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As per the other thread I had to make a very rushed purchase and ended up with a 2013 Mercedes CLS 250 shooting brake AMG sport, I think. I'm not entirely impressed in all areas.
1. The suspension is hard but not supple, it crashes hard over potholes.
2. When this happens the interior is quite creaky and rattly.
3. A reviewer praised the auto gearbox, but to me it feels rubbish. It doesn't drop down quickly enough for a start but shifting is not smooth. It surges or thumps when upshifting and slurs the downshifts. It's exactly what I'd expect from a big standard American style old automatic. Shifts using the manual paddles are glacial. Does it need to be looked at or is this normal?
4. Lots of tyre noise especially from the rear. Are these run flat tyres? Does it come with them?
5. When I turn it off there's a brief rattle or judder from the engine, do I have a bad engine mount?
6. I can't get Bluetooth audio to work from my Samsung phone. It plays but then seems to keep jumping back to the start of the track after 6 seconds. Anyone else have this?
7. Bonnet is so big I can barely reach to close it.
8. Is it a liability with expensive failures waiting to happen?
Its not all bad though. Driving position is ace and it makes a lot more sense when you drive it faster. But noise and harshness aren't what I'd expect from a car like this.
But noise and harshness aren’t what I’d expect from a car like this.
Eh is that not what AMG bit does? Takes a comfortable quiet wafter and makes it more GRRRR?
I dunno. I'd expect a bit more firmness but with some suppleness still not crashing over potholes. It's not a racing car and is never going to be.
1. AMG sport = hard suspension.
2. 2013, never been replaced? yup.
3. Change gearbox oil/service.
4. Check tyre pressures.
5. Check engine mounts/exhaust clamps.
6. No idea.
7. They have big bonnets get over it.
8. Yes, Mercedes parts are legendary for being expensive, AMG is at the top of that scale, and you now pay brexit tax on top.
It's a Mercedes, just stuff it up the inside at copse and you will be golden.
Seriously though if you wanted comfort why did you get an amg?
He didn’t want comfort, he just wanted a car that the front subframe wouldn’t fall off of! 😉
As above I’d get the gearbox oil flushed and changed as that will prob make a world of difference…
What's the mileage on the car? This may define whether the box needs flushed and the mounts need replaced.
I've often found AMG Mercedes to be harsh and noisy especially at the back. I had an E350 CDI AMG as a hire car for a week and despite having a nice engine and interior, this was my overriding memory of it.
7. Bonnet is so big I can barely reach to close it.
The AMG spec will have sports suspension and large alloys. These combined will lead to a hard ride. The tyres will also probably be pretty wide as well as low profile which will lead to additional noise. I also find that the more worn tyres are, the more noisy they get. New tyres should be quieter.
The hard suspension will exacerbate squeeks and rattles.
Should have got the Kia.
Merc sports are well know for having a teeth rattling ride. Inside they (mercs) have gone a bit cheap not ford cheap but vw mid range.
If it's AMG it will eat tires are they low profile 60s?
They are nice to drive I'm over 6feet and the bonnet end seems a long way off when sitting in it.
60's aren't low profile!
They're more likely 40's or 45's.
Tell my wife that I've had to change hers 😂 we do have shocking roads here and speed bumps.
Molgrips are you using Android auto plugged in with a proper charger lead it's a bit old fashioned plugging it in but works better if the cars info pack supports it I use Waze mapping instead of Google and the inbuilt sat nav much more reliable for music and calls
They're 30s! Although they are only at 32psi.
Seriously though if you wanted comfort why did you get an amg?
Long story short. We were due to go on a much needed holiday on Monday, I broke the existing car on Sunday night (yeah I know save it) and decided I was sick of it so I went out to buy a new car on Monday to leave Tuesday. Only thing is that I needed a car with a towbar. The car supermarket only had two towbar equipped cars out of 1000 odd so I thought I'd better go for it. They don't let you test drive them though before you commit, and it doesn't say AMG on it anywhere.
I am not at all sure I'm going to keep it.
Not tried Android Auto yet, was that even a thing in 2013?
I am not at all sure I’m going to keep it
.
Are you going to get a refund ? 😂
“Wasn’t what I expected I want my money back “
Do tell
I've an estate car with pretty hard sports suspension, awesome on the motorway - the miles just disappear.
It's a bit of a pig in car parks as it has the turning circle of the qe2 and I drive a lot slower around town (lots of speed bumps and potholes). B roads are great if the road is smooth but rough roads are not great.
As my commute is 60km each way on the motorway pretty much all the way, the car is perfect for it (and when packing for holidays the sports suspension copes really well with the heavier loads). If I was driving around town I'd be considering the fat business man edition.
