used Mercedes CLK (W209/C209) - 2002-2009, Buying advice with Common Issues 

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Hands down the best and most concise review I have seen (of any car). Thank you and an amazing job!

Wow this video takes your reviews to another level, thanks!

Very informative video!, i own clk500 m113 for about 11 years and had all mentioned issues with heater and C.P. sensor:))

FINALLY, CLICKED SO FAST OML.

Have an 05 CLK 500 Convertible with 25000 miles, been a good car.

Can you do a review for the Mercedes B-Class W245 2005-2011?

Balance shaft failure with m273. Do you know till what month of production on 2007 models?

Dude I love your voice lmao

I've owned a 2004 CLK 500 or 4 years and I run my own car RU-vid car channel. Your review is SPOT ON! Simply the best over the whole internet. Bravo and thank you!

I just looked for this car out of curiosity, wasn't expecting to find so much information in a single video =)

I ve own a clk 320 2004 from 30.000 miles[2011]till 84.000 miles[2015]problems:1 engine camshaft sensor at 70.000 miles,front light at 80.000 miles,fuel filter at 75.000 miles.never took the car to the service.did everyhing myself.The best car I ever owned.And I owned a few.Just loved it.

Love this guy's reviews. He's so methodical I question his humanity. Maybe I should do a quick to the point review on HIM now: Unique one-of-a-kind model. Homes in on the central issues. His brain acts like a superconductor. Common problems: None.

Yes , M112 and M113 are the best ..replace the crankshaft position sensor after 12 years ,,change transmission fluid regularly ,,, also replace the idler pulley after 100,000 km , keep a good strong battery in the car ..and change all the other fluids as required and they are a great car ,,very reliable..

Good summary ,,all correct . These cars are worth getting and carrying out these jobs , then they will go for another ten years. CLK55 AMG is the best ,,just normal maintenance ,,front rotors can cost $700 usd ,,but you only need to replace after 100,000 km. One thing you forgot to mention is these M112 and M113 need new valve cover gaskets and breather chamber resealed after 12 years.

Awesome car , the main problem on convertible version is be ready that pump and hydraulic cylinders will fail ,thanks to ebay for cheap used parts... also soft top will need sew , otherwise would say one of the best merz of those years

Ahhhhhh, thank you thank you for reviewing my pretty little Benz!🤗 Still lovely Mercs & perhaps the prettiest in decades. Yes my interior air flaps broke, they are fragile! But it's as well built as a W212. And yes my engine flaps were changed on the dreaded but nice sounding & economical M272. Nice review - as always!

Own a 2004 clk 320 with 90k miles. Very good car. Head rest adjust is not working but that’s the only problem so far. Love the car! Great video!

I love my CLK 270 ! Owning 3 years and awesome performace and liability. Buy one or at leat drive ist and experience.. peace

CLK = Reliable, still prestigious & affordable Benz.

Excellent video. As a proud owner of a CLK 500 I have suffered and absolutely subscribe all the issues you mention. Apart from them, it's an extraordinary car.

I have owned a 2000 clk 320 cabrio for over 7 years, its a euro version imported from Hong Kong. Only issues were crank position sensor which i discovered would work if you poured cold water on it !! The transmission plug and a few small bits and pieces...redid all the front bushings and some upper rear ones also had the plugs changed out and had the transmission fluid refreshed . it is always garaged . I guess our climate in Australia is pretty kind to cars.I personally change the oil regularly and change out all filters. It drives very well and has a solid feel on the road still with about 180,000 k's. I will keep it until the bitter/ sweet end...........cheers

Bottom line? . . . if it's made of plastic it is going to break eventually (probably sooner). My CL600 fenders, made of plastic both cracked. If you are looking to buy a car, try very hard to find one with the least amount of any plastic in it. Plastic is shit!

The best and most detailed CLK W209 review. I'm so grateful as you helped me to chose the right engine - 2005 M113 and avoid the M273.

