WikedV12

I'm about to buy a 2005 CL65. The car looks great and has about 90k miles on it. The seller has agreed to sell it for $15,500 which seems like a great price. i did not see any leaks under the car, all accessories seem to work, the A/C is cold. i also tested the ABC and raised/lowered it several times and all seems fine. The car drove fine but has a slight vibration in the steering wheel. However, my 2 main concerns are that it has an SRS warning in red on the dash. The other noise seemed to be a whine noise when I drove it. It did not make the noise when parked. The noise started when you put it in gear and drove. It seemed to be at all speeds. I'm trying to coordinate a PPI with the owner, but while I wait, does anyone have any ideas on these 2 issues?

This car has been a dream car for me since it came out. The price is cheap and I'm very skilled at repairs, which I know will happen. I just don't want to get into something I'm going to regret. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

Paulmurphy

At a guess prob a seat or seat belt sensor,
a code reader is needed there to diagnose.
Whining, at least could be a wheel bearing at worst transmission or differential a good mechanic is needed there to diagnose .
Betting the owner knows what problems may be .

C280 Sport

For like $100 or so I would take it into a good MB shop and have them do a PPI. This could save you so much! It will be money well spent so the dream is not a nightmare.

WikedV12

Just heard from the owner. Said he will provide prior maintenance records but not wasting time taking it to a dealer for a PIP. Reminded me that I am getting this car at a steal.

makes me wonder if he knows something....or is just lazy??
At this price is it worth it without a PPI? I ask because I have never had a used car inspected before. I have also never seen one any where close to this price. Thanks again.

ItalianJoe1

The whine is usually the pump in the transmission on these cars, but it could be many other things, without hearing it, I wouldn't take my guess over the internet for anything.

The SRS light could be anything, as above, need to have it scanned.

That does seem like a very strong price, where are you located? My area, those cars bring closer to 25k easily if they are in good shape.

ItalianJoe1

Also, FWIW, i'm a tech at Benz, I bought a great condition, 75k mile CL600 that only needed a wheel bearing when I got it, and I've since spent almost 8k in parts alone on the car, doing all the work myself obviously. Be prepared for an insane level of maintenance, not like any other car out there. Your 65 brakes are also way more expensive than the ones on my car, a pad/rotor replacement is 2k on those cars, so even simple things can be costly.

If you are prepared for the ownership costs and can afford it, there's really nothing like a big V12 benz, they are truly special cars, and I love the 215 body more than the newer ones even, it's just gorgeous. When they are working, they are amazing.

C280 Sport

Agreed. I only have 49k miles on my 06 CL600. It has been amazing but parts are not cheap. Very special cars indeed. Mine always works but parts for ukeep is not cheap again.

WikedV12

Thanks again to everyone for the comments. I tried calling MB and asking what a transmission rebuild would cost but they would not tell me anything. They said I need to bring it in for them to inspect. I called AAMCO and they said that if this is the 722.6 transmission, it would be about 3k. The shop said they had rebuilt these before. I wondered since he was not sure about which transmission it has.

Geraldius

The CL65 has an AMG modified transmission. It's not a regular 722.6.

ShazV6

This i would be worried about. He may know exactly why the car is having these issues and is why he is selling it for such a low price so he can get rid of the car and problems. A car like this i personally would get a PPI done as many have said earlier it can turn your dream car into a nightmare.

ItalianJoe1

Only real difference is the solenoids and clutch pack frictions, nothing major and certainly nothing that a trans shop can't handle. Most of the AMG differences are in the TCM programming.

Das Geld 2

NO PPI should be RED flags in your head..

WikedV12

Well, even without the PPI, I still bought the car. I could not pass up my dream car at this price. I've only driven the car about 30 miles as I spend most of the weekend cleaning and detailing the car. I did notice a few small pieces missing in the trunk and it has a cracked front corner marker light. Are these parts CL65 specific or can I look at any CL from 2002-2006 for them? Also, is there a place on this forum or somewhere else to find maintenance specifics like oil capacity and type etc. One question, is the oil dipstick just a cap or is there supposed to be a full oil dipstick?

