CL 500 W215 Question I can't answer

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flango

Hardcore MB Enthusiast
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I've just been asked a question by a pal that I can't answer, so I'll ask you guys the way he asked me.

" Would you buy a low mileage 10 year old CL500 to use as a daily driver if you had £2k spare in your back pocket to cover any potential repairs?"

What are the likely repairs? ABC I guess

What are the current owners view of this proposition

All comments welcome

TIA
 
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Aren't AIRmatic and ABC mutually exclusive?

Pretty sure the CL has ABC not AIRmatic and one might need more than 2k for an ABC repair.
 
I had one, I didn't care much about the ordinary running costs, as I work from home and could use the wife's car as well, but I lived in fear of the ABC light coming on and practically writing the car off.

The soft close air pump lunched itself in icy weather, causing the car to stay awake at night and the battery to run flat, and I found out that the spares prices are pitched at someone who can afford a £70K car - £850 for the pump, fitted!

When one of the seat memory modules did the same thing, with the same result, I got shut.
 
Aren't AIRmatic and ABC mutually exclusive?

Pretty sure the CL has ABC not AIRmatic and one might need more than 2k for an ABC repair.

Of course it is :doh:, ABC pump is £600 + fitting even cheaper if you source from US so thats not a biggie
 
Of course it is :doh:, ABC pump is £600 + fitting even cheaper if you source from US so thats not a biggie

True but how much for a strut? Equally likely failure if posts are to be believed
 
Yes but then there's the metal swarf that goes round the ABC system and screws everything else up, then it all has to be reset on a RODEO as I understand, I was told by a specialist about £3.7K in all, I'm sure there'll be threads on here about it.

Lovely car though, it wafted about silently and very quickly.
 
flango said:
I've just been asked a question by a pal that I can't answer, so I'll ask you guys the way he asked me.

" Would you buy a low mileage 10 year old CL500 to use as a daily driver if you had £2k spare in your back pocket to cover any potential repairs?"

What are the likely repairs? ABC I guess

What are the current owners view of this proposition

All comments welcome

TIA

Flango, it's not as bad as it was. Loads of CL and S classes are broken daily. S/H parts are available nowadays and not so much so in the "old days". I know your competent with spanners etc so that can rule "labour" out of any possible failure. Parts are reasonable now (used) but if going to another garage labour charges can be high. I think you'll be fine. Good luck.
 
mercedescl500 said:
Flango, it's not as bad as it was. Loads of CL and S classes are broken daily. S/H parts are available nowadays and not so much so in the "old days". I know your competent with spanners etc so that can rule "labour" out of any possible failure. Parts are reasonable now (used) but if going to another garage labour charges can be high. I think you'll be fine. Good luck.

Oh one more thing, the ABC pump can be rebuilt using a rebuild kit available from the USA.
 
Great looking cars and as above spares are quite easy to come by,

Its just a matter of buying the right car as a dog could cost ££££s
 
I've just been asked a question by a pal that I can't answer, so I'll ask you guys the way he asked me.

" Would you buy a low mileage 10 year old CL500 to use as a daily driver if you had £2k spare in your back pocket to cover any potential repairs?"

What are the likely repairs? ABC I guess

What are the current owners view of this proposition

All comments welcome

TIA

Weeping/leaking hoses
Shot accumulators
Leaking valves
Tired tandem pump
Leaking/worn struts

There's nothing else there. Get it on the ramp and check for any suspension leaks. Run a rodeo test and see if the pump holds the pressure throughout the test.

Drain the system, replaced the bad parts, refill and drive.

Most problems with ABC are passed from one owner to the next without being properly assessed and sorted. They are not difficult to understand but one has to take his time and study the system, how it operates and what it needs. It definitely doesn't like leaks of any kind so these have to be eliminated immediately after or prior to the new ownership. No point in keeping 2G on the bank account waiting for something to happen. Fix it so it doesn't happen. Otherwise 2G is not enough.

