My First Mercedes, C class w203

[Marschall]

Roger that!!! do keep in mind once you plan to dispose them off

[arzaamXRS]

Okay promise you’ll be the first person to know if so

[Marschall]

BTW i was planning to buy a w203 myself and wanted to upgrade to the newer cluster but after studying in various forums i have realized it is impossible.......so i may jump back and buy another w202 with m112 or m111 engine......finding a clean one is a herculean task though

[arzaamXRS]

I would get a w203, sourcing some important stuff for w202 like keys or immobiliser modules is becoming a issue and as you rightly said very rare to come across good cars

Xulfiqar has already explained everything about the cluster
You may get the m271 w203, M111 w203 are quite hard to find too
and you can do the preventative checks of the issues that m271 have so as to not needing to spend Much money on them

[arzaamXRS]

I originally had set out to buy a e46 3 series but really couldn’t find a good one
Broken door handles, window regulators, worn out interiors and rattling water pumps were what I found on most so stayed with the w203
But maybe now that prices are dropped you can come across a good e46
They are pretty good to drive though very less equipped inside

[Marschall]

I originally had set out to buy a e46 3 series but really couldn’t find a good oneBroken door handles, window regulators, worn out interiors and rattling water pumps were what I found on most so stayed with the w203But maybe now that prices are dropped you can come across a good e46They are pretty good to drive though very less equipped inside

Yes e46 has been always on my list especially the i6 ones...but again the oil leaks,the cooling problem the window regulators ,the rear subframe and somewhat bland interior has put me off....but agar e46 coupe mil jaye 16 tak tu i would buy it in a blink of an eye......but i still prefer drive of a benz soft ,mushy and insulated

[arzaamXRS]

Agreed though a Mercedes drive is never supposed to mushy if it’s suspension bushings etc is in good order
It’s a comforable contorlled ride but very responsive and precise
Same goes for their transmission they are not supposed to feel mushy but are adaptive and learn your driving style and shift should be precise and when cold even a little harsh, no rubber bandy old Lexus grandpa sort of shifts but precise

A lot of workshops don’t care to install control arms properly they are supposed to be torqued on the ground under normal ride height
Although Shahnawaz always follows this rule Dewan doesn’t and I had them get a transmission jack and jack the wheel from underneath while car was on a lift to the normal ride height then torque down as they didn’t have a pit to do so

[Xulfiqar]

jacking the hub is the correct way, not the pit.

and benz rides as stiff as a BMW, whoever thinks a mercedes rides like a lexus is in for a shock (literally)

even the old W124 rides pretty taught - it feels like its suspended on elastic bands with absolutely no bounce.

[Marschall]

My w202 had 15 inch wheels used to absorb bumps like a champ....but my 209 is stiff ,riding on 17s it not a soft ride ,sharp tho

[Xulfiqar]

the lower the profile, the worse the ride, try driving my X5, its an E70 (meaning stiffer suspension) - along with 19 inch run flat tires (they have zero squish - meaning they are like concrete)

it feels like a ricksha, but extremely good handling and ride above 120 km/h, under it - its exactly like sitting in vespa ape ricksha on bad roads.

[arzaamXRS]

I am fine with the ride so far I am running 2.2 bar front and 2.5 bar rear pressures it isn't that harsh compared to the old 15s but much sharper

next target is to chase after a old stored code about brake booster pressure at startup which only shows in STAR(check engine light is never on) goes away but comes back if the car is stood for few days been like this for a year, basically the vacuum pump next to the headlight stays on for a few seconds longer than necessary and STAR says leakage, checked all the brake booster lines they appeared fine and used a handheld vacuum pump and the system holds pressure which makes me think either the brake booster diaphragm has some weird thing going on although no sounds of air leaking or just the pump is old and is taking time to build pressure, the brake pedal is always fine no issues while driving so I never bothered yet but found locally the right brake booster and vacuum pump so would try swapping and see if it makes a difference.

[arzaamXRS]

while I was searching for headlights for the Mercedes found out Germans use Bio degradable wiring in the headlight housing or at least BMW does and sure enough when I checked mine some of the insulation looked like it would fall off even if I would just touch it, Dewan Quotes 0.42 million just for the housings no bulbs or modules or ballasts or anything, so will probably will swap them once they get worse if I found good used ones or take a day off and get some heat shrink and electrical tape paste (I forgot what its called but you apply it with a brush) and a heatgun and rewire the headlights myself

[Marschall]

Mercedes did use bio degradable wiring before 1994....BMW on the other hand looks completely bio degradable

[Xulfiqar]

repair the wiring for the headlamps yourself, replace with heat resistant wiring in the lights, same issue with older mercedes like the W210, W140 etc and also some nissans and mazdas.

You can find the wiring kit easily now for BMW and MB, earlier on it used to be a wire, crimpers, heatshrink job.

btw - the pump running too long is a telltale sign of a failing pump, buy a rebuilt one, the original ones are garbage.

btw - the E70 suspension is unforgiving and couple that with runflats, lets just say if you need a solid jolting side to side and jarring front to back, get a ride in it. (like a potohar in roughness but VERY nice at speed unlike the potohar which is haraam - suicide is haraam)

[arzaamXRS]

Makes sense thank you so much for the insight

[arzaamXRS]

When I was changing tires of the X5 Dewan was recommending run flats but I stayed far away like
I want to keep the fillings of my teeth intact

But dare I say it on roads such as Muree Express way or high speeds it handles still so much better than the Mercedes despite being so big

[arzaamXRS]

These days was helping a friend in US who bought a R230 SL55 AMG with couple of issues with the Vario roof
First he had some hydraulic leaks from one of the lock cylinders
He bought seals for it from a supplier there but found out they are impossible to change for a diy person
New lock cylinder later the plastic guide pin where the roof latches broke I guess when the roof was not operational he didn’t follow the correct wis procedure to manually close it

And Mercedes in their wisdom have a hidden microswitche there so currently since the guide pin is part of a large assembly he is using a pin and piece of string to hold it while in operation

Also I checked epc and apparently none of the hydraulic lines have any o rings they only are held on by a metal plate his are weeping just a tiny bit but we couldn’t figure out what to improve since there is no o ring
Teflon tape maybe

[arzaamXRS]

The car was low on refrigerant as well
He refilled using this arctic freeze refrigerant said it has sealant in it too and works really well
I am quite skeptical about such products if they can have any side effect

[Xulfiqar]

the hydraulic cylinders require specific rebuilding tools, which are owned by hydraulic shops, tell him to look for an agricultural outfit, They will be able to repair it easily - they are very simple systems - MB have teflon mechanical seals on the end unlike citroen which use O rings. Do not attempt to DIY the thing.

The "arctic freeze' refrigerant IMO is useless (unless you dont own a charging hose), the walmart 5 dollar cans of R134a are perfect (all R134a is the same), dont waste money on a sticker called arctic freeze and stay away from anything called stop leak and also called "1st charge can" - they have oil in them.

yes the X5 is nice to drive - it turns quick n nice, but I still prefer the old W210 and W124 drive on highways, they are purpose built for this.

OTOH - the X5 was built to go up mountains with wet roads.

[arzaamXRS]

noted on all the points, really appreciate the info thanks, right now he first has to get it to pass California's smog test which apparently is tough, he had disconnected the battery before I don't know why dumb thing to do I guess and now the emissions monitors are not saying ready, he has been driving for two days but apparently the drive cycle takes longer. the Evap and Secondary air injection monitors are not getting ready, o2 sensor heater circuit passed, no error codes though