There's no such thing as a cheap car! Mercedes CL500 Running & Reliability
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 มี.ค. 2019
- Hey! In this video I just wanted to give you an update on how the CL500 is running and also look at how any car is going to cost you money - doesn't matter what it is, how old or reliable it is...
Owning a car costs money: There's no escaping that!
Other than that, this is just an update and some ideas for anyone considering buying an older car for the fun of ownership - whether a Mercedes, like my CL 500 or any other model, or indeed any car - Porsche, etc etc
Great video, thanks for your thoughts. I just bought a 2008 cl500 after selling my bmw 645. The driving experience is a bit of a disappointment compared to the 645 ie the cl500 has no drama at all and power is applied so smoothly compared to the brutal aggression of the 645. However sitting in the cl500 gliding along the motorway does give me the illusion that I am one of the most important people in the world even though I’m just a lowly peasant that drives lorries for a living. That and the fact that I have never seen another w216 Merc on the road is some of the reasons I will keep it for a few more years.
Different animals, the BM and Merc experience... the 216 is also a totally different car to a 215! I've had a few BMWs, last one was a 735. Never liked the ride or maybe i was just getting older lol. Have fun in the 216 - it'll grow on you no doubt.
Mercedes CL500 W215 VLOG I hope to own a w215 when the prices come down a bit more because the shape of the w215 is what made me fall in love with mercedes. So I shall be following your videos to learn more about this beautiful car.
I couldn't have put that better, that's exactly how you feel alright,tho others might think we're idiots. What I say is " we're old money". Loved the comment.
I needed to hear this, I’ve been putting off getting a Mercedes Benz because people tell me they are too expensive to repair. But after listening to you this just confirmed how I was already feeling, life is too short. Thanks 👍🏾
Cheers buddy. Yep, life is too short - buy one, have some fun and if it's not for you, you can sell it on... all the best!
Great explanation and series - depreciation or repairs, choose your spend. The difference is that if you can cope with the psychology of it being unpredictable repairs, you get to drive something more exciting than a £15k polo!
I've just brought a 2001 cl500 and your videos have been really useful in the thought process.
Thanks for the comment and as you say, if you appreciate there will be some maintenance, then just accept its part of the deal. I hope you enjoy your CL ownership and it proves a good and fun car for you - welcome to the club! Cheers for now! Mark
I absolutely love your reasoning!!!!
He confirmed what I've been thinking 😁 now to convince the wife 😅
Great video. You have style like Jermy Clarkson from Top gear. And one of the last sentens "live is too short" great!
Haha, thank you my friend! Take care, Mark
Dear Marc, thank you very much for your thoughts and your inspiration. After lurking around the car for two years, this post four years ago was the trigger for me to finally take heart and buy the car. Even though I drive it far too rarely, I still enjoy every kilometer. I followed your stance and now call it the Mario car. In memory of Mario Draghi's phrase “Whatever It Takes.”, I will hopefully be able to enjoy it for many years to come. As I said, thank you again for your inspiration. I hope You are fine. Best regards, Stefan
Hey Stefan, good to hear you decided to try a CL at last. I hope you enjoy the car for what it is and take the time to cruise at leisure!!
Hi, thanks for the interesting videos! If you haven’t done this already, could you please let us know how many miles does your car do on a full tank, on different types of roads?
Thanks in advance, keep up the good work!
Hey, how ya doing! So, on a long run I get about 530 miles from a full tank. That's mainly motorways but by no means on flat.
That would be traveling through South France and into Northern Spain for example - and includes long climbs up several thousand meters at some points, as well as stopping at tolls... and trust me, there are a lot of tolls!
I calculated that at some points, the car must be doing well into the 30s MPG but on average on a full tank on tjis kind of run, it shows about 27.7. And I take note regularly lol cos fuel aint cheap. Other than that, I never fill the tank and only put what I need for local journeys as it's extra weight to carry for no reason. Locally around where I live and go shopping etc, I get about 17/18 MPG. Hope that helps!
Great car! Love my 02 Cl500..
What's it like on fuel?
