CL500 Servicing Costs
Discussion
Hi - I'm seriously considering buying a CL500, a year 2000 with 63000 miles on the clock. Normally a car like a CL would be beyond my budget, however the depreciation means that I can afford to buy. The concern I have however is over the servicing costs.
Do any of you have experience of the likely servicing costs? (ie oil and filter, plugs, valve clearances, brake pads & discs etc) I will be covering about 15,000 miles a year. I'll be happy to go outside the dealer network for servicing.
Thanks..
Do any of you have experience of the likely servicing costs? (ie oil and filter, plugs, valve clearances, brake pads & discs etc) I will be covering about 15,000 miles a year. I'll be happy to go outside the dealer network for servicing.
Thanks..
Edited by V8 Disco on Sunday 25th May 21:40
I have a 1999 SL500 which has the same engine and transmission.
First, the drivetrain (and the rest of the car) has been extremely reliable with no need for unforeseen repairs.
Second, service intervals are as long as 15,000miles and maintenance work (i.e. more than an oil change) is required even less often. As on most modern cars, the car will tell you when it needs a service and the interval will vary from car to car and driver to driver. My car does not do many short journeys (most are at least 20miles) but it does spend time in traffic and I am "enthusiastic" with the throttle; I run it on Mobil 1, too.
Third, the actual costs are not too bad. Mine is serviced at the dealer. I generally spend about £400 a time. I am, however, fastiduous about scheduled and preventative maintenance.
Fourth, on a 2000 with 63k miles, you will most likely need to change the plugs at the next service (70k interval from memory). There are 16 spark plugs and they cost about £10 each! You must also get the transmission fluid and filter changed if it has never been done before (Merc say the tranny is filled for life, but it is widely accepted that it is essential to do a one-off fluid and filter change at 40k miles). You may also wish to have the harmonic balancer on the crank shaft changed as early parts have suffered serious failures.
Fifth, be on the look out for rust or for rust repairs.
Sixth, if anything does go wrong, i.e. electrical things, the cost to fix it will either be incredibly cheap or incredibly expensive: there is neither rhyme nor reason to Merc parts prices!
On balance, I think these cars are cheap to run.
First, the drivetrain (and the rest of the car) has been extremely reliable with no need for unforeseen repairs.
Second, service intervals are as long as 15,000miles and maintenance work (i.e. more than an oil change) is required even less often. As on most modern cars, the car will tell you when it needs a service and the interval will vary from car to car and driver to driver. My car does not do many short journeys (most are at least 20miles) but it does spend time in traffic and I am "enthusiastic" with the throttle; I run it on Mobil 1, too.
Third, the actual costs are not too bad. Mine is serviced at the dealer. I generally spend about £400 a time. I am, however, fastiduous about scheduled and preventative maintenance.
Fourth, on a 2000 with 63k miles, you will most likely need to change the plugs at the next service (70k interval from memory). There are 16 spark plugs and they cost about £10 each! You must also get the transmission fluid and filter changed if it has never been done before (Merc say the tranny is filled for life, but it is widely accepted that it is essential to do a one-off fluid and filter change at 40k miles). You may also wish to have the harmonic balancer on the crank shaft changed as early parts have suffered serious failures.
Fifth, be on the look out for rust or for rust repairs.
Sixth, if anything does go wrong, i.e. electrical things, the cost to fix it will either be incredibly cheap or incredibly expensive: there is neither rhyme nor reason to Merc parts prices!
On balance, I think these cars are cheap to run.
Edited by r129sl on Tuesday 27th May 08:52
C140 CL500 (1993 to 1999) runs a m119 DOHC motor with four valves and one plug per cylinder.
C215 CL500 (2000 to 2006) runs a m113 SOHC motor with three valves and two plugs per cylinder; the m113 is particularly fuel efficient and torquey for a 5-litre V8 (I can get 28mpg out of mine).
The OP refers to a 2000MY CL500: I have assumed he means the newer model, but only he knows!
C215 CL500 (2000 to 2006) runs a m113 SOHC motor with three valves and two plugs per cylinder; the m113 is particularly fuel efficient and torquey for a 5-litre V8 (I can get 28mpg out of mine).
The OP refers to a 2000MY CL500: I have assumed he means the newer model, but only he knows!
Thanks for the replies - been over to mbclub for a look too.
I am not 100% sure which engine, but it's a year 2000 car so I guess the 2-plug design. I am genuinely amazed at the prospect of 28mpg - this was one of my other 'worries' - was also thinking about LPG as an option. If I can get over 25mpg it would be less of a problem.
I read on mbclub that a 50k service can cost £4000
is that true - and if yes, when does the next horrific bill come round??
Thanks again for your help. Lovely car and it's hard to not just get on and buy it - but I need to know I can run it too, as it will be my daily drive.
I am not 100% sure which engine, but it's a year 2000 car so I guess the 2-plug design. I am genuinely amazed at the prospect of 28mpg - this was one of my other 'worries' - was also thinking about LPG as an option. If I can get over 25mpg it would be less of a problem.