I seen how many problems these can give so I went ahead and bought one. 2004 Cabrio with 180,000 . right off the bat the top doesnt work, got a low coolant malfunction and check engine light on. Awesome. I like a challenge

I own one for 3 years, Clk 220 cdi. It's my 5th car, and the best overall by a long shot. Haven't had a single problem until today.

I just bought a 2007 CLK 220 cdi for £3k. It’s a fairly good example. The rust under rear arches definitely is true. I sanded and painted them with hamerite to combat this. The engine, transmission and interior are perfect despite it having 125k miles. However all the breaks needed doing and the front struts. Finally the exhaust was rusted through so needed replacing. You were right in saying keep €1.5k for maintenance because that’s what it’s costing me to bring the car to top condition.

Own a 2003 CLK55 AMG and no troubles at all. These cars are bullet proof. Simply the Best !!

Like many others.... The BEST review ever. Thank You. You did summarized my month or two long reading and researching around.

I love how you say "Come for table" instead of comfortable and "Add just table" instead of adjustable in your videos :D Jokes aside, great content ! You have my sub! P.S. - I would love to see a review of a third gen Renault Laguna

This is an amazing review, really, really impressive. I love the prices you've put on their as well. Subscribed.

Love my 04 clk55 coupe. Best bang for the buck under 10k.

I have a 2004 CLK 55 AMG and the shade in the back window stopped working. Can you give me some information on this repair.

10/10, Im hopefully buying one of these in a few days. Couldn’t have asked for a better video 👍👍👍👍

I have the 2009 clk350 and boy she is a tank. I swear to god we went all the way to hell and back together countless times. 🤪 I have so many stories about what she has been through. 160,000 miles strong, going for 300 baby

The CLK is bulletproof! Just don’t go for the 350 or 280. They will have the bad timing chain problem that is extremely expensive to fix. I would recommend the 320 or 500. Or the 55 for that matter. Anything that has a M112 or M113 is just bulletproof. You can see my CLK on my channel :) Also im about to buy another W209 this time a CLK55. Just need to find a good one.

Still got my Clk 1999 with over 400 000km.

So these 1.8 petrol engines are not M271 ? Because in other video you advertised M271 to be quite good right ?

For whatever reason I’ll never understand how MB could use an inferior alloy in the crankshaft cogs in the M272….

Great video however as I’m pretty much an amateur when it comes to cars 😅 Just wanted to ask in case I missed it Is the CLK200 Kompressor 2003 reliable? As I’m looking to buy one but worried if it will breakdown multiple times within 1-2 years and cost me more than the actual car

I'm about to buy one these Mercedes and with this video (great video btw) and the comments it has, I believe I will definitively buy it. Thank you!!!

I'm surprised you didn't mention the electrical issues with this vehicle. I have known people who had issues with the wiring harnesses giving up the ghost on their second gen CLK's. My friend had an issue where he actually had the seal around the cam shaft sensor fail, and the engine slowly pumped oil through the wiring harness until it reached the ECU and caused a timing issue with cylinder 3 after affecting a spark plug. Probably a rare thing to be sure, but definitely heard a lot about the wiring harnesses not being the best.

Man! I can only say WoW. Awesome coverage of the issues and excellent presentation. Thank you greatly.

Great video, very comprehensive. I have recently bought a late 2004 CLK500 convertible. Sadly it didn't have the adaptive cruise control or keyless entry. However, it does have the ventilated/heated seats and basically everything else. The only issue is that it seems to be leaking engine oil after long trips. Obviously, that issue is hard to be noticed in the dealership. I brought the car to my mechanic and had a look at the hoist. The oil seems to be leaking from between the back of the engine and transmission. Suspected broken rear main seal. Now I need to consider whether to fix this issue, which costs a lot for labour or to keep close watch of it since it was a very slow leak.

