When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I've been lurking here for a while learning about SL's and CLK's and today I am officially a member of the club! Very beautiful and nice to drive car... I wish it wasn't raining today in South Carolina. I'm sure I'll have some questions about the car as time goes on but for now I wanted to show it to you all. Some of you might think the car looks a little familiar.....
Congrats and welcome! Very jealous and kudos on an excellent purchase! If he’d posted it for sale a few weeks earlier we may have been in a bidding war!
My god, I hope you didn't pay more than $2,000 for that! It looks like it's in horrible condition!! Must have been owned by a lawyer. I wondered if at some point while it was in transit you thought to yourself "hmm, I was so busy looking at pictures I never asked him if it runs."
Thanks for the congratulations. I'm sure I will enjoy it. I was not ready to do this right now but when the car you want comes along, you have to jump sometimes. Done that a few times. Such a hectic week and weekend. First time I ever washed a car on a rainy day. On the truck it was loaded underneath a muddy Jeep. You can imagine what it looked like when it arrived, I could not leave it like that. And a bunch of mud at the base of the windshield. I scooped it out by hand and flushed sideways to get it all out and rinsed out the drain channels below it. I need to do it again more thoroughly tomorrow to make sure it's all out so it's not collecting moisture there. I know the trucker had no choice but to put it there but to put a convertible pristine car under a muddy old Jeep? Well the driver noted on his pickup inspection no damage but very dirty so it was dirty when he picked it up. Yidney had it perfectly clean when it was picked up. Oh well, could have been worse. It's quite comfortable and powerful and it's drive dynamic is VERY different from my other car in the picture, the Mustang. Which I am happy about to have that contrast. First additions today were to add some clear mats to protect those MB carpets and a trim to fit trunk liner. Would have liked to get a custom trunk liner but I could not find one, I don't think they are available anymore. The trim to fit one looks quite nice in there now anyway and will protect the perfect black carpet from my dirty work cooler. I think it could use some LED bulbs in the fogs if that is considered OK by you guys, don't know how hot they run compared to the halogens in there. They would better match the HID headlights. And I hope the aux in cable works so I can plug it into my cell phone for streaming audio. I might also be getting an iCarsoft MBii as I am sure it will come in handy eventually.
Not at all Yidney! Leave it there as long as you wish. My one disappointment today is my pictures are horrible compared to yours, especially with the bad weather today. Now post up pics of your new ride here, we want to see it and it's part of this story. I like the parking sensors and the built in radar detector is cool, not being up on radar detectors, not sure how effective it is today, need to research it and see what bands it covers and which it does not, but having it built in and lights that I did not find till I turned it on is way cool. Can't wait for a sunny day and time to enjoy it a bit. So busy tomorrow working on an investment property and then taxes. I probably won't even drive it. But will take it to work on Monday!
What radar detector is in there? K40? Honestly, radar itself has not changed in 20+ years. They are only licensed to use X, K and Ka bands. X -band is almost dead no manufacturers have made them for years, so any police using it are using very old equipment that probably isn't even "certified" anymore. Of course that won't stop them form writing you a ticket and hoping you don't contest it. The new technology in radar detection is filtering out the false signals generated by some of the "nanny systems" in cars like Lane Keeping Assist. The latest detectors have algorithms to handle those except for a few. I bought a new Escort Max 360 and it only seems to be bothered by the systems on the newer Acura cars. Of course the newer detectors use digital technology to better filter interference and react faster to weak signals. They also have GPS technology to lock-out known false signals from door sensors. But ultimately, even "too much" information is better than none at all when it comes to radar.
Yeah it's a K40 unit I think. I think it was already installed when Yidney bought the car. Never had anything like this before. It's integrated into the car with just a small remote control. I thought the transporters stole it but Yidney just hid the tiny remote in the owner's manual pouch. He told me everything about the car but I could note remember everything and the info is spread out among many emails. He was VERY thorough with giving me details about the car.
I truly love this sense of community we have in this forum where such things happen. Kudos to Yidney for meticulously taking care of his car and to you for spotting it and appreciating it. Enjoy it and let us know what people at work think on Monday.
Yeah, it's a K40. I never used it much. The original owner had it installed. He also installed the parking sensors, which I was glad are there. He also installed LoJack. I would have torn it out long ago but they hide the transponder pretty well. I recently did a more thorough look and got lucky in that it did not take too long to trace some non factory wiring to a dip in the floor pan in the passenger foot well. Nobody will steal a 10 year old car, and it was giving me too many false calls.
