CLK problems - my car is depressing me :-(

[abdulclk230]

Hi Guys,

Hope everyone is well in these difficult and unusual times!

PROBLEM 1
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My car is starting to get the better of me. Apart from the uncomfortable stiff ride and the ping-pong noise from the roof, I've got new sets of problems. The front passenger side window when coming up right from all the way down, it clips the rubber on the back window and then forces it up. This leads to ripping it almost completely. Took it to MB dealer and after spending £900 and replacing every single part around the window, it still seems to happen. Now they are adjusting the back window - not sure if that will help.

PROBLEM 2
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My exhaust started making funny noise and it turns out that the heat shield/damper has come loose, so every time I press on the gas, it makes a screeching noise. MB dealer tells me that they need to replace the COMPLETE exhaust unit at a cost of £1600. Is this true? Does anyone know any alternative?

PROBLEM 3
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When I turn the car say doing a U-Turn, it seems like the wheel are sliding. Hard to describe but that's exactly how it seems.

PROBLEM 4
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The BAS/ESP light comes up for no reason sometime and then goes off once I switch off the engine.

PROBLEM 5
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When I switch on the lights (at night), it says 'Lamp defective error'. I checked all the lights including reverse, brake and fog and they are all fine.

PROBLEM 6
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Small cracked on the front bumper - this one is my fault, I went over a brick (might be related to PROBLEM 3). Can I get this repaired without having to replace the whole bumper?

Anyone can give some advice on what I should do?
Good MB garages in London or nearby (< 100 miles) that can look at the car in detail and not cost me my house?

I'm really losing faith in MB and considering selling this car if I can't get the car back in shape.

Thanks in advance.
Abdul

 

[Sp!ke]

I cant offer advice for all your woes but here's a few.

Problem 1
It does sounds like a simple alignment problem with the window runners. Probably requires a bit of fiddling and maybe a new window regulator £900.. On the ride side of things, what sized wheels and tyres do you have fitted?

Problem 2
Cut the remaining heat shield away and bin it. No more rattle and zero cost. My heat shield was removed 6 years ago and has been trouble free since.

Problem 3
It sounds like your inner tyre is scrubbing the ground on hard turns....this is quite a common trait caused by mercs huge steering lock and wide tyres. Its probably nothing to wory about but if it concerns you get an alignment check done at a reputable indie.

Problem 4
Probably just a sensor - again something that could be quickly diagnosed and sorted by a reputable indie for relativelysmall cost.

Problem 5
Check number plate lights and also check that the correct bulbs have been fitted. If one sidelight bulb is the wrong wattage even, it will light up the warning.

Cant offer much help with problem 6 other than to suggest getting some quotes or check breakers.

What side of London are you? It may help with recommending someone.

 

[abdulclk230]

Hi,

Great advice on the Problem 2. How difficult is to cut/remove it?
Problem 1 - car is at the garage now so will find out sometime this week what the outcome is. Will get the tyre details once the car is back.

Problem 3 - yep, it's not a big deal but worried me a little as the car feels jilted when the turing is at an acute angle. it definitely seems to be more apparent lately than when I first bought it.

Problem 5 - will check all the lights again. Also, not sure about the diff in wattage etc as it just started happeining recently.

I live near Canary Wharf (East London).

 

[teknow]

With regard to point 6, some mobile repairers like ChipsAway, DentWizard etc claim to do "plastic welding".

No idea what it is, but they claim to be able to repair cracked bumpers and paint them on your driveway with no overspray.

I was thinking of having it done to my A-Class, but have better things to spend money on ...... like the gearbox fault

 

[mattc]

Go see Olly (Black C55 on the forum) at PCS. Bet he can sort your issues without charging you an arm and a leg

 

[abdulclk230]

Go see Olly (Black C55 on the forum) at PCS. Bet he can sort your issues without charging you an arm and a leg

Thanks, I've contacted him.

 

[abdulclk230]

With regard to point 6, some mobile repairers like ChipsAway, DentWizard etc claim to do "plastic welding".

No idea what it is, but they claim to be able to repair cracked bumpers and paint them on your driveway with no overspray.

I was thinking of having it done to my A-Class, but have better things to spend money on ...... like the gearbox fault

I've asked ChipsAway for a quote - awaiting response.

 

[SilverSaloon]

check BOTH the rear number plate lights and also the front side slights.

