My First Mercedes, C class w203

[ferrari10]

thanks for the kind comments, a Masha ALLAH is enough for my car :), a mercedes with a warning sign is bad to buy, have it checked by SDS (Mercedes own scanner) or similar, as if it really was such a quick fix as a sensor the owner would have had it fixed as alone for this reason price can be reduced a lot. without knowing the code it can be really hard to tell, the car could have been involved in a accident even and be miraculously repaired, so scan what the code says, no need to goto shahanwaz for this, Star should be available else where as well and see which sensor or part it is. i m saying to use Star as its a mercedes own deep level scanner and will show exactly whats wrong whereas a generic scanner might not pick up any codes or a generic code for this fault.

normally what i know about this code it could be something as simple a sa broken wire while removing seat or in the door connections to the side airbag,or a deployed side airbag or broken clock spring connections in a steering or even a accident.

if you do decide to buy the car with this fault and then haggle a good deal off as its not a simple fix or tell the owner to get it fixed and show a receipt of sensor replaced and then buy the car.

btw the sensor i talked about is the eight sensing sensor, if it breaks it can cause SRS light to stay on but i dont think it causes the message of restoring system visit workshop to appear. only Star will tell.

btw if you think accident mercs dont prop up for sale then youll be wrong, shahnawaz were telling me they have seen many repaired cars and heres a thread to see how across the bother this w203 was miraculously repaired.

A Gamble that Paid off: C-Class Mercedes W203 - Team-BHP

@arzaam.bhatti Arzaam bhai. bohat bohat shukria. your post is very helpful. i think i should go for a clean C Class. the only issue i have with a c class is the rear seat leg room. bohat tang ho kar baithna parta hy peechay key sawarion ko. E Class has better leg room. C is smaller and better to handle in the traffic of our country. what do you think bhai?

[arzaam.bhatti]

i have had a bad experience with the mechanic making him work at my place. they usually miss the reference. however it might be because of me coz i didnt direct to every detail what to do.

now i go to only trusted workshops and most satisfying answer for me when they admit that they cant fix the issue coz they dont know how to do it and than i need to find the right expert for the job.

Agree with you mostly
Working at home requires the owner to be well versed on the procedures to follow and the mechanic and fill in gaps in the knowledge and this is how we learn. It also requires to have proper tools at home.

If the expert is good the why not take the car directly to him in the first place ?

Visiting Worksops and doing work at home and myself and visiting experts etc after all of this I have gained lot of knowledge and experience so all of this is necessary in the long run and now depending on the job I tackle it myself, or bring expert and do it along with it at home if the job is long )and can't be completed in the same day so that car doesn't stay in workshop (mostly do so on Toyotas) or go to Shahnawaz when I need parts and or their equipment but have the work done in front of myself directing or having a discussion where necessary, I gain knowledge this way and also highlight and make them fix any of their wrong approach so after a few times now we work almost as a team as they now know I am not going accept anything less than what's in the service manual.

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[arzaam.bhatti]

@arzaam.bhatti Arzaam bhai. bohat bohat shukria. your post is very helpful. i think i should go for a clean C Class. the only issue i have with a c class is the rear seat leg room. bohat tang ho kar baithna parta hy peechay key sawarion ko. E Class has better leg room. C is smaller and better to handle in the traffic of our country. what do you think bhai?

Yes go for a clean car with no errors and a bullet proof drivetrain
All of the rest can be restored if necessary to spec without hassle. Don't search for w203s if one is newer than the other or a certain colour but look at which one in the market is in best condition and has nice array of options as well

If you still having trouble finding a car I suggest you widen your search and include BMW 318i e46 as well. I did the same and test drove both cars especially the Bmw had a half and hour test drive, although in the end I preferred the Mercedes because it was in better Nick and had much more gadgets and better interior but if you can't find a decent merc then Bmw is still a good option and I found more in better condition than Mercedes. They are slightly less complicated and less to go wrong and you might have a better chance of finding a good one. They are also more powerfull and better to drive but smaller inside and pretty bare bones when it comes to gadgets.

Still the feel of both these RWD German cars will outdo any local or Japanese cars and both can be resorted to spec if not perfect but end result will be really enjoyable and of a different class.
So maybe consider a e46 as well and you might have better luck there.

