Cheap Mercedes-Benz SL Sump

The R230 generation covers 2001 to 2011, so both years sit within the same body generation, but fitment depends almost entirely on engine code rather than year — an SL500 and an SL350 from the same year use completely different sumps because they have different engines. Check your V5 or run a VIN check to get your exact engine code, then give that to the breaker so they can match it accurately. Never assume fitment on year alone.

No — the R129 ran from 1989 to 2001 and the R230 from 2001 to 2011, and these are entirely separate generations with different engine families, so sumps are not interchangeable between them. Even where an engine code looks similar across generations, block and sump profiles changed, so always supply your exact engine code to the breaker rather than relying on badge or year. Treat these as two distinct searches.

Trim level and badge name on the SL directly reflect the engine fitted, so in this case the badge actually does matter — an SL350 uses a different engine (typically the M272 V6) and therefore a different sump to an SL500 (typically the M113 or M273 V8). Cosmetically the cars look very similar, but the mechanical components under the bonnet are not shared between these variants. Always confirm the engine code from your V5 rather than relying on the badge alone, and pass that code to the breaker.

The R230 received a facelift in 2006, bringing styling updates and some mechanical revisions, so your car sits right on that boundary. Whether the sump itself changed at that point is something you should confirm with the breaker against your specific registration and engine code, as ancillary and mounting details can change mid-production and we cannot state that as fact here. Giving the breaker your engine code alongside your registration is the safest approach.

Engine code is the key factor for sump fitment, so a sump from another Mercedes model sharing the identical engine code is potentially a match — the M272 for example appeared across several Mercedes ranges of that era. However, ancillary mounting points and fitment details can vary even within the same engine code depending on the model it came from, so you should confirm compatibility with the breaker against your registration before buying. Cross-model swaps are worth exploring but need that final check.

The single most useful piece of information you can give a breaker is your engine code, which appears on your V5 logbook or can be retrieved via a VIN check — it tells them far more than the year or badge alone. Fuel type (petrol or diesel, though the SL range is predominantly petrol) and gearbox type can also be relevant depending on sump configuration, so have those details ready. Body style and colour make no difference to sump fitment, so focus the conversation on the engine code and let the breaker confirm the match against your registration.