you will have to completely remove the housing first.

Author

Hans Angermeier has produced over 100,000 videos showing drivers how to fix things on their cars. He has broad expertise on basic repair procedures covering the majority of cars on the road.