So my first question deals with the audio system. The iPod cable is currently attached. I want to use the aux in cable to attach to a bluetooth dongle or get one that works with the iPod plug. I think the aux in cable that is there is not connected because the iPod cable is currently active. Does this system use digital audio from the iPod? If so, than I don't think I can use an iPod dock to aux cable adaptor, that would be the easiest solution. How about an item like this? It's a direct BT to Mercedes iPod adaptor. There should be something that talks to the iPod dock so I don't have to take the dash apart, that's not worth the risk of breaking something.
The iPod interface on the CLK does replace the AUX input function. In fact, the radio does not understand that it has an iPod connected at all - it just plays the audio from the AUX input that is being fed by the iPod interface module. If you notice, the only way to control the iPod and see the track info is on the steering wheel buttons and the instrument cluster MFD. The reason for this is that the ICM MFD uses the CSAN bus interface and was designed to be a bit "open" so future devices could communicate with it. The radio head unit, however, was not designed for this. So, the quick and dirty solution MBZ came up with for the iPod interface was to use the open nature of the CAN bus and ICM's MFD combined with the "dumb" AUX input of the radio. If yo want the AUX input to work again, you'll have to uninstall the iPod module (or at least it's wiring harness, that is inserted between the car's wiring and the radio's connectors).
That MMI Bluetooth adapter you linked will not work on the CLK. It is designed for later models that used the "MMI" interface. however, this might work:
I have not personally used this, but I think I'm going to try it in the kid's ML350. Then again, her ML350 has the MMi interface, so I might try the one you posted from eBay instead.
Yes, I am aware of the coolstream device. It's just way overpriced for what it does, but will get it if I have to. The nice thing is that I can use this device with the iPod plug and still keep iPod functionality when I want it. This really is the worst car stereo NAV interface I have ever seen. When I read complaints about COMMAND, I figured they were just complaining. No, it's that bad! My 2005 Acura had far superior electronics. Audio is solved... I think I am going to have to do without BT phone because this car does not have the plug in the center console for me to just get a used BT puck on eBay for $250. Tech has come a long way, but Mercedes was behind the curve in this category. It's a shame that the coolstream device does not support phone calls, for the price they could include a remote mic. So this model must use digital audio from iPod, otherwise the cheap solutions would work. Am I correct? But wait.I am confused. If it's just using the dumb aux in to the radio for the audio, then why does it need the digital interface and not just a cheap $20 analog one? I'm sure you are correct, I just like to know exactly how stuff works. I went ahead and ordered the Coolstream unit. Now if I can get the prewire for the BT phone.... , but that would involve taking stuff apart, not worth the hassle and I have an audio system still to finish for my Mustang and a non-running vintage motorcycle in the garage. Not lots of spare time...
I do think the iPod interface is digital and not analog. Another option might be MoBridge. There are some others, too, like mCar (but I think they are not making their units anymore). These devices emulate the factory phone system for BT hands-free, and they usually offer iPod interface, USB, and BT streaming.
I've always been thankful that none of this tech stuff matters to me. It matters to me so little that most of what you guys are saying might as well be in Portuguese. "The interface with the optec synthesizer doesn't globularize the pinktooth." If a car does not have what I want, I get a different car. But since mostly what I want is - convertible, fast, cool looking, leather and wood - in that order, the ability to link my phone is somewhere down the list with "has valve caps." I think my new 6 series has a button that says "perform brain surgery", but I can't say I will ever link my phone to it. I might, or I might not. But it has acres of leather, and oh my god is it fast.
I do like having Bluetooth hands-free calling. I am not one of those people who drive around talking on the phone (or worse - texting!), but I do run a business and need to be able to answer my clients and prospects when they call. Having hands-free calling makes answering much easier and safer when driving. I really do not care much about Bluetooth music streaming in my car, because I don't use my phone for music. I do, however, like having some of my own playlists to listen to when I get bored with Sirius, so i do need an iPod, USB or SD-card interface. Now, as for all the new "nanny systems" like lane keeping and auto-braking, you can keep that crap. I don't even care for Distronic cruise control, because if I can't set cruise to a steady speed, then I need to be the one controlling the car, not a computer. And self-driving cars? You'll be pulling the steering wheel from my cold, dead hands!
Would you guys believe I haven't even REALLY driven this car yet? I drove it home from the truck meet point and then to Walmart. Have no tags. Wife went to get them today, but they told her we have to go downtown to the county tax office and pay the property tax on it first! Then they still have the nerve to charge me sales tax on it as well (capped at $300). For this ugly state I live in. It really needs to be driven after sitting for a week and the two short drives I did I am sure did not even warm the engine enough to get the moisture out of the engine as I could see it steaming when it was started off the truck. Hopefully tomorrow. Even taking it to work would be enough to stretch it's legs, get it hot, and get a real feel for the car. It's just resting here in my driveway... Now I can see that it did not get out of it's trip under that old Jeep unscathed. There is an oil drop on the top. It's a dark shadow. What can I do to clean it? I have no idea how to care for a convertible top.