I have an 02 cl500 also best car ever
Had mine 2 years still love it yes it has its problems but it always starts and runs nice.
Nice one!
Hello - first time I've seen you. I'm here in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia. Only last night I spotted a 2000 CL500 with 177xxx kms in exc cond for a good price. She is such a stylish car. Wondering whether I should buy one? Already own a 2001 CLK 55 AMG & 2006 SLK 280. Love your easy-going, conversational style. Very personable. Tony.
Hi Tony, thanks for the comment and nice to see you here, so to speak! The 215 is a different experience as it rides very differently to most other cars, with virtually zero body roll. It can also be a pain in the butt if you over-obsess about things, which I don't - I just accept the car is what it is, will have issues, as do all cars, and some may be a bit more expensive to sort... If you want a bit more of the experience, check out the W215/CL500 Facebook group.
There's all sorts in there and a fairly active and reasonable representation of the issues most of us deal with. There's 2 groups actually and worth joining for some insight. Anyway, wishing you all the best and thanks again for your comments! Cheers mate
Spot on.
Cheers dude!
I'm glad I found this vlog. My current pcp runs out in September and my choice is, buy the two year old Ford with a year's warranty remaining for £10k or say, what the f, get a good CL500 for a similar sum. I know about running costs (fuel, tax, insurance, servicing etc) but my concern with the CL is to do with the ABC suspension. When reading about it, it seems very fragile and very costly to repair. How's your experience been with it? Thanks
Hi! Ok, so much as people may say, the ABC isn't blowing up every few miles. It's a fairly robust system but like all complicated systems, there are lots of parts. Individually most of them are not big bucks and can be done by specialists. I had a refurb / exchange tandem pump replaced for under €400 as an example.
So, as always, I would recommend once you find a couple of cars to choose between, check them over and drive them to make sure everything works and if poss, get a specialist appraisal.
Hope that helps. Good luck!
@@MercedesCL500W215VLOG that's sound advice. Thanks for replying. I've watched a few of your vlogs now. Really enjoyed the practical, everyday nature of them.
Just drove my 03 CL500 from North Yorkshire to Devon and back via London. 1,300 miles of effortless Grand Touring.
Nice one... just what these cars are made for! "Effortless Grand Touring", as you say. Great expression!
Have 2006 cl500 only problem I've had is the tire monitor it's always on. Something new back window opens on driver side only once in a while, other then that I love this car.
Hey, yeah they get under your skin despite their quirks! I'm guessing you tried checking the connections on the rear window module? Maybe the switch has a bad contact. There's also the centre console switches in the back which may need a use once in a while - and I've also heard it's possible for trapped wires to occur under the centre console as they pass through to the rear switches... anyway, cheers for watching and your comment. Take care!
Hi Mark, Nice video, I have a similar whine in my CL500. No errors just annoying. Fortunately my radio works so I turn it up a bit so I don't hear the whine LOL. There is a reset for the radio which may bring it back to life.If I find it again I'll let you know. Don't you need seat belts over there?
Shhh!! Seat belts? Probably just driving through the marina or the urbanisation 😉. Have you had the pulsation dampener checked out? And if you find out about the reset code please advise! Cheers buddy!
@@MercedesCL500W215VLOG I'm going to take it in a get the fluid changed and ask to check it out. Noise is coming from the pump area but it was changed in 2014. Goes up with the revs.
@@satindoors mine increases with revs tpo and seems to be most noticeable around 1500rpm. After that road/ wind noise noise takes over so it's difficult to tell how much different the whine is.
If your radio does not work its probably the CD changer Fiber optics you have to take the carpet compleatly out the truck and try to change it out or disconect the power and connect it again and it should start working that happend to my CL500 2003 overall its a nice car
Hey, thanks and yeah I did all that, reconnected bypassing the CD but I'm pretty sure it's the amp... I'll get to it one day lol. Thanks tho!
@@MercedesCL500W215VLOG V8 sound is music enough.
@@vornamenachname5589 yeah, that is true!
Should I look for a CL or an S class with a 5 liter motor?
