my w202 bucket list [Archive]

ypkx

01-11-2012, 05:54 AM

i've recently been piled up with a lot of money. and ive decided to spend the money on the car wisely; meaning no cosmetic changes to the car, much rather repair and upgrade existing parts.

Now, I don't quite know what is commonly or uncommonly repaired or upgraded in Mercedes. Quite frankly, a lot of my money on my old car was spent on cosmetics, which meant not a lot of TLC for car maintenence. I'm learning from my mistakes.

what sort of upgrades, or repairs could I do bit by bit? that you would recommend? Im looking to increase the cars life span and improve its drive.

I mean, anything!

I've dabbed on things like -

- Brake upgrades; calipers, rotors and pads?
- Change brake hoses to braided brake hoses
- re-bleeding brake hoses
- Full service including oil change, oil filter, air filter, fuel filters?
- My ABS light is on, so I will need a diagnostics check + fix/repair on this (or is there another reason such as brakes maybe wearing for this?)
- ball joints?
- struts?
- suspension upgrade; currently in desperate need of new coilovers.

Would appreciate any help I can get!

Thanks,

JC

190si

01-11-2012, 09:25 AM

ABS will be a sensor more than likely, it could be brake light switch. The ball joints are utter cream there like £8 each and take 5 mins to fit per side.
sevicing is cheap and easy. why do u need bigger brakes bit of a waste of money. Coilovers are expensive shocks and springs would be cheaper.
A brak fluid change takes a few mins. And brads hoses aint really worth it i hadone burst once. unless its a race car that kind of stuff is pointless. for cheapness replace anti roll bar bushes and steering box parts nice new discs and pads and some nice tyres and a good service. be good as new

strictlyspeakin

01-11-2012, 02:39 PM

I'll counterpoint 190si and say that I do like the stainless steel braided hose lines. I've put them on 2 cars now. I've never had one break on my though so take it for what it's worth.

There is a coolness factor to bigger brakes and sure, you probably will achieve better stopping power. But from an ongoing maintenance standpoint you're always going to have to remember oh yeah I can't get standard replacement pads/rotors for a 202, I've got to order the XXX part instead. I agree it's an expensive upgrade for marginal reward.

I'd take a mechanically reliable car over a marginal car even if the marginal one looks cooler.

190si

01-11-2012, 03:27 PM

They do work braided hoses they dont swell and some nice brake fluid that doesnt boil. but you can get nice discs and some performance pads that will do the same job rather than spend a fortune on like 4 pot calipers. I get loads of 55 amgs in work they have huge brakes £1000 for brakes lol. could a nice set off v8 amg brakes fit they would look nice. Unless you have loads of power you dont need massive brakes and there hidden anyway. My old 190e had solid front discs and would fade after 2 hard stamps going into roundabouts from about 100mph the c230 k does about 4 lol i think unless there carbon ceramic you will always get fade. Do you guys have many rounabouts?
I think the 202 looks cool on its arse with nice wheels and thats about it.

Sulaco

01-11-2012, 06:16 PM

What car do you have? How many miles?

Without knowing that, I'd still say start with suspension upkeep. Look at tie rod ends, use some lower control arm bushings from the w203, ball joints, shocks, etc. Of course every filter on the car. Especially fuel filter. Replace the oil in the rear diff with Mobil 1 or royal purple. A good trannie flush can be rewarding in longevity and responsive from a cleaner gearbox. It gets gunked up over time. Ditto on a brake upgrade. It already has a fine brake system. The upgrades are just overkill. My c43 stops better than some ferraris. That's nice, but my rotors are $275 each. The brakes on my 1994 c280 are all original with a quarter million miles and still good enough to put my face in the windshield.

More info on the car would be helpful. Old MB engines like in the 202 are classic bulletproof mercs. But don't neglect it. The internals are fantastically tough. Changed my oil once a year at 15-20k mile intervals for 12 years and still tip top. But pay attention to the accessories. Water pump, alternator, etc. They aren't as permanent.

