thphon

Hi all,

I just sold my 07 SL550 and I'm looking for a post face lift W216 CL550.
I read a lot about it and I'm ok with the potential problems it could have, I'm going with a post face lift because of the suspension. I have a few questions because I'm looking to own it for 6-8 years at least and are the following:
- Can anybody recommend an extended warranty for these cars that you had experience with? My first option would be go to CarMax but I want to have all options on the table before choosing one.
- As I understand, Airmatic suspension is reliable but more costly to fix/replace when worn out. I couldn't find anything about expected mileage when things wear out for this car in particular since it's very heavy. Anybody can guide me on this?
- do all year models of post face lift have the same options? I want to buy a brochure but want to confirm this first. As you know, this car has a million options and when checking them I want to know what it has and what lacks.
I'll look for one with as little miles as possible, it seems something with around 30k miles is likely. Anything else I should be aware of or any tip in general will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Leo

steveb9771

There were very few options for this vehicle. Most items were standard in the US. For most years there were 2 or 3 (P1, P2 , and P3) option packages. The highest package included IR night vision and air adjustable air bladders in the seats and rear view camera. Other items which were included in the option packages were keyless go. Only separate option that I remember was distronic cruise control which also provided blind spot detection on some of the newer vehicles, heated steering wheel, and SPLITVIEW front-seat entertainment system.

You can view the original Mercedes web pages for various years at www.archive.org.

See
https://web.archive.org/web/20130722...C4#performance
to view info on 2013 CL550.

You can also select other model years from the top of the web page/

MA043HA

I highly applaud your decision to buy an extended warranty. The MB dealership where I bought my 09 CL550 W216 2 years ago sold me a 3yr/40k mile CNA Z-series service warranty that was excellent in that it covered almost everything including some very expensive parts. They easily charged to CNA not just more than I paid for the warranty (4.3k) but more than I paid for the car (27k) !

thphon

Oh great, I'll check this out, maybe I can avoid buying the brochure, although I read it's quite nice hehe.
Thanks!

thphon

I didn't know the dealership could sell you a warranty other than theirs. Good to know that one worked out for you. Can you go over what kind of things were covered? I'm particularly interested in the ABC suspension. And how many miles did your CL had when you bought it? Because I can't quite tell if 4.3k is expensive or not.
I'll research that warranty, thanks a lot!

COUPCONNOISSEUR

i too bought a CNA warranty from my mercedes dealership for my w216 and concur, it was excellent. if i recall the only thing that wasnt covered was an airbag.

MA043HA

They paid $11,673.90 to have the control unit and Control Unit - Head Unit replaced when my CD changer went bad!
They covered $996.73 for parts and labor to fix transmission pan leak
Car developed a clunking noise when going over bumps in the left front. CNA covered $1871.90 for left front strut and front sway bar links to be replaced.
Covered $484.00 for headlight washer pump leaks (both)
Covered $687.17 for front left wheel bearing.
Covered $1407.20 for dynamic inflating seats pump replacement
Covered $2367.30 for seat and back heating pad replacements for driver's seat heating.

There's more. You get the idea! Full disclosure - $200 deductible each time.

Bought it at 70k - my daily commuter driver now has 122k

thphon

I see, thanks for the details! Comparing that to the 6,2k warranty up to 5 years or 100k miles I got for my 07 SL550 back in 2015 with 56k miles, I think it's pretty similar and same deductible as well, wouldn't you agree?
Do you know if there's a mileage when they no longer offer a warranty? And was this one sort of a CPO and that's why the dealership offered it? I'm still not sure how that works, which cars apply to it.

The front strut and front sway bar links have to do with ABC suspension? I'm asking specifically about this because I read in the past that's the most difficult thing to get covered. CarMax's on the other hands covers it always.
That being said, I'm looking for a post face lift so it doesn't apply to me but I'm just curious haha

COUPCONNOISSEUR

abc suspension has no sway bar, or sway bar links..but the car your interested in has airmatic, which is perfectly fine

thphon

I thought all W216 CL550s pre face lift had ABC suspension, but his doesn't? Or am I missing something else here?

C280 Sport

ABC was a option but came standard on all AMG Models and 600's

thphon

Oh, I thought that was only for post face lift, good to know it applies to pre face lift as well, more options for me hehe. Thanks!
Assuming I find a 2008-2009 CL550 with less than 30k miles, any idea if the price of the warranty would be similar to a 2013-2014 with similar mileage?

lkchris

When CL550 became 4Matic, ABC was replaced with Airmatic

thphon

Yeah, I just forgot that there were CL550 4Matic before the face lift, hence my confusion.

thphon

Anybody knows of a good extended warranty I can buy for a car I'm interested in instead of buying it from the dealer?

thphon

Of course right after saying that I found a car I'm interested and the dealer provides a warranty. So first I have a few questions about that.
Today I went to check out a 2009 CL550 4MATIC close by with 55k miles just because I wanted to drive one to try the AirMatic suspension. Being pre face lift lacks many things I was looking for and it's not heavily optioned. But then again is a CL550 in good shape at a good price with an extended warranty that can be re-extended depending on mileage and years. Oh, I have to say I really liked the ride with AirMatic even over ABC.
Turns out this dealer is part of a Lincoln dealership that sells used cars and they can provide an extended warranty that looks pretty good. So now I'm really considering buying it haha.
I'll call a MB dealership to try to confirm that this kind of warranty will work for this car in particular but has anybody by any chance had experience buying a used Mercedes with a Lincoln extended warranty? I know is a long shot but worth asking
Even though it comes with warranty I want to get it inspected at a MB dealership, anything you suggest to check or ask besides that?

Thanks!

seal

We've owned ours since 2016. It was a 2011 with 9k miles and in pristine condition.

The front right airmatic went bed and some bearing (I can't remember which). That cost me 1800 bucks
AC blower went out. that cost me 650 to fix
front right abs sensor went bad. that was 250
Mom borrowed car, she pulled in too close to the cub and ribbed out the corner of my bumper. I'm going to have to replace the bumper. that will be 2200...

Car currently has ~38K miles.

It has broken down more than my other cars, and is not cheap to fix...

But what a joy to drive this car is. plus the rear seats is a huge bonus since I have a family. My kids easily fit in the back.

We have a '15 X5, '15 Corvette and this car. I'd have to say, this is the car my wife and I prefer driving out of all 3. lol

Get it, do warranty if you can. you won't be dissapointed!!!

I did a 2 year warranty.... I didn't have a single problem when I had the warranty... Warranty ran out, and my problems started. lol

thphon

thanks for your feedback. And it sucks your bad luck with the warranty!
I ended up buying a 2007 CL600 with 96k miles a little over a month ago with all the service records. It happened really fast.
I'm super happy with it and as you say it's a joy to drive.

seal

I'm glad! Good luck with your vehicle. They really are a joy... CL600... V12 eh? Those things sound great!!!