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[Bughlol]

Recently bought E200 Kompressor 2005 W211. Needs few suggestions regarding head lamps. The glass is bit oxidised and looks slightly foggy at certain angles. This lessens the look and glare of the body. Also the high beam is not much bright as it used to be in my Corolla 2012 GLi. Any solution, remedy regarding oxidation? Next will you suggest to install rear view camera with an LCD and how could it be possible?

[hatobacho]

Ma Sha Allah, very nice car you have there, check mine in the link below. I have not documented all the work I did on my car but the saying is such, once you go German you can never go back

https://www.pakwheels.com/forums/buy-sell-exchange/266113-mercedes-benz-w124

[arzaam.bhatti]

Recently bought E200 Kompressor 2005 W211. Needs few suggestions regarding head lamps. The glass is bit oxidised and looks slightly foggy at certain angles. This lessens the look and glare of the body. Also the high beam is not much bright as it used to be in my Corolla 2012 GLi. Any solution, remedy regarding oxidation? Next will you suggest to install rear view camera with an LCD and how could it be possible?

oxidising lenses are common, you should get a headlight lens restoration kit such as of meguiars and if you are good at it you can have a go yourself, it involves sanding it down and then buffing and then finally protection and they look good as new, alternatively you can simply get hold of a compound like meguiars ultimate compound and try it ourself with a MF cloth there will be no harm and ovule clear them a little, meguiars plastx can help, basically you need a abrasive to get rid of the oxidation and then a polish to make it clear it again and then something to protect it form happening again, if not confident take it to a professional detailer he should be able to correct it, or watch videos on youtube on headlights lens restoration there are quite a lot just dont think toothpaste will work.

people may suggest you to get the headlight removed and clean it form inside but i advise against them, i haven't seen any before after pics that this method works even and removing the headlight involves dismantling the front bumper and cracking the seal of the headlights which they will not be able to get a good seal back anyways and moisture may later come.

you feel the high beam is not as good probably because the lens is oxidised and not letting light completely pass through. it has very specifically aimed headlights they dont scatter light all over the road like corolla but increase the illuminated distance quite a bit.

i would not suggest to install although it can be done, first youll need to find a 2 din plate which will be very difficult and it will look very odd plus wont work with the steering controls or display in the dials. if you already have command youll still need a hardware interface form uk to make it recognise the camera and its super expensive. and the camera is typically mounted in place of the license plate light it might be possible for it to set the light broken warning off, even if you get a feed form somewhere else care needs to be taken not to disturb the rear sam. its still doable but i wouldn't personally especially with the knowledge of our local electricians and audio installers and their armament of nitto tape.

proper way to do it is to get a command system form uk a original one can coast 1900 pounds upwards and a camera connection kit for it which can as far as i remember more than 500 pounds

you can refer to this website for audio related info on mercedes including what can and cannot be done while staying in the limits of OEM.

https://www.commandonline.co.uk/home.php

hopes this is of any help to you.

[arzaam.bhatti]

one more thing @ferrari10 as far as rear passenger space goes its more than 10th corolla in my experience but less than 11th gen. what my family comments is that the rear seat of my car is more luxurious as there is quite a lot more shoulder room as car is wider and the seats are reclined so they are really comfortable, they are also nicely contoured and more supportive compared to corolla's flat seats and fit the body well. although its best only for two people in the back, although there is a third proper headrest and 3 point seat belt for the middle passgener unlike the lap belt in local cars the huge centre drivetrain train tunnel makes it awkward for a third person. also in a w203 the front seats are very adjustable and can go back all the way so that hardly any room is left in the back so the passenger seat maybe adjusted wrongly, the front leg room is way more than any corolla or civic and the footwell goes in quite a way, if front seats are raised electrically then this gives much more legroom to rear passengers as they can now slide their feet below the front seats thus increasing legroom. and they can also feel the warmth or cool of the large vents in the feet blowing air.

family also loves the centre vents and the fact that the blower speed in my car for rear passengers is adjustable independently of the front so they can have their own setting which is a crowd pleaser and so is the centre arrest which is firm and stays upright instead of sagging and resting on the seat.