Would help if we knew how much you're looking to spend, too.

ypkx

01-12-2012, 01:25 AM

im looking to spend as much as i need, more importantly, what can be prioritised for a repair/upgrade. I just want to make sure the car can do another year or two before i give it up.

Its a P reg 1996 C 180. Its done almost 160k miles.

I thought these mercs run the same oil in the engine as the gearboxes?

ypkx

01-12-2012, 01:27 AM

190si

01-12-2012, 05:22 AM

brake light switch is behind the brake pedal. and there is a wheel speed sensor (abs) on both front hubs cant miss them. on the rear may just be one in the diff thats how it was on the 201.
Good way of looking after your waterpump. make sure your coolant is protecting enough ,you want the long life pink stuff like vw have. doesnt just stop you freezing up in winter and boiling over in summer it has rust inhibitors in it and lubricates.
old hondas took 10/40 engine oil in the manual gearboxes but everyone changed that to proper 75/90 box oil cos they blew all the time, and the old mini a series all ran engine oil through the box hence the noise lol.
I wouldnt bother with massive brakes on a c180 just go to the scrap yard and get some calipers off a c230k or c280 and get the discs and pads new there only 122bhp.
If you have lights on your dash take it somewhere who has star station which is mercs dionostics ...

ypkx

01-12-2012, 01:18 PM

thanks, so how do i know its the brake light switch? what does the wheel speed sensor look like, (will probably google as soon as ive finished writing this).

hvmercy

01-12-2012, 01:28 PM

I've replaced both on my 97 C230 and the ABS light is still on.

Go to autohausaz.com to search for both parts.

190si

01-12-2012, 01:40 PM

the diognostic will tell you. theres a choice of 2 switchs the most expensive being £16. the sensor is a wire and round the hub is what looks like a cog and thats how it reads what its doing, you cant get them out without breaking them and there like a £100 plus.
Theres relays and the abs unit its self can go faulty it can be a can of worms, dont know what the laws like over there but here now a abs light is a mot fail, can write a 202 off like mine was £900 you could spend hundreds on fixing it is it worth it , i mean no offence to mexico the build quality aint what it was on the 201. but the 202 is a lot better drive than the 201 and are fantastic value i wouldnt swap mine for anything well maybe this s65 amg on autotrader 2004 was a £145,000 new and now £24,000 i mean come on 612bhp standard ive seen them with over 700bhp with just a remap.

ypkx

01-17-2012, 08:37 AM

thanks very much 190si. i dont think it would be a write off but it would definitely be an mot failure. i'll get an indy on it before my mot turns up.

im in the midst of fixing my suspension, may i ask... did mercedes ever make a different length shock for any of the 202s? like did the amg's have sports edition shocks that may have been stiffer, or shorter in length or were the the same as a standard sport/avantgarde/classic 202?

basically, im after sportier oem shocks, rather than aftermarket because i like the ride comfort much more and im pretty sure my girlfriend would complain if she had to feel every bump in the road with aftermarkets.
the only problem i find with my current oem shocks is that they bounce so much that i scrape everything. need something with abit of stiff so it wont top out/bottom out.
Im talking about the rear shocks by the way, as im replacing the front end with bilsteins to stop the bounce.

190si

01-17-2012, 08:54 AM

the c36 is like a inch lower and the sports have stiffer shocks. my old 190 was a sportline and that was 23 mm lower than standard and had billies on itfrom factory. All the springs have couloured dots on them which relate to the weight of your cAr, i.e what have u got from factory like air con electric seats and the shocks have numbers on them, buying genuine will be mega money, try euro car parts there good.
sounds like your shocks are knackard if there doing that..

ypkx

01-17-2012, 11:15 AM

they are knackered man, ive got gmax lowering springs in there too, planning on going mega lower than what it is now so replacing rear with something comfier and then get stiffer up front. i wonder how easy it is to get c36 shocks?

