What would you do?
What would you do?
Author
Discussion

siovey

Original Poster:

1,763 posts

155 months

Yesterday (17:04)
quotequote all
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 scratchchin
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 scensorede 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.
scratchchin




Edited by siovey on Sunday 7th September 17:18

TarquinMX5

2,279 posts

97 months

Yesterday (21:11)
quotequote all
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.

siovey

Original Poster:

1,763 posts

155 months

Cheers mate. Its booked in for a check over on Thursday.
Happy to chuck some cash at it as it's definitely a keeper, as long as it's nothing too major!
Cheers thumbup

trevalvole

1,609 posts

50 months

IIRC the rear brake lines go over the fuel tank, so replacement won't be cheap.

siovey

Original Poster:

1,763 posts

155 months

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.
scratchchin
After the gearbox is serviced it should be good for another few years with me hopefully....