I owned my 2001 CL600 Brabus Edition since 2007. Since i bought it, I have done so many custom upgrades and tons of maintenance. Ive changed each coil pack at least two times, transmission pump, ignition control module, TCM, completely new front suspension parts, MAF sensor, and so many other things. On top of it, i had it wrapped in matte black, put 20x9 front, 20x11 rears Mandrus wheels, 3 piece trunk spoiler, SL65 style grill (removed the ugly lorinser one), FULL AIR RIDE WITH 7 SWITCHES, and of course countless other custom upgrades i cant remember. I was 21 when i brought this car (and not with my parents money). This car means a lot to me and is impossible to part with because of everything i have went through with it. If i had done my research, i would have never brought it. I bought it and built it for show and to also enter it into mags.

Here is the issue...

This car is a constant problem...its a nightmare. Every dam time I fix one thing (on average a $1000 bill each instance), a few weeks or a month goes by and BAM, some new issue arises or the dam coil packs will go out! I gave up on this car so many times and every so often I would try again and once again it happens again. The motor is the real problem. All the dam sensors and stupid electronics destroyed the joy of driving it. I haven't made a single upgrade on it performance wise knowing that everything is sensitive. I finally decided last August, when once again a coil pack went back for the 5th time, that im absolutely done. I put it in the garage and covered it.

I really dont even want to do a swap to another v12 engine. I was wondering if its possible to yank the motor out and convert the entire powertrain to a Corvette LS series motor (and tranny if necessary). This car is beautiful and breaks more necks than chuck norris. I have never seen or heard a single person hate or throw a negative comment on the look of this car in person. All i have ever got was jaws dropping (especially when im hitting the switches while driving or driving with at a 45 degree angle....i really dont want to get rid of the car and would one day like to put it back on the road....

btw, none of the upgrades caused any of the issues...

heres some videos:
http://youtu.be/uPPdOD9jXu8
http://youtu.be/QcZqt8Vw02s



Pics

 

are you having the work done by a qualified mechanic? i can't imagine the coil packs going bad that often.

 

Don't you get a warranty on the parts, if you changed the coil pack five times there should be a couple free.

In Canada at the dealer I think it's two years parts and labor warranty, do at an indy it must be one year for the MB parts

I have a question for you, where you able to remove the error messages for the ABC with that air ride mod? And do you have a sway bar?

 

The car is simply rejecting your attempt to murder it out. Since cars can't speak, they make their displeasure known by commiting felony assault on your wallet and bank account.

Put it back to stock and I bet it becomes more reliable than a Honda Accord.

Bruce

 

LOL.

R.K.

 

How is the suspension going to mess up the engine? like i said, its one of a kind...its a MB flaw with this POS engine they put into it...

the ABC light is always on while driving. Doesnt bother me...i enjoy having the bags compared to original...

i have had a certified MB mechanic work on my car since day one...he has did adjustments on price...

what i really want to know is would it be possible to swap this motor completely out for a Corvette motor and still keep all the factory options working (minus the obvious things like distronic, etc)...i just want to be able to drive this car with peace....no engine issues!

 

I think you treating the car like a marionette caused everything to FAIL. my GOD.

This is one of the funniest videos I've ever seen!!! I fell of my chair.

The car looked so good STOCK! Now it looks like some toy with a remote control.

 

It's one of a kind for a reason, my friend. The same way a genetic mutation that makes someone have one leg longer than the other is one of a kind.....for good reason.

Between the burnout on a residential street during the day, to the Transformers bouncy bouncy suspension on a wired remote, I am going to have to ask for your MB owner membership card. It's hereby revoked.

By the way, when you walk the CL600 on its leash in that video, do you have to bring a pooper scooper?

Bruce

 

i should have expected the hate...i do it because i can....i love haters...

 

remove my ownership card? please bro...when youre on a level that you can do these kind of things then respond....

 

Now you've done it, you've lowered yourself to a common ****** with that word "HATER". Now you get the wrath.

It's not hating, it's laughing at you and how foolish you are.

