Buying 2001 230CLK (W208?)

[thatfatbloke]

Haven't owned my own Merc for a while but wife has a 2005 C320 CDi estate. I couldn't resist a CLK on eBay. I have not even seen the car in the flesh as yet,so taking a gamble. MOT to next June and 107,000 miles for £510. Be prepared for some stupid questions over the next week or so!. Ta.

 

[Tony Dyson]

Congratulations, I hope most of your surprises are pleasant ones!

 

[ajlsl600]

a grand car, i have a 01 avantguarde for 17yr. rot gets in rear arches and lower front wings at sill seam, all treatable if got at early. i keep mine as a spare car,as you have seen ,not worth much ,but mine is in great nic so i wont sell enjoy it...

 

[thatfatbloke]

a grand car, i have a 01 avantguarde for 17yr. rot gets in rear arches and lower front wings at sill seam, all treatable if got at early. i keep mine as a spare car,as you have seen ,not worth much ,but mine is in great nic so i wont sell enjoy it... View attachment 51511

Nice. Same colour as mine I believe.

 

[ajlsl600]

Nice. Same colour as mine I believe.

in my time i have replaced . front discs, MAF, regulator, serpentine belt and tensioner, plugs, climate control unit.2 x battery if you change yr batt, BEFORE start put on lights fan ect as NOT doing that on mine is what fried the maf and regulator. a known issue on 208 apart from above just regular oil and filter changes and an annual removal of all wheel arch plastics to ensure everything clean and waxoiled i am still on ORIGIONAL exhaust.!! regrettably i am not at all sure we will get the same economic lifespan out of the newer models, I BELIEVE the business model changed.

 

[Blobcat]

No stupid questions but plenty of answers...

Pictures please

 

[rifiki]

I appears MB exhaust are long lasting, my younger 05 CLK is still original.

 

[Blobcat]

I appears MB exhaust are long lasting, my younger 05 CLK is still original.

They are, my W210 had to have the rear hanger welded back onto the box as it rusted off but the box was strong enough to weld to without issue

 

[rifiki]

They are, my W210 had to have the rear hanger welded back onto the box as it rusted off but the box was strong enough to weld to without issue

Had hanger welded some years ago

 

[ajlsl600]

No stupid questions but plenty of answers...

Pictures please

?????

 

[ajlsl600]

Nice. Same colour as mine I believe.

TANZANITE BLUE ,not easy to match from a rattle can , tried three times ....

 

[Blobcat]

?????

Pictures of the new car

And don’t be shy in asking questions

 

[Blobcat]

TANZANITE BLUE ,not easy to match from a rattle can , tried three times ....

Great colour though

 

[ajlsl600]

tis that. now i live with a little miss match in preference to the lumpy red alternative so far i have kept that at bay by repeating the exercise every 2 yrs

 

[ajlsl600]

Pictures of the new car

And don’t be shy in asking questions

AH !

 

[thatfatbloke]

Picked her up a couple of hours ago but not had a chance to go over her with a fine tooth comb yet.

Minuses:
No service history (I knew that when I bid for it)
Sun roof apparently very slow at closing or sticks open (not tried it yet)
Only one key
Aircon not working
Drivers door mirror 'oily'
Drivers interior door pull a bit tatty
Alpine cd/radio sounds crappy

Pluses:
Starts and drives lovely
No dents or rust that I've noticed as yet
Four new tyres and tracking done
Leather in excellent condition

Will post pix probably over the weekend when I have a bit more time.

 

[ajlsl600]

make sure batt /charging good and lube the roof tracks a little ,use the roof as much as poss to exercise it. all the drivers door pulls get tatty ,u would be surprised they clean up ok ,same happens to steering wheel mounted buttons/controls tho they dont clean up they get too sticky ,even mine and i am v fussy about clean hands and no eating in car ..i had to replace mine . you can get keys, prob not needing to go to benz ,my a class key at benx was 160£ !! good think plenty parts avail at decent prices . does yr diff hum a bit at 50 !

 

[AnthonyUK]

It sounds as though you bought a bargain as most of the issues are minor. Hopefully the aircon is just a lack of pressure so look for a Groupon deal for a check and refill where you don't pay if there is an issue they cannot resolve. If you have an ODB2 reader for Mercedes e.g. iCarsoft etc you can read the aircon high and low pressures.

I would also check the vents all operate correctly as the actuators are prone to issues with sticking and broken plastic links.
It is a good idea as mentioned to have all the wheelarch liners off and sill trim to catch any corrosion.
There is possibly an alarm sounder in the nearside front arch which if not checked will leak and corrode everything around it.

The radio can be replaced for something with current functionality. There are model specific android units that are reasonable but I also found the stock speakers are pretty poor so replaced those with some Focal units.

There are a lot of rubberised coated buttons and trim pieces that once they go soft cannot be saved. The soft rubberised pain need to be removed and repainted so it is often easier to find replacements on ebay.
I found a set of A/C buttons to replace these but they are becoming harder to source.