CLS320 cdi Buying advise, known issues, tips etc

[IATM]

Hi Guys,

I have seen a cls320 cdi 2006 model with 31k on the clock, full amg pack 19" alloys, plenty options. im really happy with the car however im quite cautious being an MB I really want to check the car as much as possible. are their any known problems with this 320cdi engine and 7g gearbox.

Any advise would be much appriciated. i am also thinking of getting an audi a8 instead, i know this is like speaking of the devil on a MB forum but i basically want one that will be likely be the most reliable.

Also the cls320 cdi, I have been advised it does not have full MB dealer SH, its maybe part and usually done in their local garage. they seem genuine people, car is used at weekends only etc etc however as said any help at all and i would be really grateful.

thanks in advance guys, i really want to be an MB owner haha:bannana:

 

[st4]

Nice cars, really great to drive and excellent performance and economy. I suspect dynamically its a match or close for your E90 but more frugal, a lot faster and more spacious. They are lovely cars.

Thats the good stuff, now the bad stuff.

7g valvebodies - can fail, about a grand to fix. On a whole the 5g box is my preference and I've driven most of the range, from A160 to CLS55AMG so I can comment what is better.

The V6CDI "642" engine. Truly magnificent performance and refinement. A really gem (when it works)

But....

There is a weakness with the swirl flap mechanism and motor that controls this. Oil can leak from the turbo, clog the manifold and shut down the motor. You need a new manifold and motor. At a specialist this is around £1500.

A few cases there have been bottom end bearing issues, the car makes a rattly sound. What I do not know how tragic it is if it fails and how long before you need to fix it, or whether you need to at all as people have this fault and drive around, but the cost can be around £2000.00 due the massive amount of labour involved.

If you are comfortable with those costs, its an epic car and really you'd have to be really UNLUCKY for them all to happen to you. I'm on port motor number 3 and manifold number 23 on 82k miles. Bearings are ok, but I suspect I could cure a shifting issue that two dealers couldn't with a new valvebody and sensor. A Valvebody fault is about £1000 to resolve.

The bad parts.

7g tronic. Most like it, I think it is really poor and the ratio's are bad. I suspect you'll like it as most do.

Be aware if you are considering the A8, that the V6Tdi also has similar manifold issues at similar costs. It too is a nice car.

 

[A210AMG]

^ Guess the OP's off to the BMW forum....

thing is if you look on most forums on almost any cars they will have issues. As others have mentioned in other threads cars do break...

You could check warranties to see if they will cover these issues.

As *** points out you would have to be very unlucky to have all the issues...on a 32K mile car. What millage do you do?

Full Service history on a 31k mile car is maybe a bit odd? have they got receipts for the services, does it look like a 31k mile car (they hide the miles well)

If in doubt get it checked by a Mercedes garage and look into the third party warranties.

 

[st4]

A210 - they hide the miles like a car no other. A few have been duped with clocked cars.

Our very own Chrisopher who drove an E320cdi as a taxi saw their 213k mile car advertised on eBay with a haircut of around 130k miles.

Whats the name of the garage who worked on the CLS, might be known to us, and if not, why not call them and get a bit more info regarding the car?

 

[IATM]

hi guys, thanks for the replies.

I was getting a bit like wow wow a lot of 2k's 3k's flying around in one post haha.

I have looked on bmw forums as i used to be interested in a 530d lci however my dad is not keen on it at all and comes out with his same phrase "mercs a merc" lol which i dont dispute, i love merc however i just dont want trouble.

I have checked into warrenties. I would like to keep the cls a while and the warrenty is coming out quite expensive (in my view) 1k for dealer repair for 1 year) and i think it was 700 for specialist repair. the idea of forking out 700 per year just seems so high.

I have not seen the car, I will be arranging this next weekend. I asked the lady about service history and she said I have had it serviced regualrly however i did ask her i would like to know what dates and millage this was done at and where.

To be honest with the type of car it is, if I was to purchase it I would take it straight to mercedes car specialist in ibrox glasgow which I have heard good things about on and off this forum just for a once over.