Last question, what type of computer scanner does everyone recommend for resetting, clearing and checking codes and maintenance items? Someone mentioned icarsoft?

Thanks again for all the help!!

Geraldius

You can confirm fitment of parts by going to an official MB dealer parts catalog online. Usually you enter your year and model and sometimes VIN. You can compare the part numbers with other CL model part numbers to see if they are shared.
Oil capacity is listed in the owner's manual, 11 qts. as I recall. No dipstick -- just a stubby cap. You read the oil level from the multifunction display on the instrument cluster. "iCarsoft MBII" works well with this model.

C280 Sport

God bless and good luck! Because no offense I would of not taken a shot like that without a PPI... Thats is just me thou.
Side markers you can buy from a 03-06 CL. Should all be the same so maybe find a parts car.

WikedV12

Well, I tried on the PPI. But I did call a local MB dealer and asked about the PPI. Was told it was $270 (which I did not mind), but they read through a long list of check items and, for the most part, all were things anyone could check. I asked if they did anything specific under the car and was told that it depends on the technician. Some will lift it and some will not. Does not seem like a good selling point for PPIs. But now that I own it, I will get a copy of all prior work and may take it in for inspection. Just figured it would be hard to lose money on it given the low price. Only time will tell.

Das Geld 2

Independent could be $100

RonCL55

WikedV12

Been enjoying the car. The power is AMAZING. I've gotten the car all cleaned up but now I want to do some maintenance to get it to a level I'm comfortable with. I plan to change the oil/filter and air filters. I see that I need Mobil 1 0w-40 synthetic and 11 quarts. Do you install all 11 at once or less and then top off? I'm really not comfortable without an oil dipstick. Does a dipstick from any other model work? What about for the transmission?

Also, for the oil and air filters, what brand does everyone recommend? Fram, MB, K&N?

Thanks again for any help.

AMG 17GT

WikedV12

Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I've always wanted this car and now I have it at a great price. I know there will be repairs in the future, but every car has repairs. This one will just cost more. Luckily I will probably do most of my own work so that should help. Going to put it on the lift this weekend and start some maintenance. Thanks.

BlownV8

That's the understatement of the year. Good luck. The CL will take more money from you than a supermodel with a cocaine addiction.

C280 Sport

The CL will cost more but based upon what is in your list of cars already I am sure you are used to paying to play already.

WikedV12

Yes, I know it costs money to go fast and have fun. I've always done almost all the work on my cars and plan to do the same on this one. One thing that surprises me is how negative a lot of the posts are in response to my car. I'm a member of many different forums and I don't think I've ever been on a more negative forum. I understand the words of caution and advice before I buy the car, but the continual doom and gloom warnings that my car is basically going to fall apart any minute after I've already bought the car don't seem necessary or beneficial. I stated that I tried to get a PPI before the sale but was unsuccessful. So I used my 25 years of personal automotive experience to guide me. I know there will be repairs on this car, but that is something that has happened on every car I've ever owned.

Anyways, I do thank those of you that have been positive and I hope to enjoy this car for many years into the future. Thanks.

BlownV8

It's a narrative the longtime members of this forum have seen time after time. New forum member, no research, no PPI, sketchy sale, and the outcome is the same 9 out of 10 times. In a few months, we will probably be reading about the new ABC pump costing $2k or the ABC shocks costing $1.5k, or the coilpacks at $2k, brake rotors at $1k, and the disappointed new owner who thought the repair costs would be a little higher but had no idea they would be that high. Let's hope you are the one in ten that has no problems and lucked out on buying a good car under sketchy circumstances.

It's not that we are being negative; rather, many of us have experienced these cars. Some positive and some negative. We are right there with the joy, the cost, and some owners who have great regret. I really do hope it works for you but these are sophisticated and probably over engineered cars that require lots of love and deep pockets.

Good luck!