Best smoker barges 1-5 large [Vol 12]

[chasingracecars]

Looks a lot like gaffa tape around the front wheel arch under the indicator there.

[SimonTheSailor]

Is that a load of black tape under the front indicator ?

[BigBen]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

SimonTheSailor said:

Ok, i'm liking these Mercedes coupes now !


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-Cl500/23263203...

There is some thread experience of these. I think BigBen is a ninja; if you're seriously interested in them, PM him.

Mine is a saloon but the same issues apply. The worry on the V12s are the coil packs which do fail and are quite expensive, although lower cost re-manufacturing options now exist, including a DIY option if you are competent with a soldering iron. The coil pack risk is why many ignore the pre-TT V12s as they don't have the shove to go with the potential big bills. I agree and would wait for a TT version, that said these are still a lot more expensive in coupe form.

ABC suspension problems are covered in detail in a lot of other places, essentially it is not that bad of a system to DIY work on but is also does not seem to be well understood by garages including Merc dealers. When it is working, that is to say most of the time, it is a brilliant system.

Ben

[tobinen]

Ref the 126: I like the look of it, but yes, the seller is a prize plum

MoT until October although the mileage discrepancy in 2009 is odd.

[SimonTheSailor]

@Bigben - so whats the cost of these coil packs ?!

[SpeckledJim]

tobinen said:

Ref the 126: I like the look of it, but yes, the seller is a prize plum

MoT until October although the mileage discrepancy in 2009 is odd.

I don't care how nice the car is, I couldn't buy one off him because I simply couldn't abide him thinking his presentation had 'worked' on me.

[olly755]

Wonder where his stock comes from? Pretty sure none of it is the usual trade/auction fodder.

I can imagine he's an insufferable pain in the arse as a buyer too.

[Krikkit]

RE: V12 coilpacks, that repair actually looks quite do-able. Suddenly I'm tempted again! I was thinking an X308R this year, but maybe a Merc V12 could be tempting.

chasingracecars said:

Looks a lot like gaffa tape around the front wheel arch under the indicator there.

Missed that! I was expecting it when the MOT history was advising about sharp edges. The pics look awful on my crappy work screen.

tobinen said:

Ref the 126: I like the look of it, but yes, the seller is a prize plum

MoT until October although the mileage discrepancy in 2009 is odd.

That is a bit weird, although I'd guess maybe a clocks change? Mileage definitely unknown on that one!

Edited by Krikkit on Thursday 18th January 12:24

[BigBen]

SimonTheSailor said:

@Bigben - so whats the cost of these coil packs ?!

iirc they are about a grand from a dealer and there is one for each bank of cylinders.

[SimonTheSailor]

BigBen said:

SimonTheSailor said:

@Bigben - so whats the cost of these coil packs ?!

iirc they are about a grand from a dealer and there is one for each bank of cylinders.

fkin hell !!

[J4CKO]

Krikkit said:

Looks superficially OK, the ad tells you absolutely sod-all despite all the waffle!

MOT history suggests it was laid up from 2009-2017, careful poke underneath and that actually seems quite a good buy.

Ad says "cars of distinction",

Hmm, I say whiffy old Merc stuck together with Duck tape, if all he can justify is two grand with all that flannel, you just know that, despite on first look not looking too bad, is a horror.

[Lowtimer]

SimonTheSailor said:

BigBen said:

SimonTheSailor said:

@Bigben - so whats the cost of these coil packs ?!

iirc they are about a grand from a dealer and there is one for each bank of cylinders.

fkin hell !!

Well, yeah, but they were top-of-the-range £100K-plus cars for the extremely rich when they were new 12 or so years ago: what sort of maintenance costs were you expecting?

[Krikkit]

J4CKO said:

Krikkit said:

Looks superficially OK, the ad tells you absolutely sod-all despite all the waffle!

MOT history suggests it was laid up from 2009-2017, careful poke underneath and that actually seems quite a good buy.

Ad says "cars of distinction",

Hmm, I say whiffy old Merc stuck together with Duck tape, if all he can justify is two grand with all that flannel, you just know that, despite on first look not looking too bad, is a horror.