We (the Mrs) had a CLK320. The 7 speed autobox went west at 68K miles. It had good legs & was nice enough to drive but a road spring broke after whacking a puddle filled pothole which wasn’t that deep. It got tinworm round the wheel arches before it was 8 years old & the handbrake kept sticking on.
Pile ‘O’ Shite for what was a 35K car in 2006.
Are you going to get a refund ?
Nah I'd just sell it on and get something else.
This one has self levelling suspension which I've always wanted as it's perfect for holidays. Huge boot filled with stuff and a caravan on, and it rides nice and level.
Re the handling, it does seem to make much more sense on windy roads. I drove up the hill to the campsite yesterday a little faster than was courteous...
Why are you on here if your on holiday...
30s are just rubber bands.
Download Android auto and plug it into the USB socket see what happens.
In all fairness they are not bad cars untill you service it
So it has a tow bar.
Is it factory fit.
Did they fit the aux oil cooler for the gear box......
parents had an amg E350v6. It was sodding horrible to drive for pretty much everything you listed(most of it amg issues) except that the gear box wasnt sluggish went like a stabbed rat when you squeezed the loud pedal
Wait till you see the cost of a set of front disks and pads if it has the AMG brake kit on
No Merc should wear AMG badges unless it says 6.3 V8 on the wings...
Guessing it’s maybe AMG line spec ? Skirts/bigger wheels etc minus the oomph!!
They’re all at it
VW has R line
Ford has ST line
Vauxhall Griffin spec
Etc
Dunno if it has an oil cooler. I assumed all modern cars had them towbar or not. I mean it's made for bombing down an Autobahn at 150mph I doubt that's much harder than towing a caravan.
mean it’s made for bombing down an Autobahn at 150mph towing a caravan.
Dealer changed the front discs and pads 🙂
I doubt that’s much harder than towing a caravan
RustyNissanPrairie's #1 on his list of reasons to walk away from a used car......
Does it have a towbar?
RustyNissanPrairie’s #1 on his list of reasons to walk away from a used car……
Does it have a towbar?
Towing isn't that hard on a vehicle....it's just that most folk can't tow.....
Towing isn’t that hard on a vehicle….it’s just that most folk can’t tow…..
I'd rather not buy something that's had increased load and wear on a clutch/CV's/propshaft/diff/gearbox when there's plenty of choice out there but understandably Molgrips knackers were on the line with MrsMolgrips.
I borrowed my sisters mk 1 fiesta St for a couple of months I felt every sett in Edinburgh through the pulpy remains of my arse bones.
Re: Merc AMG Sport vs Merc AMG.
There's not surprisingly a BIG difference between a Merc CLS 250 'AMG Sport' with 202bhp vs a full fat Merc CLS 63 AMG with 518bhp. ;-D
I have a Merc GLC Coupe 250 AMG Line Premium Plus. Inside doesn’t feel cheap, feels pretty good. I’ve had my fair share of good cars, including Porsche and full AMG Merc, the AMG line is a pretty nice driving environment.
But the Mercedes diesel isn’t particularly refined. When I bought mine I was torn between this one and a petrol Alfa Stelvio, preferred the Merc inside was only the engine noise that put me off the Merc.
My gearbox to me works a treat. In fact I’d go as far as saying it’s the strongest part of the car. Think mine is a 10 speed, may be 9, either way it drives nice at all speeds.
Suspension on mine is pretty good, in fact I drive mine in Sport + mode quite a lot. It doesn’t soak up pot holes like my Kia Sportage did, but it wafts around town much better and is an amazing drive on motorway journies.
Always have a tow bar on my cars and I'm still with RNP on this.
Wouldn't choose to buy a car with one as the downside risks of crap driving/overloaded towing Vs the cost of just getting one fitted are disproportionate to me.
What's really worrying now is the volume of models of cars coming off production lines where they're not homologated for towing without factory fit towing packs (extra cooling and wiring etc). The Skoda range was shocking when I looked a couple of months back only the Superb and a few of the Octavia's seemed ok to add a towbar to out of the box. Really limits the options for 2nd and 3rd owners.
1. The suspension is hard but not supple, it crashes hard over potholes. - Change for higher profile tyres it is a world of difference
2. When this happens the interior is quite creaky and rattly. - Clean it with a paint brush and vacuum cleaner between the trim bits and spray with a polish to reduce, not remove, this.
