CL500 2000MY

[Naraic]

Small update....new wheels

Now just lower it about 35mm all round and it will be perfect, especially with those deep dish rears.

 

[Alex Green]

Not sure ABC would appreciate that though. Don't want to goad it into premature death

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[Alex Green]

I do agree though

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[JBell]

Love the new wheels

 

[Alex Green]

Changed the cabin pollen filters yesterday.

These things must have been in place since the stone age, such an easy job too.

Maybe the demist will work a bit better now.

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[Alex Green]

Finally got the brake calipers and new discs fitted.

Went for Brembo discs as they were a good price. I wasn't bothered whether they were drilled or not but at £100 delivered I couldn't complain really.

AL.

 

[John Laidlaw]

View attachment 45242 Finally got the brake calipers and new discs fitted.

Went for Brembo discs as they were a good price. I wasn't bothered whether they were drilled or not but at £100 delivered I couldn't complain really.

AL.

What a bargain- look great too....

 

[Alex Green]

Just noticed previous images are not showing in the thread as they're hosted by postimg. Is there any way to edit the links in old posts so I can point them at the updated site?

Had a look around but can't find an 'edit' button??

AL.

 

[Craiglxviii]

I think the Edit only works for a month or so, then "time expires".

How's the car going?

 

[Alex Green]

Hi Craig,

Car's going OK. There's some issues but hey, it's a CL

Next on 'To do' list is:

• New ABC pipes ordered for the rear. Currently leaking via the valve on the NSR pipe, leaving a little patch every now and again. Pipes ordered from Mercedes but I've been waiting (and topping up fluid) since June!!
• Crank pulley replacement - Car's always had a lumpy idle and I've read a couple of things about the harmonic balancer part of the crank pulley may cause this - New one ordered £184 from Mercedes!!
• Oil cooler gaskets arrived and to be fitted to get rid of the common leak on the cooler on the NSF of the engine.
• Wheel geometry to be sorted after the ABC pipes are fitted as the subframe needs to be dropped. Currently it's got load of toe-in at the rear and handles very twitchily in the wet. More costly is that it goes through rear tyres at a ridiculous rate of knots and that's whether I drive like a nun or not (I don't).
• 2003 comand 2.0 arrived to be fitted once I've modded the spare centre console I have. When fitting I shall be altering the pins on the connections and wiring in an Aux In socket, probably to the glove box or under dash area. Then I should be able to have a more up to date looking comand and more easily integrated bluetooth connection for music.
• Sort out a more covert USB power supply, wired to an ignition-on source.
• Got a full new interior to fit to freshen up the place and fix the lazy seatbelt issue on the passenger front seat (front and rear seats, centre armrests and console and door cards all round). Will also need to look at some of the clips on the seat control panel etc as they're not very secure. I think they may have been overly messed with in the past. Hopefully look at why the lumbar support doesn't work at the same time.

Soooo..........enough to keep me going whilst I also work on the RX7, FTO's (x2) and actual day-job and 2 massive dogs to walk......oh, and sometimes say hello to my wife and daughter!

AL.

 

[Alex Green]

Almost forgot, stuck new backboxes on. Similar to OEM but a bit fruitier sound.

Secondary cats to be removed when the ABC pipes are being done. Need to release the inner V8 that is currently a bit muted.

AL.

 

[Craiglxviii]

OK. I can tell you about the door control module. There are how-to's on how to remove them but they're pretty easy.

1. Open the door.
2. With a pozi screwdriver (slim round shaft, not a square or hex one!) poke it through the airvent on the front top edge of the door. Look carefully and you'll see a screw. Undo it but be ever so ever so oh so careful not to drop it. Pull the vent out of the door, it's awkward so you'll need to be firm. They're tough.
3. You'll see exposed a sliding latch. Push it towards the back of the car and the door control module will detach at the top. Pull it out and upwards at the same time to safely remove.

