Advice on Buying CLK 270 CDI Coupe

[Picpan]

Just about to buy a 2004 CLK270 CDI and after reading reviews I am a little concerned about tyre wear and other faults.....
Can anyone give me an honest opinion of this car. Have taken it for a test drive and drives lovely although I thought the brakes were slightly 'spongy'. It has over 45000 miles on with service history. Thanks.

 

[television]

In general they are a fine car, if it drives fine and steers straight then all is well, you may see post here about tyre wear on many cars, this is not generally the case. One never knows if a car has been driven up and down curbs etc.

That mileage is good, so why not if the price is right

 

[st4]

Sounds nice. On an 04 it may have the dreaded valeo rad which can leak coolant into the gearbox causing big £££ repairs as a new autobox is needed.

Tyre wear won't be too bad, but bear in mind its a 2.7litre turbo'd car which sends its power to the rear wheels, rears will not last that long if you're a hooligan with the car.

209 CLK's have a fair bit of electics so check for no warning lights etc, and all the other used car stuff (HPI, accident damage, poor condition).

The engine itself is pretty strong and @ 45k should be fine

 

[television]

It should be well clear of the Valeo problem if it is an 04 car, one can check the build date here

http://old.mbclub.ru/mb/vin/?lng=eng

The valeo problem should have gone out in 09 03

 

[David Nock]

Just changed my Sept 04 CLK 270 CDI. Rear tyres changed just becuse winter was coming at 26,000 miles - perhaps another 2000 or so miles was left in them. Fronts still original at 29,000 miles with loads of miles left in them. A great car and a real good buy for someone.

 

[Picpan]

Thanks to all who responded. Had the car a few weeks now and she is great. The only thing is that the steering wheel is about an inch out of alignment when the wheels are straight which is slightly annoying after spending almost £13000. Took it back and they said that they removed the steering wheel and that they could not adjust it as the splines where all lined up correctly and that there was a larger spline at the bottom which meant that there was no adjustment possible. They suggetsed that when I take it in for a tyre change then get the wheels aligned. Any suggestions?

 

[mycarsare]

steering wheel alignment

i have a clk with 18"alloys
when i bought the car the steering wheel was aligned perfectly and it drove straight -
the wife curbed the car so took it to be tracked by authorised mb service centre

after tracking- the steering wheel was mis-aligned to the left and the car pulled to the left.
I took it back only to find the steering wheel is now mis-aligned to the right and pulls to the right?
I'm guessing -But as only an mb service centre has the equipment to track the wheels it must be fiddly/hard?

 

[362bkr]

steering wheel

i had the same problem when i bought my clk 320 cdi ,very annoying. i took it staight to my local tyre place they set the stearing wheel straight then adjusted the tracking . it took a couple of attempts but they got it perfect .

 

[whitenemesis]

Malaligned steering is usually a result of adjustments to the tracking being made to one side only

 

[Abz]

after reading all the comments above, i used the russian link to check my vin and it says delivery date 12/03, is it safe to assume to assume my clk would not have this notorious valeo rad problem?

 

[ChrisUK01]

I had an E-Class W211 with a 270 CDI engine.

The Torque converter can go at about 80k I had to have mine replaced which cost about 700 quid for a reconditioned one. The car was never the same after it was replaced.

Also it makes you think why would Mercedes drop the engine?

I would consider getting the 220 CDI or the 3 liter engine.

Chris.

 

[st4]

I had an E-Class W211 with a 270 CDI engine.

The Torque converter can go at about 80k I had to have mine replaced which cost about 700 quid for a reconditioned one. The car was never the same after it was replaced.

Also it makes you think why would Mercedes drop the engine?

I would consider getting the 220 CDI or the 3 liter engine.

Chris.

Hi

I have a 220cdi and reckon the TC is on its way out.

The car has a "judder" when changing into 3rd or 4th gear when cold. Not when warm.

Its got worse with the milliage on the car.

Olly @ PCS says TC, I trust his judgement. New one from MB is £901 but go knows fitting. A big job but not massive.

I am on 70k just now, want to tackle the job as late as possibe, how much further should I drive on a shot TC. Will it damage the gearbox itself. I notice it slips more in gears 1/2 as well.

Steve

 

[turbopete]

there you go Steve. another reason im not an auto fan. new clutch, £200 or so, job sorted! but i cant see any reason why it would damage the box, unless the valves etc inside cant take the vibrations. its unknown territory as far as im concerned, im afraid.

 

[scholar]

Buying advise

Hello all
I've had c220 CDI but it was written off couple of days ago, so I'm looking to buy CLK 270 CDI 2004 , the seller saying it goes into limp mode 1 in every 10 drives , drivers airbag light is on , it had new airbag but didn't connect it !! Engine light management is on and the computer flashes up break wear.
According to the advert it had full service recently including transmission oil. And did 73k miles

Any advise as how much roughly will it cost to fixing these problems? Or I’m I better steering well away.

Appreciate your help

Thanks

 

[SSR S500]

Hello all
I've had c220 CDI but it was written off couple of days ago, so I'm looking to buy CLK 270 CDI 2004 , the seller saying it goes into limp mode 1 in every 10 drives , drivers airbag light is on , it had new airbag but didn't connect it !! Engine light management is on and the computer flashes up break wear.
According to the advert it had full service recently including transmission oil. And did 73k miles

Any advise as how much roughly will it cost to fixing these problems? Or I’m I better steering well away.

Appreciate your help

Thanks

Steer well clear imo unless of course you can get it for peanuts. brakes alone will set you back a few hundred if the discs and pads need doing.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

Hello all
I've had c220 CDI but it was written off couple of days ago, so I'm looking to buy CLK 270 CDI 2004 , the seller saying it goes into limp mode 1 in every 10 drives , drivers airbag light is on , it had new airbag but didn't connect it !! Engine light management is on and the computer flashes up break wear.
According to the advert it had full service recently including transmission oil. And did 73k miles

Any advise as how much roughly will it cost to fixing these problems? Or I’m I better steering well away.

Appreciate your help

Thanks

I would avoid that like the plague. Each of the points in your note is an issue, and none of them suggets sensible servicing has been carried out by a competent person.

 

[scholar]

i will do, thanks a lot for your prompt reply.

 

[Angeloj]

I've had my W209 270CDI now since September, done about 6k miles and its been faultless!! It's now got 117k on the clock. I've given it a full service, all new brakes, rear shocks and springs, 4 new tyres, a 4wheel alignment and front drop links which cost me just over £2k in total but being fussy I wanted the car to be perfect! The only real issue it has developed is a fault light when you floor the accelerator to the carpet for kick down, which I have read with my reader and its apparently 'throttle position sensor - high' but I cleared the fault and now don't floor it to maximum and it's fine! It's also started to loose coolant but very very minimal. I've no idea where from yet because I've not booked it in to be checked but other than that I absolutely love it!! It's great to drive, daily efficient on a run (Norwich to gatwick and back which is approx 350 miles and it used only £40 of diesel). I'd definitely have another!!