Considering a Mercedes-Benz CLK

Lellostag

Hi all,

Our trusted Mazda 6 is nearing its end due to rusty sills and a number of other suspension related ailments.

So, not really needing an estate anymore we're seriously considering something a bit flashier with a higher feel-good factor, and a C209 second generation Merc CLK looks like an attractive alternative.

Our budget would be about €5000, maybe €6000 tops, so probably a model year 2003 - 2005 would be most realistic. For economical reasons we're inclined towards the CLK 200 Kompressor or perhaps the CLK 220 CDI, although the diesel version seems rare enough. And we'd really only want more of a cruiser instead of a bruiser anyway! :P

What would the main things be to look out for, besides a full service history and suchlike? I've read somewhere that the older ones had some issues with with leaking auto transmission oil cooler with coolant leaking into the automatic gearbox, has anyone heard of that problem at all?

Any comments, suggestions and advice welcome! Thanks a million in advance!

74merc

The leaky radiator you refer to is specific to Valeo radiators. It is possible that the car is fitted with a Behr one instead. I would guess that any failure would have happened by now, new reports seem rare these days.
The Kompressor engine (M271) does have problems with the timing chain and sprockets, but upgraded replacements are available.
If budget allows, go for a facelift as well, apparently the build quality is much better. Offhand, I'm not sure exactly when they were facelifted, possibly around 2005.

Lellostag

74merc wrote: »

The leaky radiator you refer to is specific to Valeo radiators. It is possible that the car is fitted with a Behr one instead. I would guess that any failure would have happened by now, new reports seem rare these days.
The Kompressor engine (M271) does have problems with the timing chain and sprockets, but upgraded replacements are available.
If budget allows, go for a facelift as well, apparently the build quality is much better. Offhand, I'm not sure exactly when they were facelifted, possibly around 2005.

Thank you very much for your comments! Yes, you're probably right in that any failures of that sort should have been rectified by now.

Now that you mention it, I did come across something about weak timing chains and sprockets, so probably worth looking for evidence of that having been sorted as well.

I did look into this thing about the facelift and it seems to have happened around October 2004 (mentioned on the MBClub.co.uk forum), so an '05 model should by all accounts be just that. The more powerful 1.8 Kompressor petrol engine seemingly came in November 2006, but that'll probably be a bit too dear for us at the moment.

74merc

It's the later M271 engine which has the timing chain problems, the earlier M111 engine is more reliable.

Lellostag

74merc wrote: »

It's the later M271 engine which has the timing chain problems, the earlier M111 engine is more reliable.

Thank you!

Looking on the all-knowing Wikipedia I understand the M111 was used in the first generation CLK 200 while the M271 was introduced with the second generation CLK 200 in 2002, right?