Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Mercedes-Benz CLK 2008: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 60 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Suspension arm ball joint (front).

Summary

At the same mileage, a petrol 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK passed first time more often than a diesel one: 63 in every 100 against 57 in every 100.

At a glance

How 2,315 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
60 in every 100
Did not pass first time
40 in every 100923 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
17 yearsabout 102,181 miles
First tests counted
2,315

What failed most often

  1. Suspension arm ball joint (front)23 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Coil spring (front)18 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)10 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Suspension

Four faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (rear): 18 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 921 of 923 failed first attempts (99.8%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (rear)

Failed on 27 first tests18 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Excessive wear in an anti-roll bar linkage pin or bush is Major. If the pin or bush is likely to become detached, it is graded Dangerous. The wording is DVSA's general one for a suspension pin, bush or joint.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 30 first tests, 19 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Failed on 213 first tests3.9 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A suspension arm ball joint is failed under the general suspension pin, bush or joint wording. Excessively worn is Major, and likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 72 first tests, 3.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (front)

Failed on 165 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

Wheel bearings (front)

Failed on 24 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Excessive play in a wheel bearing, or a bearing that is excessively rough, is Major. Play so excessive that the bearing is likely to break up or directional control is impaired is Dangerous, and so is a bearing so rough that it is likely to overheat or break up.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 92 first tests, 9.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Brakes

One fault: rigid brake pipes (front), 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (front)

Failed on 25 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe justifies rejection once its wall thickness is reduced by a set amount, although DVSA accepts this is not easy to determine. If a tester is not sure, the benefit of the doubt applies. A leaking pipe or connection is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic system and Major on an air system.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 119 first tests, 3.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Tyres

One wear pattern: tyre tread depth (rear), 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Tyre tread depth (rear)

Failed on 57 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

Only primary grooves count when tread depth is assessed: those holding the wear indicators, or cut as deep as those when new. Shallower secondary grooves are ignored. Tread depth below the minimum for the vehicle is Dangerous, and so is a pattern not visible over the whole tread, but that second row applies only to vehicles that need the lower minimum.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 33 first tests10 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 27 first tests6.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Anti-roll bar (rear)

Noted on 24 first tests5.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Noted on 160 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
60in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
6in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
34in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 60.1% of 2,315 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 65.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 34 not fixed make the 40 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol1,51891,302 miles6463
Diesel796123,898 miles5457

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

406080100200020052008Older cars
40608010020002008Older cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199968 in every 100662
200071 in every 100903
200169 in every 1001,084
200265 in every 1001,275
200366 in every 1002,340
200463 in every 1003,267
200562 in every 1003,244
200662 in every 1002,701
200760 in every 1003,214
2008 This car60 in every 1002,315
200960 in every 1002,614

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK.

Of 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK vehicles with under 70,000 miles, 70 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 135,000 miles or more, 51 in every 100 did.

Under 70,000462 tests
70
70,000–92,000461 tests
62
92,000–112,000 Typical car460 tests
59
112,000–135,000458 tests
59
135,000 and over468 tests
51

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol91,302 miles6363
Diesel123,898 miles5457

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Part of the gap is mileage: diesel cars have done more miles. Even at the same mileage, petrol passed more often (63 against 57 in every 100).

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

Under 70,00092,000–112,000135,000 and over
Suspension arm ball joint (front)7.19.610.7
Coil spring (front)5.68.77.7
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)1.32.48.8
Windscreen washers2.21.76.2
Tyre condition (front)3.22.84.5

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

27in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

52in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

10in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

At the same mileage, a petrol 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK passed first time more often than a diesel one: 63 in every 100 against 57 in every 100. In 2025, 60.1% of 2,315 first MOTs on the 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 65.7%. Among 923 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (2.9% of those tests; 27 observed failures; about 18× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK at the first attempt were Suspension arm ball joint (front) (23.1%), Coil spring (front) (17.9%) and Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) (10.1%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (rear) (2.9% of those tests; 27 observed failures; about 18× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (2.9% of those tests; 27 observed failures; about 18× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK include Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (rear), Suspension arm ball joint (front), Coil spring (front). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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