Rudeney

Automotive electronics have really become much more reliable. Gone are the days of ECU failures every other year because of engine bay heat or vibrations. Everything now is just another component on the CAN bus, and MBZ has been using that technology for almost 30 years now. It's pretty much tried and true. Of course something can always break, but it's not a rampant problem like in the past. And diagnostics have gotten better to help (skilled!) techs solve problems.

None of that applies to the specialized pneumatic and hydraulic systems of advances suspensions. A car's suspension takes the brunt of the forces from imperfect roads and those parts will be some of the first to fail. Add in the complexity of pneumatics or hydraulics and that's just additional maintenance to deal with. Replacing a standard control arm or shock will run in the hundreds of dollars, but replacing a specialized 3000psi pump or hose or airbag will cost int he thousands. It's just the price of maintenance on that technology.

mis3

More options mean more repairs down the road.

The other way to think of this is one would enjoy these additional options for many years.

m1mmmm

I had my 2006 CLK in the shop recently for over 5 months. In the 11 years I've owned the car this has been the first major repair or glitch that I've had to deal with. However, during this period I had a couple of different 2017 C300's to drive, one had the sunroof, one didn't. The window sticker in the glove box had both listed between $45-47,000. Decent options, heated seats are nice, I have them in my car, but after driving both with and without the sunroof I decided I could do without the sunroof. Mostly due to the heat here in Texas. Hate the stop/start and finally got in the habit of turning it off every time I started the car. After driving these C300's I decided these models would be a great car to own. I've had MB's in the past with the folding mirrors and have had occasion to replace them and don't find them particularly useful but I will admit I did get used to them on the C300's. The suspension is slightly stiffer and I got used to that too. All in all a car I would recommend. However, I would buy extended warranties. I only have around 50k miles on my CLK so time runs out on my warranties before mileage.

I plan on keeping my CLK, it will become a weekend driver soon. I tend to get attached to my cars, am I the only one, lol? Mine is cadet blue with a blue top and stone interior and it looks as good as it did on the day I brought it home from the dealership. I get it detailed regularly at the dealership and when it is brought around in the delivery lane at the dealership it holds its own among all the new cars.

Yidney

Just curious, but what did the dealer charge to detail your car? And how often did you have it done?

m1mmmm

Back when I bought the car new in 2006 the detail charge was $80, however after becoming friends with my service advisor when I would bring it in for any maintenance or repair he would not charge me for the detail. He would do things like apply a conditioner to the cloth top, steam clean the engine, and do minor touch-ups if I had a chip or scuff. That service advisor moved to a different dealership a few years ago and now I get charged up to $180. I used to have the same detail person but unfortunately he is no longer working there so I don't know who does the detail work now and it shows. I often have to send it back due to obvious items missed in the cleaning process.

I take it in for a detail 3-4 times per year. I have a bit of a reputation there for being picky about the cleanliness of my cars. That, and combined with the low mileage I put on my cars, the last two cars I traded in were purchased by employees of the dealership, one by my salesperson. I'm keeping the CLK though, getting ready to buy one of their SUV's, mainly for self-defense because here in Texas every other vehicle on the road is a huge truck.

mis3

For me, I detail my car a few times per year. I use all Meguiars products.

For exterior: Clay , cleaner wax and wax.
For interior: I use Meguiars Ultimate Black for plastic and vinyl, then Meguiars Rich Leather Protector and Conditioner.