If it's so terminal underneath once you get it home (it has "passed" an MOT don't forget), I'm sure you could break it for every penny you paid. Even just punting it on eBay as-is would see a minimal expenditure.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

Lowtimer said:

SimonTheSailor said:

BigBen said:

SimonTheSailor said:

@Bigben - so whats the cost of these coil packs ?!

iirc they are about a grand from a dealer and there is one for each bank of cylinders.

fkin hell !!

Well, yeah, but they were top-of-the-range £100K-plus cars for the extremely rich when they were new 12 or so years ago: what sort of maintenance costs were you expecting?

Steady on Lowtimer, that isn't thread-talk. There's no place for that sort of clear-thinking logic in these parts.

[tobinen]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

Lowtimer said:

SimonTheSailor said:

BigBen said:

SimonTheSailor said:

@Bigben - so whats the cost of these coil packs ?!

iirc they are about a grand from a dealer and there is one for each bank of cylinders.

fkin hell !!

Well, yeah, but they were top-of-the-range £100K-plus cars for the extremely rich when they were new 12 or so years ago: what sort of maintenance costs were you expecting?

Steady on Lowtimer, that isn't thread-talk. There's no place for that sort of clear-thinking logic in these parts.

That said, how many other manufacturers manage to make coil packs from KitKat wrappers and then charge their weight in gold?

[BigBen]

tobinen said:

CharlesdeGaulle said:

Lowtimer said:

SimonTheSailor said:

BigBen said:

SimonTheSailor said:

@Bigben - so whats the cost of these coil packs ?!

iirc they are about a grand from a dealer and there is one for each bank of cylinders.

fkin hell !!

Well, yeah, but they were top-of-the-range £100K-plus cars for the extremely rich when they were new 12 or so years ago: what sort of maintenance costs were you expecting?

Steady on Lowtimer, that isn't thread-talk. There's no place for that sort of clear-thinking logic in these parts.

That said, how many other manufacturers manage to make coil packs from KitKat wrappers and then charge their weight in gold?

Exactly. However as above last time I had a Google on the subject it seemed there are now lower cost options / fixes. In my case should the worst happen I would go for a DIY repair kit, but I have access to a lot of electronics manufacturing / test kit and people who are better at using it than I am should I get stuck......

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ignition-Coil-Cassette-...

Therefore they can be fixed for a lot less than the price of a new one. Therefore buy a V12 !

Edited by BigBen on Thursday 18th January 14:22

[SimonTheSailor]

Just because the car WAS 100K doesn't mean the coil pack has to be a grand each !!

[carinaman]

That W126 vendor. I've seen their eBay listings before. I'd rather walk or use public transport. At least they've been helpful and public spirited by making it obvious. That's my 0.33 Bitcoins worth.

[SpeckledJim]

carinaman said:

That W126 vendor. I've seen their eBay listings before. I'd rather walk or use public transport. At least they've been helpful and public spirited by making it obvious. That's my 0.33 Bitcoins worth.

0.033 bitcoins actually.


ETA: 0.00033 bitcoins actually.

ETA: 22 bitcoins actually.

ETA: 44 bitcoins actually.

ETA: 0.0000000442 bitcoins actually.

ETA: 3,451 bitcoins actually.

[Lowtimer]

SimonTheSailor said:

Just because the car WAS 100K doesn't mean the coil pack has to be a grand each !!

• shrug*

it does not strike me as the hugest amount of money in the context of keeping a car like that going. How much do you think an ABS / TC control unit is for any old BMW? Most of those last about 3-5 years and then need to be replaced. In comparison to the prices of a lot of the cars when new, it's more expensive than a coil pack for a CL600. I'm just glad I can still buy them.

Making good margins on spares is a key part of the business model which enables old cars like this to be supported with spare parts at all.

Compare the actual availability of components like this for old Merc / BMW / Porsches with getting equivalent stuff for an old Vauxhall, Cit, Renault or indeed Ford. You get the level of spares support that the market is prepared to pay for.

Most manufacturers of cheap-end stuff are happy to drop spares support much more quickly once their 10 year obligation is discharged, and that's what kills cars, st least as usable daily drivers.

Another point of view: look at what it costs to run a Maserati coupe, or a Bentley or an Aston. All direct competitors to the CL600 when new. In comparison to those the Merc spares prices are a bargain. One reason I have an old R129 rather than an Aston.

Edited by Lowtimer on Thursday 18th January 15:22