How do people generally get a car checked over by mercedes themselves, is there a cost for this check ? how much.
I will be doing average millage of around 13k tops pa

I will be buying the car privately.

Thanks

 

[st4]

Ah you're in Glasgow.

The specialist in Ibrox is a good chap.

I'd probably source a dealer car or a car with a more straightforward past. However, I'd search the MOTs online and see whether the miles stack up. I know a lot like buying cars privately, but haggling with a dealer can yield a similar priced car, and one with more come back if it goes belly up.

First of all, find out who has been looking after the car. There are many decent independent specialists that can look after a Mercedes. The service history issue is not a bad one, you just need to find out more regarding who worked on the car.

Don't bother with the warranty, £700 saved covers an awful lot of the cost of a repair, which chances are won't happen.

I've listed the weakspots of the drive train. The inlet port/manifold is a likely culprit, the rest are less so.

 

[IATM]

HI ***,

Yup, I am in glasgow

I think on the whole the set up seems like a trusted one that has proven itself. like all cars, issues can happen, the bmw diesels a cnsiderably worse in many respects especially the swirl flaps. can these be removed on the merc, they can be on the bmw and fitted with blanks i beleive ?

well the thing about the cls private is that it is a very good price, they had it up for a lot more however i had some luck with them moving aboard etc etc and wanted to sell up, the car is loaded, it has sat nav, dvd player, digital tv, two screens in rear etc, in looking at the pics it looks sportless however in this day and age its difficult to tell, a car with 30k could look just as good as one with 90k however you have a good point about checking previous mot's.

the car is afterall 6 years old almost and as much there should be a reasonable timeline of things that might have been done or checked. the lady is currently away on work however she said she will answer me upon her return on wednesday and send me plenty pictures as i requested.

 

[bpsorrel]

I've recently bought a similar car to the one you're looking at, but, thank god it has a full MB service history! It's just been diagnosed (by a respected Indy) with a bearing fault and because of the immaculate service history, MB will cover the full cost if indeed it has the fault when they check it next week. This repair I'm told would be around £2K!

On the plus side, the CLS is a wonderful car! It drives extremely well, the V6 engine is a peach and propels this heavy car alarmingly quickly! Personally, I can't fault the 7G (sorry Steve!) and find it always in the right gear at the right time. handling is amazing for it's size and in fact when driving the car feels a lot smaller than it is.

To me, this is the ultimate saloon (as long as you only need 4 seats!) and puts a smile on my face every time I look at it, let alone drive it (despite it's problem!)

But my advice would be, don't buy one without full MB service history. You may regret it if you don't...

 

[st4]

HI ***,

Yup, I am in glasgow

I think on the whole the set up seems like a trusted one that has proven itself. like all cars, issues can happen, the bmw diesels a cnsiderably worse in many respects especially the swirl flaps. can these be removed on the merc, they can be on the bmw and fitted with blanks i beleive ?

They cannot be done. I've been looking into this....

Two major things on the BMWs that go wrong

1. The swirl flaps. On both 4 and 6 cylinder BMW cars a manifold kit can be fitted which removes this mechanism. Problem solved.
2. There is filter on the turbo that in every inspection two service should be changed, most do not bother as its an additional £45. Spend the money their and save your money. I read on the other MB forum that on the 25d that the swirl flap mechanism isn't there at all.

As for BMW autoboxes, they are ZF units. Change the fluid on them unlike what BMW say, and they are fine. Someone I used to know has a 545i - I heard it has a few problems but with over 100k its never seen a fluid change.

I'd phone up Davie at the Ibrox place, one of his guys has modified a 320d to run without flaps.

