Sensible Gentleman's Express -- 2007 C216 CL600 V12
Discussion
bolidemichael said:
What a great contribution, thanks a lot for your anecdote. Nice to see the ‘Jersey’ reference to validate the moniker ‘Jersey Syd’ for the CL.
Just to verify what has been discussed on this thread to date… it was Mercedes-Benz of Poole when it was sold and it’s what the plates would’ve said?
Jersey Syd - hadn’t seen that’s what you’d named it! Perfect!Just to verify what has been discussed on this thread to date… it was Mercedes-Benz of Poole when it was sold and it’s what the plates would’ve said?
Yes it was a Merc Poole demonstrator first, although it was never actually driven by anyone other than the PDI technician, myself and a valeter! Would originally have had an HG/HD/HJ plate.
Will try and spare a bit of time to have a read through the thread.
Edit - just read the first post properly! The invoice brings back memories - ‘salesman MZC’ was my user ID at Merc and my colleague Andrew took the money. Wasn’t too far off with what I thought we’d sold it for - pretty sure that was almost list money (if not very close!), and of course the original reg is there.
Lovely car - just a proper thing!
Edited by matc on Sunday 16th March 20:29
matc said:
bolidemichael said:
What a great contribution, thanks a lot for your anecdote. Nice to see the ‘Jersey’ reference to validate the moniker ‘Jersey Syd’ for the CL.
Just to verify what has been discussed on this thread to date… it was Mercedes-Benz of Poole when it was sold and it’s what the plates would’ve said?
Jersey Syd - hadn’t seen that’s what you’d named it! Perfect!Just to verify what has been discussed on this thread to date… it was Mercedes-Benz of Poole when it was sold and it’s what the plates would’ve said?
Yes it was a Merc Poole demonstrator first, although it was never actually driven by anyone other than the PDI technician, myself and a valeter! Would originally have had an HG/HD/HJ plate.
Will try and spare a bit of time to have a read through the thread.
Edit - just read the first post properly! The invoice brings back memories - ‘salesman MZC’ was my user ID at Merc and my colleague Andrew took the money. Wasn’t too far off with what I thought we’d sold it for - pretty sure that was almost list money (if not very close!), and of course the original reg is there.
Lovely car - just a proper thing!
So you’re MZC, Andrew is “Received with thanks A. Elliott’ and you almost recalled the price correctly — £113k can translate to £130k over the duration of eighteen years!
Funnily, I had assumed a hybrid of what you’d said regarding the rules about selling demonstrators. That perhaps MB UK had insisted or contracted their dealerships to place orders for this new flagship and then it was up to them to find customers. The truth is far nicer — it was a truly desirable car that a discerning customer wanted there and then! Also, it’s cool that you’ve actually driven Jersey Syd.
Two questions, if I may:
- Why did the mileage read 196 on the invoice? Was there a Ferris Bueller style roadtrip around the New Forest with the PDI Technician, yourself and the valeter?
- Who can I blame for not ticking the £300 option box for a heated steering wheel?
bolidemichael said:
matc said:
bolidemichael said:
What a great contribution, thanks a lot for your anecdote. Nice to see the ‘Jersey’ reference to validate the moniker ‘Jersey Syd’ for the CL.
Just to verify what has been discussed on this thread to date… it was Mercedes-Benz of Poole when it was sold and it’s what the plates would’ve said?
Jersey Syd - hadn’t seen that’s what you’d named it! Perfect!Just to verify what has been discussed on this thread to date… it was Mercedes-Benz of Poole when it was sold and it’s what the plates would’ve said?
Yes it was a Merc Poole demonstrator first, although it was never actually driven by anyone other than the PDI technician, myself and a valeter! Would originally have had an HG/HD/HJ plate.
Will try and spare a bit of time to have a read through the thread.