For an oil spot on cloth, the first thing I always try because it is a miracle on such things is electrical contact cleaner. Go to the auto parts store or even WalMart and buy a can - but make sure it's the fast evaporating kind. It will say so right on the can. You can spray it to your heart's content. Hold the spray tube right up to the cloth. It won't hurt the top any. In fact, I'm so clairvoyant I can tell you that it has been used on your top before. That stuff just dissolves oil. Or you can mix some Dawn in just a bit of water so it's mostly Dawn, agitate a bit with a soft brush and hose it good. One thing to know about soft tops is never shoot the high pressure hose at a car wash directly at it.
And a good soft brush to use for that that will not abrade the top fabric, and is also good to clean dirty leather or to get into the grain of vinyl, is to go to Home Depot and buy several of what are called chip brushes. They will be with paint brushes, usually in bulk boxes on the bottom row. I don't actually know what chip brushes are intended for. They look like cheap paint brushes, but have natural bristles, and unpainted wood handles. They only cost a couple bucks or less. Then use a large pair of scissors and cut about half the length of the bristles off. That gives them just a bit of stiffness. I have a bunch of cut up chip brushes.
I have heard some horror stories about some states and their hard-nosed laws about vehicle licensing and taxes. Here in Alabama, we have a very generous 20 calendar days from the date of purchase to register a car (new or used). You don't even have to have a temporary tag - you can just drive around with no tag. Of course if you get pulled over, it helps to have a bill of sale of other paperwork to prove is a recent purchase, but technically, that is not a legal requirement. When buying out of state, we do have to pay the full sales tax on the purchase price in addition to the normal tag fee and ad valorem taxes. At least our vehicle tax rate is only around 4% and not our full retail sales tax of 10%.
Be careful with electrical contact cleaner. It is incompatible with some plastics. i once had a (non-automotive) trim piece that I was going to paint, so I thought it might be a good idea to clean with CRC Electrical Contact Cleaner. It literally DISSOLVED the plastic! Honestly, I don't think it will hurt the canvas, but a better option might be carpet cleaner. Oh, and if you want to really protect your canvas, get some Rustoleum NeverWet for outdoor canvas. It will keep the top dry. You can literally dry off any beads of water by blowing them off with your breath.
And a good soft brush to use for that that will not abrade the top fabric, and is also good to clean dirty leather or to get into the grain of vinyl, is to go to Home Depot and buy several of what are called chip brushes. They will be with paint brushes, usually in bulk boxes on the bottom row. I don't actually know what chip brushes are intended for. They look like cheap paint brushes, but have natural bristles, and unpainted wood handles. They only cost a couple bucks or less. Then use a large pair of scissors and cut about half the length of the bristles off. That gives them just a bit of stiffness. I have a bunch of cut up chip brushes.
Yidney,
Please consider this my request for 1st dibs on purchase of your 6-series in ~5yrs 😉
I have heard some horror stories about some states and their hard-nosed laws about vehicle licensing and taxes. Here in Alabama, we have a very generous 20 calendar days from the date of purchase to register a car (new or used). You don't even have to have a temporary tag - you can just drive around with no tag. Of course if you get pulled over, it helps to have a bill of sale of other paperwork to prove is a recent purchase, but technically, that is not a legal requirement. When buying out of state, we do have to pay the full sales tax on the purchase price in addition to the normal tag fee and ad valorem taxes. At least our vehicle tax rate is only around 4% and not our full retail sales tax of 10%.
Be careful with electrical contact cleaner. It is incompatible with some plastics. i once had a (non-automotive) trim piece that I was going to paint, so I thought it might be a good idea to clean with CRC Electrical Contact Cleaner. It literally DISSOLVED the plastic! Honestly, I don't think it will hurt the canvas, but a better option might be carpet cleaner. Oh, and if you want to really protect your canvas, get some Rustoleum NeverWet for outdoor canvas. It will keep the top dry. You can literally dry off any beads of water by blowing them off with your breath.
I don't think carpet cleaner will have the strength to cut motor oil. Dawn is the safe bet. If it is safe to get crude oil off of birds, it won't hurt your top. I've used it on that top before.
04-07-2018, 07:06 PM
Must have been owned by a lawyer. I wondered if at some point while it was in transit you thought to yourself "hmm, I was so busy looking at pictures I never asked him if it runs."