190si

01-18-2012, 02:42 PM

u dont need them some nice billsteins or koni shocks will be a better upgrade and some polly bushes

ypkx

01-19-2012, 12:16 AM

hm, its definitely just the front that bounces, the back end is pretty stable. So im going to get some standard replacements for the back until i can afford some bilsteins for the back. Koni are on my a list, i see more people gunning for koni than bilsteins...

190si

01-19-2012, 04:08 PM

if i was going to lower mine i would just stick cheap shocks and springs on if its just for looks

ypkx

01-20-2012, 01:49 AM

found a set of PI shortened shocks. never heard of PI, but at a price of £55 each corner, its probably the best bet i have?

ypkx

01-23-2012, 08:48 AM

so, i got screwed over with the wheels, so theyre currently being re painted black to match the car, it was metallic grey before. Shocks have been ordered and should be with me anytime this week and they should be on the car by friday, with all 4 springs chopped to a desirable height.

Coolant has been changed, washer topped up. Desperately need a fuel filter next!

190si

01-23-2012, 09:02 AM

cut springs? that will give you dog shit handling very bumpy lowering springs coils are closer together, for what the cost id get them.

190si

01-23-2012, 09:03 AM

fuel filter is easy just under the back probably be all rusty lol

ypkx

01-23-2012, 01:19 PM

stance > function as some say. As bad as this sounds, I'm not too bothered about the handling as I don't race the car. :P
Yeah, that is one thing I fear the most is that it would be rusted on!

Just got an email through from europerformance and told me its out of stock and will need 2-3weeks, guess i'll be issuing a refund and buy from somewhere else! ugh, another couple of days wasted!!!!

190si

01-23-2012, 04:19 PM

might be a bit bouncy but to be fair its a chap mod

ypkx

01-24-2012, 02:59 AM

would cut springs generally be bouncier because of the coil rate etc?
Plus, also a question that is probably very simple; Would the car be any lower on these new shortened springs compared to my OEM broken ones? for example; My car now is sat at say 80mm drop with the standard shocks in, if i install the new shocks, am i expecting a lower drop because they're shortened or does that not really matter?

190si

01-24-2012, 09:07 AM

just a bit pikey lol springs are mad how they are for a reason so cutting them makes them bouncy. if they have snapped it can be low or if there cracked it stays the same height. proper shocks and springs will be a nice low not a tired low like worn out stuff looks like.
ive seen some broken springs it happens at night on the driveway most of the time and ive seen them go through tyres hence some cars have modded parts to stop that happening. i had a broken spring on my 190 e for 2 years 80 quid from merc the spring was lol but cos it was a sportline i got a genuine one cos they were 23mm lower

ypkx

02-13-2012, 12:46 AM

its been done - 'haters gonna hate'

We ran into a little problem and the story goes something like this;
we sailed through getting all four shocks in, the shocks were in one box and they were not labelled; we did not know which belonged to the front or rear so we used a little common sense and thought the shorter ones would sit the front. we were wrong.
Basically, half way through, we got the rear shocks in and measured how much drop we would need and cut the springs 2 coils. we dropped the car back on the wheels and NOTHING. we figured the shocks were too arrogant so we cut the springs another HALF A COIL to suffice for the gap. BAD IDEA.
Then when we went to fit the front shocks, we realised it wasn't fitting right, and we both decided that we had got them the wrong way round. So we swapped them around and decided NOT to cut the front springs because of my already low ground clearance. And this is how it turned out.

To this very moment in time, i do not regretting cutting the 2 and a half coils for the rear, but only regret we didn't take ANY COILS OFF THE FRONT! The car now seems to sit front high by an inch or two and its beginnning to annoy me. Springs are also far too small to sit and hold themselves in both top and bottom cups... which means I'll have to invest in a set of standard springs for MOT.

