CLS55 and other AMG buying advice - car on Autotrader

[philnewmerc]

If anyone is still reading I have some preliminary questions, so if you could answer any one of them I'd be grateful:
The airmatic suspension feels exactly the same on every setting, is something amiss? (I don't mind the suspension being firm, but I thought it would be softer in normal mode.)
The cooling seats do seem to work but barely do anything to be honest. Normal?
I was just wondering does it make sense to use the dynamic seats and massage function to keep them operational, or keep them switched off in case they break halfway through or something?
My previous CLK 500 had electric steering wheel adjust, same as the CLS, but was broken on the clk. Is there anything I can do to prolong the CLS electric steering adjustment to try and ensure it doesn't break?
Even on half throttle the engine seems to rev very close to the red line, is that normal?
The one gadget that is broken is the parking sensors. This is a nightmare because it's huge and I'm not a very good parker. Are there any common issues on the heat regarding parking sensors?
The automatic electric boot closing system doesn't seem to work, again, is there any common issues for that?
In my last CLK 500 I quite often drove in C mode, but in the CLS 55 I'm wondering if the enormous torque would be bad for the torque converter setting off in second year?

Cheers chaps

 

[Will]

If anyone is still reading I have some preliminary questions, so if you could answer any one of them I'd be grateful:
The airmatic suspension feels exactly the same on every setting, is something amiss? (I don't mind the suspension being firm, but I thought it would be softer in normal mode.)
The cooling seats do seem to work but barely do anything to be honest. Normal?
I was just wondering does it make sense to use the dynamic seats and massage function to keep them operational, or keep them switched off in case they break halfway through or something?
My previous CLK 500 had electric steering wheel adjust, same as the CLS, but was broken on the clk. Is there anything I can do to prolong the CLS electric steering adjustment to try and ensure it doesn't break?
Even on half throttle the engine seems to rev very close to the red line, is that normal?
The one gadget that is broken is the parking sensors. This is a nightmare because it's huge and I'm not a very good parker. Are there any common issues on the heat regarding parking sensors?
The automatic electric boot closing system doesn't seem to work, again, is there any common issues for that?
In my last CLK 500 I quite often drove in C mode, but in the CLS 55 I'm wondering if the enormous torque would be bad for the torque converter setting off in second year?

Cheers chaps

So the airmatic suspension has adjustable ride height (have you tried the vehicle raise button to see if the suspension goes up?), but also the dampers are electronic (variable damping depending on the mode selected)

The seats are not cooled, they are ventilated. A series of small fans inside the seat allows some airflow through the leather perforations. They’re not connected to the air conditioning or anything like that, but will obviously circulate the ambient air so as the car cools down you should feel the benefit. They do help to regulate the seat temperature more quickly in the depths of winter (warm up!) or the heights of summer (cool down) though

The dynamic and massage seats sometimes stop working if the pump gives up. Simple enough to replace but the part is a few hundred £££ new, or possibly cheaper secondhand. I would say that pneumatic leakage usually causes the pump to work too hard and probably burn out but I’ve not looked into this in depth.

Not heard of too many issues with the electronic steering wheel adjustment, I wouldn’t worry about it.

Might have a sprint booster or similar fitted?

Parking sensors - other than checking for stuff like fuses or loose connector I’d get it plugged in to diagnose. Quickest and cheapest way!

No idea on the boot closer but possibly check the wiring first.

Wouldn’t worry about gearbox settings, but I’d get the ATF and filter replaced for peace of mind regardless

 

[philnewmerc]

So the airmatic suspension has adjustable ride height (have you tried the vehicle raise button to see if the suspension goes up?), but also the dampers are electronic (variable damping depending on the mode selected)

The seats are not cooled, they are ventilated. A series of small fans inside the seat allows some airflow through the leather perforations. They’re not connected to the air conditioning or anything like that, but will obviously circulate the ambient air so as the car cools down you should feel the benefit. They do help to regulate the seat temperature more quickly in the depths of winter (warm up!) or the heights of summer (cool down) though

The dynamic and massage seats sometimes stop working if the pump gives up. Simple enough to replace but the part is a few hundred £££ new, or possibly cheaper secondhand. I would say that pneumatic leakage usually causes the pump to work too hard and probably burn out but I’ve not looked into this in depth.

Not heard of too many issues with the electronic steering wheel adjustment, I wouldn’t worry about it.

