CL500, CL63 and others......decisions, decisions

[mpwnbr]

May I add my congratulations. The CL is a fabulous car and the 600 is the ultimate refinement of the range - you will love it for sure.

As has already been well said, the V12 should be completely smooth irrespective of revs. Once you've taken delivery it will be well worth having the car checked over by a specialist independent - I'm sure there must be one or more relatively local to you.

Thank you for offering to post some photos. How about whetting our appetites with a few details in the meantime? Age? Mileage? Colour?

Ok then, the car, and I hope/trust I've made the right decision, picking up a lot of good advice along the way........

2007
Black
Black Leather
One previous owner
Full MB Service History
12 months warranty
12 months MOT provided
Bought from Inchcape
Heated Ventilated seats
Massage/Dynamic Seats
Night Vision
Ambient lighting
Keyless Go
Harmon Kardon
Rear Blind
Full hands free installation including Bluetooth device
Two new tyres just fitted
New rear discs and pads
Generally very good condition car
Most important it gave me the right feeling!

In the heat of all the excitement I didn't actually reverse the car, but don't think it has reverse camera, and nor TV. Neither essential, but would have been nice to have, especially the former. Nor does it have DAB. However, with you helpful lot on here, there may be some more posts before too long on anyone's experiences of retro fitting each of these, if at all possible.

Once I get the car, hopefully Friday, I'll be sure to share those photo's........afterall we're now culminating the end of a 20 Page post, so it's only right!

 

[television]

I installed DAB and its in the DIY section, I still have not fixed an antenna permanently. the advantage of my DAB is that if you are in the navigation mode, you can still change stations.

To add a reversing camera it would cost you about £700

 

[mpwnbr]

I installed DAB and its in the DIY section, I still have not fixed an antenna permanently. the advantage of my DAB is that if you are in the navigation mode, you can still change stations.

To add a reversing camera it would cost you about £700

Thanks Malcolm, I recall, probably around page 4 of this post that you had installed DAB. I'll take a look in the diy section of the forum, as it sounds like a worthwile move.

 

[mpwnbr]

I Belive MB Tech in Warrington are excellent, there is also an Indy in Liverpool close to MB Liverpool (I think called MB-Liverpool, don't know much about them), also a couple over here in on the Wirral - I used one of them on my old W203 seemed OK but I think 'run of the mill, dont think they'd be specialist enough for your V12)...

Thanks John, I've seen some good reports on both those independents, and working in Warrington and living in Liverpool, they both offer me convenient options.

As an aside, I've just had a call off the garage to update me on specification (and the car does include TV), so I referred him to check the front exhaust mount as you suggested. Perhaps though, given I've been driving V6's for the last few years, the deep rumble as I perceived it, may just be the growl to which you refer John.

Either way I'll have a couple of things checked out, but I'm more than happy with the drive, performance and what I believe was a great deal as I think they had the car undervalued!

 

[BernardB]

Now about that quad exhaust conversion...

Sorry to disagree, but please don't do that! The most wonderful thing about the 600 is its quietness...my wife calls it the stealth bomber.

As for DAB, are you sure you want it? There's no longer a necessity for it as FM is not after all going to be switched off in the foreseeable future. Claims for DAB's superior sound quality don't necessarily stack up. Have a look at this before making up your mind: http://www.frequencyfinder.org.uk/DAB_sound.html

Also you would need a separate aerial - do you really want to drill another hole in your lovely bodywork?

 

[mpwnbr]

Sorry to disagree, but please don't do that! The most wonderful thing about the 600 is its quietness...my wife calls it the stealth bomber.

As for DAB, are you sure you want it? There's no longer a necessity for it as FM is not after all going to be switched off in the foreseeable future. Claims for DAB's superior sound quality don't necessarily stack up. Have a look at this before making up your mind: http://www.frequencyfinder.org.uk/DAB_sound.html

Also you would need a separate aerial - do you really want to drill another hole in your lovely bodywork?

Some food for thought there BernardB. I think I'm with you on the Quad exhaust. I'm not sure I'll do that. I'd like the additional stations the DAB would bring, and my experiences (unless a placebo) have been that DAB is a better sound quality. But I'll certainly take a read of the link and consider it further!

 

[television]

Sound quality is debatable on DAB, the extra stations are the thing to go for, coverage is getting better all the time and I have noticed huge improvements in this last 2 years.

 

[television]

The sound quality is questionable with DAB, the extra stations are nice to have. Coverage is getting better all the time, and much better now than 2 years ago.