The module has two plastic clips on the underside that dovetail into its trim (the module clips into the trim); these engage in slots in the resin-impregnated fibre of the door module assembly. Those holes can become enlarged over time, so you may need to wrap the clips in some 3M tape to make them a snugger fit. You may also find that a previous owner has broken a clip off, it's easy to do and results in a rattle/ squeak. So you'll need to make a new clip, I did this by using a small steel curtain pole bracket hammered flat and then hacksawed to size/ shape. I then screwed it into the plastic of the trim and job jobbed.

However, I've still got a squeak on both DCMs mainly when driving over poor road surfaces- so the entirety of the UK- and will be removing them both and adding 3M silent PTFE tape to the touch points when I get time.

USB power supply- I sourced an Anker 5-bar one, which I intend to wire to the back of the 12V socket, I'll run the lead into the centre console and mount it in the front corner.

On the Aux, I bought a Bluetooth dongle and have a mod to change the Tape drive input inside the COMAND 2.5 head unit to Aux. Again my plan is to run the Aux socket into the bottom of the centre console, the dongle then plugs in like a flag and I can have it permanently on charge.

I debated swapping out the COMAND to the facelift model but decided against it, I need to get the Navi head repaired then I have a 2014 or 2015 map disc ready to go.

If you're interested I also have worked out a mod for improving mobile phone service inside the car, as I find that I get dreadful reception due to the metallised glazing.

Oh- don't forget to stick a 12V socket in the boot for those weekend trips away to the coast with a fridge full of nice cool drinkies!

 

[Craiglxviii]

Almost forgot, stuck new backboxes on. Similar to OEM but a bit fruitier sound.

Secondary cats to be removed when the ABC pipes are being done. Need to release the inner V8 that is currently a bit muted.

AL.

Where did you source these new back boxes from, and if you don't mind my asking for how much please?

 

[Alex Green]

OK. I can tell you about the door control module. There are how-to's on how to remove them but they're pretty easy.

1. Open the door.
2. With a pozi screwdriver (slim round shaft, not a square or hex one!) poke it through the airvent on the front top edge of the door. Look carefully and you'll see a screw. Undo it but be ever so ever so oh so careful not to drop it. Pull the vent out of the door, it's awkward so you'll need to be firm. They're tough.
3. You'll see exposed a sliding latch. Push it towards the back of the car and the door control module will detach at the top. Pull it out and upwards at the same time to safely remove.

The module has two plastic clips on the underside that dovetail into its trim (the module clips into the trim); these engage in slots in the resin-impregnated fibre of the door module assembly. Those holes can become enlarged over time, so you may need to wrap the clips in some 3M tape to make them a snugger fit. You may also find that a previous owner has broken a clip off, it's easy to do and results in a rattle/ squeak. So you'll need to make a new clip, I did this by using a small steel curtain pole bracket hammered flat and then hacksawed to size/ shape. I then screwed it into the plastic of the trim and job jobbed.

However, I've still got a squeak on both DCMs mainly when driving over poor road surfaces- so the entirety of the UK- and will be removing them both and adding 3M silent PTFE tape to the touch points when I get time.

USB power supply- I sourced an Anker 5-bar one, which I intend to wire to the back of the 12V socket, I'll run the lead into the centre console and mount it in the front corner.

On the Aux, I bought a Bluetooth dongle and have a mod to change the Tape drive input inside the COMAND 2.5 head unit to Aux. Again my plan is to run the Aux socket into the bottom of the centre console, the dongle then plugs in like a flag and I can have it permanently on charge.

I debated swapping out the COMAND to the facelift model but decided against it, I need to get the Navi head repaired then I have a 2014 or 2015 map disc ready to go.

If you're interested I also have worked out a mod for improving mobile phone service inside the car, as I find that I get dreadful reception due to the metallised glazing.

Oh- don't forget to stick a 12V socket in the boot for those weekend trips away to the coast with a fridge full of nice cool drinkies!

Awesome, thanks Craig that'll come in very useful.

Yes, I think some ham-fisted individual has been prising at the DCM in the past. I think they'll be a bit battered on the reverse side when I get them off.

Think I'll wrap all the wood effect trim as well, in a classy wrap, maybe brushed metal or black or similar. I think someone else with a CL500 has a thread on here who has done that already and I liked the look.