one thing which increased the space a lot in my car was that originally it came with covered setbacks, dont know if it was like this originally or it happened in somewpoint of its life, i had the seat backs redone and had cutouts for legs of rear passengers as well as a pocket and this made a large difference.

and so did adding more neater mats on top of the original ones to protect them though i left the driver one alone so that it doesn't interfere with driving.

this was the day i got it,
DSC02154 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

after redoing the seat backs
DSC02460 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

[arzaam.bhatti]

this is the latest picture, you can get a idea of leg room space with seats in normal positiion both front and back

20150929_203151 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

20150929_203227 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

i dont think the mats will be to everyones taste but for now they were the only one that fitted and are really heavy made up of really think rubber so they dont move at all.

sure its not a camry but i think rear seat is a nice place to be but definitely no doubt about it a E class will have more space and definitely the one to go for i space is a high priority .

as far as our roads are concerned either car will cause no issue, its not as big as a land cruiser or a hilux which are so common, and the long bonnet and height adjustable seats means the corners are easy to see. parking might be a small issue as there is no rear camera though there might be parktronic option fitted. i am used to parking with rear and front facing cameras in all the rest of the cars so thats the only minor thing, the drop down headrests improve visibility quite a lot compared to corolla .

[devils_smile]

this is the latest picture, you can get a idea of leg room space with seats in normal positiion both front and back

20150929_203151 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

20150929_203227 by Arzaam Bhatti, on Flickr

i dont think the mats will be to everyones taste but for now they were the only one that fitted and are really heavy made up of really think rubber so they dont move at all.

sure its not a camry but i think rear seat is a nice place to be but definitely no doubt about it a E class will have more space and definitely the one to go for i space is a high priority .

as far as our roads are concerned either car will cause no issue, its not as big as a land cruiser or a hilux which are so common, and the long bonnet and height adjustable seats means the corners are easy to see. parking might be a small issue as there is no rear camera though there might be parktronic option fitted. i am used to parking with rear and front facing cameras in all the rest of the cars so thats the only minor thing, the drop down headrests improve visibility quite a lot compared to corolla .

Arzaam, where did you get those mats from. I need a set since I hate dust getting onto the original cloth mats on my car and I was thinking of getting some custom made one's but all the hassle kinda stops me all the time.

[devils_smile]

Recently bought E200 Kompressor 2005 W211. Needs few suggestions regarding head lamps. The glass is bit oxidised and looks slightly foggy at certain angles. This lessens the look and glare of the body. Also the high beam is not much bright as it used to be in my Corolla 2012 GLi. Any solution, remedy regarding oxidation? Next will you suggest to install rear view camera with an LCD and how could it be possible?

If the oxidation/hazing is on the outside of the lens, it can be cleaned easily. The cheap way is to rub some old fashioned normal toothpaste ( not the gel one's, somthing like the standard white toothpaste from colgate or medicam ), let the paste dry on the headlight and remove it.

The proper way is to buy a headlight polish like Meguiars PlastX, rub it onto the headlight and let it dry to a haze. Watch the magic when you remove it.

[arzaam.bhatti]

Arzaam, where did you get those mats from. I need a set since I hate dust getting onto the original cloth mats on my car and I was thinking of getting some custom made one's but all the hassle kinda stops me all the time.

yeah same here, i got them online from sehgul motors, they are there on the website i think.

[Bughlol]

Thanks all for the valuable suggestions. Really appreciate.

[Xulfiqar]

A true enthusiast's thread. My impression after reading it from first post till here-- one needs enormous amount of time, money, effort, dedication, devotion and a deep insight into owning an MB for the love of it.

