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Mercedes-Benz CLK (2005 and earlier)

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What is this discussion about? Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class, Coupe, Convertible

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#576 of 1627 Another question for jjpeter... by rbraver Nov 07, 2001 (10:12 am)
Thanks for your response on the uselessness of Tele-Aid. That was my feeling too. You mentioned PermaPlate. What is Smythe charging you for this--you must think it's worth it. I had it done years ago when I bought a new 98 black VW Passat and I was concerned about swirls. Does anyone else think it's worth it?
#577 of 1627 6 speed by rockribbed Nov 07, 2001 (10:27 am)
skobola, I agree with you about the 6 speed. Even tho I had been a long time away from a manual I found it to be smooth and devoid of the 'notchiness' that others have complained about. I think that MB is unfamiliar with the US and manuals and the real culprit is the location of the center arm rest. If it weren't there or were lower (or conversely) the shift lever a tad longer there wouldn't be the compaints. With the arm rest there (even at lowerst setting) you have to shift with your wrist (like operating a joy stick)and not your arm.   Even tho I liked the manual I opted for the auto out of deference to my wife plus the one on the lot had the roof which I like and the manual did not. I plan on using 'scooter' for trips and she will help with the driving chores. She likes the ride of her Suburban but after a long w/e trip from S/W VA to Memphis and 11 mpg I think she will see the virture of 30 mpg even it is has to be premium.   To me the coupe is a go-cart with a really good stero and a/c!
#578 of 1627 jjpeter, rbraver: by genie1 Nov 07, 2001 (10:35 am)
What is Perma-Plate?
#579 of 1627 Huntzing - went to Eurotire at lunchtime by tommyp13 Nov 07, 2001 (10:36 am)
Work in Secaucus, live in Clifton, so the shop's right down the street (3/46). Ended up talking to Bill, though didn't know it (or even remember his name) until he gave me his card. Gave me a price for a package which had S class knockoffs in 16" and a weird tire brand - vredestein. Has anyone heard of this brand, and have any input?   Thanks for the recommendation of the store; I'm going to buy my winter pkg from them, after hopefully waiting a couple of weeks.
#580 of 1627 Vredestein... by jrct9454 Nov 07, 2001 (10:53 am)
...is a reputable EU brand that has been in business for a very long time, but doesn't do much here because they stopped active marketing a while back. Used to be known here for their winter tire designs, before Bridgestone came along with the Blizzak and basically grabbed the market by the throat.
#581 of 1627 Oil Changes by jrct9454 Nov 07, 2001 (11:15 am)
As pointed out above, it's always a little stunning to me that folks are perfectly willing to believe the Stuttgart [or Munich or Asama or Osaka] engineers know what they are doing in designing the car in every area except oil change intervals. Then, somehow, at least in the US, nearly everyone has some kind of religious belief that comes to the surface and demands oil changes between 3-7k miles, depending on which oil-change-church one belongs to.   The big news, folks, is emissions controls. Cars with LEV and ULEV kinds of emissions levels are not dumping all of this unburned hydrocarbon junk back into the crankcase as they did in the bad old days. Sure, better oil technology helps, and synthetics in particular are indeed great, and having 10 quarts of oil in the crankcase helps, too. But the real answer to why you can go 10-15k between oil changes in these cars is because they are no longer poisoning themselves with every stroke they way they used to. If you still had a dipstick to look at [I do on my Hondas] you would see how clean the oil is at 5000 and 7000 miles - it just is insane to dump this into the recycling bin in the name of Jerry Jiffy's religious beliefs.   And the oil filter is handily on top of the engine, where it's been on most MBs for decades, but J-Jiffy probably doesn't have the correct cartridge, in any case.   Finally and incidentally, extended oil changes have been the norm in Europe for years...only in this country does the religion continue to dictate behavior...
#582 of 1627 Vredestein... by huntzinger Nov 07, 2001 (1:49 pm)
Have I heard of them? I own EIGHT of them   I've found them better than Pirelli's, as well as some older Continentals I've had. And drastically better than All-season tires.   One warning, though...they will be "notchy" driving for around a week after you first put them on each season, until they scrub in a little.   BTW, did Bill recommend 4 tires, or just 2 for the back?   -hh
#583 of 1627 Permaplate by rbraver Nov 07, 2001 (2:51 pm)
Permaplate is like the proverbial "undercoating" that you hear about dealers trying to sell as an add-on. It is a finish protectant that is supposed to be better than whatever top coating comes from the factory. I bought it for a new Passat years ago--it was one of those "heat of the moment" decisions to protect the finish of my new baby. Having had time to reflect on it, it seems that Wolfsburg, or Sindelfingen for that matter, should be able to give me all the protection I need. Thoughts?
#584 of 1627 It didn't even come up by tommyp13 Nov 07, 2001 (3:12 pm)
He priced it for me for all four, which is what I want anyway, as I don't want my bright new 17 inchers to get screwed up by salt.   Thanks for the warning.
#585 of 1627 Perma Plate and oil changes by jjpeter Nov 07, 2001 (3:45 pm)
The magic of the Perma Plate protection is the guarantee. After talking it over with the service advisor upon picking up the car this afternoon, I was more at ease about spending the $$. Once applied (with their new more advanced formula) they say you don't have to do anything to it for 5 years. If ANYTHING gets on there that won't come off with a normal washing, bring it back to them and they will bring it back to the original finish. OK. Same goes for the interior treatment we got also. They included a bottle of application liquid which one could use to "haze" the car once a year if desired, but its not necessary to maintain the gurantee. Since I don't have time anymore to wax my cars, I figured this is one way to keep the factory finish fresh and protect the car for the long haul.   jrct9454, is there really 10 quarts of oil in the coupe? If so, then yeah, the new engines and using Mobil 1 makes for extended periods between oil changes. Nuff said.

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