Edit - just read the first post properly! The invoice brings back memories - ‘salesman MZC’ was my user ID at Merc and my colleague Andrew took the money. Wasn’t too far off with what I thought we’d sold it for - pretty sure that was almost list money (if not very close!), and of course the original reg is there.
Lovely car - just a proper thing!
So you’re MZC, Andrew is “Received with thanks A. Elliott’ and you almost recalled the price correctly — £113k can translate to £130k over the duration of eighteen years!
Funnily, I had assumed a hybrid of what you’d said regarding the rules about selling demonstrators. That perhaps MB UK had insisted or contracted their dealerships to place orders for this new flagship and then it was up to them to find customers. The truth is far nicer — it was a truly desirable car that a discerning customer wanted there and then! Also, it’s cool that you’ve actually driven Jersey Syd.
Two questions, if I may:
- Why did the mileage read 196 on the invoice? Was there a Ferris Bueller style roadtrip around the New Forest with the PDI Technician, yourself and the valeter?
- Who can I blame for not ticking the £300 option box for a heated steering wheel?
We were able to spec them, but not everything was available hence the lack of heated steering wheel - but in fairness it wasn’t a hugely popular option back then and I think it had an annoying extra stalk to operate too, so may not have been ticked.
I’d say the mileage would have been a guess, or default for an unused demonstrator - I would guess it did no more than 5 miles whilst with us.
Just caught up with the thread and it seems to still be in pretty decent fettle - I do prefer the original wheels with the AMG kit though! Nothing wrong with the new ones, but I’ve always associated them with CLK’s and S-Class.
Hope you plan to keep it for a decent while?
matc said:
bolidemichael said:
matc said:
bolidemichael said:
What a great contribution, thanks a lot for your anecdote. Nice to see the ‘Jersey’ reference to validate the moniker ‘Jersey Syd’ for the CL.
Just to verify what has been discussed on this thread to date… it was Mercedes-Benz of Poole when it was sold and it’s what the plates would’ve said?
Jersey Syd - hadn’t seen that’s what you’d named it! Perfect!Just to verify what has been discussed on this thread to date… it was Mercedes-Benz of Poole when it was sold and it’s what the plates would’ve said?
Yes it was a Merc Poole demonstrator first, although it was never actually driven by anyone other than the PDI technician, myself and a valeter! Would originally have had an HG/HD/HJ plate.
Will try and spare a bit of time to have a read through the thread.
Edit - just read the first post properly! The invoice brings back memories - ‘salesman MZC’ was my user ID at Merc and my colleague Andrew took the money. Wasn’t too far off with what I thought we’d sold it for - pretty sure that was almost list money (if not very close!), and of course the original reg is there.
Lovely car - just a proper thing!
So you’re MZC, Andrew is “Received with thanks A. Elliott’ and you almost recalled the price correctly — £113k can translate to £130k over the duration of eighteen years!
Funnily, I had assumed a hybrid of what you’d said regarding the rules about selling demonstrators. That perhaps MB UK had insisted or contracted their dealerships to place orders for this new flagship and then it was up to them to find customers. The truth is far nicer — it was a truly desirable car that a discerning customer wanted there and then! Also, it’s cool that you’ve actually driven Jersey Syd.
Two questions, if I may:
- Why did the mileage read 196 on the invoice? Was there a Ferris Bueller style roadtrip around the New Forest with the PDI Technician, yourself and the valeter?
- Who can I blame for not ticking the £300 option box for a heated steering wheel?
We were able to spec them, but not everything was available hence the lack of heated steering wheel - but in fairness it wasn’t a hugely popular option back then and I think it had an annoying extra stalk to operate too, so may not have been ticked.
I’d say the mileage would have been a guess, or default for an unused demonstrator - I would guess it did no more than 5 miles whilst with us.
Just caught up with the thread and it seems to still be in pretty decent fettle - I do prefer the original wheels with the AMG kit though! Nothing wrong with the new ones, but I’ve always associated them with CLK’s and S-Class.