Rudeney

I'm pretty picky, too, and I do my detail work myself. I like the Griot's products. My wife bought me their random orbit polisher for Christmas last year (I was dong it all by hand) and it's fantastic. The secret to a great shine is in the base prep with clay and polish. The wax just protects it.

abqhudson

Not to divert the thread, but, I also do my own detailing. As stated - surface prep is key. Clay/Polish. For shine and protect the paint, I have tried almost everything and believe the best coating is Car Pro C Quartz. It is a bit harder to apply than wax, but, it lasts much longer and is much easier to keep clean as it sheds dirt/bugs, etc. Shine is fantastic. Once this is applied, you can easily keep your car clean with "No-Rinse" products. I note that a pro-detailer will charge $600 - 800 for paint clay/polish and C Quartz. If you have time, it is an easy DIY for those looking to hold on to their CLK.

mis3

I used to do the whole routine twice a year; ie: Clay-Clean-Polish-wax-wax twice a year, before and after the winter. I am getting lazy and I replaced the routine with Clay-Clean Wax- Wax once a year.

For me, durabilty is not the key concern. I wax often, maybe once every 4-6 weeks.

NewShockerGuy

I liked our CLK when we had it. It was our first MB. Prior to it I never really considered owning a MB only because I have heard horror stories on repairs and maintenance. To my surprise after posting on here with some questions/problem found that most CLK owners do a lot of work on their cars! YAY! (I've been on other car forums where support was subpar or people always paid to get things done so didn't have a clue about anything relating to the car)

CLK has a nice classic look. When the windows are down it's amazing how open the inside of the car feels because it doesn't have the pillar. I will note that I thought our clk was a little feminine looking since it didn't have any of the cool appearance package features. It did have the 5 spoke wheels which I always liked even on the c-class. But it was a solid car. The build quality seemed to be extremely good. Even now when comparing certain things I am amazed that the 2009 w211 we own doesn't have leather seats but our CLK did and it was older.

I sold our CLK with roughly 148k to my friend who drives it daily. He drives it more than we did in two years of owning it...lol The only reason I sold it was because we needed a 4 door car and all other cars we have are two doors which make it extremely difficult for my parents to get in and out of the back seats. I LOVED the flip down rear seats, I really wish that feature was on our w211. For a small car it did have a lot of room inside and it was peppy. I can only imagine what an AMG or 500 felt like in terms of speed/acceleration. Our clk320 was no slouch to me.

Even now when I go past w209's I still smile because they are nice cars. The stuff that is being put out now is horrific in my eye. My wife asked why didn't I buy a newer w211 and I stated to her that the 09' was the last year that actually looks like a proper Mercedes. The newer ones with the change in headlights and the horrific rear end kills it for me. I DO like the interior seats/stitching, but why Mercedes keeps putting that stupid center screen that isn't integrated is beyond me. It looks like someone just stuck it on and said run with it. I think some newer models they are integrated and as noted above posts almost the entire dash. That isn't as bad to me even though I still do like analog gauge clusters. There is something about that which is more clean than a screen, even though the screen functionally is probably more useful for displaying/adjusting information.

Years ago I could very easily tell what class the car was whether that be MB or BMW as it drove by. Now I find it extremely difficult when I see one coming head on if it's a C class, cla, E class..etc. The front ends look way too identical. BMW is even worse to me as their cars lost that softish sexy curve and now look more box/bloated like. It's a shame. Then Lexus seems like it tries to add more angles than what a car should have...lol


-Nigel

Timewarpone

Will keep my 05 CLK320 Cab until it dies. It is 12 years old with 103K miles and still looks and rides like new inside and out. (I am the second owner) That's not to say I haven't had my share of issues though. The biggest problem, so far, was that I had to have the Conductor Plate inside the transmission replaced. Cost me $800 for parts and labor. Minor issues include replacing the valve cover gaskets, transmission fluid changed and flushed, spark plugs, oxygen sensors, serpentine belt replacement, new thermostat which includes flushing out the radiator, alarm horn and new struts which keep the trunk partition open. All this done over the last 2-1/2 years. I feel I have been very lucky with this car as far as upkeep goes. Nothing lasts forever. Without a doubt the nicest looking car I have ever owned.

mis3

After 230k miles, my car has aged.
C Coupe is well designed but lacks elegancy like a w209.
Too bad they have discontinued the car because I would gladly buy the same with all new materials,

Rudeney

You do realize they still make almost all the parts for the W209, so you could buy them and have a whole new car?