I have a CLK 220CDI, has over 160K miles on it and drives perfect. Definitely the best car I've owned has all the mod cons that most new cars don't even have! Supremely comfortable to drive as well. The 220cdi is a little boring to drive but it's a great cruiser! I also owned a C Class w203 a few years ago and it is not even comparable, feels like a rolls Royce in comparison to the C Class, the steering is much lighter, the ride is much softer and the interior is in a different league. Costs about £5 and takes about 10 mins to install a hidden Bluetooth audio adapter for the head unit as well. Only issues are fuel economy isn't great and the air con system is known to have issues, most likely condenser will break at some point also the air con drainage system is AWFUL so likely most models will have musty smelling AC system which you can basically never get rid of. Finally, the glove box latch is awful and will break, most examples I looked at were broken and replacements are around £200! Other than this it's the best car you can buy for around £3K hands down!

Now i realy wonna know how does a first gen clk looks like after 20 years in Norway... I can expect a hole in the floor, and a new brown paintjob

I bought a 320 clk and I had it for about a year before I accidently leaned the secret storage compartment next to the glove box to discover it. My car has 177k on the clock and is completely shagged out...SRS warning light comes on every time someone sits in the passenger seat and turns off when they are gone, air con doesn't work, no hot air for the first half hour, sat nav is missing and replaced by some knackered radio which means the clock dosen't work, driver seat only goes back but not forward, trunk leaks so bad that I keep buckets in the back to collect the water, engine has three oil leaks and the smell comes into the cabin, half the air vents don't work, windows steam up if anyone dares to breath, headlight lenses are almost yellow, head-rests don't work............................BUT...........I don't care because the seat belt is handed to me and both front and rear windows still work! And nothing looks as cool as a pillarless coupe! The end.

M112 m113 up until atleast 2005 can have crank pulleys that have a disintegrating damper rubbers that can possibly cut into your engine

I'd love to get a CLK 320, but for now it's a bit too expensive for me to buy and maintain. From what I got, they're mainly reliable, except for a few things relating to the windows, seat belt extenders and some possible engine issues. But in the end, which car doesn't have issues?? Doesn't seem to be one of those cars that just constantly breaks.

You are a walking legend for this sir 🎩🎩🇩🇪

I had a 4 cylinder CLC with the same engine that is used in this car. Watch out for oil leaks. The leaks I had got into the wiring loom, which attracted dirt into the connectors and in turn engine lights related to the MAF started to light up. The garage quote to replace it was more than what the car was worth. So I ended up scrapping the car. Brilliant engine ..... the plastic and rubber bits around it let it down. Very nice review BTW!!!

i have been looking for this for so long, thank you

Great detailed review of the potential issues. Thank you 👍🏻

I have 2005 320 convertible and you hit on three problems I've had! Passenger side seat belt presenter, driver's side power head rest, and rust on the lower door panels. The first two were easy fixes with parts from eBay, the rust I had completely cut out and metal replaced. A beautiful reliable car now.

What year has the best rust protection?

about to get a 2008 clk350 and this made me feel a bit more comfortable about getting one. First benz for me. Thanks for the info

Clk 500 375.000km

Can you do the 2011 e550 coupe? I recently just purchased one

Does this include 2001 clk amg55 model?

Wow, best buyers advice review I've ever seen, thank you :)

so 240 and 320 dont have the engine issue? and for the rest, probably the engine issue is fixed by the previous owner, i guess? since the cars are on hundreds of thousands of km like 250k or more. they would have changed it and fixed it, right? or it would have broken already :D

I got a 2005 CLK 350 pre production vehicle. No major problems yet, except one broken sensor

The one thing that worries me is the compressor. What problems and at what mileage dose it require replacement

I’m looking to buy a 2008 CLK 350 with 100k miles tomorrow

Im very happy with my CLK 🤩

i’m thinking of buying one.. very helpful video thanks 🙏🏻

Best video review I seen so far, thanks for so much information, I give allot of Mercedes diesel information on my channel but I am looking into buying 2008 CLK 350 and I did not know much about it, so thanks for your info

make video on the w208, if you havent made one

can you do a review of a mazda 6 2002-2007? please

Can you do a Land Rover discovery 3 or 4?

