What would you do?
Discussion
Hi guys, had my '05 CLK 320 for just over a year now. Bought for £3800 last year. It now has 43k on it and runs and drives like new.
It's just had its MOT, only advisories- tyres cracked which I've just replaced all 4.
Also rear breaklines corroded/covered in grease
I want to get the gearbox serviced and have been quoted £200 which I'm happy with.
Its started making a whining noise from the front of the engine. When I had the battery replaced a few months back , the RAC guy said it sounds like it could be one of the pullies is warped and making the belt sound like this.
So, 3 things to potentially pay for
1) gearbox service (no brainer so that'll get sone)
2) corroded brake lines - it's done 2000 miles since I bought it and this wasn't mentioned on the last MOT done prior to the sale
Is this worth just leaving until the next MOT or better to do early to reduce potential future costs
3) the engine/belt(?) whine. At this stage it seems more 'cosmetic ' as it sounds s
e but runs perfectly. Could this potentially damage the engine if it gives up, so worth doing early?
The car won't be worth anything in trade in I imagine so essentially worthless but, it's such a lovely car to drive and goes so well.
Sorry for long post, essentially I'm gauging your thoughts. Is it worth chucking a grand or so at it and it'll be a low mileage keeper for a few years, even if its worth next to nothing? (Happy to do this by the way)
Not fussed about cosmetic 'outside' bits like wheels and a few scratches. No rust on it at all.
Or should I spend nowt on it and run it into the ground which would be a real shame.
It's just had its MOT, only advisories- tyres cracked which I've just replaced all 4.
Also rear breaklines corroded/covered in grease
I want to get the gearbox serviced and have been quoted £200 which I'm happy with.
Its started making a whining noise from the front of the engine. When I had the battery replaced a few months back , the RAC guy said it sounds like it could be one of the pullies is warped and making the belt sound like this.
So, 3 things to potentially pay for
1) gearbox service (no brainer so that'll get sone)
2) corroded brake lines - it's done 2000 miles since I bought it and this wasn't mentioned on the last MOT done prior to the sale
Is this worth just leaving until the next MOT or better to do early to reduce potential future costs
3) the engine/belt(?) whine. At this stage it seems more 'cosmetic ' as it sounds s
e but runs perfectly. Could this potentially damage the engine if it gives up, so worth doing early?The car won't be worth anything in trade in I imagine so essentially worthless but, it's such a lovely car to drive and goes so well.
Sorry for long post, essentially I'm gauging your thoughts. Is it worth chucking a grand or so at it and it'll be a low mileage keeper for a few years, even if its worth next to nothing? (Happy to do this by the way)
Not fussed about cosmetic 'outside' bits like wheels and a few scratches. No rust on it at all.
Or should I spend nowt on it and run it into the ground which would be a real shame.
Edited by siovey on Sunday 7th September 17:18
The brake pipe advisory may or may not be anything; it might just mean that the pipes are covered in grease such that the tester can't see whether they're corroded or not. Having said that, some MBs are susceptible to corroded rear brake pipes.
The whining could be any one of a number of things, although a warped pulley seems an unusual suggestion to me; it could be pas pump, water pump, alternator, aircon compressor, tensioner or just a worn belt.
It might be worth asking a decent MB indy to have a look as it might be a relatively simple fix. What to do? If it's an otherwise good car, no rust, good interior, what else could you replace it with for the same money and what guarantee that the replacemsnt would be any different. If it's a potential 'keeper', it's probably worthy of further investigation. I wouldn't leave the whining, although knowing the source might assist your decision making.
The whining could be any one of a number of things, although a warped pulley seems an unusual suggestion to me; it could be pas pump, water pump, alternator, aircon compressor, tensioner or just a worn belt.
It might be worth asking a decent MB indy to have a look as it might be a relatively simple fix. What to do? If it's an otherwise good car, no rust, good interior, what else could you replace it with for the same money and what guarantee that the replacemsnt would be any different. If it's a potential 'keeper', it's probably worthy of further investigation. I wouldn't leave the whining, although knowing the source might assist your decision making.
Aye, depends how corroded they are i suppose. If it's all too expensive in relation to the car's value I'll just bin it off.
Hopefully not, as its a lovely car, despite not being worth much.
If it can get both issues done for less than £1k I'll get it sorted i think.
After the gearbox is serviced it should be good for another few years with me hopefully....
Hopefully not, as its a lovely car, despite not being worth much.
If it can get both issues done for less than £1k I'll get it sorted i think.
After the gearbox is serviced it should be good for another few years with me hopefully....
siovey said:
Aye, depends how corroded they are i suppose. If it's all too expensive in relation to the car's value I'll just bin it off.
Hopefully not, as its a lovely car, despite not being worth much.
If it can get both issues done for less than £1k I'll get it sorted i think.
After the gearbox is serviced it should be good for another few years with me hopefully....
I've been syringing out the PAS fluid on my C320 and replacing it with new. It was black in colour - should be light green. Funnily enough, it now steers a lot better!!! Various Merc specialists, including one who serviced it a year and less than 1500 miles ago didn't spot it.Hopefully not, as its a lovely car, despite not being worth much.
If it can get both issues done for less than £1k I'll get it sorted i think.
After the gearbox is serviced it should be good for another few years with me hopefully....
trevalvole said:
I've been syringing out the PAS fluid on my C320 and replacing it with new. It was black in colour - should be light green. Funnily enough, it now steers a lot better!!! Various Merc specialists, including one who serviced it a year and less than 1500 miles ago didn't spot it.
Not good that they all missed that! 
Panamax said:
This £200 gearbox service sounds too good to be true. Are they going to do it in 15 minutes and fill with cooking oil from Aldi?
I hope not!I've had a price for the brake lines of £450 so I'll get that done.
The noise from the front was the air conditioning condenser(?) I think, and one of the pullies for the belt is warped. Bill for that is £750, so that can all wait a while!
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