The shocks are brilliant, a little bouncy at the moment but a mercedes being a mercedes at its weight im hoping the shocks will soften up a little after wearing it in a couple of miles.

Now, im planning on getting some wheel spacers for the back to bring the wheel back out of its arch. 20mm hub centrics but still stubbed to understand how these work; I WILL need longer bolts/studs right?
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/421981_3220169911204_1475107171_3045922_2026466795 _n.jpg
http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/399795_3220906649622_1475107171_3046220_1778458326 _n.jpg
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/419239_3220907889653_1475107171_3046221_135125232_ n.jpg
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/423133_3220900209461_1475107171_3046218_1548338050 _n.jpg

ypkx

02-18-2012, 01:19 PM

gave her a polish and a proper wax over.

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/418651_3243693139270_1475107171_3053865_807364318_ n.jpg

wichipong

02-18-2012, 01:32 PM

are your springs cut vogtlands? hows the ride?

190si

02-19-2012, 04:02 PM

god jesus mary and joseph what did you do sounds like a lot of hard work went into all that lol ive got a mate who does the same things he gets like old e21 bmws and raises the engine and puut it on 200sx coilovers man its low hence the new trend low and slow. i did a set of clk rear springs the other day book time 3 hours they took me 5 mins lol

Chris_c200

02-20-2012, 01:43 AM

Looks good. Thought about bigger wheels? run with 18s or 19s

ypkx

02-22-2012, 04:40 AM

are your springs cut vogtlands? hows the ride?

what are vogtlands? -edit- I know what you're saying now, they indeed do look like vogtlands. And following a discussion with a local dealership, its not surprising if the Gmax springs i bought were vogtlands.. A lot of spring companies share stocks around the globe.

They Gmax lowering springs, rear is cut 2 and 1/2 coils, I regret cutting the extra half a coil. I scrape everywhere.
Front have not been cut yet as we were worried about my clearance.
The ride is bumpy, very bumpy, but i blame the new PI shocks that we installed, its a very hard ride.. very sporty and completely jeopardises the mercedes luxurious ride comfort. If i had the choice, I would buy a set of new c36/46 sport shocks and replace them.

god jesus mary and joseph what did you do sounds like a lot of hard work went into all that lol ive got a mate who does the same things he gets like old e21 bmws and raises the engine and puut it on 200sx coilovers man its low hence the new trend low and slow. i did a set of clk rear springs the other day book time 3 hours they took me 5 mins lol

aha! I'll be honest, i swing for the low n slow looks but this is almost undriveable! My fuel filter is roughly 3 inches from the ground, if it wasn't for the protective cover that covers a whole lot of other things, i think the car would've blown up or something.. The springs didnt take long, they were cut within seconds and back in the cups and the car was then lowered off the jacks. we needed three jacks.

Looks good. Thought about bigger wheels? run with 18s or 19s

I have chris, I am tempted in a set of carllsons or mercedes alphards, like speedybenz's white benz.. I think I need to cut the front springs half a coil to even the car out, and then put 18 with stretch on. maybe a spacer or two to keep some camber.

I've just landed a job at Pizza hut doing deliveries, not going to lie, finding a job is hard now in my city and im going to say im quite lucky to have been offered this job, the car might have to be raised for the sake of my cars health :( although, my main point about pointing out i have just landed a job is, i can save some money for wheels now :D

chimchongdlight

02-22-2012, 10:04 AM

190si

02-22-2012, 03:15 PM

i live in cheshire mate and used to do chinese deliveries my car back then was on its arse an old 216 gti tc (honda d16) anyway when u get to wayne rooneys house down the bumpy lanes u catch your subframe on the stump in the middle of the floor when the gates open. and its those horribe football wankers who dont tip.
I would save for the right suspension your going to chew through ball joints

ypkx

02-22-2012, 11:04 PM

Omg that's low. I've heard many members have also done the same thing u have and mistaken the front shock for the rears. Sucks. I rather have the front that low. Not the rear. I wonder if u were to cut only an inch or so off. If the the ride quality would be better. 2.5 coils is a lot