USB, yes I'm going to utilise the back of the cigarette lighter to switch a relay that has it's own individual power feed from the rear heavy gauge SAM power supply or direct from a fused connection on the battery via a decent gauge cable. I want USB sockets in the rear armrest, front armrest and the boot as you suggested. Can't have too many options

I don't seem to do too badly for phone signal so far, maybe my Galaxy S8 has got massive radiation output and I'll grow an extra ear or something but it seems to manage OK for calls. Although I was considering some way of routing a DAB aerial to the boot area, under the lid which is plastic and connecting up to a DAB receiver and then the head unit. Seems a bit convoluted and maybe something to think about in the future as I'm not sure I'm that bothered about DAB radio. I'd be interested in your mod though, could be useful.

The backboxes were off ebay and are surprisingly decent. They bedded in after about a week or two of hooning around and the sound is quite cultured and not a horrible blare. The only slight criticism is that where the hangers are welded to the can is discoloured from the weld heat so I may touch this in with some aluminium paint or give them a bit of a going over with a polisher, whichever I get round to doing. Other than that I've no complaints so far, time will tell but they didn't break the bank so not too worried.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES...660316&hash=item3afbc6b871:g:a40AAOSwHsRYEd5h

Also, forgot to mention I changed the front grill to a single spar type. Looks OK and is easily reversed if I didn't like it, just 3 screws IIRC. Need to replace the faded bonnet badge too, which I think is just stuck on the bonnet rather than bolted or clipped.

Lots to do.

AL.

We all like pictures and this is the only recent one I've got of the CL with the rear cans fitted. You can just see that they sit as per the OEM cans. That's one of my FTO's in the foreground which is also a drain on my playing time on the CL

 

[Craiglxviii]

The phone signal mod is a bit sneaky. It involves mounting an omni puck antenna outside of the car's Faraday cage (on the rear bumper crash beam underneath the bumper skin) and routing a coax from that to a signal booster mounted inside the car; that then sends the boosted signal to an omni blade antenna which will be buried inside the parcel shelf. I did a lot of research ninto this and the W215/220 are superb vehicles for cutting out EE's 1800MHz standard UK 4G signal, which explains why I can get service when driving through the Alps but not on the M6......... the metallised glass affects that frequency band much more than others above and below it, something like 18dB or so. I forget the number but it's pretty significant.

That parcel shelf is an utter nightmare pig of a thing, by the way. It's a 4 hour job to remove, so anything you're planning to do to access it needs to take that into account.

In terms of USB for the rear, I have a much easier mod for you. I just ran cables from the centre console to under the front seat, then buried them along the edge of the front seat backshell. They exit 3-4" from the top of the seat and can be cable-wrapped to the headrest pillar- ideal for tablets on headrest mounds being used for watching the telly by my kids. Or, alternatively and far less hassle than running to the rear armrest- run a USB bank to the rear seat ashtray. just a thought.

Where did you get your AMG single-blade rad grille from?

 

[LostKiwi]

Think I'll wrap all the wood effect trim

It's not wood effect - it's proper veneer backed by real wood.

 

[John Laidlaw]

Where did you source these new back boxes from, and if you don't mind my asking for how much please?

Hilarious - I was just going to suggest Cybox to you Craig then the Op posted the eBay link! And it’s Cybox
They are about a mile from my home here in Bromborough- they did good work on my SL. I can check with them if you wanted- they’ll do the work too , if you stay over I can buy you a couple of pints

 

[Craiglxviii]

Hilarious - I was just going to suggest Cybox to you Craig then the Op posted the eBay link! And it’s Cybox
They are about a mile from my home here in Bromborough- they did good work on my SL. I can check with them if you wanted- they’ll do the work too , if you stay over I can buy you a couple of pints

The pints are on me sir!

 

[Craiglxviii]

It's not wood effect - it's proper veneer backed by real wood.

Mine are carved from solid!!

 

[Alex Green]

It's not wood effect - it's proper veneer backed by real wood.

Mercedes seem to have spent a lot of time and effort in making real wood look as plasticky as possible, seems a bit of wasted effort in my opinion.

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