S500 Coupe Advice

[Drex]

Hello everyone

I am buying a S500 Coupe (1994 \ L ) at the weekend and was wondering if there is anything specific i should be looking out for

She has covered 120,000 miles which is about average for her age.....

I have had a couple of SEC's before this and i thought it was about time to get something a little bit newer.

Was going to buy the S Class saloon version, but there is only me and the missus, so the coupe it was !

 

[Drex]

Bump......

Shouldn't really say that,when picking up a new car......might be a bad omen

 

[deejaybee]

Drex,
These are very well engineered cars (I have a 98 CL420) so provided it has been well looked after and maintained it should be good. You should be looking for a full service history by main agent and merc specialists, this model is too complicated to entrust to a non-merc specialist for general sevicing.

I would recommend that you pay to have a detail inspection undertaken by a merc specialist, it will cost 100-150 quid but could save you making a very expensive mistake (if no problems then you have a good car). Before you do this check all the obvious things yourself and check every single electrical gadget / switch to make sure it works (electrical items can be expensive to fix). Specific things to look for that I know of are: door self closing mechanism; remote boot operation / handle; rear head rest operation; air conditioning; tyre condition (these are 150-200 each).

You should also go for a good test drive, at least 10 miles, preferably double this. It should be smooth and refined and reach very high speeds in a very relaxing way (watch the speedo though, 100mph in one of these seems like half the speed!!). They handle well for their size and weight so should feel very planted in the curves, but remember it weighs about 2 tonnes and is over 5m long so dont expect it to drive like a sports car.

If there are any significant problems or the seller isn't prepared to let you carry out a thorough test then walk away, there are quite a few of these out there for sale at the moment. For the age and mileage the price shouldn't be any more than about 6000 with 1 year MOT. If there are any things that need doing it may be better to get the seller to fix these before you buy, unless it something simple or easy to price (such as tyres).

Good luck.

Dave

 

[jibcl500]

Corrosion on front wings, new wings are VERY expensive.
94 model year have distributor caps, prone to condensation £90 each
Ignition module on inner wing £1100 have been know to fail
Electronic throttle, £2600 do fail
boot soft closure common failure so if the boot looks like its slighty open then its failed.
Door soft closure as above.
make sure there is more than one key for the car
on a 1994 I will guess it has those horrid 16 inch alloys, check for corrosion and kerb damage, £75 each to refurbish.
make sure all the switches in the car do something.
make sure the seat belts greet you.
gearbox ecu prone to failure so make sure it shifts up and down well.
check exhaust for blows. Very expensive.
check shocks for leaks.
check coil springs they tend to break £80 each
listen for whining from rear diffs on the CL are prone to whining
when you arrive to see the car touch the bonnet to see if its warm, best to hear the engine startup from cold so if there are any rattles you will hear them.
other than that best of luck.

jib

 

[Drex]

Picked the car up on Saturday, and thankfully everything works as it should.

Took it for a short test drive and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

Tested all the electrics & aircon.........all good.

Payed £4000 for it and the chap also threw in another 5 x 8 hole alloys with tyres.

All in all, I though it was a great deal.

Thanks for the advice.........I will probably be asking some more questions later.

Heres a couple of pictures.

 

[Blobcat]

It looks very nice

 

[rajinder_1]

stick some 18" rims on there like the later versions they look real nice
4k for a 60-70k car ( in its time ofcourse) ...... not bad

Raj

 

[jibcl500]

This is my coop with the 18 inch alloys. Really want some 19" AMG's though.
jib

 

[jibcl500]

And this is my grill after I refurbished it.

jib

 

[Drex]

Nice wheels jibcl500.........are they E Class wheels ?

what offset wheels do i need for mine ....7.5 ?

 

[RGubbioli]

This is my coop with the 18 inch alloys. Really want some 19" AMG's though.
jib

Jibbo! What are you doing on these forums...? Ditched the Porsche habit for a Mercedes one?

Last I heard you were breaking Rangies

Regards,
Ricco (Titanic)

 

[jibcl500]

Ricco

long time no hear, question is what are you doing here????
Im old now and need something more relaxing to drive hence the CL, stick looking for a 993 Carrera 2, but I prefer something old and unusual.
what you are you driving?

jib

 

[jibcl500]

Nice wheels jibcl500.........are they E Class wheels ?

what offset wheels do i need for mine ....7.5 ?

Your new to Mercedes aren't you. E Class Pah, 18" optional extra on the CL I would like a set of alloys like yours but it makes the CL look cheap.
Offset ET44 or 46 cant remember without looking in the book, E class have the wrong offset and it will affect the stability control etc.

jib

 

[RGubbioli]

I sent you a PM Jibbo... (so as not to hijack the thread).

 

[Drex]

Do you think these will fit ok....... 7.5 J ?


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320105701904&sspagename=ADME:L:RTQ:UK:1

 

[Drex]

Also.........there is a button on the centre console with a picture
of a wheel\tyre, which lights up red when you switch it on & off.

Does anybody know what this does as there doesn't seem to be any mention of it the handbook.

 

[jibcl500]

Drex

is it a circle with 3 dashed outlines either side, if so its brake pad indicator, pads could be low.
Forget about the wheels on ebay, not good for your car.

jib

 

[Drex]

Drex

is it a circle with 3 dashed outlines either side, if so its brake pad indicator, pads could be low.
Forget about the wheels on ebay, not good for your car.

jib

No, its a button that you can turn on and off.

Why are these wheels no good for my car ?

Please elaborate........what do i need to be looking for ?

 

[jibcl500]

Drex

7.5 x 17 on your CL will look small the profile of the tyre will have to be quite large to fill the arch, better to find a 18 inch set if possible.
these would be nice http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SET-OF-19-GENUINE-OE-AMG-MERCEDES-WHEELS-CL-S-CLASS_W0QQitemZ250106471420QQihZ015QQcategoryZ28648QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
do your research as you are at the moment, steep learning curve on the CL's as Ive found in the last 2 years.
Whells will be an expensive purchase as will tyres, make sure you buy the correct set in the first place. If I can find the right AMG set for mine then my set will be available for sale complete with 255 tyres. But only if I can find the 19 inch AMG.
Can you email a picture of the button you talk about to jib@carrera2.co.uk, I think because your CL is a 94 they changed some things that my 95 doesnt have.

jib

 

[jibcl500]

Drex

the switch you mentioned is for snow chains.
http://bayhas.com:8080/w140manu/1994%20S500%20S600%20Coupe%20Owner's%20Manual.pdf


Online MB manuals.

jib