cssnms

Now my search for a clean low mileage CLK has moved out of state.


I found what appears to be a great 1 owner, low mileage car w/a clean Carfax car in FL. The dealer describes the car as "mint" no dings, dents, scratches etc. From the pictures it appears to be in great shape.

Are there surveyors of sorts that will check out a car for out of state buyers? I hate to buy a car site unseen, because I have found they are rarely as described.


Is there anything I should be sensitive too with this MY?

mis3

Search Valeo in w209 forum. Certain w209 has the issue of glycol contamination from the radiator which can potentially damage the transmission.
They used 2 vendors for the radiators at the time, Valeo and Behr. Behr radiators apparently were OK.

One cannot check what kind of radiator the car has based in VIN. In your search, you will find instructions how to tell the kind of radiator it has.

Yidney

Why the sad face? If I limited myself to in-state cars I 'd still be looking. Flew 1,000 miles to Chicago to get mine and drive home. My two most favorite words are "road trip".

cssnms

I really appreciate the advise/tip! I looked it up and I have passed it along to a guy that is going to check the car out for me. Hopefully it has the good radiator. Is it a deal killer if it has the other radiator? I mean if it's not showing symptoms (whining trans) that glycol has leaked into the tranny, is it still worth buying and just getting the radiator replaced?

mis3

If it is a Valeo, there will be a chance of glycol contamination of the ATF. The ATF would be diluted and would not provide the proper lubrication to the transmission. This is similar to a car with no or not enough ATF, serious transmission issues if neglected for a while.

Fortunately, there will be early signs like rough shifting, limp mode, gear slipping, etc. It is hard to miss these early signs. When your friend test drive the car, ask him to watch for these signs as well.

To answer your question, if it is a Valeo and the test drive shows transmission issues, walk away.

cssnms

Thanks. Is there a particular mileage this starts happening?


This car has 56k miles on it. If the shifts are smooth etc then it sounds like it might be okay and if I can swap out the radiator and do a fluid change I might be able to head it off at the pass.


I have the guy checking it out on Thurs looking into the fin crimps.

billyhead1

Hi there - my car is now for sale, I am in California...drop me a line if you're interested.

cssnms

Thanks but I am on the east coast, so it will prove to cost prohibitive to ship and logistically challenging to see the car.

cssnms

What MY's were impacted by the radiator issue. The 2003 sold, not looking at a 2004.

mis3

I know MY2003 for sure and some MY2004 also suffer from this glycol contamination issue. Bottom line is if you plan to buy an early w209, check the make of the radiator.

If you don't mind me asking, what don't you consider a MY2004? MY2003 is the 1st year of w209.

Rudeney

It's an easy visual check for the defective Valeo radiator:

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/sh...42&postcount=3

As for having the car inspected, there are professionals that do this. It will likely cost you around $250. Find a nearby MBZ dealer (near where the car is) and call them to discuss. There are two possibilities with the MBZ dealer - either they go get the car, bring it back to the shop and do the inspection for you, or they can may recommend a good local independent inspector (many dealers use inspectors for lease returns). I that doesn't work, try searching the web for "used car inspection" + city/sate.

cssnms

Sorry type, "now" looking at a MY 2004. But looking/buying out of state makes checking radiators and the like difficult. I guess I could ask the seller to e-mails pictures?

cssnms

Thanks, I found that link earlier after googling and I passed the info along to the guy that went to check out the car for me today in St Pete FL. I guess it requires crawling under the car to see the fin crimps or is it visibile from the top-side? I expect there is a dust cover that covers the radiator from the underside?


At $250 a pop I can see that adding up quick! Maybe first I will try asking the seller to take pictures of the radiator when I find a car that really peaks my interest.

cssnms

Do you know if 2001's were impacted or did this start in 2003? Sorry for the inquisition, just found a low mileage 2001.

mis3

in case you don't know, a 2001 CLK320 is a w208. It's a different body style than a w209.

I think if the car drives smoothly and no sign of transmission issues, you should be OK regardless of the type of radiator. Once you have the car in your procession, you can change the radiator afterward. However, this approach will rely heavily of the test drive. Hope your guy knows how to tell a car has transmission damages.

Rudeney

You should be able to see the crimp pattern from above the radiator. In fact, on my C240, I can even look down the (USA left-hand) driver's side of the radiator and see the Behr label. The Valeo radiator has been a problem for a while - in most models since the late 1990's. I know all W163 ML's had this problem (they began building in 1997). I believe it was sometime during calendar year 2003 when they started using the Behr, so anything uo through MY2004 I'd check.

Frank Rizzo

FWIW, I bought my car out of state and had it shipped. It was a dealer in Dallas, TX and I had it shipped to Los Angeles.

Some things you can do to vet the car before buying. I had the dealer send me about 50 Full size pics in small batches over email (actually he posted them on his website IIRC). Next, I got the AutoCheck report. Then I found a guy in Dallas that would do a PPI (pre purchase inspection). He did a full detailed report and called me while he was looking at the car (found a scratch on the fender) - I think it was about $500. Finally, I took the VIN to my favorite service advisor at Simonson Benz in Santa Monica and got the service history and recalls that were in the system.

I made them a low ball offer and asked to split the shipping. We settled on the price and sent him a cashier's check. We split $750 to ship the car in an open trailer. I convinced the driver to put the car on the lower level in-between two other cars. It arrived dirty, but unhurt. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably pay the extra for an enclosed trailer.

Hope that helps.

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