Yeah, It was an honest mistake, and it doesn't help that the manufacturers didn't put a manual in it to say whats what.

i live in cheshire mate and used to do chinese deliveries my car back then was on its arse an old 216 gti tc (honda d16) anyway when u get to wayne rooneys house down the bumpy lanes u catch your subframe on the stump in the middle of the floor when the gates open. and its those horribe football wankers who dont tip.
I would save for the right suspension your going to chew through ball joints

Yeah, its a pain, if you've never been down my area in Devon n Cornwall, you've not driven the worse part of the UK yet...
There are probably more speed bumps down here in Plymouth than the north of england ALONE. thats no exaggeration. And each row of speed bumps can go on for 500 yards.
Pot holes are another disaster down here atleast 90% of our roads will have a pot hole or two. I know friends who have had their wheels demolished by potholes.

Fortunately, the sump plug on my merc (or mercs in general) is actually on the side of the sump. Not the bottom. So im not too worried about this yet.

I think, i might just opted out on getting a set of bigger wheels to solve my 'ground clearance' problem. Though saying this, I will probably replace my springs and cut them a lot less this time round.

ypkx

04-11-2012, 01:40 AM

Ok, so after long hard decisions and second opinions from friends ive decided to keep the car.

yesterday, the car went into longlife to get a brand new exhaust system from the cat back. new box and new tailpipe. sounds like a wetdream now :)

8 items – £ 239.82

items added to my shopping basket at eurocarparts

consisting of

Bosch air filter
Guttmann oil filter
Bosch spark plugs (mercedes have 4 right?)
Bosch wiper blade
2x front Pagid discs
2x rear Pagid discs
2x front Pagid pads
2x rear Pagid pads

Still need to buy some oil and oil filter for the coming saturday to get my hands dirty.

I must ask, would it be recommended to buy a 'fitting kit' for the brakes? Also, my ABS sensor has been on for the past 7 months, and im in dire need to fix this problem if it aint the brakes themselves... Would this be the ABS sensor or the brake pad sensor? And if its the brake pad sensors, how many are there on the car, ie one for each corner or one front and one rear?

thanks

SD202

04-11-2012, 07:06 PM

take 2 coils off the front I took 2 off my H&R lowering springs #1 pads all around. Ide be more worried about the exhaust and front radiator support/sway bar thats what seems to scrape most . not the sump. The fuel filter is tucked away nicely behind the plastic. If you get the right sport struts it should ride fine or at least not bouncy and firm like you describe. Sounds to me like the car is sitting on the struts bump stops. should cut those out if you wanna be low. lemme leave this here.
http://s2.i1.picplzthumbs.com/upload/img/bc/a5/2f/bca52f13ab34923b83dfc936c7b714a502681ca7_wmeg.jpg

ypkx

04-13-2012, 04:58 AM

yo. my ride height is perfect for me right now as im a delivery driver also.
I was planning on getting 18s on the car and i dont think it would be very ideal if i lowered the car even more. :)

okay.

rear driver side caliper snapped before i took the car in for the brakes to be changed next week so £300 out of pocket later. i have now had the discs and pads fitted all round and nicely bled too. new brake wear sensors and the abs light is still on, whats the problem, do i need a new abs sensoe?

ypkx

04-14-2012, 04:27 PM

Today, the car had a full service.

Oil change
Oil filter
pollen/cabin filter
air filter
fuel filter
aux belt
spark plugs

Car is now running so much smoother, it seems to have fixed some jolt problems i had when accelerating, and my bouncy idle. its really amazing how a small fix can make a huge difference.

next on the list now is to drill and retap a new wheel nut hole into the nearside front hub as the previous owners had snapped a bolt in it.
sort out the weird rear nearside knocking noise that seems to be coming from the new shocks.
new brake hoses, planning on getting them braided ones but still undecided.
rust care, need arches done, and a door pillar.
new bumper or paint front bumper.

