AquamanSC

It seems that everyone is always listing all of the problems with their cars. Is there anyone out there that has had little or no problems with their CL? I have to believe that with the price of these cars and the fact that people continue to buy them that there must be some that don't have issues.

v8plus4

2002 CL600, 38,000 miles. Only been in shop 7 times since new, 3 of which were A and B services. Other 4 shop visits have been minor issues, such as TPMS sensors, etc. I just had it inspected at the dealership prior to purchasing an extended warranty, and the tech found no leaks, no codes, nothing whatsoever. This car will sit sometimes for up to 2 weeks without being driven, and the suspension NEVER drops. It really is a great car. I dont drive it very much, but every time I do, it puts a smile on my face.

In fact, I just took it out and detailed it and my SUV today...

Jud Chapin

That's nice to know...thanks for the input!

platinumsc

Sorry for being a stick in the mud but 4 issues is 4 issues. Since people who love their car tend to de-emphasize the negatives, there is a reasonable possibility 1 or 2 of those issues were more than minor. Only speaking from experience of many hours in a Benz service dept and talking to others about their woes.

DarrenCT

.... i don't think that exists with any high end car.... i had a '00 cl500 and cashed out of it for 1 reason......the suspension issues! i've had audis', bimmers', vw's, dodges', volvos', and toyotas'...... all had at least SOME issues. i'm beginning to think the only problem-free car is one that you never start

tcounts

I have to say searching for a problem-free MB CL500 is just like a snipe hunt. People say they're out there but you just can't seem to find them. Even those that "say" they have a problem-free MB CL5 do so with some sort of disclaimer. It just ain't so.

I have owned just about every high-end vehicle in the past and have to say the best is still my wife's Lexus. I trade just about every other year but she's held on to her's for almost 5. I've never had a car (until now) with more than 100K miles on it and her's has 165K!!! Holy cow.

Good luck on your quest...look out for knights that say "nik".

v8plus4

Okay, I'll play...

7 shop visits.

3 for FSS service at 12k, 24k, and 30k miles.

1 for replacement of telephone handset connecting cable, at 21k miles.

1 for replacement of front and rear brake pads, 30k miles.

1 for TPMS control unit, 31k miles.

1 for replacement of broken cupholder, 33k miles.

Also, throw in a roadside assistance visit for a dead battery, and a windsheild chip repair.

If I had to call 1 or 2 of those "more than minor", I would say the cup holder gave me the most grief.

sooners

well, i dont think there are any trouble free CL's out there, i owned a CL600, a absolutley georgous obsidian blk new 04 model, and it gave me so many problems, there would be no way to list them all, and now i own a 05, CL500, it has been a lot less trouble, but by no means trouble free, why do i put myself through all the b.s, it is simple i just love the car, what can i say, when your hooked... your hooked.

bltserv

My cupholder had a mind of its own. I replaced it once.
Then the kids killed it again. Its easy to remove.
So now I just have a small white shop towel in the "Cup Holder Hole"
And a cup of Starbucks finest just sits in there fine.
Its great for the cell phone too when no coffee in the hole.

I put my 7 issues with my CL in the other thread.
But like others have said. I dont think any CL will ever be totally "issue" free.
Its just got too many things to go wrong. Mostly electronics and ABC.

Also. My CL sits for up to 10 Days at a time when the weather is too nice
and the SL gets some use. And my CL500 never sinks because of the ABC. Sinking car means a leak somewhere. Thats bad.

But overall. Its a nice car to own. I trust it.
But would not want to take a chance with one without warranty
or extended warranty.

I think my 2000 may have a few more issues than most.
Like the bubbles in the glass. Because its a first year model.

Notice that my 2005 SL55 has been flawless in the 6 months
since I got it. That car just gobbles up gas and rubber.

phat-ho

although it was not the most problematic vehicle i've owned (like the 2001 bmw 740iL, and the 1990 ford mustang LX), i cannot say that it has been trouble free or easy. of course i did anticipate all of this and the 7-series gave me good practice. not to be discouraging but you should anticipate that gray area where not everything that needs to be replaced needs a reason. things go bad or glitched up without any reason to do so. also, your service advisor and MB will have 90% of answers but not all. our W215 models have been out for quite a while and i can still come up with things they never heard of before...well, then again, i am a bit on the perfectionist side..nothing ever so small gets by me

Q-Dog

2005 CL55. Bought it in Aug '05 with 7700 miles. Now has 33000 miles. Been in the shop twice, both regular sevice intervals. The vehicle has been superb and the service was much cheaper than my '97 740i ever was.