Seriously, what's worn? You really could buy replacements if it bothers you. Better yet, if it's trim pieces, you could do some custom work and make it better than new.

Anker

Holding on to it? I just bought it last fall! Love it and will probably keep it until it becomes too expensive to maintain! Put 11,000 miles on it in the last 9 months.

mis3

In the past year, i had to replaced the seat belt, 3rd brake light, hood struts, one Xenon bulb, front springs. I will need to replace water pump, front suspensions and rear springs soon. I got a quote for the parts from a local dealership, parts alone would cost almost $2,000 CAN.

Yes, parts are still available but for some w209 parts, it is getting longer and longer to get in Canada. For example, I had to wait about 2 weeks for the trunk spring 2 years ago.

Rudeney

Ah, I keep forgetting you are in Canada! We have three or four dealers here who sell online at a discount and I can have pretty much anything in 3-4 days. Well, except for some internal transmission bearings I needed that were back-ordered for "months"from Germany.

C280 Sport

Well my 2005 CLK55 AMG Coupe only has about 25,000 Miles. Its very basic(No nav, xeons or anything most AMG cars have.) Its pretty simple and straight forward. It sounds nice and has a huge 5.4 V8 Engine. Good luck finding that in a new MB. Also they do not make a E Coupe AMG so no reason to get rid of it until they do.

My 2004 CLK320 Cabriolet. Well I paid next to nothing for it. It only has about 50,000 Miles. I dumped TONS of money into it to make it 100% perfect again($9,000 to be exact) Never thought I would love a 4 seater convertible with a little v6 in it but I truly enjoy this car so much and drive it as often as I can. It really is the perfect car for Florida living.

The design on both of these cars age so well if kept in great shape. The preface lift does not age as well as post facelift and I do with my CLK320 was post face lifted. Interiors are solid and do not rattle like the W203! Feel and comfort are superior to a W203 in every way! Looks and design are as well! Come to think of it...Why did I ever get a W203?

C280 Sport

Our MB dealer in NY charges a arm and a leg... I had it done one time to my CL600... About $300 later for everything. That car shined and looked showroom but it was a pretty penny to pay!

gaazmon

1. The styling is stunning. The car always stands out especially when having the AMG pacakge and/or being the facelift model imo.

2. No b pillar. Not even a 6 series coupe with a 6 figure price tag has that beauty to it (oh and the sunroof can actually open and not just tilt like on the 6 or an audi a5). In the summertime, I enjoy that all the windows can come down and give that convertible feeling to it with the sunroof open.

3. Performance. For a Benz, it's definitely on the lighter and shorter side making it a somewhat sleeper with the v8 models. People are usually very surprised with how well the car pulls. The exhaust tone on the v8 engines is also very nice and much sportier compared to other models with the same engine variants.

4. Interior and trunk space. The folding seats and trunk space can let me fit a large screen flat screen tv int there. The interior space (especially in regards to the back is unbelievable. I mean you can literally put two adults back there no issue (just getting them in and out can be tricky but thankful for the "front seat pop up" feature). And the headroom is very nice, even a bit too much in my opinion. Comparing to a facelifted e coupe I sat in, the e coupe has much less front and rear legroom from what I could tell, less headroom, and poorer visibility due to taller seats with non fixed rear headrests. The leather feels better than my previous 04 e320, which had the full leather option (I think these are napa or something).

5. Simplicity. I didn't want a vehicle with hydraulic suspension, sbc brakes, or all types of other random gizmos that can just lead to bigger costs down the road. I've always wanted a 09-12 sl550 but the abc, sbc, and hydraulic top scare me away (my father had an 02 cl500 with abc and it was a nightmare, and my previous 04 e320 with sbc brakes always had issues in regards to that system) (still think its one of the most beautiful benzes ever made). The car being based on the w203 mostly, but with w211 performance aspects somewhat made it a nice blend of both worlds.

