2003 Mercedes W209 CLK55 AMG daily driver

An alignment is something I need to get done on mine as the steering wheel is off centre.

I am envious that you have the standard wheels still, mine have been changed by one of the previous owner at some point and I when I did look for genuine wheels they were stupid money.

One trick you may not be aware of is the passenger mirror dipping when you are in reverse. In order for it to work the passenger mirror adjustment button needs to be pressed in which is just above the switch for the headlights (if the drivers side button is pressed in I don’t think it dips down). If it still doesn’t work then you need to use the directional button so the mirror is all the way down and hold it there for a few seconds, then repeat in the up direction. This basically teaches it where the extremities of the mirror is. If the battery has ever been low or changed you do this process to reset it.

CLK55 - great tip, works for me cheers! Have started looking at by far the thickest user manual ever. So much tech on a 20 year old car. I also have AMG ground illuminations when the doors are opened.

MHolt - that looks like the C5 RS6’s I viewed haha. The Mercedes Museum is huge isn’t it. Worth visiting the Porsche Museum for the old Le Mans cars.

Gave the roof mechanism and seals some love with these products. Bojo tool for straightening out slightly warped trim. Gummi Pflege to stop squeaking sounds between rubber, glass and metal. Silicone spray instead of WD40 as that dries out rubber and plastics. I now have a quieter cabin

I've copied this from the MBClub for ease:

Here's a link to the thread

If you're in that neck of the woods, the doyenne of the MB Club is within reach too -- PCS Horndean. Of course, being such a popular indy means that perhaps true feedback may be out of reach for political reasons, but everything points to them being a knowledgeable and frugal indy. That is, as opposed to Sandown Guildford (who did my first S211 sunroof recall) who won't necessarily satisfy your enthusiast's urge for first line feedback.

Just dropped the car back to Magari Automotive in Fareham due to several issues. I’m told the majority will be covered under goodwill and warranty, if so, I’ll be happy.

Issues:
- handbrake doesn’t disengage fully and you need to lift the foot brake.
- roof makes loud knocking noises above the windscreen and doesn’t open and close without some assistance along with perished water bags (material between canvas and rear screen).
- even after new tyres and an alignment, there is a steering wheel wobble at 70 mph, which is not present at 60 or 80 mph. Possibly steering rack related.
- B service needed with spark plugs and brake fluid.
- Loud clicking noise under the glove box for about a minute on start up. I think this is a broken lever relating to the climate control.

What a list huh..

OP, if you are going to get somebody to fix this, then I'd advise only giving the work to someone who knows what they are doing and works to high standards, as there's a lot of brittle 20 year old plastic to break and not put back together properly.

Not such a fun update this time and wondering which route I should take:

1) formal complaint with request for fix / refund

2) just bite the bullet and take it to a good garage

I’ve had the car for 4 months now and have noticed it’s dripping oil from the back of the engine, there is an issue with the parking brake (I think) making a loud grinding noise, the annoying dash board clicking is back, vibration when reversing.

Now if I had the time, tools and skills it’s potentially just parking brake service, rear gearbox mount and an engine seal probably circa £250 in parts.

Dealer has already said it’s past its 3 month warranty period but I think there is a 6 months statutory rights in my favour now?

Letter template tool here - https://www.which.co.uk/tool/car-problem

Thoughts appreciated.

Thanks

I have a C55, basically the estate version of the same car, same platform and drivetrain.

It was leaking significant oil from the rear of the engine, enough to trigger it to ask for an top-up, although only through the summer months (presumably as the oil was thinner in the heat).

One indie, Alex Crow, identified it as the rear main crank seal but declined to repair as in the past they had replaced the seal but the leak had returned within a few months, and the car ended up going back to Merc for a permanent fix.

Another, All Klasse, made the same diagnosis and was happy to quote for £1100 inclusive to repair.

In the end I realised that I was parking the car nose uphill on my drive, hence tipping the oil back. I switched to parking on a flat part of my drive, and the problem went away entirely.

So if you're parking uphill it may be easy to avoid, but if it's not that then hopefully the info above gives an idea of what may be needed.



On the wider issue you're right that issues which appear within six months are legally presumed to have been present at the point of sale, unless the seller can prove otherwise. With the oil leak I would imagine it's temperature related hence why it only became apparent in June, so would be hard for them to prove the seal was good when you bought it.

So yeah, I do think you have grounds to ask them to repair or pay for a repair.

Hope you get the glitches sorted, it’s a fantastic car. Far too many will have been maintained on the cheap and completely ragged by owners with no appreciation for what they have.

I refer back to my earlier post. Mine cost £7k in 18 months.

They're 20 year old high performance cars built in an era when mercedes were known for producing highly complicated, sub-par vehicles.

The fibre wiring is example, ECUs in each door for the mirrors and Windows at £500ea, the bespoke fuel pump system, radiator issues, the roof mechanism (boot latches and RAMs), seat air controls and heating. All over designed and under engineered

Don't get me wrong I miss mine and it was a bloody lovely thing, but every month something was wrong. I sometimes wish I'd have kept it.

Now have a slightly newer, less complex Merc.