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Advice required please.
I looked at a CLK 320 this evening, it has the M272 engine and has done 140,000 miles with a robust service history. This included a receipt indicating the balance shaft issue was sorted a few years ago.
However the engine management light was on, having spoken to the garage that maintain the car, they think its is due to a stretched timing chain as a result of the mileage.
Can anyone give me an indication of likely fix and ball park cost or difficulty of repair?
Thanks ConorHi JB,
That sounds suspicious to me. Without knowing the full details it's sounds suspect and I would walk away and not look back. Any timing related repair is likely to be more than the value of the car.
Was the garage trying to say the stretched chain was not a problem? Because the code that comes up due to worn balance shaft is timing related.
Again, I would not recommend buying that car, as nice as it may be.
Thanks Conor
The owner was good enough to tell me about the problem and suggested I speak to the garage, the garage told me what they thought the issue was having looked after the car for the last 8 years. The car has been driven like it for the last two years (20,000 miles). Apparently providing the light which is intermitent isn't on at the time of MOT it will pass.
The balance shaft issue had been repaired at 75,000 miles and their was receipt for this work (£1600) in the history file. In my view both the elderly owner and garage were both honest.
I'm prepared to walk away, but curious to know easy/difficult it is to replace the chain and tensioner before I do so. Is it a £500 or £3,000 estimated repair.
OK well if you go down that route I would get a written description of the fault including engine error codes.I have asked the owner to provide a more detailed analysis and realistic cost to repair from the garage that maintain the car.
Hello,
I am importing a Japanese 2005 CLS 350 that falls into the first category vin (the balance shaft stuff!) But has 49 k on the odometer and is immaculate, 1 owner, no accidents. Does such a vehicle require one to be proactive and change the balance shaft or is it safe/wise to drive until warning signs show up? I ask as I have seen many 2005 cls 350 throughout Europe obtain 300+ k on the odometer and wonder if this was without a balance shaft fix (I.e - was avoided despite all being early year models in the first category) or if they had the balance shaft work that led to longevity (either before or after the issue was known). Please advise. Thank you all.
I own a m272 engine. This year of SLK with that engine are expensive to maintain (given the age, the alternator or fuel pump may go) and to boot there is always the looming possibility of the balance shaft needing to be replaced especially since it is approaching 100k.I’m thinking of helping my daughter’s boyfriend buy his first sporty car, and an SLK 350 seems to fit the bill perfectly.
I’ve dound what would appear to be a well cared for example, nicely specified, and for reasonable money but I’ve not viewed it.
It’s a 2004 and 95,000 miles, would this car have had the common issues done by the time it’s reached this age and mileage?
Thoughts from the MBClub collective would be very much appreciated.
It’s a 2004 and 95,000 miles, would this car have had the common issues done by the time it’s reached this age and mileage?
Thank you for your comments. He’s just turned 20 and the insurance on the SLK 350 was surprisingly affordable so I did suggest that he gets a quote for a SLK 55.IMy advice would be of you truly must pull the trigger on a SLK or benz from this era up to 2008 (when the m272 was rectified)... then go for a v8 size engine as they are solid and did not have this issue.
If I’m in a position to look after friends, family - and even strangers - then I do. Helping him won’t disadvantage my daughter in any way, she’s doing alright.My last piece of advice beyond vehicles would be buy the daughter car and screw the boy-friend (until he marries her, you have no obligation to him.. lol a "boyfriend"? Where is the honor today among men? Let him fend for himself he is another families responsibility, not yours - but your daughter is your responsibility so take care of your womenfolk and let the real men step up because he should be doing this research and pulling up to you with the AMG)
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