6. Visibility. The car has excellent visibility and great for changing lanes at high speeds or in traffic.

However, I must list a few gripes I have.

1. Suspension and steering components. The suspension components, from my experience so can't speak for everyone else, are the weakest point on this vehicle. Before hitting 100k, I've had to change both front struts, upper control arms, lower controls arms, and sway bar links. The car still makes creaks and clunks for uneven road and speed bumps. As well, the steering is not as smooth as any previous MB I've had and I contribute that to a weak steering rack design (some have speed sensing, some do not). Sometimes on quick turns from left to right and vice versa at low speeds, the power steering kind of gets "stuck" for a second and does not give a completely smooth complete turn.

2. Clinking and clunking noises. I understand being a coupe/convertible these models that they will experience more flexing and noises overtime due to design versus a 4 door sedan. However, the CLK has been much "noisier" than other two doors I've experienced such as an e92 3 series coupe or a b8 a5 coupe (even my good friends 05 g35 coupe is much quieter in regards to these factors).

3. Single sided exhaust. Lol I know it's so trivial but for me it throws off the whole rear of the car. I figure hey if they can do dual exhaust outlets on the slk why didn't they on the clk?

4. Tall windows and glass. My gripe with this is that the large windshield and windows allow for a lot of heat to get in (and especially for a greater amount of sun to hit the front seats) versus compared to the e coupe or the w215 cl which have narrower windows blocking out more heat and sun. I've even debated about tinting the windshield to keep heat out, but all the ones I've seen result in a slight haze while driving at night and being hit by headlights (even with 3M clear ceramic that one of my buddies had put on his car). Again, a somewhat trivial complaint on my part.

Rudeney

Can't argue there!

MBZ's specs claim 5.1 0-60 for the CLK550 coupe. In road tests, it's 4.7. By today's standards, that's nothing special for a V8 coupe, but when it was introduced 10 years ago, it was quite "the bomb".

This is due to the single muffler - which is one of your gripes about the lack of a dual exhaust. Everything is a trade-off!

USA model CLK550's came with the upgraded full Napa leather, which does look and feel much better than the standard partial leather with MB-TEX.

The newer iterations of SBC and ABC do tend to be more reliable. SBC still has a finite lifespan (300,000 pump motor actuations) and ABC will still need some work as seals age, but the trade-off is what you get in return. I think the suspension in the CLK is probably its weak point - it's too soft.

If you make it to 60K, you're lucky. Those fluid-filled torque strut bushings just don't last longer than that.

Likely caused by worn bushings on the rear suspension, if the front has all been replaced.

That is odd, and you may have something not functioning properly. I always thought the CLK with the "parameter steering" option was over-boosted. I never felt any "delay" in the power assist. I actually preferred the feel of my old C240's more analog steering. It feel tighter.

Hmm, I never had any noises in mine, even being a cabriolet (I always kept the seals lubed with the MBZ stuff). Every BMW I've owned has been a rattle trap after 10K miles. And we had an Audi A6 that was awful about noises (but otherwise a great car).

See my comment above re: sound! I do agree about the looks, though. As for the SLK having it, the way they make that work is it has no spare tire - it comes with a tiny air compressor and a can of fix-a-flat.

Go back to your comment about good visibility - these tall windows is why you have that. I never tinted mine because it seemed pointless in a convertible. And I never worried about the solar heating because the top was usually down. But I did find that the AC was more than adequate to cool things down quickly.

gaazmon

Yes I'm always surprised by the way it shines when washed. Something about the curves and lines. Just everything flows so nicely. The first e coupes I did not like at all. The refresh is nicer, but still think the CLK has something special about it. Even seeing clean W208 v8s around still catch my eye.

