Hi Folks,

I have one of the first C215 models which ever hit the market, the machine was fun to drive but also caused a lot of repair expense, I always serviced and repaired it in MB dealership. About two and a half years ago my CL started to act up with yellow ABC, BAS/ABS Warnings, MB dealership looked at it and made me an offer of repair which included side acceleration sensor, two front struts and mountain of other small bits and pieces. Total cost: 16'000 $ (Yep, Sixteen Thousands).

Quite a sum, especially so since about the same time my business almost went bust and I had to fight for survival. I did not do repairs and within 1 month yellow ABC message became red, I started to see white smoke out of exhaust and decided to park the car until better times.

Before I parked it, it had ~90k miles and following issues:

* Red ABC Light, sometimes it would disappear, then I could raise / lower car and when risen it was holding pressure over days.
* ABC Fluid was there but it was blackish and stinky
* Car produced white smoke from exhaust, sometimes when I started from traffic lights, cloud would be huge, covering all cars behind in smoke
* Engine was not really quiet when in idle, it did not hum stable as I was used it
* Fuel consumption was really nasty, at least x1.3 of what it was used to eat in good days
* Windows would not close all the way up automatically on driver side when I closed the door, I had to use either use buttons to raise them from inside or key IR control on outside.

2 years after standing still my keys do not work, all I can do is open car by mechanical key and rise / lower windows using IR. Pushing open button on key lights up the interior but will not unlock doors, ignition does not turn.

I am considering what to do with the car now, repairing it @MB is out of question. I guess throwing it away is the most sane approach but I love this piece of junk and would like to try and repair it myself. We have a workshop nearby which offers rental on professional workspace, has SDS systems, tools and also provides some personal support / advise from mechs. I see it as fun / hobby project.

So, what (possibly) needs repair:

* EIS / Keys, this can be done via mail-in for ~ 300$ by quite a few companies as I found out
* Engine Head gasket (I was told this is most common reason for white smoke)
* Spark plugs (Most obvious reason for high consumption and unstable engine)
* Sensor
* Windows Electronics? (Is that by any chance also EIS)
* ABC

I read on this forum, looked on Internet / Youtube, in MB WIS, ABC seems most scary but doable. I will need to replace pump, then remove both ABC valve blocks and inspect / clean / replace them if needed, struts I would keep, they where holding pressure. Perhaps I could also flush ABC piping really well when valves will be out.

So, I guess my question is: Do you think someone who has two hands but little / no experience with cars could do the job, given he has all the tools and some support from professional guys?

Thanks!

Kirill

 

Hello Kirill,

Step one is - don't panic You can complete these repairs for about half of that amount that you were quoted and over a period of time.

The most important thing to take care of is to make the car drivable and that will require ABC service on a budget. To accomplish that, you will need a rebuilt ABC pump which can be purchased from buyautoparts.com. You will need new ABC fluid also.

You can get new ABC hoses from online sellers (I will lookup several sources and post) or you can have them made in a hydraulic shop for about 10-20 bucks a piece (about 20-30 times cheaper than what you would pay at the dealership). Do you have a mechanic who can do the abc repair at a reasonable price? If not, find out what the cost of labor only is going to be at the local benz dealer.

For windows... you may need the new PSE pump. buyautoparts.com offers these also.

Sparkplugs can be purchased at a deep discount online (try amazon and other online shops).

The repair adventure starts with putting together a part list and finding parts at reasonable prices.

S.

 

That sounds like quite a handfull, but I found it helps a lot if you don't depend on being able to drive the car.

I think you need to apply some logic and put things in order. What do you need to do toget the car back on the road? Is it worth repairing the ABC or the windows if you can't get the engine to run right?

The first thing is simple - charge the battery, or replace it.

Next, I think you need some good diagnostics:

1. Does the engine consume oil or coolant, or do they mix inside the engine?

2. Get an MB Star diagnostic system and get all the information you can from that. A cheap OBD2 reader is the minimum alternative.

3. There's a problem with the engine, and you need to find what. Can you do a compression test on each cylinder? Failing that, put a cheap USB endoscope in the plug holes, and see if the bores are worn, or filling with oil or water.

In reality, the salvage value may still be greater than how it stands, but you really need to get yourself some more information.

Nick

 

Hi S, Nick!

Thank you for encouraging info.

Our local MB Shop does not welcome working with 'Bring in' parts, I really liked some techs guys there but had feeling that sales tried to rip me off at times, they offered 10+k repairs for my other benz which I skipped and kept driving for over 2 years without major problem now, car also passed mechanical audit. So, I'd rather skip them.

Will ask in walk in shop if they know some MB mech for hire.

I do not really need to have car driving on the road, I can tow it into the shop and leave it there as long as I wish, the only problem is that I cannot leave it on the lift all the time. So I will need to either push it to the lift or better yet, drive it to parking space and back when needed. I know I can drive small distances even with red abc. Just mind the bumps / belly.

Anyway, first priority really is getting EIS sorted out. I can send my EIS in or get myself one of those AK500+ kits from China and try to fix it myself. Hmm, in a long term kit makes more sense.

About ABC Pump, I see that there is a way to rebuild it. Or is that something for pumps which loose fluid? I think black fluid means that something is really broken and replacing O-Rings will not fix it. Am I correct?

Also, as far as I understand, that pump is supplying pressure to power steering as well, could dirt be in there too? Do I need to flush it as well?

Engine: Am I correct that compression test does not require any manufacturer specific equipment? Just connect pressure meter and crank the engine / cylinder?

I will make a long report on my blog and here during entire project when I am ready... sometimes during this summer, should be fun...

Thanks!

Kirill

 

What country are you in? If you are in USA its much cheaper to sell this and buy a better one

 

Hi, I am in Switzerland.

On a surface repair makes no sense here as well, I could buy running 2003+ CL500 for around 16k. It will probably also be half dead and will get abc issues rather sooner then later. My car was maintained by MB Dealership and look what became of it.

If I ignore my labor (It will be fun and hobby job) then I hope my CL500 would come out in a better condition then other second hands and good to go for a while.

Of am I being naive?

Kirill

 

Sell it for salvage.

I bought my 2002 CL500 for $18k a year ago only 37k miles.Full books and records and only scheduled maintenance + recalls. I drive it everyday and not one un-scheduled issue.

 

no offense but it almost seems some of these issues are over your head. might be better sold or held onto in case these cars ever become collectible but chances are slim. either way good luck, love these 215's