Looking for a CLS 55 AMG, any tips?

[szucchet]

Hi Everyone!

After a long time lusting over the CLS 55 AMG I am finally in the fortunate position of being able to afford (and run) one! Wanted to know from all the other 55k members if there are any tips, thoughts, tricks and leads on the CLS?

My dream car would be black, with the 19 inch rims and a black leather dynamic seat interior <3

Kind Regards,


Sim

 

[AMGeed]

Welcome to the forum Sim,
Plenty of owners with the 55k engine here to give you tips, and from my past ownership I have a few.
First, buy on condition and don't worry too much about mileage. We all want low mileage cars, but the CLS55 is going on 15 years old now and low mileage one are hard to come by. Check the service history and also if its had plug changes every 4 yrs or 50k miles. ATF should be done at 37k mile intervals and servicing around every 11k miles or 12 -18months. Assyst menu will tell you when its due about 28days away.
Turn on the ignition and check for error messages or the amber check engine light. Not a good sign and be ready to walk away without a really good reason why, and promise to fix before a sale.

When inspecting a car, look at it and see if its sitting level on all corners. Get the engine started and ask the owner to raise and lower the car a few times to check all is well. Make sure all the electrical options work. Seat heaters, mirrors adjusting and folding ,electric blind (if fitted) and boot release operational. Look at the discs and pads and if getting worn down, use that when agreeing price. Fortunately for the 55k neither are very expensive. Decent tyres and a good brand or worn ditchfinders? Again, has the car been treated well. How are the alloys? All 4 needing a refurb is another bargaining chip for you. Allow £50 -£60 each to refurb them.
Engine bay I would hope is clean. It's a sign of how its been cared for if its dirty. Look at the pulleys with the engine running. Do any wobble or sound worn?

Then a test drive. Don't let your heart rule your head. The first time in a 55k at full throttle is an event that will astound you. But they are all quick, some more than others so back to point one. Buy on condition and good regular servicing.
Finally, get some insurance quotes before looking. You could be priced out of the market depending on age/location/driving history.

I'm sure some current owners can add plenty I've missed.

Happy hunting

 

[Petrol Pete]

What is you budget..to purchase ? You will not have a budget to run it, that will just come with the territory. Play it by ear kind of stuff.

 

[Cyclone1]

Great choice.....

 

[Teego]

Condition, history, condition, history, do I trust the seller? etc etc.
Ask yourself the question, "is there any reason at all why I should not buy this car?"
Takes me longer to buy cars than houses.
Find a good CLS55 and you'll never want to let it go. Buy a bad one and................................

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[clk320x]

Great choice.....
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Nice motor Jules, is that your Aston too?

 

[Cyclone1]

Nice motor Jules, is that your Aston too?

No sadly the Aston isn’t mine. I loved the black CLS55, it had almost every extra, but just preferred the silver CLS55 that followed it.

 

[moodi]

I have a black with black interior, and very well specced (including dynamic seat) CLS55 which may be for sale soon. Remarkable history, and quite a few nice extras too...

 

[szucchet]

This is all fantastic information! Wont lie as my first post I have been delaying this as I wasnt sure what the response would be I cant agree more with the condition part, one of my friends had a mint CLS 55 that he unfortunately sold 2 years ago, it run and performed like a dream and this was in no small way because always kept on top of the maintenance

@Cyclone1 omg she is a beauty!!! Love the murdered out look, you definitely have a sick ride there!!!

I think a realistic budget would be between 8-12k, potentially a bit higher if I do find a “true gem” which would include a milage under 100k!!! Not really concerned per say about high miles but have always been the one to hit the 100k in my cars, personal thing

The air suspension worries me the most, not sure if it is fear mongering (especially coming from more traditional coil over cars)! The test of having the owner put the suspension up and down will give me that much more comfort!!!

@moodi that sounds like a really good option! I am serious about the purchase so please do keep me in mind if you decide to let it go! I dont think I am able to dm yet, but if you can with the details when you decide id love to take a look

 

[szucchet]

One additional question I have @AMGeed is that most people think the ATF in cars is sealed for life, do most UK amg owners actually follow the replacement protocol and how risky would it be buying a w219 from an owner that has not followed this routine?

 

[Cyclone1]

You’ve set a realistic budget, so just take onboard the advice given already and but 100% on condition. That doesn’t mean necessarily buying one that is pristine, but may mean finding one you are happy with, but that you may need to budget for some immediate corrective work on purchase, or in the next year.

As always if on viewing a car it just doesn’t feel right, then walk away. I know it can be frustrating but another CLS will come up for sale that will be better, plus it’s worth waiting for a car like this.