You've mutilated the car.
No one cares what you drive..
Your like a Jester. We laugh at you, but no one envies you.

Do you think the Jester thinks people "HATE" on him.

You can't even use the word in HATE in that context.

 

Dammit, my jester image does not have that authentic cool writing at the bottom. Love it!

BrabusCL600, it's hard not to make fun. I do not hate on <sic> you or your car. But when you wrap it in matte, make it bounce up and down on a wired remote like a Toys R Us toy, and want to know if you can 'drop in' a Corvette motor, you're sort of inviting some good natured ribbing.

If you can't take it, then don't post videos like that. We're all friends here, no one dislikes you because no one knows you. But the questions and the videos are funny, and we all like to bust on each other.

I have a Brabus S600 right now, and have had a Brabus T12 in the past, along with more AMG cars than I can count. I'm comfortable with my 'level'.

We're all on the same team, but you swung, missed, and then threw the bat 50 feet down the third base line. Learn to laugh at yourself, it's a great skill.

Bruce

 

judging from your video's you have treated that car like complete crap, see vid 1.....
with all thise mods it's no wonder man.........
but that first video really killed me

were you hoping everyone would commiserate with you because if all
the loot you wasted on that car??

 

haha...Hate is the wrong word? Whatever you say fellas...If you can only appreciate the norm, then you need to learn to broaden your horizons...like i said, its a show car and its funny the only people who ever gave me reactions like this is from a MB site...I bought and built this car to enter shows and mags....and hands down it would have won every single show and been in every mag if this dam motor didnt run like a POS....You all see a video and laugh but if you seen it on the street, you'd see why it's unique styling is appreciated. The "wired remote" is the control for the air bags, the system operates way more reliable than the stock ABC system, little to no maintenance, and levels the car perfectly at every corner, and i have 0 issues with getting up a ramp or driveway unlike all the lowered MB. Then the whole Matte finish that you guys dont like, is seen on SLRs and other MBs....even Lamborghini and other exotics, but because im one of the very few who has a CL done in matte, everyone has a problem...if you guys were real with other users, youd learn to accept everyone's style without the hate...according to what everyone's saying is:
1 you can only own an AMG
2 you can only add performance mods
3 you can only add a lip spoiler and tint for appearance upgrades

if thats what you guys believe...wake up....car culture is unique, whether its MB, BMW, or Cadillac...I enjoy all type of custom cars, exotics, imports, lowriders, classics etc.

I am a die hard MB fan and get into serious arguments with my BMW friends all the time and i shut them down... but i have to admit, MB owners are haters to each other when one of them does something a little too extreme to it... its not like i painted the car baby blue and put 28" wheels on and made it look like a donk....i matted it, and bagged it....

all i wanted to do was build a one of kind car...i chose a w215 because of how rarely you see them on the road...the shape is beautiful and super sexy....a burnout shouldn't destroy a car ...if it destroys a 130k from a simple burnout, then the car is a POS....but of course no one here has ever done a burnout or went over 60mph.....

its obvious if your going to continue with your bashing, i hit a nerve and everything i said pertains to you... with that being said...

IS IT POSSIBLE TO SWAP THE ORIGINAL 5.8 MOTOR TO A CORVETTE LS SERIES MOTOR OR ANYTHING ELSE MORE RELIABLE?!

it is a simple question...i don't want to invest money into rebuilding this motor for thousands of dollars or replacing it with another used motor and then continue to have the same issues....

 

I'd like to see it baby blue with 28" wheels actually. We all know what airbags, matte wrap, etc are. Some of us are fans, some are not. But you'll see lots of customization. It's just silly to see it jumping up and down when you press a button on a controller like a Wii game. Sorry if it does not seem silly to you.

Anything is possible with enough time and money. But there is no way you can easily swap another engine that's non-MB into the car due to all the fitment, electronic, and wiring issues, not to mention getting it to talk to the trans, etc.

For what you'd spend to do that you should sell it as-is and get something else.

