Hello everyone, hope this post finds you well. I have been in hibernation for quite a while now, but it has been just over 3 years since I got my 2005 CLK 220 CDI and I thought it would be a great idea to write a report on what it has been like to own a W209 CLK.
I don't consider myself an expert at all, these are just my assessments of the vehicle since I have owned it, and I would hope this will give an idea to potential CLK owners that are looking into purchasing this car what to expect.

My driving experience-
Gained my license at the age of 18, but didn’t drive until I was 21. The CLK in question is and still is my first car, my main reason I didn’t drive for those 5 years was due to me going to university overseas and also the price of insurance was high for a young driver.
But once I graduated and came back home I needed to something to get about, so I didn’t have to ask my parents to drive me everywhere. I saved my student loan over the course of university and bought my first car, a Mercedes CLK.
It was the cheapest to insure for me (surprisingly), during the time of purchase, I did consider a 2003 Audi A3 Diesel with 100K and a 2005 C180 Sports Coupe W203 at 80K miles, both of which were around the 3k price tag back in 2014, I eventually settled on the CLK.

Driving habits-
I would consider myself “spirited” and “vigilant” at the same time- I usually keep the correct distance between cars in front, but if there is none I would pull away quite quickly, but not take unnecessary risks. I would think I have a serious demeanour when I’m in the driver’s seat, be it with or without passengers in the car.
I try to look after my car; I have it serviced on the schedule (+/- 100 miles), slight problems I would have it fixed ASAP.
I do sometimes enjoy taking the car into country roads now and again.
The one of long distance I have driven, was over the course of 4 weeks in 2016, from Liverpool to Edinburgh, stopping at location such as Nottingham, Sheffield, Newcastle Upon Tyne.
But now that I am back in Belfast Northern Ireland, I would usually 3 to 4 30 minute Motorway driving as it is the only route I can take for work.

Why am I writing this review?
I have been looking online, scanning forums high and low, looking for a review (owners in-depth opinion that’s more up to date) for the W209.
The closest I can find dated back to 2012. And because of this I would like to give my experiences of owning this car for the last 3 years, what troubles and niggles I have faced during my ownership and the related costs.
I hope this report will help someone who is thinking of purchasing a CLK W209 model.

• CLK 220 CDI
• 2.1L inline 4 engine with 150bhp
• Turbo Diesel
• 5 Speed Triptronic Automatic with Paddle shift
• 2nd Generation W209 with the face lifted interior
• First registered in July 2005
• Car was 8 years old when purchased
• Minimal Service History
• Purchased on 29th of December 2014
• Options that were fitted when new
  • Sports Package- Bigger, drilled front brakes and Paddle Shift steering wheel
  • Rear Side Airbags installed

Condition of the car when purchased?

• Bonnet has been re-sprayed (don’t know when) but you can tell.
• Mileage when bought 115,300 miles
• 4 previous owners
• Purchase price £3250
• Audio 20 has a CD stuck inside.
• Passenger side- the front bumper is slightly indented where the front grille meets the headlight, accident damage one would guess- HPI did come back clear.
• OEM Alloy wheels were removed- sold by previous owner.
• Door speaker enclosures damaged- guessing from seat belts being trapped in doors.
• SRS light on dash- the front passenger seat sensor
• Rust/ bubbling on the rear arches

Problems during the last 3 years?
I faced my first hurdle around 2 weeks into car ownership, one of my two keys stopped working, the buttons on the key would not work, but the car still starts when the key is in the ignition.
4 months later- the radiator coolant started leaking into the transmission- from the symptoms it was a Valeo radiator problem, radiator replaced with a cost of 600-700 pounds.
Around the same time the folding wing mirrors sometimes won’t fold in or won’t fold out, which can be annoying had an autospark looked into the problem symptoms still arise, but not as prominent as before.
The SRS work around for me I have found was to hit the seat with a few punches and whilst driving, plug the seat belt in- when the SRS light flashes on the dash, as soon as it goes off, unplug the seat belt and it works, it is a slight work around until, I can find a replacement.

Replacements that have been made in 3 years-

• A few bulbs here and there
• All 4 tyres changed in 2016
• Front/Rear Brake disk and Pads in 2016
• Front 2 Springs- at different times- one in 2nd year and the second in November 2017
• Front and Rear Suspension arms replaced with alloy arms.

Over the course of 3 years of ownership I believe I have spent just over £4000.00GBP on services and repairs for the CLK, I have had no other major problems since, touch wood. I have gotten a “Coolant Visit Workshop” error on the dash, my mechanic says it’s one of the 3 temperature sensors near/ around the engine has gone faulty, so far, the easiest one has been replaced leaving 2, those will be replaced over time, but at the moment they don’t cause any concern. The CLK in question now sits at 156,000 miles and I can say it is still going strong.

Expectation of the CLK
​​​​Over the course of 2018 I have plans to make more modifications and repairs to the vehicle, these will include addressing the issues in the rear arches, they have gotten quite bad over time, to the point where rust metal needs to be cut out and replaced. Once this is done, the car will get a complete re-spray over the exterior

Work to be done over the course of 2018 include-

• New tires are needed on all 4 corners- at time of replacement I would like to have a set of OEM 18 inch Alloys to go with it, anticipating last week of this month. (£600 for both wheels and alloys)
• Rust removal and weld over rear arches plus re-spray of repaired area to be done in March. (Quoted between £400-£700)
• A full body re-spray in June/July (No quotation yet, expecting £650- £1500)
• And then it’s almost time for MOT and its next service

People are probably wondering why am I going to spend so much more on the CLK. Well my main reason is we (my family) plan to keep this car for a very long time, if I do plan to get a new car, this CLK will be given to a family member.

Currently the car is running fine I have done-

• Current mileage- 156,000 miles
• My average MPG 36.4

Today, at the time of writing- February 2018, the CLK has done 156,000 miles of which I have done 40,700 miles, I can foresee some electrical gremlins to pop up over the next few years, yet I believe the engine and all the major components are still going strong it is, hence the willingness to make more repairs, with that, my expectations I would like to see the car do another 100,000 miles

I knew what I was getting myself into when I made the purchase, I wasn't expecting no trouble, overall I really cant fault my experiences . Hope you guys enjoy the read, please let me know what you guys think and I am more then willing to help answer questions regarding my car.