BlownV8

Countdown to ABC meltdown, 10-9-8-7-6-............. You are just about due for ABC failure of sone type.

phat-ho

very true. very funny.

bltserv

ABC Pump/System Reliability
I talked to my SA about this in regards to my 2005 SL55. It just hit 32K
miles. It too has been flawless as far as issues other than normal service
and the brake SBC bulletin repair. He indicated that the later model cars were not having as many issues as the 2000-2003 Models. So maybe we will not be HIT with any ABC issues until further downstream. One can only hope. And as always. Keep a warranty of some kind on the car.
The price of a ABC repair justify an extended warranty expense.
No question.

FYI:
I think my freinds 500 series BMW has been in the shop more than its been to a gas station. That thing is an electrical nightmere.

AquamanSC

Is the ABC problem usually a one-time issue? The vehicle I'm looking at has already had the ABC system replaced. I have not heard of anyone having this issue more than once.

phat-ho

i think it is a complex problem because it is also electronically controlled (car cpu updates and such) also ABC system can be a constant threat b/c suspension leaks.

v8plus4

Are the replacement pumps for the ABC less failure-prone than the ones that came on the car from the factory?

In other words, have Mercedes addressed this issue, or can we expect these things to fail EVERY 30k or so miles?

BlownV8

No, it will most likely happen over and over again over time. There has been only one hose that the factory has admitted was faulty. However, they will all go bad over time. The ABC suspensions are about as reliable as the 210E class MAF's. You can set your watch to replace the Maf on the 210 every 40,000 to 50,000 miles. I'd bet the same will apply for the ABC suspension.

When a hydraulic hose breaks on our ABC equipped cas, it seems to take the pump with it instead of shutting the pump down and avoiding failure. The ABC is great when it works but so far it has been proven to be our Achilles heel.

Jud Chapin

I will say that I had a few electronic problems when I first bought my '02 CL500. I was told by one of the MB techs that usually after such parts are replace, that that is the end of those particular problems. This has turned out to be correct thus far.

BlownV8

How can that be? They are using the exact same parts that failed before. They will fail again uless there was a major redesign of the parts that were replaced.

Jud Chapin

Actually, I believe the quality of their parts has improved. If they don't have the common business savy to demand this from their suppliers, MB will soon be in the financial position of GM and Ford and fighting for its life. To be sure, these electronic problems that many of their late models experience are costing this company mucho millions of dollars in both lost sales and warranty work. Just a while back, the MB division was showing loses from operations but they have more recently gotten back into the black. Just my 2 cents.

Scottjr2005

Im looking to buy a 2000-01 CL500. Could someone tell me the services that need to be done at what miles? Im looking at a 2001 with 49000 miles. I dont wanna buy it and have to do a major expensive service right after. What are things that may need done at this amount of miles and how costly are they? Anything I should look for that has been done to the car service wise before buying the car? I see alot about the ABC failure, do all these 01 CL500's have this and if it fails how costly is it? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Uky

My '00 CL500 still has the original ABC pump after 87,000 miles (140,000km). MB says the ABC oil does not have to be changed which is . After a couple of years is becomes grayish and smells very bad: It must be changed since the pump is lubricated with its oil... I had the oil changed (do not forget the filter) and then a friend offered to run the "Rodeo Test" twice (Initiated with the Star diagnose system). The vehicle jumped around a couple of minutes all over the garage floor (well perhaps not that furiously) but nevertheless this test puts maximum stress on the system. There was one DTC set "Low ABC system pressure", but it was expected and after clearing, it did not reoccur.

Only three other issues since purchase:

1. Bad connection to the GPS navigator antenna (No satellites found). Easily fixed by myself.

2. A broken air hose to the right front seat (air pump in boot kept going until time-out (protection)). Seats are h e a v y....

3. Some surface corrosion underneath the plastic side panels and the bottom protector shields found because of road dirt that had gathered over the years when former owners never bothered to look... Also fixed by myself. Thanks to the ABC in "SUV position", it was easy to fix...

ducati9000

I have a 2001 CL500 I just purchased with 99000K miles on it. It has leaking ABC accumulators so I'm due for a fix. Good thing I'm a fairly good mechanic, and I can get teh accumulators myself instead of going through MB... Also my GPS won't work for some reason. I'm thinking about getting the Yellow Speed coilovers kit to end this cat and mouse game.

Geraldius

No car remains trouble-free throughout its life.

Problems I have had with my 05 CL65 so far:
Vacuum pump unit electronics died, replaced with used one for ~$200
Driver's door lock broke. Fixed for $90
Ignition voltage transformer became intermittent. Replaced for ~$750
Nav system/radio head unit has gotten glitchy. Works most of the time, sometimes goes away for a while then comes back. Living with it.
Bent front wheels causing vibration. Straightened for about $250 for the pair.

Everything else has just been normal maintenance; oil, filters, sparkplugs, brake pads. 39K miles.