He changed my manifold and port motor, I have the old manifolds, looking at the mechanism the first thing I notice is how well its constructed, unlike the BMW one, those flaps won't break off or wear down. The linkage is sturdy as f***. However, looking at the manifold, there doesn't seem a method thats jumping out at me to remove it, and to complete the mod, you'd want to disable EGR and guess what, no one has done that to a 642 engine.

well the thing about the cls private is that it is a very good price, they had it up for a lot more however i had some luck with them moving aboard etc etc and wanted to sell up, the car is loaded, it has sat nav, dvd player, digital tv, two screens in rear etc, in looking at the pics it looks sportless however in this day and age its difficult to tell, a car with 30k could look just as good as one with 90k however you have a good point about checking previous mot's.

the car is afterall 6 years old almost and as much there should be a reasonable timeline of things that might have been done or checked. the lady is currently away on work however she said she will answer me upon her return on wednesday and send me plenty pictures as i requested.

Car sounds nice but folk "moving abroad" is a tired old line of offloading a pup. I'd find out who's worked on the car, and call up and ask for their opinions of it and whether they did the work. A local garage may well be a decent specialist. Nothing wrong with that.

Failing that, ask the owner of the car to take it to Davie or a specialist in Glasgow, and they might, if they want to sell the car, let them take an inspection of the car and give you a report.

Otherwise, come sale day, you may need to arrive with a specialist to give the car the once over. The usual HPI stuff etc also applies.

 

[IATM]

thanks for the information guys, on the whole it seems like a sturdy car however i have to agree the FSH is a must even if it is a known specialist. I might call a local merc dealer or specialist near to them (they are in manchester) and ask if they can do an inspection.

They said to me that they have had two dealers interested in the car and are happy to sell to them nearer the time they are going however for an extra 500 they rather it go to a individual.

i think i will need to find out the service history. is the swirl flap a big issue? is it very common ?

I have seen an a8 for the same price and it seems like a very sturdy car, and it has full audi SH, only the one owner since new, inspires more confidence in me.

hmmmm descions descions



***: Can i confirm, you said " I'm on port motor number 3 and manifold number 23 on 82k miles" does that mean you have had the manifold replaced 23 times or am i just being silly ?

 

[artyman]

If they are moving abroad check out the local estate agents to see if the house is up for sale to check that statement.

 

[bpsorrel]

A8 is a very nice car, but, does it have the style of the CLS?.....

 

[st4]

The Audi A8 I cannot personally comment on as I've never driven one. However, everyone that drives them/owns them loves them. A bit like CLS owners.

I thought the car was in Glasgow. Do you have an advert for the car? Ian B Walker may be able to help you, he is a Preston based indy and is highly regarded not only by me, but by many on here.

The swirl flap issue is less of an issue on the Mercedes than the BMW, however, the problem is less easily prevented on the Mercedes and if you lose power, chances are its the inlet port shut off motor thats failed and you'd need a new manifold. Car itself is a solid lump and nothing massive fails, just ancillary components but net result is they are expensive to fix.

An Audi A8 in this regard will be similar and I know from researching a V6 Tdi A6 they too have major issues with manifolds going after 60k miles.

A8 is a very nice car, but, does it have the style of the CLS?.....

Its a lot more spacious and although not as a dramatically styled car, has a grace of its own. I raced one down the Autobahn upto 150mph, these A8 3.0Tdi's fly.

***: Can i confirm, you said " I'm on port motor number 3 and manifold number 23 on 82k miles" does that mean you have had the manifold replaced 23 times or am i just being silly ?

Typo - manifold two, motor three.

 

[IATM]

lol i think at this rate i am just going to get an old school mini or micra LOL.

well thanks a lot for the help and information guys, i think the best think to do is get exact information of the history, where it was serviced ad make some sort of judgment after that, I will certainly keep you guys updated.

the advert has been away for a couple of weeks now however i did keep part of the description if that helps:

