Getting the SLK ready for Le Mans this year and thought some folk on here might appreciate the level of preventative maintenance that goes into trusting a 20-year-old R171 for a proper European road trip.

The car is my 2006 SLK200 Kompressor manual. Just over 114k miles now. Driving from Scotland to Folkestone, Eurotunnel to Calais, then down to Le Mans for the 24 Hour race and back again. Roughly 1,200+ miles all in once you factor in local running around and inevitable diversions.

Rather than just “send it and hope”, I decided to properly sort the car beforehand.

Recent work includes:

• Front suspension refresh
• Front springs
• Top mounts
• Track rods and ends
• Drop links
• Camber arm
• Full geometry alignment
• Aux belt and tensioners
• Brake fluid flush
• Oil and filters
• Scuttle drains cleared

Rear suspension and rear brakes are booked in before departure too because the car will be fully loaded with two adults plus luggage.

Honestly, the transformation has been massive. Steering now self-centres properly, feels lighter but more precise, and the whole car feels tighter without losing that slightly old-school Mercedes suppleness. It genuinely feels like the car I suspect Stuttgart intended before twenty years of wear crept in gradually enough that I stopped noticing.

People talk about these cars as cheap roadsters now, but properly sorted they’re still incredibly capable long-distance GT cars. Compact, comfortable, good visibility, decent luggage space, and the M271 just sits happily at motorway speeds all day.

Now the main concern is simply whether the roof mechanism decides to express itself artistically somewhere outside Rouen.