I'd recommend bringing it to a different shop. The coil pack failures and repeat problems you mention point to a bad mechanic or some underlying source that has not been discovered, that will keep blowing up the new parts you install.

Bruce

 

Like i said....if you saw it in person or rolling on the street, id bet your opinion would change...but i appreciate your input....

i figured the wiring and computers would need bill gates to make everything work....i wonder if there would have been a way to do a full motor/tranny swap and still have all the options working....except for a new instrument cluster....to be honest...i love the look and style of this car but i hate the drive train ...if i had to sacrafice certen amenities, so be it..the body style is beautiful to me and just being in it and driving around is a whole dif feeling....thats really all i want....with no issues

im in the market for another MB around June...i have done research and im leaning towards a 55 kompressor....Id prefer an E55 because its a sedan and not as big as an S....i would love a CL or SL but not practical....I really would sell it but id lose so much money and it doesn't outweigh the sentimental value and monetary value of how much i put into it....

 

sorry for the spelling....i type fast and dont spell check...lol

 

I agree with Bruce. There is something very wrong with your mechanic. The same part failing twice, maybe. 5 times definitely not. Either way you are going to have to fix the car in order to sell it. Knowing what you wanted to do with the car, I would of picked up a CL500. A lot easier to work on, more readily available and they look the same as your 600.

But honestly I believe you're at the point of no return. We all have our frustrations but you need to look at getting someone else to look at it.

Finally the ABC light will always be on. You completely removed or altered the system. I'm not sure with that light being on if it affects anything else in the car in terms of drivability.

R.K.

 

yes im aware...i kind of dont even want to deal with the guy...he knows what he is doing but he isnt easy to deal with or has some explanation for things all the time...i only use him for MB cars....i have more faith in my uncle whos a master mech. who also works on a lot of MBs...just thought id give it to a specialist....

you're right, i am wayyyy beyond the point of no return...about 20k into the maintenance and upgrades itself....i actually saw the car in its orignial state in gloss black and brabus package and fell in love top the point i had to have it no matter what...i wish i had done research first because i would have never bought it if i knew what i know now about the 01-02s...i honestly just wanted to keep it the way it was but customizing is a really bad disease....its one with no cure...i cant just leave a car the way it is....and usually its always been drastic upgrades...

the ABC light is always on but it doesnt affect anything else besides the suspension and handling...it rides smooth with the 20's and ESP works fine...

 

A motor swap is going to basically be impossible.

I'm guessing that one of the mods is destroying the coil packs. Something is probably spiking the electrical system. Do you have stereo or other electronics? Are the air suspension pumps electric? Some of the stuff going out is common (the packs go, the MAF goes, etc.) but the amount and frequency seems odd, and it all seems to be electronic. If you had a leaking oil cooler (common on that engine) you could say it's the engine, but your issues may all be related.

 

some key info i forgo to mention:

There is a leak from the oil cooler and also a oil "bladder" located beneath the intake manifold (as described by my mechanic). ive had issues witht he packs and electrical system prior to the suspension setup. he discovered it the last time i took it to him for a Ignition control module. for the price of repairing those two, i might as well have just brought a used motor from somewhere and swapped it in.....

i know what you all are thinking....i need to change that first then fix everything else...but this was something he found only last summer which is the last time the car has been on the road....and if i had blew that much into the repairs, i figured id put it away for a while (like i always have done for the cold winter months) and get back to it the following spring.

 

is this thread a joke, early April fools or something like that right?

 

If as you say it's a show car just take it to shows on a trailer. Buy a used P/u to drive and trailer your magic bus.

I like the rodeo test option.

 

The problem isn't the motor. Replacing the aluminum block isn't going to fix anything (well, it will give you the chance to fix the oil cooler leak, which is a design flaw). You have electrical issues, which are unrelated to the hunk of metal called the engine. Was this a salvage title car (i.e. flood)? It sounds like you have a short or surging component somewhere in the system.

 

It was fine until he drove through a puddle and accidentally hit the 'submerge' button on the wired remote.

Sorry, could not resist.

Bruce