S Class probably cheaper to run and buy now - all depends if you want two doors or four. Both great cars but very different!
Love my 02 cl500 best car ever
Hey! Nice to hear from you! Glad to hear you love your car!
Your reasoning is on point.
Enjoy your motoring!
Thanks!! Likewise, whatever you're driving, enjoy!
check fuel rail schrader vale/cap area.wee tap with screwdriver, then release/tighten valve solved that problem.
Thanks for that but could you elaborate on that a bit please lol. Cheers!
@@MercedesCL500W215VLOG l had an unrelated issue_radiator, which required top font cover of engine off.When l put it back together again Schraeder fuel valve started leaking.Didn't want to pull it out in case l created more probelms.Hence the tapping around the valve with screwdriver handle and Loosening/tightening valve with car tyre valve cap(has adapter on the end of the cap).Did the trick,no leaking-touch wood.
Just bought an 02 CL500 and love it so far. If you’re not mechanically inclined then you have no business owning one. You’ll just end up complaining about it. This is a car for gear heads.
Welcome to the gang!
All old/classic cars are driving projects, as long as they are driveable, everything else can wait
Well that's about the most common sense I've heard in a long time!! I drive a 17 Yr old s 350 and I'd say the exact same thing and I'm an Irish man.
Haha, well that's great of you to say! Thanks for taking the time to watch amd comment and... enjoy your S350! Cheers, Mark
I drive a 2007 7 series so surely if I got one of these it's gonna have the same kind of repairs 😅
I suppose it depends on the luck of the draw,old chap. Me personally I'll do the exact same thing again no problem. The smiles per Mile in these cars far outweigh the risk. I've spent very little on mine,vacuum pump for suspension 500 euros the rest is regular maintenance that goes with any car,that's my two cents worth.
Messaging from Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia. My philosophy is that we only live once and we should seize the day, Carpe Diem! Do what gives us motoring pleasure!
Don’t the seat belts work?
What seat belts?!
Can someonehelp me with my cl500 its stuck in limp mode the code reads (The signal of the transmission output speed sensor is implausible compared to that of the wheel rpm)
Hi, I can't help you with that I'm afraid but have you tried the Facebook groups?
@@MercedesCL500W215VLOG no I haven't but I'll try now
@@MercedesCL500W215VLOG thank bro
You need a new conductor plate. You’ll get to change fluid and filter too. Not a difficult job, plenty of utubers.
@@richthomas1670 Thank you bro💯
Just bought one of this
Good luck with it and I hope it's all solid and reliable for you! Check out the Facebook owners groups too - good resources and a decent bunch of folks!
@@MercedesCL500W215VLOG it comes with a few flaws, there's a message on the dash that doesn't go away, it reads "Entry position do not drive" I read the manual but probably did read enough, don't know how to clear it. Facebook group eh? Lololololololols i may try it, hopefully they're not like the Lexus bunch, they seem to be philiacs and get off on the pictures that are posted. Basically they keep asking for pictures without any specific reason, and the others are quick to respond. They also be hacking parts they no longer need. It could be annoying, hopefully the benz boys are more refined
@@bajaboy27 mostly lol. The message you have on the dash will probably need resetting on a diagnostic PC. Have fun with the car!
If fuel prices rise more again you are screwed and you pay so much more for insurance and tax...buy a used golf or polo you going to safe so much money and time...but i love the design of this merc so bad most beatiful car since decades
Yeah fuel is always an issue but although fuel prices vary a lot, historically they actually haven't increased as much as it seems. Insurance prices peak too... but yes, a cheaper car will always be cheaper and that's the equation I'm talking about and therefore, where you base your decision: older Merc is a risk but the fun factor is there or "mainstream " car... it does the same job. It's the old battle of brand vs reality! Cheers, Mark
Can you make video, How is it drive this car in winter?
Hey! I use this car every day for almost 4 years now... when you say winter , do you meam snow ?
I own a 2004 CL500 and my radio doesn’t work either 👎
Bloody old cars, eh! Lol thanks for the sub! Ciao, Mark