Under the bonnet they are solid. Pulleys, bearings and belts are worth checking. Think most items like cooling pump etc have been covered already. Suspension can be a concern and the warning for this can be reset a few times so be aware that this could be the case. I’d always plan to budget to replace this should it ever be needed (depends how long you plan to keep the car).

I sold the black CLS back in 2012 ish, but a year or so later bought a Silver CLS55 that was also stunning, no where near as well specified, but I didn’t really miss the extras. It was silver with grey and black interior and if anything I preferred it.

Happy hunting....

 

[szucchet]

@Cyclone1 yes I 100% know what you mean! I have tried to set a realistic budget and definitely are not aiming to get the cheapest but a reasonably priced good one! I foolishly trust myself with a wrench so definitely not put off by the usual things that might go wrong and need some TLC down the line!

I plan to keep the car for a long time, so have already researched the costs and whilst high, at least I know what they are likely to be should the worst happen... Want to make sure I know of everything that could go wrong and how to spot it so I don’t buy a lemon

I know what you mean regarding the feel, seen some nice cars before and walked away because it didnt feel right or did not trust the buyer... Buying from an enthusiast who knows his/her cars has always worked well for me!

You seem to be hitting the jackpot with the cars Is the one in silver lowered or are the rims bigger hence filling out the arches more? And what goodies do you miss the most from the black one?

 

[Cyclone1]

From memory the Black car had distronic, keyless, massaging / heated / cooled / dynamic seats, rear window blinds. The silver had none of these. Only one I missed a bit was the massaging seats and occasionally dynamic.

Both cars were lowered via Star and the alloys on the silver one were Merc 19in from the 219 CLS63, the original owner swapped them for these with Mercedes whilst waiting for his new car to be delivered (they look great)

 

[Petrol Pete]

One additional question I have @AMGeed is that most people think the ATF in cars is sealed for life, do most UK amg owners actually follow the replacement protocol and how risky would it be buying a w219 from an owner that has not followed this routine?

'Most' people might think the transmission is sealed for life , but it is not. If you can find no evidence in the cars history of the job being done in the past use that as a bargaining chip to knock £300 (or more) off the price - I did when I bought my car - then get the transmission serviced immediately (£250 - £300 ish, depending on where you take it) Not showing a gearbox service is not a deal breaker..if the gearbox is changing smoothly and behaving itself on a test drive. Takes about 20 - 30 minutes of driving to get the fluid up to optimum temperature on a test drive.

 

[szucchet]

Yeah the lowering is subtle but seems to make all the difference Did you do this yourself or went to a shop?

Interesting!!! I think for me the massage/dynamic option is very high on the list! Keyless go and parking would be a nice to have but not a deal breaker!

Ever done any performance mods?

 

[szucchet]

'Most' people might think the transmission is sealed for life , but it is not. If you can find no evidence in the cars history of the job being done in the past use that as a bargaining chip to knock £300 (or more) off the price - I did when I bought my car - then get the transmission serviced immediately (£250 - £300 ish, depending on where you take it) Not showing a gearbox service is not a deal breaker..if the gearbox is changing smoothly and behaving itself on a test drive. Takes about 20 - 30 minutes of driving to get the fluid up to optimum temperature on a test drive.

Yes thats what I was thinking, I peronally think all cars (not only performance ones) should have their transmission fuild changed. Know that some models react better than others, had a landrover disco that grenaded its transmission so very wary about this nowdays! Tbh that could also be because they are the most unreliable cars in the world

I agree regarding the test drive, information should be logged if it was done and given everything is running smoothly id negotiate on the price but not a huge deal breaker!

 

[moodi]

Yeah the lowering is subtle but seems to make all the difference Did you do this yourself or went to a shop?

Interesting!!! I think for me the massage/dynamic option is very high on the list! Keyless go and parking would be a nice to have but not a deal breaker!

Ever done any performance mods?

I'll put up and advert soon, it is lowered with the lowering links and has massage/dynamic seats. It's also a one-off tastefully upgraded black edition / murdered homage with performance upgrades..

My brother has a CLS55 with keyless go, mine does not. I really am not a fan of the keyless entry as it makes the door handles feel strange. Additionally they tend to go wrong but not a huge bill when they do. For me, I just couldn't get on with the way the door handles 'feel'. They have a funny click and hepatic feedback due to the way the motorised unlock/entry works. Good old fashioned handles all the way for me!

 

[Cyclone1]

Yeah the lowering is subtle but seems to make all the difference Did you do this yourself or went to a shop?

Interesting!!! I think for me the massage/dynamic option is very high on the list! Keyless go and parking would be a nice to have but not a deal breaker!

Ever done any performance mods?

The lowering along with most of the work and servicing was all done at MSL Performance in Birmingham.

Did I ever do any performance mods?

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[moodi]

The lowering along with most of the work and servicing was all done at MSL Performance in Birmingham.

Did I ever do any performance mods?

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