W209 CLK - 18 Months Ownership Report, All Costs!

I've had my W209 Mercedes-Benz CLK for a year and a half now - so in that time, what has it cost me to run it?

Covering maintenance, reliability, repairs, fuel, tax, insurance, any other cost involved in running this modern classic.

If you have a CLK don't forget to let me know about your costs!

My car: 2006 CLK 200 Kompressor (W209 / C209)

#clk #mercedesclk #w209

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[michelel-agha]

I have a 2006 CLK 350, bought it 16 months back and I use it for my daily commute. Absolutely in love with it, great car. Bought it with 152, 000 km on the odometer and added around 16, 000 so far. No issues, just regular lube/brake changes.

[ilpadrino]

The clk is a great car and is still looking fresh today, I still get compliments for it from time to time and some even ask about the model since they don't know it.. I have a black clk 220 cdi with sport package from 2008 with 155000km, I try to keep her clean and well maintained.. Until now I just had normal service and tires and she runs like new.. Don't forget the transmission oil change/flush for the automatic gearboxes, very important to do them at least every 60000km or 5 years!

[colintrotter]

I had the same car, same model, same colour and loved every year of my 4 years ownership. Despite trying to keep on top of the rust coming through on each wheel arch I decided to trade it in for a 2004 CLK 320 ELEGANCE. Don`t ever let anyone talk you out of a decision once you have made your mind up, it was the best move I could have made. The Grinnability factor when the V6 kicks in is fantastic and even long journeys are a pleasure and are even looked forward to. I am English to my bones, I take my hat off to the Germans, they can certainly build cars.

[sillyoldbastard]

I have a 2003 CLK320 I bought off my old man in 2006. Still going going great with 220k kms. Paintwork a little tired but mechanically A1. The M112 motor is bulletproof.

[johnminshell]

My CLK 220 CDI just passed MOT with " Flying Colours, no Advisorys at 234, 000 miles
I quite chuffed with it lashings of Leather and Walnut.
I change my own oil and the filters .
Just fit New Pirelli all round and C/w Tracking.

[andreruas]

I just bought my CLK in 2007 with 19000 km. I feel great driving on the hyway. My car has at the moment 155000 km. "Every now and than you make me feel so special". Thats what I think and feel about my CLK 220 CDI! It looks like yours, the same aspect.

[newworldnopesorry]

I bought my CLK 240 in mid 2020 with 180.000kilometers for 5000 euros. Since then I only did 2 Oil changes + all the filters twice. The engine and the 5speed automatic runs super smooth

[garydavis]

Love the video, I also have a W209 CLK200, mine is a 2004 car which I bought in 2008 with 8700 miles on it and now it's at just over 54, 000. All the minor faults and repairs you describe on your car are familiar to me. These days my CLK is relegated to second car status but I still love owning it and driving it. I completely understand why you like getting back into it even though it's not that quick and even after driving various other interesting cars. I recently ditched the cassette deck and temperamental glovebox CD player and upgraded to wireless Pioneer Apple Car Play and bluetooth etc which is brilliant and makes the car more convenient to use in today's world (no more sticking the phone to the windscreen). I worry about 2 things with regards to ongoing ownership, one is that these 4 cylinder petrol Mercedes can develop timing chain issues I believe which are expensive, and if not caught early, very expensive because it can wreck the engine and the other is that my car has the optional Xenon headlights which can be very expensive to replace I understand. If any other CLK owners have any tips or advice on these two potential issues I'd be very interested in hearing from them. Thanks again for a great video. Interesting that there are still low mileage CLKs out there to buy.

[matthewross]

Loved the video and your cost breakdown, great job Jack! Very reasonable running costs indeed for that type of car 👍😁

[zoranj]

my 2005 w209 clk320 has been great so far, has 150000km on it currently and ive owned it for a year. so far i think i have only spent $300aud on an A service, as well as topped up the oil one time.
the m112 is known to be pretty reliable. currently my alternator bearing makes a squeaking noise sometimes so i might have to replace that if it goes, might cost me around $400-500aud. 6 months prior to when i bought it the previous owner had spent 2k on a big service, so it should be good for a while.
good to know that your clk has been treating you good too :)

[vaggiocaraoldschool]

I have a clk 1.8 kompresor year 2003 and its fantastici have 8 year that i have bought and i have no intention to sell it....love that curved lines

[lightice]

I have a clk convertible 240, not the best engine. But has the full AMG factory fitted body kit and sports suspension. It's had all new brakes, front hubs and all new suspension plus other bits, I love the car. I agree Germans certainly know how to build them right. Thanks JJ keep up the good work.

[jorgechiubomberos]

I bought my CLK 350, 2008, in 2018. A little bit earlier than you. It's in my channel. I had problems with the coils, and one of the back window regulator. Those back windows are very difficult to change. Also my transmision was leaking, no big deal, already fix and my intake manifold had a problem, wich I fixed. That was expensive, around 2500 dollars.
Runs great and still love it. I have also some other cars, but this one is my favorite

[novicetheaf]

A lovely car, my neighbour has a 2008 one since new and still going strong 💪

[stevied]

I commented on your other vid about the things you like about it. I was lucky to spot my 01 CLK 320 the day it went online in 2019 and I jumped on it. It was owned by an older lady who'd had it since new but had barely driven it. I had been looking for several months for this model and to find this with 35k km was very lucky. I have spent $$ on oil leaks, fuel pump, aircon compressor and crank position sensor, and the interior needs some attention, but it drives great and it's such a gorgeous car. Day to day it's reliable and just trundles around my local area. It comes alive on the freeway and that's where it shines. It's a real GT and you have to be careful as it increases speed before you know it and you're going way over the limit. One drawback is it's thirst in the city. Not very economical but you have to accept that and focus on it's beauty, quality and smoothness. It's a classy, elegant ride and you can't say that about too many mainstream cars out there. If you don't need a bigger vehicle and you're prepared to spend money on them now and then the Mercedes CLKs and coupes are hard to beat. Older ones especially can be absolute bargains for what you get. Cheers from Sydney.