Might have a sprint booster or similar fitted?

Parking sensors - other than checking for stuff like fuses or loose connector I’d get it plugged in to diagnose. Quickest and cheapest way!

No idea on the boot closer but possibly check the wiring first.

Wouldn’t worry about gearbox settings, but I’d get the ATF and filter replaced for peace of mind regardless

Thanks. I will definitely get a comprehensive service done on engine and gearbox soon. The air suspension does go up and doesn't seem to sink overnight. But every setting feels exactly the same to me

 

[Will]

Thanks. I will definitely get a comprehensive service done on engine and gearbox soon. The air suspension does go up and doesn't seem to sink overnight. But every setting feels exactly the same to me

There’s not a huge difference to be fair, or possibly there’s an issue. Hard to tell from this end of a phone screen though! Sometimes people do work on the airmatic system with aftermarket parts and they’re not quite the same as OE stuff.

Have it inspected when you get the parking sensors looked at and/or the gearbox service done

 

[philnewmerc]

There’s not a huge difference to be fair, or possibly there’s an issue. Hard to tell from this end of a phone screen though! Sometimes people do work on the airmatic system with aftermarket parts and they’re not quite the same as OE stuff.

Have it inspected when you get the parking sensors looked at and/or the gearbox service done

Cheers, will do.
I suppose being an AMG maybe all settings are pretty stiff and just the height and corner lean changes in sport 1 and 2... Will get it booked in tomorrow

 

[philnewmerc]

There’s not a huge difference to be fair, or possibly there’s an issue. Hard to tell from this end of a phone screen though! Sometimes people do work on the airmatic system with aftermarket parts and they’re not quite the same as OE stuff.

Have it inspected when you get the parking sensors looked at and/or the gearbox service done

So, I've had it ticking over and raised the car: works fine. Then lowered to normal: works fine. Then put in sport 1/2: nothing happens. It's not a big deal but I wonder if there is a fault.

Also, in i engage the parking sensors they scream at me for about 2 seconds and have 2 LEDs lit - also a fault sign I assume.

 

[Lenny63]

Parking sensors are a common fail . It will be one or more sensors at fault. Needs.to be plugged. Is it for front or rear, or both? Its a bumper off job for most on front unfortunately.

 

[philnewmerc]

Parking sensors are a common fail . It will be one or more sensors at fault. Needs.to be plugged. Is it for front or rear, or both? Its a bumper off job for most on front unfortunately.

The parking sensors don't do anything apart from scream for a couple of seconds if I put them on. Annoying at I not that confident parallel parking the thing. I will ask the indie to investigate

 

[philnewmerc]

Anyone know how long you should wait for MB customer service to reply to a service history request? I sent the email 2 weeks ago with the v5 and my ID. No reply yet. Cheers

 

[Muckypaps]

The air suspension is a ride height control.
It’s the dampers that change the stiffness of the suspension.

 

[Spider10]

Anyone know how long you should wait for MB customer service to reply to a service history request? I sent the email 2 weeks ago with the v5 and my ID. No reply yet. Cheers

Took me around a month for the SLK

 

[philnewmerc]

The CLS was supposedly inspired by the XJ.

Put some pics up when you get a chance.

Found the quotes: " The original CLS is said to have been designed by a young stylist who wanted to see how a Jaguar would look if it were made by Mercedes. It was weird, but undeniably attractive"
12 June 2011
By Jeremy Clarkson

And:
"So far as I'm concerned the Mercedes CLS is the most spectacular-looking car Mercedes has made and possibly one of the all-time greats from anywhere.... And to make the recipe even better, the car I tested had a 5.5 litre supercharged AMG V8; the engine that sounds like a second world war fighter and goes like a modern-day rocket."
Jeremy Clarkson
Sunday January 27 2008

Amazing that I picked up on these points without having read them. It really does have a 'series-III-Jag-if-it-had-been-continually-developed-by-a-competent-company vibe to it. Still tinkering and when it is polished I'll upload some pics. Thanks again to all for the tips. I am still smitten.

 

[philnewmerc]

Took me around a month for the SLK

In case anyone else is wondering: Dealers and MB said not on our system, too old. Had to phone a few dealers to find the right one where it was sold/serviced. Badgered the dealer admin person and they very kindly found the PDF invoices, printed them, blacked out the owner details, and emailed them to me, so now I have (very nearly) full MB service history! Kerrching!