biker349

i have a 2004 cl600. it's never had body work. i just noticed a crack around 2 bolts on each fender and on 2 of them the crack has spread up to and just passed the top crease on the fender. anyone else have this problem? is it common? should there be a courtesy fix? anything i can do to help prevent further cracking? i thought this car was carbon fiber, apparently a large part of it is plastic. anyone familiar with after market fender like sarona? they state they are fiberglass.
thanks

JAYCL600

the front fenders are some type of composite material. My buddy Tom had a CL65 and also had an unexplained crack as well, I have no answers for you other than this seems somewhat isolated.

moparrbust

All CL's(215) that I have seen and/or worked on have had that issue...........the plastic fenders crack because they are too weak around the bolts. Most of the time it happens because people hit something with the front bumper and it just transfers the energy through to the weakest link(fender upper bolt area) and will continue to spread over time like any other cracked object.

biker349

thanks for the info. a few more questions
is there any way to fix the crack? are after market fiberglass fenders a better solution? should'nt mercedes be responsible for this design flaw?
p.s. i have never hit anything.

marathonservice

I too have just noticed both sides cracking at the bolts, with one side cracking on the top outside of the right fender. Hard to believe MB would sell a car with this kind of structural problem. I'm contacting MB to see if they will cover this repair.

biker349

let us know your results.
thanks

marathonservice

I contacted MB and they have opened a case. Told me to take it to my dealer and have them inspect and get them the results. I'll keep you posted next week!

NRL

It will happen at least for W215's.

Here's my two theories.
1. Started to happen for me a tiny bit when I parked and bearly made it over the top of a parking slot that had a diamond curb that had a tree in the middle of it. Had to in that case since my CL was sticking out and I wanted to scoot in..
Never again. I stay 2ft from all curbs, never over anything.
That front little plastic lip you see hangin down the front inner fender pushes the plastic up a bit and starts it.. on the cl's

Plan on using the best epoxy filler to bond and smooth it out. I can do my seemless spot repairs, but a good body shop guy can make it dissappear..

2. When I lowered my car before I found the optimal height, it went too low to quickly, that started it. But in this case, you would think both sides would start cracking. For me, it's only one tiny tear..hopefully not spreading

marathonservice

My dealer took pictures and presented it to the regional rep. They have turned their back on the problem. I have a body guy who is going to use try and fix it with resin, etc.

Mercedes sent me a follow up questionnaire about their service. I won't be giving a raving review

biker349

i used some epoxy from discount auto. 320 degrees and like 240lbs strenghth. used it about 2 months ago. so far no more cracking time will tell. repair is not perfect, but will do fo now. amazing that this seems to be a pretty common problem on our cars and mercedes won't deal with it. did they acknowledge that they have seen this before, or tell you that they have never seen this?

marathonservice

The dealership says they never saw anything like it before. I haven't talked to the regional representative yet, but when I do I'll let you know.

biker349

have you seen the rep yet? any feedback?
thanks

marathonservice

No. After reviewing NRL's experience I remembered a similar incident with me going over a parking space barrier. Even though the speed was very slow, when I backed back it actually caused my bottom front skirt to tear.

I have someone who is going to fix both fenders and paint the hood (so the paint matches).

PorscheBob

My 2003 CL600 also has the infamous fender crack. It is slowly getting longer.
A local MB repair shop quoted over $2000 to repair it, having to repaint the
hood, etc. They even recommended that I tell my insurance company that
I must have ridden over a very bumpy road surface, blah, blah. I told them
that that was not ethical and I will find another way to fix the problem.
I found new fenders on a MB parts website that had the left fender for $750.
That new fender plus paint and installation will cost a pretty penny, but
first I might try JB epoxy under the crack and see if it slows it down.


Last year I paid around $6000 to get my ABC suspension replaced.
I should have had struts replace this crappy system.
The CL 600 cars are fun to own when they are working right but they are
a pain in the wallet to own. My Porsche 928s4 cars were far more reliable
that this MB, but . . . much harder to ingress and egress. Maybe my back
can use some JB epoxy also ;o)