Late 1990's Mercedes CLK soft top- shite?

[Lankytim]

Hi all,

 

 

I've spied a 1998 Mercedes CLK 230K convertible listed in "other car parts" on ebay. It has a really poor description with no details except it sometimes pops out of gear and the electric roof has stopped working. No mention of spec but it's got sensors in the front bumper and larger alloys than bog standard so it could be a posh model. A check of its MOT history shows it's MOT'd  until next year. and doesn't have anything too scary on the advisories.

 

Now, I know this era of Mercedes can be pretty dire for corrosion and general build quality issues but is there anything I should look out for especially? I think it has a manual box so the popping out of gear thing could spell big problems.

 

UPDATE, auction finished with no bids, but the seller will take an offer apparently.

 

 

Any experience of these?

[83C]

The M111 engine is a solid old lump, sounds crap even by 4 pot standards but goes well - I think the 230K has something near 200bhp. The interior is a nice place to be, everything falls to hand fairly easily. I don't know much about the Spanish gearboxes though. The autos have issues with the gearbox fluid cooler pipes rusting through.

 

Watch for rot, exhaust manifold cracks, rust, electrics playing up and corrosion. Don't spend huge amounts, they're not worth much at the moment.

[billyboy406v6]

Buy it and love it !!!!!!!!!!!!

[JayW]

The roof has more sensors than you can possibly imagine, but the faults are almost certainly one of them failed. They're cheap and methodical in diagnosis.

 

It's the obscure listing that would make me view thoroughly before offer though.

[Jazoli]

So the roof is fucked? then its a big minus to begin with, plus gears don't usually pop out unless the 'box is fucked too, I'd be inclined to find one that isn't pre-knackered, fully functioning ones can be had for £notalot 

[Cavcraft]

Get a 3.2, much better engine.

[Lankytim]

I think the roof can be operated manually, although on forums people recon a "reset" procedure can fix things.The box does worry me though. I don't know if it's a manual or auto, although checking online doesn't specify so I recon that must mean it's a manual. Apparently Autos doing this can be fixed by replacing a traction control senor. A agree that a manual jumping out of gear probably means a new box. The seller reckons the roof and the box worked fine when it was parked up a few months ago though!

 

A 3.2 would probably be better, but it would cost more than £400

[NorfolkNWeigh]

We've had one for 10 years, a 230 auto. It's currently waiting on me MoTing it for the summer. Trouble is it should have failed last year on emissions- oil has leaked into the engine loom and possibly the ecu. I've got a secondhand loom but am too lazy to sort it, also both front arches need doing ( again)

All 4 arches were done 6 years ago and apart from the fronts needing doing again and the lacquer flaking off on the boot they don't seem to rot anywhere important.

The engine is a coarse old thing but goes well enough, although if I was buying now I'd be looking for a V8- the 230 struggles to do 25mpg the 430 can't that much worse, can it?

Some parts are piss cheap, I've got 4 discs, 2 sets of pads sitting in the boot that cost £65 off Amazon, but some are awful- side window rubber seal was £90.

 

Manuals are very rare, but to jump out of gear it must be , I suppose.

As others have said the roofs are pretty straightforward but with lots of sensors, the only problem we've ever had is the tensioning wires which mean you have to help it on the first fold when putting it down and if you don't catch it when going up it slams down onto the screen top.

[Dan the van]

 although if I was buying now I'd be looking for a V8- the 230 struggles to do 25mpg the 430 can't that much worse, can it?

 

 

Had a 430,brilliant on fuel for the amount of poke(285 gee gee's iirc).28-30 mpg on a run inc having a play.Roof could simply be the load cover in the boot,needs to be pulled out to let roof fold.Would have another,430's under a bag now.More wiring than a 747 tho',and electics not great.

[DSdriver]

Jumping out of gear only in most used gear suggests knackered syncro caused by bad habit of holding onto the gearshift or resting your hand there whilst driving.

How difficult it is to replace a syncro ring I have no idea so suggest getting another box from a scrapper then you can rebuild this one at your leisure with the invaluable help of HBOL.

[The_Equalizer]

Could resist commenting on this. I've had an auto box 2001 CLK 230 Komp convertible for nearly a year now. It was meant to be a temporary replacement for my C230K Sport manual that failed its MoT due to serious rot, but I love it so much that it's stayed.

 

There are a few things to watch for. You've mentioned the roof. Any problems need a bit of detective work to pin down the problem. If you can find a friendly Indy and stick it on their Merc STAR system you'll probably get a far better clue from the error code. The biggies expense wise for the roof are the pump, its brain and then the rams. All are available second-hand, albeit still expensive and the former take some time to get at. My roof had a wobble, but the Indy fixed it for about £50 - he wouldn't tell me what was wrong as it was a 'trade secret'!

 

Watch for the exhaust manifold on the 200/230s which tends to crack. The early ones are a long four branch thing which can be welded. The later cars (from about 2000 onwards) have a double skinned exhaust manifold which is about £600 from Merc and £350 for OEM from Germany - I know as I replaced my last month.

 

The front suspension normally wears on the roll bar bushes and lower ball joints. All are a straight forward fix and inexpensive should you be able to do the work yourself.

 

Bodywork-wise the arches always go. Mine have been blown in to an acceptable standard. They are a pain to fix, but cosmetic. Do watch for rust on the inner wings, sills and floor pan. You'll see the underbody coating bubble and if it's widespread just find another car.

 

Spec wise, manuals are fairly rare and only on the CLK230K and CLK200K. I'd suggest the 200K is a bit too slow, but the 230K has the best part of 200bhp and with the supercharge is fast enough for me at least. The 320s are meant to be smoother. As mentioned the 430 are very nice and they are still available for cheap money. CLK55 are very rare and command a premium. I'd say price-wise you'd be looking at £1K-ish for a reasonable 230K coupe, £2K for a convertible. 320s aren't really any more expensive. 430 I've seen nice coupes at £2K and £3.5 for the convertible. 55 is £5k for the coupe and I don't know the last convertible I've seen. Avantgarde are the better spec versions and Sport is rarer. Nearly all are 'resale' silver (sadly mine is). You can find them in blue and black, and very occasional some interesting Designo colours. Interiors are nearly always leather so carry no premium, but I would imagine a cloth spec car very hard to sell.

 

Best cars I've seen recently were a silver 430 couple for sale here in Northern Ireland for £1650 with full Benz history and a lovely Designo orange 430 coupe in Newcastle for just over a grand (with a few things needing fixing).

 

There's loads more I could write so if you've any particular questions please do fire away.

 

The bottom line is if you can swallow slight more expensive parts and are able to do some of the spannering yourself then I'd say go for it. The convertibles were £40k+ cars in real terms new and I feel the W208 are silly bargains at the moment.

[The_Equalizer]

Forgot to say that mine cost £1550 and I've probable spent another £1K doing a very comprehensive service, having the roll bar and bushes replaced, replacing the manifold and a few other bits. Oh and I've and I've just spent another £300 on a brake servo (cost of the OEM ATE part from Germany) as it's sticking in hot weather.

[Lankytim]

Thanks for all the info everyone! Unfortunately something else has come up so I'm going to have to let this Merc go! If anybody wants the sellers details send me a PM. It's an R reg motor in black with MOT till January and it failed to get a bid for £400 and the seller will take offers.

 

I'll just have to scratch my soft top itch another time!