A new (sort of sensible) daily... a Merc CLS Shooting Brake

[MrC986]

So, after a stage 1 paint correction package and a ceramic coating my car now looks like this....
I'm excited to collect it as I've never had a car "detailed" before so I look forward to it making my car cleaning a bit easier until the better weather comes as it lives outside rather than under cover.

[p4cks]

Superb car, I was looking at these at the weekend coincidentally so I like this thread a lot. Particularly since the detail!

[MrC986]

p4cks said:

Superb car, I was looking at these at the weekend coincidentally so I like this thread a lot. Particularly since the detail!

Thanks. It’s come up really well with the stage 1 correction & Angelwax Genesis ceramic coating. The only problem is, as I’m sure those with a touch of car OCD know, it shows up the bits they can’t correct I.e. the b pillar covers that sadly lose their finish due to previous owners using less than ideal cleaning products or the local “scratchers” to clean their pride & joy.

[si_xsi]

Very nice, i was looking at these when we needed a comfy estate for long European trips. Went for an XFS 3.0d Sportbrake in the end so interested to see how your journey has been with the CLS. Both twin turbo torque wafters with air suspension, I chose the Jaguar purely on spec and what was available at the time, but both great cars and you don't see many around.

[PugwasHDJ80]

MrC986 said:

I do feel a bit like it’s a serious investment compared to an 07 Saab 9-3 TID 150 bhp Sportwagon I bought 6 years ago as a daily (& paid £3,850 for!) & did 50k miles in, though I’m breaking a pattern of behaviour and buying a lower mileage car in the hope I can keep in for say 4 yrs/100k miles of motoring.

Randomnly i went from an 09 Saab 9-3TID sportwagon to a CLS

Both have a unique look that i liked.

The cls went pleasingly well, but people kept driving into it. We only sold it as a growing family meant it was too small!

OP yours looks lovely when detailed!

[MrC986]

PugwasHDJ80 said:

Randomnly i went from an 09 Saab 9-3TID sportwagon to a CLS

Both have a unique look that i liked.

The cls went pleasingly well, but people kept driving into it. We only sold it as a growing family meant it was too small!

OP yours looks lovely when detailed!

Thanks for the comments on the detailing.....I’ve only seen mine either in the dark or under artificial lights since picking it back up but I was admiring the shining paintwork in the door mirrors as other cars passed it on the way to work today.

I did look at an XF Sport Brake briefly as a company car for MrsC but ended up with a Discovery Sport as we were living in an area where they had lots of roads flood & MrsC spent a lot of time driving on unsurfaced roads with her work & treated it as most horsey wives do (like a skip ). Strangely I’ve also had a facelift 9-3 TID sport wagon 150 bhp for a couple of years too - it was a great car & for the miles I did (about 60k) it cost me only £2k in depreciation & was mechanically spot on. I did somewhat blow my daily car budget with the CLS but it is a lovely place to be & compliments our Volvo XC60 which is the current family hack whereas the CLS is my commuting car & for when we go out somewhere nice - I’ve even got a spare set of wheels (18s) with winter tyres ready to pop on whilst the 19s are refurbished but it does have a suitable dog guard to keep the family Terrier in the boot as he’d be straight over/into the back seats when he’s travelling with us.

[MrC986]

Today was a safety recall day...a trip to the local main dealer for not one, but two issues....the first being the bolts on the steering rack which in turn leads to needing a 4 wheel alignment check (mine was all in tolerance as I keep a close eye on my geo) & the 2nd was for a software update which I politely declined as it knocks the economy by a few mpg & I also heard another customer say the same. In the next week I’ll hope to put the 18 inch winter wheels on (should ride nicely on them!), then the MOT & finally a service in February which might include the brake fluid. The dealer interestingly said they can now change the service regime to minor, minor & then a major service so I wonder if that’s their way of trying to hold on to the service work on older cars??

[MrC986]

Update....due the annual service plus brake fluid change and given it’s 10 yrs old next month, I think probably a gearbox fluid change too.

