May be buying CLS350 2014, 125k 3.0 Diesel and need to know faults to look out for?

[JohnHuson]

Car has service history, not MB. Private seller. Auto. I am reasonable savvy so need to look out for known age/fault problems and history for a 130K car. Known fault is cabin fan blower is not working. I may be using it as a treat to use it as hospital patient volunteer transport duties.
A simple list of items and known faults to check out would be really appreciated please.
Cheers, John.

 

[Smiley]

Try googling om642 (the v6 3 litre diesel engine) common problems. The biggie is the oil cooler seals; an oil leak either pooling in the undertray or worse drips on the ground. It can't be left once it is leaking. ca £300 parts plus £1,000 labour give or take at an independent specialist.
Check the rear subframe and brake pipes for rust. Subframe should be covered by MB under goodwill if needed.
Listen for clunking noises when manouvering slowly, bank on a few £ hundred pa for maintaining the suspension components, ie springs, ball joints, strut mounts, engine mounts they are heavy engines.
Then all the usual used car checks.
It is a buyer's market for these cars atm; not ulez or caz compliant. On the plus side no adblue to repair.

 

[JohnHuson]

Thanks Smiley. Much appreciated. What sort of money should I expect to pay for a better one I have seen 2013; 119k. and service history
at local garage for last 50k?.

 

[PRSboy]

Both the CLSs I’ve had have suffered from buckled wheels… pothole damage. You’ll note a vibration/resonance at speed.

Turbo seal is another thing that seems to fail. Not too bad to get fixed, but best getting sorted as the leak can lead to other more expensive issues.

Check whether the gearbox had been serviced.

Check carefully for tyre wear on the inside edge of the rears. The rest of the tyre wears relatively well, but the inside edge goes through to the cords and the tyre blows out (ask me how I know)

Good hunting- they’re great cars!

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Tyre wear.

Lack of recent proper servicing

Claustrophobic rear seats make it as strange choice for hospital patient transfer IMHO.

(Sorry to point this out but I hate sitting in the back of a CLS. You seldom see a CLS in the carriage trade)

 

[JohnHuson]

Tyre wear.

Lack of recent proper servicing

Claustrophobic rear seats make it as strange choice for hospital patient transfer IMHO.

(Sorry to point this out but I hate sitting in the back of a CLS. You seldom see a CLS in the carriage trade)

 

[JohnHuson]

My volunteer driving only involves a single patient, thanks for the comments.
Are the oil seals something I could do myself, I am fairly competent?

 

[Smiley]

My volunteer driving only involves a single patient, thanks for the comments.
Are the oil seals something I could do myself, I am fairly competent?

Google or search on here for om642 oil cooler seal replacement. It's not a super difficult job but it is time consuming and cleaning the manifolds (which is a must do if they have been removed) is a messy job. It's what I would call very competent DIY with a proper set of quality tools; not a novice with a basic socket set and screwdrivers.

 

[Smiley]

Thanks Smiley. Much appreciated. What sort of money should I expect to pay for a better one I have seen 2013; 119k. and service history
at local garage for last 50k?.

No idea I'm afraid. But euro 5 diesels are not the best sellers atm so you should be able to bargain hard. Do an autotrader valuation on a car that you might be interested in - that will give you a fairly realistic value of what you might be able to sell it for as a private sale.

 

[gusferlizi]

If you are close to London I can show you in person everything that can go wrong with this engine.

 

[gusferlizi]

No idea I'm afraid. But euro 5 diesels are not the best sellers atm so you should be able to bargain hard. Do an autotrader valuation on a car that you might be interested in - that will give you a fairly realistic value of what you might be able to sell it for as a private sale.

I think from 2014 they are all euro 6

 

[ALFAitalia]

Thw implementation date for Euro 6 was September 2014 (new approvals) and September 2015 (most new registrations), so if your car was registered after this date it's likely it's Euro 6.