2007 Mercedes-Benz CLK 3.0L Petrol · PK57 MYG

Corrosion in the braking system is the defining theme of this CLK's recent test history, with brake pipes recorded as corroded and coated in grease or other material across all visible areas at both the March 2025 and March 2026 tests, alongside slight corrosion to the rear brake hose ferrules on both sides. The car passed its most recent examination on 25 March 2026, but the advisory list has been growing rather than shrinking: worn front suspension arm bushes and a worn rear anti-roll bar bush appeared in 2025, and by 2026 three of the four tyres were flagged as worn close to the legal limit. This follows a dangerous failure in March 2023, when both rear tyres were found below the 1.6mm legal tread minimum and the car had to be retested the following day, which it passed. Taken together, the record shows a vehicle that passes its tests but is accumulating age-related deterioration in its braking hardware, suspension bushes and tyres, with no evidence in the record that the corroded brake pipes have yet been addressed. At 130,102 miles over roughly nineteen years, the car has averaged about 6,850 miles annually, a typical rate for its age. The testing record shows a gap between November 2019 and March 2021, which may reflect the pandemic-era MOT extension rather than a lay-up, and annual testing has been consistent since. This steady, moderate use pattern means wear has accrued gradually rather than through hard high-mileage service, but it also means rubber components, bushes and brake lines have aged for nearly two decades regardless of mileage, which is consistent with the corrosion and bush wear now appearing on the advisories. The brake pipe corrosion is the item demanding the closest attention before purchase. Pipes flagged as corroded across all visible areas for two consecutive years are progressing toward a point where an examiner will judge them excessively corroded and issue a failure, so a buyer should have the full brake line run inspected on a ramp, particularly along the underside and around unions and clips, and budget for partial or full pipe replacement. On a test drive, feel for a soft or long brake pedal, any pulling to one side under braking, and judder through the pedal, noting that the front discs and pads were flagged as worn and thin in 2024 and may have been replaced since or may still be due. The suspension advisories point to wear in the front inner control arm bushes and rear anti-roll bar bushes, so listen for knocks or clunks over broken surfaces and speed bumps, and check for vague or wandering steering at speed, which would suggest the bush wear has progressed beyond the advisory stage. With three tyres already near the legal limit and a history of tyre-related failure, verify tread depth across the full width of all four tyres and inspect the inner edges, which wear fastest when suspension geometry or bushes are tired. Finally, the 2024 windscreen minor and the 2022 headlamp deterioration advisory are worth a quick visual check, but the priority remains the braking hardware and front suspension, where the documented deterioration is most advanced.