It properly blotted it’s reliability record a week or so ago....I’m mainly driving in the dark at this time of year & do nearly 2 hrs each way to work on the motorway, I started it up in the daylight (day off) to see a full dashboard of warning lights that weren’t ready to go off A very short drive (300m) to my new techie for the daily stuff and he cleared the codes but it included Canbus error messages and all the lights came back on again after being cleared (#ohbugger). A good auto electrician identified a low voltage issue & reset everything and the car now sits on a trickle charger to make sure it doesn’t happen again

It still awaits a wheel refurb but I think it needs some better weather before I get them sorted....

[MrC986]

Update....so the Canbus issue definitely looks as if it will need a new battery to cure it as without a regular connection to my battery conditioner it throws its dolly out of the pram but once you get the car up to a sensible speed the alternator must be chucking enough power in as you can clear the lights using the OK button - I'm just ordering a new AGM one which will go on when it has its annual service in the next week or so as I don't trust myself to change it as it is tucked away under the bonnet in an inconvenient place.

Strangely, not long after the recall being done for the bolts for the steering rack it developed a clonking noise on the front so it's also likely to need some anti roll bar/sway bar links as it's a big old lump of an engine so that'll also be sorted at the service as well.

I was tempted to change it but as MrsC reminded me it is a lovely place to sit & waft along & has no finance on it so it's staying (& I think it still looks such a stonking car, especially from certain angles).
|https://thumbsnap.com/PmuGE4vv[/url]
Using my local service guy will also save me some £s compared to the Merc specialist I was using who'd properly blotted their copy book with the misdiagnosis on the rear suspension fault & their lack of interest in quoting (fortunately!!)

PS the wheel refurb hasn't happened yet & in the meantime I must stop idly browsing the Internet looking at aftermarket replacement 19 wheels [url]

[Robertb]

MrC986 said:

p4cks said:

Superb car, I was looking at these at the weekend coincidentally so I like this thread a lot. Particularly since the detail!

Thanks. It’s come up really well with the stage 1 correction & Angelwax Genesis ceramic coating. The only problem is, as I’m sure those with a touch of car OCD know, it shows up the bits they can’t correct I.e. the b pillar covers that sadly lose their finish due to previous owners using less than ideal cleaning products or the local “scratchers” to clean their pride & joy.

I bought a new b pillar cover for mine… was the drivers side so annoyed me every time I opened the door! Wasn’t too expensive and took minutes to fit.

You could have the existing ones wrapped in gloss black, depending on relative cost…

[MrC986]

Robertb said:

I bought a new b pillar cover for mine… was the drivers side so annoyed me every time I opened the door! Wasn’t too expensive and took minutes to fit.

You could have the existing ones wrapped in gloss black, depending on relative cost…

I did look at the covers when I got the car detailed but it's not triggering my OCD as much as the need for a full wheel refurb in all honesty

[Robertb]

Defo the weakest point of CLS ownership- the wheels. Mine seem to bend with little provocation, and the fully refurbished diamond cut finish has started to go again despite being babied.

I think it would be a nicer-riding car with 18s and more tyre profile. I’ve got full airmatic on mine but it’s still harsh on bad surfaces.

Also- if you are clocking up some miles check the inside edge of the rear tyres carefully… they get cut and wear badly through to the cords and I had one fail on the M4 despite the rest of the tyre having plenty of tread depth. It’s really hard to see unless you get right under the car.

[Regbuser]

Plenty of wheel choice here > https://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/mercedes_alloy_w... < Inc 17s if you want to have the most forgiving ride

[AC43]

MrC986 said:

I was tempted to change it but as MrsC reminded me it is a lovely place to sit & waft along & has no finance on it so it's staying (& I think it still looks such a stonking car, especially from certain angles).

Nice. Out of interest what's the age and mileage?

I bought a 2010 E Class estate (a 500) in 2017 when it was 7 years old and on 54k miles. It's now 14 years old and on 88k miles and it's still tight as a drum.

I've had to replace a couple of rear air springs and a starter motor and sort out a minor oil leak but that's about it other than regular servicing. And ball joints and drop links but that's speed bumps for you.

As I'm not sure what to replace it with I've just kept it.