Hope you plan to keep it for a decent while?
I'll keep it for as long as I can continue to justify it. It's a wonderful thing and I still have a little titivation to do; hopefully if AMEX come through for me, I'll get a ticket to watch Frankfurt vs Spurs in April and drive it there for an overnighter.
dscam said:
Always a treat catching up on this thread, BM.
Absolutely love the antecedents provided by matc - what a great bit of detail to have about your car!
Saw this today which made me think of you and your CL:
I read a story about that designer. He picked a peck of pickled peppers, or something.Absolutely love the antecedents provided by matc - what a great bit of detail to have about your car!
Saw this today which made me think of you and your CL:
As nice as they are, I'm not sure they'll ever be a future classic. I don't think any CL has, has it? PERHAPS the 126 (I know not a CL in name, but it is, in reality, the same thing).
Mezzanine said:
BigBen said:
bolidemichael said:
BigBen said:
bolidemichael said:
and being sat next to the table at quizzes that finishes one place higher!
I didn't spot you, you should have said hello.
As I plan to get the 20" wheels on soon, I've been thinking tyres. Two and a half things have been on my mind since removing the wheels from the car:
-- which tyres to opt for
-- which full sized spare to mount
-- to fit TPMS which seemed to be missing
Tyres:
Firstly, after having had the welded alloy checked over, I decided to stick to the 20" for summer tyres. I know that's asking for trouble on our potholed roads, but I like the AMG look and also, bigger is better. After having read the review of summer tyres on tyrereviews.co.uk, I wanted to try the Continental ContactSport 7 which were rated for their dry handling and subjective comfort, in particular. However, they still haven't released a tyre for both axles -- 255/35/20 and 275/35/20.
Therefore, my next best option is for Michelin Pilot Sport 4S which is an old compound now and that I have experienced on my E500, but I have to say that they're excellent and absolutely incredible through standing water. So, no bad thing but an opportunity missed to gain experience with a different tyre.
Spare:
I intend to continue with a full sixed spare, as I do at present with the all-season tyres. My considerations are that:
-- the front is 255
-- the rear is 275
-- the front is 8.5J width
-- the rear is 9.5J width
-- the front and rear are both ET43 offsets, so will clear the calipers
-- the front is a 97 load rating
-- the rear is a 102 load rating
-- both are Y speed rated
I've been finding it very difficult to find a single suitable 20" spare, particularly in AMGIII design as per my alloys, so I considered that I could co-opt one of my many, many 19" multi-spoke as an alternative. I plugged the tyre sizes into www.tyresize.com and the single size which equated to an equal difference between the two was 265/40/19 -- a 1.1% diameter difference for both front and rear.
So, I'll pursue that solution. The only fly in the ointment is that the Pilot Sport 4S is only available in an MO spec, which differs in tread count to the standard 4S. However, considering that I'll be looking to replace it at the first opportunity, this isn't a significant issue.
Finally, I'll mount it to a 9.5J rear, as it'll fit both the front and rear without fouling the arches or springs, as I unwittingly discovered earlier when I scratched the alloy only to discover that the 255 front had been mounted to the 9.5J rear!
TPMS
My indy told me a while ago that it should have this as standard and must've been removed at some point. However, with a little research it seems that this verhicle has 477 -- Tyre Pressure Loss Warning System, whereas an option for £208.51 was TPMS -- Tyre Pressure Monitoring System.
Essentially, this vehicle has wheel speed sensors which detect a change in the rolling radius and alerts the drivers as to a sudden loss in the tyre pressure. I don't recall if it'll pinpoint the wheel.
What next? I'll have the Pilot Sport 4S mounted before going to Frankfurt mid-month. I was hoping to visit the Nordschleife for a lap, but as it's car-frietag (Friday), it'll be absolutely rammed and I'll get knowhere near the place.