SD202

04-15-2012, 09:03 AM

190si

04-15-2012, 04:07 PM

yeah your senser will be screwed to find out which one you will need it plugging in. Its now a mot fail to have the light on on a coldday my lights come on but its my brake light switch whitch is only 14 quid but i hate working upside down in footwells hence thats why most pollen filters go in the bin hhahahahaha. an abs wire is about £100

ypkx

04-15-2012, 11:03 PM

but the nose of the car is pointing to the sky. either raise the rear or drop the front but please dont leave her looking like that.

ive just realised i still have pictures of her when the rear end was dropped! i wouldn't worry, i had raised the rear end back up about 2 months ago, she has a very healthy stance now buddy!

yeah your senser will be screwed to find out which one you will need it plugging in. Its now a mot fail to have the light on on a coldday my lights come on but its my brake light switch whitch is only 14 quid but i hate working upside down in footwells hence thats why most pollen filters go in the bin hhahahahaha. an abs wire is about £100

balls, another £100 down that drain! the best bit is that another lights just come on too! its like playing roulette haha!

ypkx

04-15-2012, 11:13 PM

argh! being lazy with google so im going to post it here.

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/581545_3536987179842_1127222644_3447461_1477376953 _n.jpg

could someone identify what the very last warning light is? is that the service light? While you're at it, could you tell me the rest of them too? haha. :)

ypkx

04-16-2012, 05:16 AM

^ just found it; 'exterior light failure' does that mean one of my bulbs are gone? ive not noticed.

ypkx

04-23-2012, 04:16 AM

okay, so now most of the general fixes are out of the way, i now have the rest of the bucket list to do;

fix ABS light
knocking noise in rear left
knocking noise in front left (due to a bit of broken plastic i think)
boot lip
carbon fiber wrap door pillar exterior
fix all rust (ongoing project)

Otherwise, I got talking to a fellow member of MB.org and may have myself a set of these...

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m226/ypkx/photo1.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m226/ypkx/photo3.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m226/ypkx/photo2.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m226/ypkx/photo4.jpg

So, by the end of the week, i may have these at my door and i'll be stripping the entire interior, recarpetting the floor with black felt, suede headlining and pillars and everything else! Seats are going for £230 which is actually a very decent price for its condition. Forgot to mention, i get the door cards too! so those will be fitted as well :D

cameron_1292

04-23-2012, 10:33 AM

^ just found it; 'exterior light failure' does that mean one of my bulbs are gone? ive not noticed.

yea mines on. it means you have a bulb out. my right low beam has been out for awile. well my hid bulb but mine is actually a wire so it doesnt turn on. but yea you have a bulb out

ypkx

04-25-2012, 04:06 PM

i'l be honest, first time i've ever come across a car that has a dash light for a burnt out bulb! impressed! haha.

deposit put down for the leather seats. I'll be paying the man the rest coming weekend :) excited!

ypkx

04-26-2012, 07:16 AM

ugh. flat tyre the other night, probably set me back some labour or a second hand tyre..

ypkx

04-29-2012, 02:46 PM

started stripping out the rear seats and lining to make way for the newly sueded interior and leather seats :)

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/575958_3752454577988_1475107171_3258588_1979013519 _n.jpg

also, the other day, my mercedes showed me how good they really are.. I know im running aftermarket replacements but even so, it shows how well they actually perfom when you really need to. I was roughly 40-50 yards away from a zebra crossing, not actually being able to see that there were pedestrians waiting to cross, they just step foot into the road and i broke hard. Car stopped so sufficiently without slidding, i was amazed, in my old car, i would've probably slid into the nearby lamp post. All this in terrific rain ofcourse..