mercedade

Always! I love a write-up - much easier to dip in and out, and also because I think you write well. Counterpoint - it's a shag load of work and I appreciate not especially appealing if you've already done a vid.

Ah, gotcha.

Was this in SK8 by any chance?

Belting work, and what an absolute diamond @Jikovron is. Top effort lads, really well done.

Oh god *cold sweats* I had an SLK230 before the CLK, and the K40 was regularly identified as the root of all evil. I never got to the bottom of a magnetic supercharger clutch that refused to engage, but one of the previous owners had clearly changed the K40 at least once. But in truth, I can't considered it could also be responsible for electrical shutdowns. As ever, the problem will be getting a confirmed diagnosis - sadly, no engine-donors on hand that I know of.

Feels mega solid. In fact, the only wobbly feeling I ever get is on full-lock turns, making me think bottom balls joints. Did them on the SLK before I sold it, and it made a big difference.

I'm a big fan of my 230K. Not had it long, but long enough to find that maintenance is pretty straightforward, and most things have been good to work on. Even when maintenance has been skimped on in the past (virtually non-existent rear pads and retaining pins rusted solid) stuff is well made enough to withstand brutal replacement. Biggest headache is going to be electronics - as I'm finding with a random electrical fault (it's started completely shutting down whilst driving - 5 times now, total electrical failure, other than stereo and hazards - and then random selection of no-start failures, sometimes with warning lights, sometimes, with none at all). Having been told it was probably the electronic ignition system (EIS), I spoke with a specialist in such repairs who told me it probably wasn't, because that wouldn't cause it to shut down mid-drive. Whereas another specialist has told me it might be, if the key is losing its connection. It's a circa-£200 gamble, which on a £600 car I'm not wild about. It'll be easily worth it if it's the guaranteed fix, but I just can't get that confirmed.

This has (genuinely) been instructive. As soon as I can definitively confirm that the EIS is toast, I can send it off for (seemingly) sub £180. I mean, still OUCH, but only the price of, say, tyres, rather than a whole new exhaust.

I reject this answer and demand you come up with a more palatable one immediately.

FFS The CLK has the worst kind of electrical fault - a randomly occurring, intermittent cut out that I can't replicate or force, and doesn't appear to have any specific conditions associated with it. I noticed a few weeks ago that it wouldn't always start when I got in it. The full selection of dashlights would light up when they key is in position 2, but turn it and absolutely nothing would happen. The dash lights would all go out except the SRS light. If I locked the car and then unlocked it, it seemed to work normally. I think at the time I convinced myself that it was an immobiliser. Then was I driving a few days ago, doing a steady 30 mph, when it just totally, electrically died (apart from the radio and the dashlights). Just like someone had turned it off. I coasted for about 3 seconds, trying to signal that I was pulling over - but didn't even have any indicators. Hazards still worked. Whilst coasting, in gear, I didn't do anything - it just sprang back to life. Drove on as if nothing had happened. Didn't happen again for a few days, then it happened yesterday. Only this time, it didn't restart. Coasted to a stop (same electrical systems - radio fine, hazards fine, everything else dead). Tried locking and unlocking the car, tried wiggling/shuffling through P/N/R/D, tried removing the key and retrying - but nothing. Sometimes I would get no dashlights at all except the SRS light, sometimes I would get all the lights as normal, but no start. The roof was down - which meant I looked PRETTY FUCKING COOL - and I thought I could hear the fuel pump running the times when the dashlights illuminated. Then, after about 90 seconds or so (which is a really long time) it just randomly started again. Battery voltage is mega healthy, and the car - once it agrees to crank - starts beautifully. No struggles to fire or anything. I hate random electrical faults.

Great looking work, lovely to see this getting rescued. My old garage boss ran two of these in the mid-late 90s.

Fucking brilliant.

Jesus Christ Phil, that's utterly terrifying. I would love to pretend that the powerlessness was somehow liberating. Really hope for the best possible outcomes.

Absolutely brilliant effort, lad. I was getting flashbacks to all kind of jobs attempted over the years where it's felt like I'd been backed into a hopeless corner. Keep it up, can't wait to see the end result.

Great work. It's a brave man who risks the cooling capacity on a KV6 800 though. Please, please get that header tank sorted. Either a Volvo or Audi one will do it - don't bother with a 2nd hand or NOS one. They all go the same way eventually, and the newer ones tend to be the worst (they changed plastic compound through the later revisions).