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2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG Long-Term Road Test
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2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG Long-Term Road Test
Another Active Body Control (ABC) system failure has sidelined our long-term 2005 Mercedes-Benz CL65. Here are the details of its repair.
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Well, I can see that the depreciation on this car is 100% warranted. As is a comprehensive extended warranty through the dealer
Depreciation often tells you how much you're going to pay long term with repairs...
"Admittedly, he had just learned we were with Edmunds... "
You think this 65AMG is bad, try out a GT3. .. Bently .. Ferrari or any other high dollar exotic. Buddy of mine just had his front rotors replaced plus pads on a 2012 GT3 ... $8250.00.
Price of admission is high, price to play higher still. It's all relative for some, income allowing.
It would be interesting if you could call that Newport Beach shop and ask for a quote for the same work. Then again, maybe they are reading this blog.
Porsche's old ceramic rotors were sometimes problematic but by many, if not most, accounts the current generation are all but indestructable. I'd be very curious to learn how your buddy went through rotors if they are ceramics. Pads, on the other hand, are absolutely wear and tear items.
Second, $2100 is not a big deal on this vehicle. People buying this vehicle should have a $4k/year budget on average for maintenance/repairs.
Second, I understand the guy went from $2600 to $3000 to $2700 then agreed to $2600 since it was quoted before. a 10% variance is not exactly unheard of considering mark-up on parts, labor rate and mark-up, "shop expenses", etc.
But I am curious how the agreed upon quote of $2600 dropped to $2100. I'd like more details on that.
Honestly, the fact you can get this repair at a dealer for a cost that isn't beat out by indy's seems pretty good.
To be fair, Active Body Control is a far more complex solution to ride and body control than Delphi's MagneRide. MagneRide is a semi active or adaptive system which can only change the viscous damping coefficient of the suspension system, it cannot add energy to any part if the system. Thus MagneRide, an elegant solution actually, can only change the stiffness or softness of compression and rebound. ABC on the other hand, is a fully active system, which means it can exert independent force on individual wheels to control ride characteristics such as body lean, squat and dive. For example, ABC can effectively push down on the outer wheels of the car when cornering to basically eliminate body roll. ABC can handle consistent ride levels, vehicle lowering at speed for efficiency and increased ride height for adverse road conditions. I commend Mercedes for developing what is still considered cutting edge technology for their flagships but it does seem the ridiculous cost cutting during this CLs development took its toll on longer term durability. At said, it does seem the newer versions of ABC are more durable.
Of course my friends and family who can afford the 60 to 100 K cars couldn't care less as few are genuine gear head/ enthusiasts and they tend to upgrade after 2-3 years.
Back to this CL65 - I hoope this replacement of the accumulators works, but I'm not seeing a whole lot about filter replacement, checking the hydraulic lines for deterioration, checking the shocks for leaks, etc. I wouldn't describe replacing the accumulators as an "overhaul" of this system. Rather, i suspect that's a pretty easy backyard job if you've got the MB computer program to activate the mode of the ABC system that purges/lets you bleed the ABC system afterwards. After all, differences in how you bleeding the system aside, just replacing the accumulators sounds like the same kind of not that big of a deal work folks do on their 80s-90s BMW rear self leveling systems all the time - accumulator failure leads to higher pressure causing leaks and a rough ride, replace them and all is well for a while if you haven't blown the seals. But there's still any number of other things that could go wrong. Some of those hydraulic lines look wet - abc leaks or some other leak dripping on top of them?
On the other hand, I kept the SL500. As it reached the approx. 60K miles, ABC failed. Reservoir, Valve were changed with new Hydraulic oil and the bill was $3,024.59. Few months later, ABC failed again. At this time, Pump was replaced and the bill was $3,371.40.
Few days ago, ABC failed again. This time, it is strut according to the MB dealer. Estimation $2,200+.
MB dealer said ABC is VERY expensive (No Kidding) and eventually I will have to replace the whole thing which is around $12,000. I am up to about $8,500 so will have to be prepared for additional $3,500 sometime in near future. '05 SL 500 is worth somewhere in $10K's when you try to sell it now. It is not fully depreciated as I believe it will be $2,000 in few years. However, in order to keep the car running, you will have to bear obscene amount of money. I think the car was not made like MB used to make in the 80's where it was very reliable and not too expensive to fix. My Ferrari's maintenance is far less than SL500. Thank GOD I got rid of the sibling, CL65 AMG 4 years ago. It was a fun car to drive but you will get killed by maintenance and resale value is beyond poor.
My point is the fancy systems and other things are great under the warranty but I see that MB's quality is not what you have to put out of your pocket. Once the warranty runs out, then you are in the danger zone. For CL65 AMG, I tried 20+ 3rd party warranty companies but no company would insure V12 or AMG's. I also had CLS 63 AMG, had fun and sold it when it was about to run out of warranty. You could purchase extended warranty when you purchase the vehicle but I trusted MB's quality and now I have second thoughts about MB now. I only have one MB now in my garage. MB is getting close to Aston Martin, Maserati when you drive it more than 30K miles.
I bought a sl55 with 493 hp and 19 inch AMG wheels for $17,500 with 80k miles. I'm sure I'll spend that much keeping it on the road over the next few years in first class condition. I can afford it. I think it's worth it every time I drive it. The tax and DMV on a new one would be that much, not counting the purchase price or interest.
If the feel and sound of the car with the top down on a nice day doesn't move you to smile, then that's a real shame. Life's short, try to enjoy it while you can.