On the Ghost the usual big-ticket items are the air springs and compressor, the ZF gearbox if it's been neglected, and the high-pressure fuel pump issues on the V12. Ask for the full service record and have the whole car scanned for stored fault codes. Tire prices on the staggered run-flat setup ...

Jittery highway ride plus a rear that steps out over uneven surfaces usually means a weeping damper or a tired rear toe link bushing. A scan tool can read the magneride damper codes and show if one corner is out of range. Also check tire pressures and the tread wear pattern, since cupped tires feel ...

Pads at 500 to 600 wholesale sounds about right for genuine, so the rest is labour and markup. I'd still check whether the dealer is quoting rotors too, because on a C300 they often push those every second pad change. Pad thickness and rotor lip are worth looking at yourself first.

The click is usually the starter solenoid trying with no juice behind it, so it's most likely the main battery. On that generation CLS the new one needs to be coded through the SAM or via Xentry/Star-compatible tool so the charge management knows its age and capacity. Skip that and you'll shorten ...

For surfactants and acids you want to look at the UN code on the plate, the HDPE grade, and the valve and gasket material, because EPDM versus Viton matters depending on what's inside. Also check the date of the last leakproofness test on any reconditioned unit. Concentrated acids can need different ...

Pulsing central locking plus stop-start faults plus reverse beeps points to low or unstable voltage on the network, or a dodgy BSI ground. Have the battery tested under load and check the IBS sensor on the negative terminal. Then get someone with Lexia or DiagBox to read live data and the fault ...

The cooling system on those is worth checking before peak summer, coolant condition, condenser fins clogged with sand, and the electric fan operation. Sand and dust choke condensers quicker than people think. I'd also pull the cabin filter, mine was completely packed after one season.

Fitment horror stories are almost always the installer, not the kit. Take your time picking the shop, look at their finished cars, and ask how they handle paint matching on a car that's driven daily. That matters more than the material.

Depends on the paint. If it's a metallic or pearl, aggressive compounding can leave haze around the area, so the tech needs to blend the polish out past the scratch. Also worth checking whether the clear coat is thick enough to take a cut, older cars sometimes aren't.

Flood damage concerns are worth taking seriously, especially with an incomplete service history that could be hiding a gap where the car sat somewhere it shouldn't have been. An inspector who knows what to look for can check things like corrosion in spots that wouldn't normally show water exposure.