DIY saves a lot of money. Don't have deep pockets, learn to fix it yourself. Not impossible and for most won't be that difficult either. What's more, most Mercedes mechanics have very little understanding of how the hydraulic suspension operates and just go on replacing everything until it works again. Works on a new car under mfr warranty, not so much on an old car with an independent warranty. Mercedes once quoted me 5G to get the extended warranty on a CL600. WarrantyWise offer was about a grand but wouldn't cover the suspension at all.

Mercedes now offers rebuilt units and they are cheaper than brand new yet carry the same warranty (I think). American and German shops Arnott and Exclusive offer rebuilt units too.

Learn, understand, fix it and enjoy. ABC is amazing when it works. Nothing else comes close.
 
I've kept my CL on the road for the last 4/5 years by reasearching and DIYing pretty much everything...

ABC pump can be rebuilt for less than £100
CHF11S fluid can be bought for under £10 a litre
Second hand struts for £200
Valve block rebuild for next to nothing
ABC lines specially made for less than £50
Accumulators are the only thing I've bought new and they were around £95 I think

It's all pretty easy to take off and replace.
 
Loved my old W215...sublime luxury motoring and ride for very little money, I totally agree with the above, a lot of people take these cars to Halfords and general garages and spend silly money trying to fix them or cause more issues...

ABC struts and pump is the biggie...you can now get the struts for reasonable costs for these cars...

Arnott Remanufactured Rear Right ABC Strut

100% need to check any car on a ramp for leaks...tell him to go for it, lots of nice examples out their to be found:thumb:
 
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Maintenance costs (ex. VAT) of my CL since it was 3 years old. Anything supercharger related can obviously be disregarded for a 500.

CL55-costs.PNG


There also seems to be consensus, especially in the US, that the ABC system really benefits from regular use, so lower mileage may not always be better.
 
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do not buy

I've just been asked a question by a pal that I can't answer, so I'll ask you guys the way he asked me.

" Would you buy a low mileage 10 year old CL500 to use as a daily driver if you had £2k spare in your back pocket to cover any potential repairs?"

What are the likely repairs? ABC I guess

What are the current owners view of this proposition

All comments welcome

TIA
I have a CL500 for 4 years. Do not think of buying one of these with this Hydraulic suspension. It is very expensive to resolve the faults on this car with the hydraulics being well overpriced. You would be visiting many scrapyards to try and scavenge parts from S class scrap vehicles.
An Eclass is a far more sensible purchase. Something is always going wrong like doors wont lock, windows wont shut, air con failing, battery flat.
 
They look great though !
 
Check for corrosion too, especially where the roof meets the rear wings. Also make certain all the electric toys are working. Double check them then check them again. If the windows hesitate as they rise or fall, I'm told this can indicate electrical problems are on the way.
 
I just bought one
Had a ABC fault - rectified now with new pump
Central locking with new pse pump and drivers side lock
Duo valve
Pretty much that all what was wrong with it
2005 with 2 owners, 95k on the clock paid 2600 for it :)
Car owes me now 4200
Think its a bargain!!!!
Thanx to people thinking ABC cost a fortune to fix, etc I literally stole the car and garages quoting thousands you can pick up nice example for peanuts....as I did
 
I just bought one
Had a ABC fault - rectified now with new pump
Central locking with new pse pump and drivers side lock
Duo valve
Pretty much that all what was wrong with it
2005 with 2 owners, 95k on the clock paid 2600 for it :)
Car owes me now 4200
Think its a bargain!!!!
Thanx to people thinking ABC cost a fortune to fix, etc I literally stole the car and garages quoting thousands you can pick up nice example for peanuts....as I did

If you kept the old pump, rebuild it and sell it on eBay...You will probably get £300 for it and the rebuild kit delivered from the States is less than £100
 
I've got the old ABC pump removed from my CL55 in the garage somewhere, didn't realise they were worth owt!
 
I don't know if I would be confident enough to trust my skills
Rebuild pump ideally would need to be pressure tested some how
If to resell it I'd like to be 100% sure all is ok with it
I just wonder why there is not such a service in a UK yet?
 

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