3. A reviewer praised the auto gearbox, but to me it feels rubbish. - I have an 8 speed with paddle shifts but it just feels like an old slush box 90% of the time
4. Lots of tyre noise especially from the rear. Are these run flat tyres? Does it come with them? - See point 1
5. When I turn it off there’s a brief rattle or judder from the engine, do I have a bad engine mount? - Check with garage
6. I can’t get Bluetooth audio to work from my Samsung phone. - No idea, mine works
7. Bonnet is so big I can barely reach to close it. - Grow taller
8. Is it a liability with expensive failures waiting to happen? - Possibly, I have just coughed £600 after a chunk of concrete ruined the aircon condenser and the garage could only get Mercedes parts - they suggested I might get something cheaper with eBay but wouldn;t recommend it
That description of the gear box would make me take the car back for a refund or swap for something else, 2 things - if it goes properly wrong you will be in warranty anxiety , and most importantly nobody will buy it off you if it has a blatant gearbox fault. It might respond to an oil/filter change but if it has got into that state then it will likely need some specialist advice/work there are known issues with Mercedes auto boxes such as oil leaking into the complex electrical plug near the gearbox sump and distorted plastic sumps, but thumping surging and turgid shifting could be a box full of sludge hopefully not metalic blocking the valves and oilways.
Mercedes would typically specify enhanced rad fans and bigger transmission oil coolers as part of a towing package.
After this week you can go back and swap it for something else that you can have a towbar fitted to.
Ta WCA.
There's 6mm 9n the tyres now I can't wait for them to wear out. Sort of. I have checked prices. Doesn't fitting bigger tyres need a wheel change? If I flog the existing ones would I break even?
Re towing - it's relatively small mileage usually. If you do 100k miles all but the keenest continental caravaners will be doing fewer than 5k miles hitched up, I'd guess.
Doesn’t fitting bigger tyres need a wheel change?
Yes. You need new rims, but need to check that they clear brake calipers etc. It's not always possible to fit different size wheels.
If I flog the existing ones would I break even?
I doubt it.
+1 to WCA suggesting that gearbox isn't right. I've been in a couple of new mercs and the gearbox was like butter.
@finishthat now I'm thinking I should drop it in somewhere whilst I'm in holiday. This is a long trip we have a lot of driving. However it feels more like a software/settings issue. Pulling up a hill it won't downshift till the engine is labouring. It could be that the engine is down on power - doesn't feel like 202bhp's worth to me.
You could check if there is a gearbox or Mercedes specialist nearby for a chat ,
hopefully you still have a gearbox dipstick to check the oil? Overfilled is sometimes worse than a bit under - can be vac sucked out usually.
There should absolutely be no oil leaks from the gearbox sump, nor signs of bodgy sealing.
In my last auto - 5 speed Saab when towing on long uphill there were 2 choices , either put it in sport mode so it changed down earlier - could be prompted by twitching the accelerator pedal , or put it in manual/paddle mode and keep it in sensible gear - note that almost all manual paddling torque converter autos are slow to shift .
Have you reset the gearbox using the secret procedure? (Google it)
It should then adapt to your style of driving.
Worked on my old 2006 Vito
The plug that leaks is readily available , there is another thing in the box sump that is called the conductor plate , neither are expensive , the plug leaks into itself and causes problems, the conductor plate goes brittle and bits break - its plastic in a hot environment .
The box has sophisticated diagnostics and will log fault codes but AFAIK Mercedes Star or expensive diag tools needed to read the codes .
Its not the end of the world but obviously stress you don`t need on holiday.
Just that its the dealers fault for selling something that is not working right.
It does need a specialist though if possible.
I tried the secret reset. Basically it sets the gear box to default vanilla settings and then adapts to how you drive. Try it.
Put the car in comfort gearbox setting and drive like Miss Daisy for a few hundred miles and it will make the changes so smooth you won't notice.
Put the car in Sports mode and drive it like you stoile it and the gear box will up and down shift like a race car.
It is really noticeable as I discovered after I was advised to do so by the garage after this little bill which followed my gearbox getting a bit lumpy. Notice that this was a 2nd hand gearbox rather than the ££££££ new replacement
Oh, did I mention that you should just relax and enjoy the car, nothing is likely to go wrong.
hopefully you still have a gearbox, dipstick
I know molgrips asks a lot of inane questions but this seems a bit rude 😉
@worldclassaccident nice bill. £100 for the replacement gearbox oil (+VAT?) seems like a bargain compared to what I remember of the compulsory gearbox oil change on several MBs at ~2 years in. I assumed it was synthesised from unicorn parts and then matured in oak for many years.
30 section tyres have no place on a car in the UK, but for some reason there's a certain proportion of the population that like big, heavy, expensive, easily damaged, uncomfortable wheels with a sliver of rubber around the outside.
Check what the minimum size wheel that can be fitted is. It'll likely show you in the manual with winter tyre spec.
I think that if you're large wheels and good tyres are in good condition, you should be able to ebay them and buy a smaller, equally good condition set of wheels and (hopefully non-runflat) tyres and actually MAKE Money.