Owning one does not requires any enormities, please remember these cars are choice 1 for taxi duty in most countries and taxi service means - HD build and long service.

the problem usually seen is shortcutting and penny pinching - e.g. some models of MB take a specific power steering oil (CHF type), I know some people who put in cheap as chips type A warco branded ATF because it works in their ancient mercedes - which led to failure and high repair cost which then led to "yeh baree museebatt gaari hai"

If they had simply paid attention - the case would have been different.

other issues I usually saw were again shortcutting on repair work using cheap tools which mar the fasteners and having no service information before tearing into the car. This leads to more problems than the original repair was called for. e.g. trying to solve a hard shift problem on an older hydraulic box by replacing the whole unit with some other model gearbox - (MB automatic gearbox repair manual is extremely detailed if you want to buy and read it)

I drive a well aged E320 here, and trust me when I tell you - I use it like a mule - I carry construction hardware in it/ on it - I have pulled trailers with it, used it for extra long driving (engine/gearbox was not allowed to rest at all for 15 hour drives).

I just take care of it - like it wants, meaning I dont wait for it to break down. Do preventive maintenance and resolve problems before they envelope other issues and all will be well.

The biggest asset in repairing a MB is owning a workshop manual for the car - specially if you live in Pakistan because 99% of the shops claiming to service them lack such info and just prop around on their repair experience of the old W116, W123, W126, W124, W201 models which were caveman level compared to these new ones.

[wasim625]

Owning one does not requires any enormities, please remember these cars are choice 1 for taxi duty in most countries and taxi service means - HD build and long service.

the problem usually seen is shortcutting and penny pinching - e.g. some models of MB take a specific power steering oil (CHF type), I know some people who put in cheap as chips type A warco branded ATF because it works in their ancient mercedes - which led to failure and high repair cost which then led to "yeh baree museebatt gaari hai"

If they had simply paid attention - the case would have been different.

other issues I usually saw were again shortcutting on repair work using cheap tools which mar the fasteners and having no service information before tearing into the car. This leads to more problems than the original repair was called for. e.g. trying to solve a hard shift problem on an older hydraulic box by replacing the whole unit with some other model gearbox - (MB automatic gearbox repair manual is extremely detailed if you want to buy and read it)

I drive a well aged E320 here, and trust me when I tell you - I use it like a mule - I carry construction hardware in it/ on it - I have pulled trailers with it, used it for extra long driving (engine/gearbox was not allowed to rest at all).

I just take care of it - like it wants, meaning I dont wait for it to break down. Do preventive maintenance and resolve problems before they envelope other issues and all will be well.

The biggest asset in repairing a MB is owning a workshop manual for the car - specially if you live in Pakistan because 99% of the shops claiming to service them lack such info and just prop around on their repair experience of the old W116, W123, W126, W124, W201 models which were caveman level compared to these new ones.

A 'Hossla-Afzza' Post - I really wanted to have a Mercedes but reading this thread and others here on PW i was having second thoughts - in fact 3rd, 4th and fifth thoughts lol, But reading your post i think i should have a repair manual of the model i'll be having and invest in tools and have a mini workshop for myself and i am good to have a Mercedes without actually leaving Pakistan lol.

[wasim625]

a vintage haynes manual as well published in the late 80s

seriously these contain such a wealth of information if people had these Mr Xulfiqar would be spared of answering at least half of the trivial questions, this contains every info and procedure you need,

ill try to find some more haynes manual especially if i can come across for one of my cars, i found all this stuff in a barn sale at cheap prices:P, the land rover book on the cover said 17.75pounds, i got it for 550rs:P

Where did you found those actually? where were the sales?

[arzaam.bhatti]

Where did you found those actually? where were the sales?

there was a book sale at a local club for a few days, mostly it was all novels and the like but buried under the enormous pile i found this and a couple other car books but this was the only service manual i could find, got it dirt cheap the seller didn't care for it

[DUDE007]

@arzaam.bhatti clear your inbox please

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[arzaam.bhatti]

@arzaam.bhatti clear your inbox please

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Cleared

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[Bughlol]

My Merc E200 Kompressor W211 2005 is saying Service F is due in 8000Kms. Currently its 90,000Kms in odo. Recently got it thoroughly checked by INH people including detailed diagnostics via computer (SDS or something like that) and they said everything is OK and perfect. Oil, oil filter, AC filter and air filter all were changed at 88,000Kms. Any opinion what it means?

[Bughlol]

One more thing the door of the in-dash CD changer stuck half way while opening and closing and have to manually push it and then its Ok. Every time pushing manually is annoying, may be some mechanical problem? Any idea?