All the problems seem easily fixable and nothing to get depressed about

 

[abdulclk230]

check BOTH the rear number plate lights and also the front side slights.

All the problems seem easily fixable and nothing to get depressed about

Will do and thanks - that's reassuring.

 

[SilverSaloon]

The £900 you spent at the dealer to fix the window - didnt fix it, so take it back there and ask exactly what the £900 you paid them did.....

if they decided to replace parts to try and fix the problem, thats there issue. They should have the experience to know what is at fault and fix it with only the parts that are necessary. Its not a difficult job to see where/what is failing on a window mechansim.... and if they have replaced everything then obviously the fault lies somewhere else so why replace parts blindly!?

tip - compare driver and passenger sides to see what it should be doing.....

 

[Doodle]

In regard to problem 3 - winter is drawing in, it's becoming colder and wetter, which means less grip available; as a result that wheel is likely to skip more.

As previously mentioned, it shouldn't be anything to worry about.

 

[abdulclk230]

The £900 you spent at the dealer to fix the window - didnt fix it, so take it back there and ask exactly what the £900 you paid them did.....

if they decided to replace parts to try and fix the problem, thats there issue. They should have the experience to know what is at fault and fix it with only the parts that are necessary. Its not a difficult job to see where/what is failing on a window mechansim.... and if they have replaced everything then obviously the fault lies somewhere else so why replace parts blindly!?

tip - compare driver and passenger sides to see what it should be doing.....

Yes i told them exactly that but the bloddy idiots insist that apparently it fixed the problem but now it 'lost the settings again' and they will re-adjust. The customer services told me that at most they will charge for 1 hour of labour. I was just too furious to agrue any longer with them. I jsut the car back now and get someone professional to see it.

 

[abdulclk230]

In regard to problem 3 - winter is drawing in, it's becoming colder and wetter, which means less grip available; as a result that wheel is likely to skip more.

As previously mentioned, it shouldn't be anything to worry about.

Is that normal though? I had a Passat before, and it never did that.

 

[SilverSaloon]

the issue with your wheels sounds normal. Most mercs do it with wide wheels on full lock.

 

[BlackC55]

the issue with your wheels sounds normal. Most mercs do it with wide wheels on full lock.

Err no they don't. Unless they are runing very wide tyres. Even my wide 19's don't do it.

 

[SilverSaloon]

Err no they don't. Unless they are runing very wide tyres. Even my wide 19's don't do it.

ah, ok.

re-reading his post it sounds like it does this when the car is moving.... i was referring to how my CLK felt (and my BMW for that matter) when turning lock to lock when stationary

 

[LeighW]

Err no they don't. Unless they are runing very wide tyres. Even my wide 19's don't do it.

See posts #10 & #11 on THIS thread. Isn't this the same problem with wheels sliding on full lock?

 

[abdulclk230]

See posts #10 & #11 on THIS thread. Isn't this the same problem with wheels sliding on full lock?

Hi,

Yes I've got the exact same problem as posted #10. it does seem to skip more when it's cold or wet. I've checked the tyre pressure and took it to a tyre shop to make sure that tyres were all ok and correctly aligned but still same problem. I've booked it with Olly for a closer look - I'm not even mentioning it to the MB dealer.

 

[LeighW]

Hi,

Yes I've got the exact same problem as posted #10. it does seem to skip more when it's cold or wet. I've checked the tyre pressure and took it to a tyre shop to make sure that tyres were all ok and correctly aligned but still same problem. I've booked it with Olly for a closer look - I'm not even mentioning it to the MB dealer.

If your problem is the same as mine, you have nothing to worry about. I had mine checked at MB, all bushes, linkages etc, it's fine. As Olly said in post #11 of that thread, it's normal behaviour.

 

[jaymanek]

PROBLEM 1
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I assume this is a cabrio? If so I had this issue and all it needed was for the seal to be bonded in properly all the way from the bottom and the front window aligned.

PROBLEM 2
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as per sp!kes advice

PROBLEM 3
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This is normal (or should i say a characteristic) on this model, expecially if you have above 17" wheels.

PROBLEM 4
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Brake light switch most likely... about a tenner to buy

PROBLEM 5
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Wrong bulb somewhere most likely.

PROBLEM 6
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Get in touch with your local chips away guy.