" [FONT=&quot]MERCEDES-BENZ CLS320 cdi 4dr Tip Auto Diesel Coupe 2006 32,000 miles, 4 DOOR 2006 (06) MERCEDES-BENZ CLS320CDI TIP AUTO DIESEL COUPE 19 INCH AMG ALLOY, AIRMATIC DUAL CONTROL-SEMI ACTIVE AIR SUSPENSION. 7G-TRONIC AUTO TIPFUCTION, MULTIFUNCTION STEERING WHEEL WITH TRIP COMPUTER. KEYLESS GO AND PARKTRONIC. AMG BODY STYLING,BODY COLOURED-BUMPERS,DOOR HANDLES,ROOF TRIM AND SIDE SKIRTS. SILK MATT BURR WALNUT WOOD TRIM, ELECTRICALLY ADUSTABLE AND HEATED FRONT SEATS. FRONT CENTRE CONSOLE WITH COOLING BOX, REAR CENTRE CONSOLE WALNUT WOOD - SPACIOUS STORAGE & CUP HOLDERS. REMOTE BOOT RELEASE, ELECTRIC WINDOWS, EXTERIOR MIRROR-ELECTRICALLY FOLDING. AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL, TINTED, COMMAND -6 DISC CD/DVD CHANGER, HDD MAP NAVIGATION,4GB MUSIC REGISTER, SD CARD SLOT AND LINGUATRONIC. TV TUNER(DIGITAL/ANALOGUE) AUX- IN PORT FOR AUDIO AND VIDEO, DUAL DVD PLAYER IN HEADREST . COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT : PRE-WIRING WITH HANDS FREE FACILITY, BLUETOOTH MOT ENDS JULY 2012, SERVICE NOV 2012. IMMACULATE, STUNNING CAR,FULL SERVICE HISTORY, VERY RELUCTANT SALE DUE TO MOVE ABROAD"[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hope that helps
[/FONT]

 

[IATM]

Typo - manifold two, motor three.

lol (you almost had me in sprint mode ready to close down my account on the MB forum lolll (joking)

 

[st4]

Very high spec car.

I've highlighted all the potential usual pitfalls of the car. I've not covered off the postives at all, of which there are many. Namely how relaxing they are to drive, how comfortable and safe they are, how well the drive when pressing and that enormous feeling of well being and anticipation and excitement you get when you are next due to drive them.

 

[LTD]

CLS is fantastic.

Especially the CLS500

 

[Deleted member 37751]

First thing I'd do is ignore Steve and his flapping, the V6/7G is excellent, he just doesn't know how to drive.

I owned an E320 V6 CDi (the same engine in your CLS) with 135,000 miles on and it drove like it had done half of that.

Under load the engine has a nice growl, making the old IL6 sound gruff. The 7 speed gearbox is also a cut above the old 5 speed, it always seems to be in the correct gear when you need it.

If you want to go in-depth with your research into the history of the CLS get it plugged into Star (the Mercedes diagnostic machine) which will throw up all sorts of wired and wonderful faults; most of which mean little. You can also verify the mileage through Star.

 

[IATM]

good info....

is there anyway for me to buy star, i have seen some of ebay quoting to to work on all merc up to 2010 for 600 quid, i usually dont mind buying this as it allows me to do thinkgs myself and not depend on a dealer.

anyone else done this........

I must say tho, my friends brother had a 56 plate 320 cdi sport and i was never too keen on the e or consider the engine with any high regards but my word after that day i had a new found respect for the car, the way it shifted through the gears, the engine pace the growl. i just thought of it as a master piece. i loved it that much. that was almost 4 years ago now and that feeling even just sitting as a passenger has been with me to this day....

i just really hope most of them are really reliable, i dont mind if on the off chance things do go wrong and they even cost up to 1k but who wants them to happen and i can afford 1k repair if i need to but no one, no matter how rich they are want to. its meant to be bullet roof car at the end of the day and i expect it to be like that, so its either a cls or possible a high miller s class. seen a w211 320 cdi with 75k millage but i dont hear a bad thing about these, find it strange as im sure its the set up underlying gearbox/engine set up.

cheers

 

[st4]

First thing I'd do is ignore Steve and his flapping, the V6/7G is excellent, he just doesn't know how to drive.

I never get the chance to drive it, it always breaks down