As I've also discussed with my indy the option of considering later software in order to separate the currently merged distronic and cruise-control functions; at present, the distronic kicks in sooner than I'd prefer, despite the distance being adjustable therefore isn't so smooth to operate, according to my preferences. Perhaps part of that process can be to activate the TPMS option that'll've been embedded into the software and I'll have that retrofitted too. However, it isn't the end of the world and since these are summer tyres, there won't be such a variance in ambient temperatures so as to seriously affect the tyre pressures for the road 'when cold'. Useful for monitoring potential slow punctures, though...
-- which tyres to opt for
-- which full sized spare to mount
-- to fit TPMS which seemed to be missing
Tyres:
Firstly, after having had the welded alloy checked over, I decided to stick to the 20" for summer tyres. I know that's asking for trouble on our potholed roads, but I like the AMG look and also, bigger is better. After having read the review of summer tyres on tyrereviews.co.uk, I wanted to try the Continental ContactSport 7 which were rated for their dry handling and subjective comfort, in particular. However, they still haven't released a tyre for both axles -- 255/35/20 and 275/35/20.
Therefore, my next best option is for Michelin Pilot Sport 4S which is an old compound now and that I have experienced on my E500, but I have to say that they're excellent and absolutely incredible through standing water. So, no bad thing but an opportunity missed to gain experience with a different tyre.
Spare:
I intend to continue with a full sixed spare, as I do at present with the all-season tyres. My considerations are that:
-- the front is 255
-- the rear is 275
-- the front is 8.5J width
-- the rear is 9.5J width
-- the front and rear are both ET43 offsets, so will clear the calipers
-- the front is a 97 load rating
-- the rear is a 102 load rating
-- both are Y speed rated
I've been finding it very difficult to find a single suitable 20" spare, particularly in AMGIII design as per my alloys, so I considered that I could co-opt one of my many, many 19" multi-spoke as an alternative. I plugged the tyre sizes into www.tyresize.com and the single size which equated to an equal difference between the two was 265/40/19 -- a 1.1% diameter difference for both front and rear.
So, I'll pursue that solution. The only fly in the ointment is that the Pilot Sport 4S is only available in an MO spec, which differs in tread count to the standard 4S. However, considering that I'll be looking to replace it at the first opportunity, this isn't a significant issue.
Finally, I'll mount it to a 9.5J rear, as it'll fit both the front and rear without fouling the arches or springs, as I unwittingly discovered earlier when I scratched the alloy only to discover that the 255 front had been mounted to the 9.5J rear!
TPMS
My indy told me a while ago that it should have this as standard and must've been removed at some point. However, with a little research it seems that this verhicle has 477 -- Tyre Pressure Loss Warning System, whereas an option for £208.51 was TPMS -- Tyre Pressure Monitoring System.
Essentially, this vehicle has wheel speed sensors which detect a change in the rolling radius and alerts the drivers as to a sudden loss in the tyre pressure. I don't recall if it'll pinpoint the wheel.
What next? I'll have the Pilot Sport 4S mounted before going to Frankfurt mid-month. I was hoping to visit the Nordschleife for a lap, but as it's car-frietag (Friday), it'll be absolutely rammed and I'll get knowhere near the place.
As I've also discussed with my indy the option of considering later software in order to separate the currently merged distronic and cruise-control functions; at present, the distronic kicks in sooner than I'd prefer, despite the distance being adjustable therefore isn't so smooth to operate, according to my preferences. Perhaps part of that process can be to activate the TPMS option that'll've been embedded into the software and I'll have that retrofitted too. However, it isn't the end of the world and since these are summer tyres, there won't be such a variance in ambient temperatures so as to seriously affect the tyre pressures for the road 'when cold'. Useful for monitoring potential slow punctures, though...
I think you’re going to have to find something like this to enable TPMS (this is a random find for a 221, not necessarily for your car).
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/305807973939?mkcid=16&a...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/305807973939?mkcid=16&a...
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