Used Mercedes-Benz CLS Starter Motor

Yes, all petrol and diesel variants of the CLS have a conventional starter motor — it is used to crank the engine on start-up regardless of fuel type or gearbox. The only caveat is that some later CLS models fitted with the EQ Boost mild-hybrid system (such as certain CLS 450 and CLS 53 variants) use an integrated starter-generator rather than a traditional separate starter motor, so if your car has the mild-hybrid badge or EQ Boost badging, confirm with the breaker whether a conventional starter motor applies to your specific engine before ordering.

These are entirely different generations — the W219 ran from 2004 to 2010 and the W218 from 2011 to 2018 — and the engines used across them are largely different families, so a direct swap across that boundary is unlikely to work. The engine code is the key detail here: supply your engine code (found on your V5 or via a VIN check) to the breaker, who can confirm whether the specific unit from a W219 donor happens to share the same starter motor as your W218 engine. Never assume compatibility based on generation alone.

The W218 received a facelift in 2014 that was largely cosmetic, but some engine variants were revised or introduced around that time, which can affect starter motor compatibility. If your engine code is unchanged across the facelift — for example the same OM651 diesel or M276 petrol unit — the starter motor may well be the same, but mid-production ancillary and mounting changes are something you should confirm with the breaker against your registration rather than assume. Give the breaker your engine code and build date for the most accurate match.

Trim level and badge name do not affect starter motor fitment — what matters is the engine code, not what the car is badged as. A CLS 220d and a CLS 350 use entirely different engines (diesel versus petrol) and will require different starter motors, but that difference is down to the engine, not the trim designation. Always give the breaker your engine code rather than just the badge, as two cars with similar names can have quite different engines depending on market and model year.

The CLS 63 AMG uses the high-output AMG V8 engine (the M156 in W219-era cars and the M157 biturbo in W218-era cars), which is a different unit from the standard CLS petrol engines, so the starter motor is specific to those AMG engine families. Because these engines are less common than the mainstream four- and six-cylinder units, donor cars at UK breakers are rarer, but the part does exist and can be sourced. Supply your engine code and registration to the breaker to make sure you get the correct unit, as the M156 and M157 are not interchangeable.

No — diesel and petrol engines have different compression ratios and power requirements, so the starter motor is engineered specifically for each fuel type and will not interchange between them. Even if two starter motors look physically similar, using the wrong one risks poor starting performance or component failure. Always tell the breaker both your fuel type and your engine code to ensure you get the right unit for your specific car.