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Never again.

1K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  1stMercedes 
#1 ·
I bought an '02 CL600 in November '07. At first, it was a great car, but since then little things keep failing and is adding up to a whole lot of money to maintain and keep fixing. I got a Check Engine Light and the car was severely underpowered, so I took it into the shop. I also needed a brake job. The CEL was caused by an ignition coil failure, so half of the cylinders wasn't firing. They also found the trunk lid opener had stopped working due to the plastic gears wearing out, the center brake light had stopped working, the right rear strut was leaking, and the front lower control arm bushings were worn away. The lower control arms makes sense. Those bushings are a normal wear item. The part that doesn't make any sense is that the bushings had completely worn away before I noticed any difference, and they immediately started wearing away on the underbody, which now also needs replacement.

I went in for a CEL and a brake job and so far my bill is up over $12,000. I don't think I'm ever going to buy a Mercedes again. In fact, I'm getting rid of the one I have as soon as I get it back, before the ABC system has a catastrophic failure. I thought Mercedes was supposed to be reliable. My '88 Ferrari Testarossa is more reliable than this thing. Cheaper to fix and maintain, too.
 
#2 ·
Don't sour on MB altogether. Prior to my CL (which was also an '02 and a lemon like yours) we had an E320 which we kept for 4 years without any problems except an annoying occasional glitch with the stereo. We bought a CLS 550 almost 2 years ago and, again, have had no trouble. The pre-'03 CL's are notorious heaps. Don't judge the entire brand based on the CL. Having said that, I ditched the CL for a BMW 550 (really needed 4 doors, but couldn't resist the CL at the time). I had a 540 years ago and had forgotten that, from a handling perspective, BMW beats MB hands down.
 
#3 ·
Look like you hd bad luck with your 02. I don't know how much research you have done before you purchased it. I think if you read all the thread in this forum you would know pre 03 CL are plague with failures. Truly feel for you, because I know how much parts and labor cost. I was lucky enough to purchased mine with warranty
 
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