 

[Lennox]

The sound quality is questionable with DAB, the extra stations are nice to have. Coverage is getting better all the time, and much better now than 2 years ago.

My wife's A6 has Dab and we both go back to FM as Dab although it's supposed to be better, it's too crisp and the base sounds better through FM. I will feed back if this is the same with the E Class with the Harman Kardon speakers.

 

[John Laidlaw]

Thanks John, I've seen some good reports on both those independents, and working in Warrington and living in Liverpool, they both offer me convenient options.

As an aside, I've just had a call off the garage to update me on specification (and the car does include TV), so I referred him to check the front exhaust mount as you suggested. Perhaps though, given I've been driving V6's for the last few years, the deep rumble as I perceived it, may just be the growl to which you refer John.

Either way I'll have a couple of things checked out, but I'm more than happy with the drive, performance and what I believe was a great deal as I think they had the car undervalued!

good stuff- great the TV is on there too- if you have the VIN number already, guys on here can check the full factory specifications for you, you may have already seen other posts about that too. I am inclined to agree on the valuation, I do think it looked exceptional value, I'm guessing it's a keeper for you for some time, so when if/when you do part with it you won't be crying...anyway not the time to think on that, time shortly to really enjoy, good job, you stuck it out and well done! Oh and I'd agree with Bernard, those quad exhausts in my opinion will interfere with the acoustics of a finely crafted machine....

 

[John Laidlaw]

My wife's A6 has Dab and we both go back to FM as Dab although it's supposed to be better, it's too crisp and the base sounds better through FM. I will feed back if this is the same with the E Class with the Harman Kardon speakers.

suppose it depends on what you listen to and other ciscumstances. When I am not listening to tunes provided via my iphone, I listen to Radio 2- the benefit I find on DAB is not losing signal (with FM when I was driving north up the M6 Iused to get P::<<ed off losing it from just north of Lancaster until Penrith), and not having to retune. I do like it for one, and it is improving even in the last year

 

[mpwnbr]

An update on the CL600 purchase, and again looking for some general advice, not necessarily Mercedes advice........the garage still awaits receipt of the V5 back from the DVLA, following plate transfer to the previous owners new car (which has gone ahead) and also the "trade ownership". Eager to pick the car up as planned, this Friday, a couple of questions........would it be legal, as long as there's road tax on the car, a valid MOT, and I'm insured on the car for the sale to go ahead and me to drive away the car, in advance of the V5 arriving back at the garage? Also, to enable that scenario, I still require to do some checks on the car which I can't do until I get the V5 Document Reference Number. So, does anyone know how I could get that number when we the garage doesn't yet have the V5 returned? As you can tell I'm chomping at the bit to get this car, and with a week off work planned next week, it would be nice to spend some time cleaning, polishing, hoovering, shining, and then visiting a few people in the new motor! Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[television]

It will revert back to the original number, But I guess you do not know that. the info will be on the MOT, do you have that.

 

[BernardB]

Sorry I don't know the answers to those questions, but you could call the DVLA and ask them - see numbers on this link: https://www.gov.uk/contact-the-dvla

 

[mpwnbr]

Thanks Malcolm, BernardB, I've tried encouraging the dealership salesman to look into this, but perhaps he's more interested now trying to sell other cars, but I will try him again tomorrow. I'll also ask him to look at the MOT (he must have that), and I'll call the DVLA. I wasn't sure, for security reasons, that they would give that information out, but I can but try. Thanks for your advice.

 

[television]

Mercedes will have all the info to, you just need the number or maybe a previous one

 

[Rotorhead500]

Mercedes will have all the info to, you just need the number or maybe a previous one

Or the VIN number, if the salesman will get that to you?

 

[John Laidlaw]

I am almost certain you can drive the car, provided it is taxed insured and MOT'd as you say-after all even a V5 will say that the keeper is not necessarily the legal owner so that should be fine. My car is leased and I don't have the V5 either but I'm legal....
As Malcolm and Bernard have mentioned the previous MOT documents should have all the references you need, so hopefully the salesman will show some interest and find them/copy for you...did you get the VIN number meantime?

 

[mpwnbr]

I've just had a quick look at my MOT certificates, and although they don't have the V5 document reference number on them, they do have the MOT Test number. When combined with the registration plate, the DirectGov website will give me the full MOT history. So although the garage haven't got the V5 I do believe they have the MOT certificates, so I'll be straight onto them in the morning.

 

[BernardB]

This latest episode reminds me how much I dislike personalised plates - or as I prefer to think of them, vanity plates. I lived in Essex for a while and every other car seemed to have one. Apologies to Essex members who don't have one.