I can understand why they would underrate it for marketing and pricing purposes. Yes engine performance has come a long way in the last seven years, but many of the ones out there now utilize turbos and superchargers. The natural 5.0 and 5.5 (and of course the AMGs) just have such nice smoothness to them. The car just moves so effortlessly.

Makes perfect sense I'm sure it also helps with weight and all.

My E320 had the appearance package which came with full leather (center and sides), but I can definitely can tell the difference with the CLK leather when you touch and sit in it.

That's very good to know. Mine being an 04 was only 1 year in and I know on the E/CLS they eventually removed it. Yes I agree the ABC is an unbelievable system with the way it performs for such large vehicles like the CL and SL. I know the 08 CLK550s came with lowered sport suspension standard and 18" AMG wheels and I think those help a bit with the ride and handling (but still nice for cruising or urban traffic).

Wow that's really something. I've usually had better luck with other Benzes. The CLK is a light vehicle compared to the others so maybe the weight of the engine and components plays a part.

I'll have that checked out next time then.

Makes sense. It's an odd feeling, like a hiccup of sorts when changing direction at low speeds too quickly. Another thing to have checked I guess lol. Yes I remember my sister's W203 07 C230 and the steering felt really good on that car. Nice, firm and sporty. I'd also prefer that.

I posted in one of the other threads with another member having the same noise issues so hopefully he can find something out.

Ah yes I forgot about that. Would definitely prefer the spare then.

Even with the tint, at night the visibility is very good compared to other vehicles I've driven. The AC and heat have worked very well in regards to temperature, but I feel the actual fan speed is weak on mine unless I set it to the highest setting (the setting one less below drops the speed to half). It's odd, but then again in the summer I enjoy the windows down anyway

Overall, I think this car is very underrated in the automotive world and doesn't get enough credit. It has also been the most reliable Benz I or anyone in my family has owned.

clydem

My wife and I just had this conversation this morning. with 110K on the odo, parts are starting to get old.


It'll need suspension work (she groans like a 90 year old lady) and new rotors & pads are in need. There is an unsettling rattle (maybe the catalytic converter) when put in reverse, and a groan when the car goes into reverse with some load.


To buy or trade-in. that is the question. But she's a lovely car.

gaazmon

By rattle do you mean like a clanking sound? I have a sort of clanking/clicking when reversing, more noticeable when backing uphill. Still haven't been able to figure out from what all this time.

mis3

Problem is my car does not worth much anymore. My car is 13 years old and with 230k original miles.

The cost (parts and labour) of the suspension works and water pump is probably more than it's worth. Like I said, I have already gotten my money worth. I will probably run it to death and then move on. Hopefully, the water pump will hold for another year or so.

Ptrigg17

Personally, I feel it is the best car I have ever owned and that includes my 07 SL 550 which I have decided to sell after only 10 months of ownership. I prefer the ride of the CLK 550 with the performance suspension to the SL. Yes the SL corners flat and the CLK leans slightly but my 68 year old body no longer cares about flat cornering if it means I have to contend with a stiff ride over the horrible roads here in Maine. I had the same issue with a Boxter that lasted only 10 months in my garage.
I recently purchased my 09 CLK550 cabrio with only 28K with the intention of keeping it for a long time. I was able to sell my identical 07 CLK 550 cabrio with 80K. That car was in excellent condition with no issues I was aware of except for the mileage. I would have been happy to give it some TLC but I found this car and it made more sense for long term ownership.
My wife and I recently drove an 2011 E350 cabrio and were not impressed with the angular lines as compared to beautiful smooth flowing exterior of our CLK550. The 350 was nice but the 550 has a much nicer growl . We especially love the teardrop headlights and front end appearance of our CLK.
The only wish I would have for the CLK would be parking sensors which my car lacks. Other than that there is no other cabrios out there that ring as many bells for us . It was love at first sight when we spotted a white over beige CLK550 cabrio three years ago and nothing has risen above it since including my SL550.