[rogermwoodbury]

I'm glad I found this video this morning. Shame on me for not subscribing before! I am about to take my CLK320 to a new, to me, independent mechanic. My favorite mechanic of almost thirty years has retired (how dare he!). This will be interesting as specialist shops in Maine are few and far between. This shop is about 40 miles from where I live and this visit will primarily be for the annual state road inspection, pulling codes and perhaps replacing the crank position sensor as I have lately had a couple of warning signs that the CPS is about to fail. (a bit of stuttering when stopping for a traffic light or to turn a hard corner near the grocery store).

This visit to the shop will also establish some other base lines. I'm going to begin a fluid replacement in this car because it's really due according to the previous service records I obtained for the car from Mercedes Benz and Carfax. First of all will be replacement of the valve cover gaskets which are leaking. That will be quite expensive (the Mercedes Benz dealer quoted me $1400!) and I may opt to get them changed at this new shop because it is 100 miles closer to my home.

I will tell you that I have sold the other vehicle in the house, my cherished older GMC 4X4 truck. It was getting very rusty and I was told it would not pass state inspection this coming November. The estimate to repair and repaint was like buying it all over again, so I sold it to a young fellow who can do all the repair work himself. Now I must find a suitable replacement vehicle and in this economy that will prove a very difficult task. However I am so pleased with the CLK that I am looking for an E-class station wagon ("Estate" to you!). An 2006-2008 E-class wagon here, with around 100, 000 miles will cost around $8-10, 000. The truck is to find one that is one or two owner vehicles that has been maintained strictly according to Mercedes instructions and the car must have spent most of its life where there isn't a lot of brine poured on the road for ice control in winter. The one I seek will have the same engine and transmission the CLK has as that is more than adequate, and of course, 4Matic all wheel drive. If I find one, I'll let you know.

[riverbankfisher]

Bought a 2009 CLK 550 a couple of years ago and frankly, I haven't dared floor the accelerator pedal. The acceleration of this chariot is truly fearsome, but best of all, the suspension is old-school shocks and springs, which is a rarity in any V8 Mercedes currently. I plan to own this car until the cows come home. But for a little discoloration on the headlight lenses, you'd never guess that this car is 13 years old.

[kristianoovidiu]

Hello there, just bought my clk 200 compressor about 2 weeks ago. I hope that i won't have too much of a problem with it. So far i am quite happy with it, it is a nice car indeed. Still i need to discover some things but i'll take it slowly, slowly. Cheers

[carlosruiz]

I own a clk320 from 1999 I bought from my father in law 2017, I had for 5 years now I'm 2nd owner and omg it's never given me any problems besides it's regular TLC.. I actually have huge plans for it, LS Swap . I already bought the LS but for my own good I won't swap it till it's engine gives up and it just won't. Best car I ever own

[davefrance]

I am a year into ownership of a CLK 220 AMG sport that I rescued from an uncaring owner. He did at least have it serviced when it was due, but that was about all.
New windscreen, pump for the lumbar seats, fixed the glovebox latch.
For preventative measures I had the auto box serviced, changed the back axle oil, power steering fluid and coolant. Bought thermostat with housing and sensor, non original part, all I had to do was tap the bolt into the unthreaded hole in the housing that helped secure the engine cover.
I serviced it even though it was done 3000 miles earlier and changed all the filters including fuel and cabin filter. Got the anti bacterial filter instead of the Mercedes cloth type.
I had all 4 tyres changed and the tracking and geometry set up, spent ages on the interior. I had the Aircon serviced too.
It was rewarding work, the car behaved faultlessly on a tour round Scotland on the Highland route and many other trips down south and across the country. it's been a pleasure to own.
It's an 07 plate and had 60k on the clock when I bought her, she's now on 83k

I made the mistake of adding a tubing box to the car, which I have used before on many of my cars and reaped great benefits from it.
At first it was ok, the extra power and torque was great and the mpg was up to over 60 ! I took it off after a few months, as the car would sometimes go into limp home mode, bit I didn't get the check engine light. Switching it off and locking the car and then unlocking the car fixed the problem.

I was tempted to install an android head unit, but it was going to be costly to buy extra looms for the steering wheel controls, and I do t think the sound quality would have been as good.
I decided just to leave it as it is now.
I hope to keep it for a very long time.
The only issue that happened was one day the remote would not open the doors, but if I held the key to line up with the infra red sensor as you do to open and close the windows, then it worked. When I started the car it was fine and I noticed the radio was fuzzy. A quick Google search told me the fuse for the alarm had gone, I replaced it but it blew again.
This was down to a faulty siren. I put a more powerful fuse in the box and that fixed the problem, it clearly finished off the siren, and when I eventually find it I will get it replaced, but the alarm and immobiliser still works fine, as does the remote and radio, it's just a silent alarm now.
I managed to get a brand new key for 150 quid, as I only had one. The guy came out to my house and did the work in an hour. It was a better key then my original as I can now unlock just the driver's door, which I could not with the old one.
My only regret is that it's black and shows up all the minor imperfections. With hindsight, and looking at yours, I would definitely buy one the same colour as yours next time.

Oh ! One warning. The previous owner had the alloys refurbished and bought new wheel bolts.
When I bought the car, the parking brake was rubbish. When I opened the hub up I saw that the parking brake assembly had been mangled by the wheel bolts he had bought. They were too long.