[MrC986]

Mine’s having its 10th birthday and just clocked 100k (about 37k in my hands in just under 3yrs).

Whilst my man maths feels the strong pull of a new set of aftermarket 19s (easy/quick), keeping the original wheels does appeal but with a powder coated finish in a similar silver. I’ve a set of 18s (matching width front/back with new winter tyres) but they’re very much meant just for winter but I agree the mahoosive 285 rears do seem a bit unnecessary with 265 bhp! I also keep a close eye on tyre wear & have a 4 wheel alignment check every 18 months or so (the recent safety recall for the steering bolts also included a 4 wheel alignment). My motoring currently is mainly dual carriageways/motorways & some limited well known A roads so I hope to reduce the likelihood of pot holes but I keep a keen eye out as they’re pretty teeth chattering with the 19s & such low profile tyres.

I need to get on & sort the battery, service & anti roll bar links as I’ve a weekend trip to Falmouth very soon & the CLS is the preferred choice of our cars

[Robertb]

Regbuser said:

Plenty of wheel choice here > https://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/mercedes_alloy_w... < Inc 17s if you want to have the most forgiving ride

Cheers… some great sets there. Surprised that to replace mine would be £3600!

[AC43]

MrC986 said:

Mine’s having its 10th birthday and just clocked 100k (about 37k in my hands in just under 3yrs).

Whilst my man maths feels the strong pull of a new set of aftermarket 19s (easy/quick), keeping the original wheels does appeal but with a powder coated finish in a similar silver. I’ve a set of 18s (matching width front/back with new winter tyres) but they’re very much meant just for winter but I agree the mahoosive 285 rears do seem a bit unnecessary with 265 bhp! I also keep a close eye on tyre wear & have a 4 wheel alignment check every 18 months or so (the recent safety recall for the steering bolts also included a 4 wheel alignment). My motoring currently is mainly dual carriageways/motorways & some limited well known A roads so I hope to reduce the likelihood of pot holes but I keep a keen eye out as they’re pretty teeth chattering with the 19s & such low profile tyres.

I need to get on & sort the battery, service & anti roll bar links as I’ve a weekend trip to Falmouth very soon & the CLS is the preferred choice of our cars

The 19's look amazing but clearly there's a tradeoff. Mine came on 17's and had a pillow-y ride. But I didn't like the look so stuck on some 18's. They are definitely harsher and prone to minor buckling over time. Nothing you can't balance out but it's a thing. Next time I have them refurbed I'll get them straightened. Only the 2nd time so not so bad.

I bought my previous one (S211 500) at 5 years on 95k and kept it until it was 12 on 145k. Again, not many problems outside of service items; Airmatic compressor & boot lock spring to mind. Apart from a bit of crazed leather on the seat bolster it still looked amazing.

That car is still going and I'm in touch with both subsequent owners. It threw some big bills after I'd had it - IIRC it ended up with replacemant Airmatic all round and some other expensive stuff - but it's nearly 20 years old now and on 190k miles or so.

TL;DR your SB at 10 years old and on 100k miles has years of good service left in it. Beautiful looking car too.

[AC43]

MrC986 said:

given it’s 10 yrs old next month, I think probably a gearbox fluid change too.

FWIW I've had Mercs continuously for 21 years now and have generally stuck to a 5 year/50k mile schedule.

[Regbuser]

Robertb said:

Cheers… some great sets there. Surprised that to replace mine would be £3600!

Yes, those spindly AMG 5 spokes command a premium now.

I put a set of these on > https://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/mercedes_alloy_w... < much stronger, and looked great.

[MrC986]

I've had the oil and all filters changed this week plus the new battery. The filters weren't too bad but the battery was clearly the cause of the warning messages as it was just startimg to show signs of a leak (cleaned/checked battery tray). The battery prices are ridiculous....the online guys were about £100 less so I bought the battery for less than my mechanic could from his motor factors and he fitted it as it isn't a easy position almost under the edge of the windscreen and being so heavy.

It might be the placebo effect but it drives better now but they didn't have time for the gearbox fluid change so that'll be done in the next few weeks with the replacement of the front droplinks.