Mercedes-Benz CLK430 - Yes they did make one ;)

[j44esd]

kapiteinlangzaam said:

Whats the deal with the 430? Is it a sleeved/de-tuned 500, or is it a completely different engine?

It's an M113 but assembled by Mercedes, not AMG with a bit less power - so effectively a cut price C43 in a party frock

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_M113...

[C70R]

j44esd said:

C70R said:

I'm none the wiser, but I realise that PHers tend to be cryptic about their car spending.

Sorry! didn't mean to be cryptic, just don't really like talking about money publicly as a rule. As the person below has stated 'about £2000' - £1950 to be precise.

Thanks for the clarification. People are oddly guarded about how much they pay for their cars on PH, as if it's some sort of huge conspiracy. It's certainly not gauche to talk about spending a couple of grand on an old Merc.

£1950 is strong money for a coupe, but there are so few non-rusty ones about that it's almost impossible to gauge a 'norm'.
Some of the convertibles are being advertised (no idea if they are selling) for ridiculous money. There's one on Ebay with 40k fewer miles than mine and less spec being advertised at more than twice the price!!

[j44esd]

C70R said:

Thanks for the clarification. People are oddly guarded about how much they pay for their cars on PH, as if it's some sort of huge conspiracy. It's certainly not gauche to talk about spending a couple of grand on an old Merc.

£1950 is strong money for a coupe, but there are so few non-rusty ones about that it's almost impossible to gauge a 'norm'.
Some of the convertibles are being advertised (no idea if they are selling) for ridiculous money. There's one on Ebay with 40k fewer miles than mine and less spec being advertised at more than twice the price!!

The big aspect as you say is 'non-rusty' which it is - it also has piles of history and is overall in very good condition for the year - there are a few jobs to do, but that's part of the fun to me - and many of them would not even be done by most, I just like to get my cars into as good a condition as possible.

Prices on W208s are also literally all over the shop - from £500 for a rusty 230K with torn seats all the way to £5k for a 100k 430 Cab, so I guess it's all a 'what are you happy to pay on a given day' scenario.

[C70R]

j44esd said:

C70R said:

Thanks for the clarification. People are oddly guarded about how much they pay for their cars on PH, as if it's some sort of huge conspiracy. It's certainly not gauche to talk about spending a couple of grand on an old Merc.

£1950 is strong money for a coupe, but there are so few non-rusty ones about that it's almost impossible to gauge a 'norm'.
Some of the convertibles are being advertised (no idea if they are selling) for ridiculous money. There's one on Ebay with 40k fewer miles than mine and less spec being advertised at more than twice the price!!

The big aspect as you say is 'non-rusty' which it is - it also has piles of history and is overall in very good condition for the year - there are a few jobs to do, but that's part of the fun to me - and many of them would not even be done by most, I just like to get my cars into as good a condition as possible.

Prices on W208s are also literally all over the shop - from £500 for a rusty 230K with torn seats all the way to £5k for a 100k 430 Cab, so I guess it's all a 'what are you happy to pay on a given day' scenario.

Couldn't agree more on both points. I can't really see much appeal in the 230/320 unless you're talking sub-£1k, as the CLK isn't really that great a drive without a bit of oomph.

I definitely got lucky with a lack of rust on mine. Unfortunately, the old boy who I bought it from lost the bloody service history (I paid accordingly) so it was a bit of an unknown entity, which lead to me spending £200 a ECP for a bagload of service bits (16 plugs!).

[j44esd]

Well, as someone asked for more pictures, and I stated I'd bore everyone with my updates - here are both! To kick off with here is a few more pictures for the 'large old Mercedes photo enthusiasts' amongst you.









So to the jobs. So far the following have been identified:

Drivers seat doesn't move forward when you pull the 'rear access' lever (comfort access I believe Mercedes named it)

A few 'central London stylee' parking dints - nothing major, but certainly in need of a can we/can't we with the local uberdentmasterman

The tint is warped in the rear screen - it's a very subtle tint, and has obviously been on a long time - I'm torn (no pun intended) between straight removal or removal / replacement

Aircon, compressor works, car makes vaguely appropriate noises and lights, it then attempts to coax the air into a new condition via strong words and enthusiasm. But seemingly very little refrigerant.

Paint marks on boot - probably bird poo that has been left on too long before washing off.

The windscreen wiper has been cleverly designed to leave a small 1" smear in line with my eyes. I feel it's a deliberate affront.

So the plan is to work my way through these whilst (probably) finding more!

First off the immobile drivers seat. A quick google suggests that the seat motors can 'lose their location' an automotive vodka binge if you will. So the reset procedure of 'hold forward button to end of track, keep holding for 10 seconds, press back button til the end of track, keep pressing for ten seconds, hold forward button til end of track and hold for ten seconds' was employed. At this point the seat wouldn't move at all. A truly excellent surprise. After much swearing and wondering if I knew anyone that was sub 4ft to drive it to a garage it turns out that pulling the handle to return the seat to the normal position makes it all work normally. So one job down!

Air con was next, a pressure test reveals a very slight pressure loss but a seemingly healthy compressor and condenser so the plan is to introduce dye and refrigerant and see how long it works for and where/if it leaks from - the expert seemed to think it could well be 'dried up seals' I assume he doesn't mean the cute sea life, but he's suggested I run the car (and the AC) for the next few weeks before we investigate further.

As its hot, that's seems enough tinkering for one day, so I'm going to go out for a drive now instead

[5potTurbo]

I happened to be in Greenarrow's neck of the woods last week, and I'd not seen a CLK430 before.

On Saturday I saw a silver CLK430 cab in Branksome. It was superclean and I suspect it only ever sees dry, sunny days - so it's not out very often!

[RickJD]

Hello, I’ve just recently purchased one of these myself and come across your topic. It’s been a while since your last post so just wondering if you still have the car? Cheers Rick

[j44esd]

RickJD said:

Hello, I’ve just recently purchased one of these myself and come across your topic. It’s been a while since your last post so just wondering if you still have the car? Cheers Rick

Sadly not! I had a big move a couple of years ago (to another country), so was forced to sell off all my car's in the UK...

If you've any questions about them, feel free to post and I'll try and answer if I can!