The best Mercedes to buy second hand.

what about the clk 430 model

I have been looking at an '04 clk 320 for a long time. This video has been extremely helpful. Suprised this model is so reliable!

Got it for 5 grand in summer. It's nice and mechanically dependable but expect silly things break. Watch the engine coolant, it's the only danger for automatic gearbox.

I am concerned about buying The CLK 350 Which I believe has a M272 engine. Can it have a Timing chain problem with the M271 engine 2002-2010 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class (W209) CLK 200. Would buying a C Class 2002-2010 Mercedes-Benz be a safer buy? Have you reviewed this model? All said this is a great review with lots of vital and helpful information!

I have the 270 cdi , superb car my seat getting bit tired but love it so smooth and economical , dont think I’ll ever sell it 💪🏼

I’m looking to buy A CLK and this video is extremely informative and interesting. I now know what to look for and what could be the safer investment. Thank you.

Adaptive Cruise Control; A wonderful system designed for people that should NOT HAVE drivers licenses.

Probably should've watched this video before i bought mine. It's doing that AC flap clicking thing, hope it doesn't require the entire dash to be disassembled...

Well I understand whenever I turn that s*** go off I'm sorry b**** I'm back now

My W209 220 cdi 2006 model year steering hydrolic pump was broken....210000km

I own a 2006 220CDI. Air conditioning doesnt work, seatbelt butler is broken, cant get the windows down at the drivers side, cruise control doesnt work, window washer fluid, sometimes the car wont go as fast, so i have to restart it, i can go on and on the list wont end :D. But i own it 7 years and it has 400k kms.

Great information in this video! I decided to take my joy riding to 2 wheels so had recently downgraded from the NA 6.2L (not a CLK - those be expensive AF) to the 2009 3L V6 diesel and it is superb - good balance of power, economy and reliability, especially due to it being the outgoing model. As much as I wish it had Keyless GO, it's not at all worth the retrofit cost.

Scared me away 2001 clk 430!Consumers love the bells and whistles not the cost or time it takes to fix them.Gas mileage is also of concern to me since the russian pipeline hak.After viewing your great video i think i may be out of my league with this choice.Great job.THX

I have one. 2008, 4 cylinder, 1.8cc kompressor, coupe. Got it at 82.000 km and now it has 116.000 km. Not a fast car, but very smooth and does the job in a grand way. My only issue with it, is fuel economy. It drinks too much for such a small engine. Even tho the car is pretty heavy, i know. I'm going to clean up the air intake system, change all the seals there in, and change the mass airflow sensor too. I hope that will help. Apart from that, i love this car.

I found a CLK 280 (7g-tronic) which was built in Mai 2008, and want do know if the 7g-tronic-problem with the valve body and conductor plate (stated at 10:30) is fixed? I know in the video it says 2009, but maybe its just wrong information... can anyone help?

w208 is the more beautiful coupe and convertible and the classic of tomorrow. the w209 is soft-rinsed and will not become a classic for a long time

I bought a 2006 CLK 350 Cabrio and I must say I love it! Zero rust, zero broken parts, only 60,000 miles.

I've had my clk500 since 2006, fantastic car!

Love my 220 cdi 2009 :)

if you could to do W208 that would be nice :) yes i know the car is ancient and it has rust issues because of the clogged water ways :D

Does the CLK320 exist in AMG version? I see a lot of them on Mobile.

Hello. What do you about used Mercedes b klasse Automat made 2012 or 2013 . Thanks a lot

Thanks a lot appreciate your effort in making this great video full of great information 👍🏻👍🏻

Had a clk320 2000 for about 12 years, indeed had a corner that bubbled up due to rust. After one winter had to get wiring replaced, snow melted and water leaked inside. Moonroof eventually started to get stuck, started to get misfires due to coils.

Interesting video, had a few problems with 2006 but none of these.

Great review. No fuss, no frills and relevant. Very helpful. Thanks amigo.

Just bought a 06 clk500 nice car

The headrests are easy to repair. Resolder the electrical connections on the headrest motor...

So Clk 430 ,500,550 2008 and newer good buy ?