My search for a CLK Vert ended here?

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Denis O

Active Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Messages
185
Location
Weald of Kent
Car
SL350 R230
So, I was looking to move from a Jeep Wrangler soft top to something that didn't take the skin off my knuckles when taking the top off. I thought about a 330ci Vert and then started to think about a CLK Vert. The 3.5 litre engine and 7G tronic box issues put me off so I then moved my horizons somewhat, to an SL.

Decided on a 350 to avoid the ABC problems and started the search in earnest. Yesterday I found a delightful example in a dealer in Croydon and put down a deposit; pick up next Wednesday.

It's 55 plate, 2owner with FSH and only 58k miles, 2 keys and full book pack. Comes with wind deflector, CD multi changer and pano roof. There are a few stone chips which will be touched in, a little wear on the drivers upper seat bolster which will be repaired. Generally it has been well looked after. It had a very dry spare wheel well and all electrics worked fine. Roof up and down 3 times without issue. It's also having a service and a new MOT done before collection and comes with a 3 month warranty with £2k single claim limit.

The dealer was like a breath of fresh air in that he was knowledgeable about the Mercedes product and didn't try any normal dealer bull****. I forgave the fact that at the back of his showroom was a CLS with 1,000,000 Swarovski Crystals attached :eek:

So I now have a number of questions, with no doubt, more to come:

Where to get a set of mats. I'm guessing dealer as eBay seems bereft of genuine mats.

What iPod interface and from where.

Can the Nav maps be up-dated and where from.

A couple of pictures from the dealer website





 
I have genuine MB mats in my W211 and to be honest they aren't fantastic quality, in when I got the car, wouldn't have been my choice. I've had good quality mats off ebay in the past for previous cars (Saabs) budget £50-£60 and you should get good quality mats.

Link below to Co that specialise in MB mats, said to be OEM quality. I've not purchased from or seen their product.

ClassicMercedesMats


Sat Nav - looks like an NTG 1 which is DVD based. If that's correct you'll need a new disk. I'd suggest you avoid knock off copies they have a reputation for causing issues. I looked at disks for my car (NTG1), disk was around £160. Try Command on line

https://www.commandonline.co.uk/home.php

If you give then your VIN they will tell you exactly what you have. they are frequent posters on this forum with good reputation.

Great looking car, quite envious, looks well optioned. Is it the 7G-Tronic box, I've got that in my W211 Joy to drive but don't skimp on gearbox oil and filter changes think they are needed 40k miles.

Find a good Indie that has a STAR machine for maintenance.

Above all ENJOY.

PS report back when you gat the car with comments and post more pics.
 
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who's the dealer? I want to see the CLS Swarovski special!!!!

Lovely looking car. (The one the OP has bought I'm Guessing the CLS not so much)
 
Photos look like Synergy Motors (Aka$h on here)
 
SL's are great cars but do need a few things checking out.

1. Make sure that any water in the airbox under the passenger side bonnet vent is clear of any water, if it is not then you have a blocked drain which must be cleared or you will water log the car electronics in the passenger footwell area. The best way to clear the drain is in the wheel well.

2. Make sure the boot seal at the bottom of the rear window does not leak, check the carpets are dry and the spare wheel wheel is clear of water. The PSE pump sits in the wheel well and is expensive to replace.

3. The rear wheel arches are prone to rust as mud collects under the rim, make sure the arch is clean and spray lots of waxoyl.

Your SL looks great and has some nice options fitted. Shame you were put off ABC, its a great system gives the SL a sublime ride.
 
Looks good, I just updated the 2008 map disk in the 2005 cls I bought to 2016/17 for £100 via main dealers - surprisingly cheapest place I could find for a genuine disk! To update i just put the dvd in the nav unit in the boot

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for all your comments and recommendations guys.

The dealer is Synergy and Simal is a top guy. I have little time for dealers who just "push metal" but Simal has a passion and knowledge that puts him out front. The car was also very well presented and a great buy as well.

Nav and Bluetooth seem a bit of a nightmare. I've come from a lot of years of BMW and know their systems inside out. The Merc systems will be a bit of a learning curve. Thanks for the link to Command On Line. I'm sure they will be very helpful. The cars spec list shows 388 PHONE MOBILE, MTUS-SYSTEM. Can anyone explain what this is? I was hoping for some kind of Bluetooth for linking the phone but my reading so far suggests that's not going to do it.

I popped into Maidstone Mercedes yesterday and they had the last set of mats in stock. Grey, as opposed to my first choice of black, but stocks are very limited and not available any longer, so I bought them. Only £82 and the quality seems fine. They're ready to pop in next week.

Thanks for the suggestions on seals. I'm guessing this Krytox stuff is what I need. Doesn't Gummi Pfledge do the same job but much cheaper.

Just google the Swarovski car. There's lots of pictures around on the old Interwebs.

Can't wait till collection day. Only 6 days to go.
 
The cars spec list shows 388 PHONE MOBILE, MTUS-SYSTEM. Can anyone explain what this is? I was hoping for some kind of Bluetooth for linking the phone but my reading so far suggests that's not going to do it.

The phone systems seem to vary a bit. I'd doubt Bluetooth would be possible with what the car has but could perhaps be added. Suspect you'll find a holder/cradle in the arm rest or similar. Believe some are fixed and take a specific mobile phone others have dock into which you click a cradle that in turn takes a specific mobile phone. My W211 had the latter (386 Mobile Pre. -Installation (MTUS)). So I did a bit of Googling and came up with the MB part number for the cradle that matched an old Nokia 6020 handset I had lying around, added a free GiffGaff SIM on PAYG. eBay supplied the cradle (£23) and I was up and running. They system works well and integrates well.

The Nokia phones these systems were built for were the Nokia handsets that were popular in the day. Lots on eBay for little £...

OK so its a second phone and not my primary mobile number but I make/receive very few calls in the car 95% of which are to/from wife so its not really an issue.

There are options to fit Bluetooth devices to the cradle but obviously more £

Drop command on line an email with your VIN suspect they will point you in the right direction.

Take a look at this thread

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/electronics/206307-mobile-phone-cradle-w211-e320.html
 
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