I read on mbclub that a 50k service can cost £4000
is that true - and if yes, when does the next horrific bill come round??Thanks again for your help. Lovely car and it's hard to not just get on and buy it - but I need to know I can run it too, as it will be my daily drive.
Edited by V8 Disco on Tuesday 27th May 19:55
Howitzer said:
I was sure the CL500 used a more modern version of the M119 engine but never knew it ran twin plugs?
Every day is a school day.
Dave!
Same goes for my C43, only found out about it when I read through the car's history before buying it and saw the previous owner bought 16 new plugs as part of a service!Every day is a school day.
Dave!
But that's nothing compared to the W215 CL600, which has a twin spark V12. That's 24 new spark plugs when they're due for a change. MB stealers will charge £360 just for those to be changed during servicing!!
Fuel economy: I never get less than 18 or more than 29mpg, generally I get 23mpg. I have obtained the high mileage figures during long distance drives with an absence of traffic, where I have been able to maintain a steady 95mph all day long (i.e. in France). It amazes me, too. I do not know whether the CL500 weighs more than my SL500, it probably does but not by much, so the figures should be similar.
Servicing: there is no set service interval, so there is no such thing as a 50k mile service. In almost 150,000miles with my SL500, I have never spent £4,000 at the dealer! The big ticket items were catalytic converters (about £1,300 including labour) which went at about 100,000miles and spark plugs. From memory, the only scheduled service items are engine oil and filter (every time), brake discs and pads as required (not very often), brake fluid (every two years), air filter (no more than every 30k miles), coolant (every three years or 40k miles), fuel filter (no more than every 50k miles), spark plugs (think 70k miles). I can't recall there being more than that in the schedule.
As I said, I have had my transmission fluid and filter changed, the harmonic balancer changed and I also had the rear diff oil changed. None of this is scheduled service stuff.
I have had new shocks. These are bound to be pricey on a c215 CL because it has ABC active body control (i.e. fancy dan shocks). I also had a new xenon headlamp (£700). I have had bits and bobs of suspension bushes changed but that doesn't cost the earth. I had a new fog light (£80). This stuff is the luck of the draw, though.
The best advice I can give is shop around for a good one: it is a buyer's market for these cars. A good one will give you years--decades--of satisfactory service. A bad one will drain your wallet. I took 6months to find my SL: it has never ever let me down and I would drive it across Europe tomorrow.
Servicing: there is no set service interval, so there is no such thing as a 50k mile service. In almost 150,000miles with my SL500, I have never spent £4,000 at the dealer! The big ticket items were catalytic converters (about £1,300 including labour) which went at about 100,000miles and spark plugs. From memory, the only scheduled service items are engine oil and filter (every time), brake discs and pads as required (not very often), brake fluid (every two years), air filter (no more than every 30k miles), coolant (every three years or 40k miles), fuel filter (no more than every 50k miles), spark plugs (think 70k miles). I can't recall there being more than that in the schedule.
As I said, I have had my transmission fluid and filter changed, the harmonic balancer changed and I also had the rear diff oil changed. None of this is scheduled service stuff.
I have had new shocks. These are bound to be pricey on a c215 CL because it has ABC active body control (i.e. fancy dan shocks). I also had a new xenon headlamp (£700). I have had bits and bobs of suspension bushes changed but that doesn't cost the earth. I had a new fog light (£80). This stuff is the luck of the draw, though.
The best advice I can give is shop around for a good one: it is a buyer's market for these cars. A good one will give you years--decades--of satisfactory service. A bad one will drain your wallet. I took 6months to find my SL: it has never ever let me down and I would drive it across Europe tomorrow.
As previously mentioned check thoroughly for rust.
If you can, take it to Merc for a corrosion check prior to purchase and ask MBUK if it has had any rust repairs under Mobilolife or recall.
These CL's are afflicted by the same rust issue that afflicts the S, E and C class of similar age.
Look especially around base of 'c' pillar where it meets body, the doors and the wheel arches.
Some owners have had rust repair by Merc under warranty (including new rear wings which is a huge job on one of these) only to have it reappear elsewhere within a few months.
Merc have even given inflated p/ex allowance on afflicted CL's, to good customers, to get them out of a problem vehicle.
If it has a full MBSH then Merc should repair any rust issues, but as has been seen with many E class this is not guaranteed cure.
If you can, take it to Merc for a corrosion check prior to purchase and ask MBUK if it has had any rust repairs under Mobilolife or recall.
These CL's are afflicted by the same rust issue that afflicts the S, E and C class of similar age.
Look especially around base of 'c' pillar where it meets body, the doors and the wheel arches.
Some owners have had rust repair by Merc under warranty (including new rear wings which is a huge job on one of these) only to have it reappear elsewhere within a few months.
Merc have even given inflated p/ex allowance on afflicted CL's, to good customers, to get them out of a problem vehicle.
If it has a full MBSH then Merc should repair any rust issues, but as has been seen with many E class this is not guaranteed cure.
Edited by Egbert Nobacon on Thursday 29th May 17:20
Gassing Station | Mercedes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff