jdetar

Hey everyone. I just bought an '05 C320 today and will be taking delivery as soon as the carrier gets it picked up and delivered to me. I'm pretty excited I must say. This will be my first mb!

First thing I wanted to ask was is there anything I should be aware of? Any TSB's or common problems?

And second, I'm a modaholic. I had a Jeep I went just crazy on, and my Corvette is very modified as well... 447CID NA 550RWHP 512RWTQ .

So anyways, what mods should I be considering? I don't care for power adders or extreme handling upgrades as if I want to do that I just take out the Corvette. The C320 is going to be my daily driver and I would like to do proper enhancement modifications such as some decent wheels (replica's maybe? not going to spend a fortune on HRE's as our winters and salty roads are very harsh) and some tires, minor suspension upgrades, lighting upgrade's figuring I don't have the xenon package, etc.

BTW, Thank you Saprissa for your assistance in the purchasing process. Your advice helped me decide against buying a new Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland and getting this C320 (and actually ended up being cheaper than the Jeep!).

r3v1ls

Well first thing i would do is give it a nice wash, n put on a fresh coat of wax or if you can Zaino it. Will make that shine last soo much longer. I wish i've done that when i first got my car. Now i'll be doing it to every new car i get.

jdetar

Oh most definitely. I usually don't bother w/ the long Zaino application on my daily driver's but then again I got silver so I don't have to worry about doing the entire process and making flawless swirl-mark free paint either.

Moviela

The integrated Sirius receiver is a great mod, you don't want to miss Martha Stewart do ya? Just Kidding, but it really is nice to have a clean install, no pods hanging around the dash.

You can also install a $ 40 AUX INPUT cable in the glovebox to make a direct connection to your MP3 player, walkman, PC, DVD, ect. Makes that sound great.

Get a set of Mercedes rubber floor mats for winter.

My rule on fuzzy dice is only matching the exterior color, and be branded with a classic Vegas casino, like Sands, Rivera, Desert Inn. Palms, Hard Rock, and CircusCircus brands are not suitable.

You will find your Bowtie car spending more time in the garage, because the Benz is just more fun on the curves.

Congradulations on your new car!

Arn560

Go to www.performanceproducts4benz.com & order yourself an M-B umbrella.
Other than that parkit in the driveway & admire it from the bathroom!

jdetar

Moviela,

AUX input! That is a great idea. I was thinking of the whole in car computer scenario and that would be a good idea to start with. Definitely going to have to get a set or rubber mat's for the winter! Thanks!!!

I don't see how the benz would be more fun in the curves though. It is fun to drive and holds the road fairly well but my vette pulls over 1.1g on the skidpad w/ my roadracing setup and w/ the power to run 10s all day and the occasional 9 I think I'll still drive that on the nicest of days. Not doggin the benz at all.. I just know the 'vette is more fun to drive!

NO_WUR_E

Congrats and post pics!

Saprissa

Glad to help !

I've think you've got the basics covered for future mods to your C320, and you're definitely right about this car being perfect as a "Daily Driver".
There are too many race-heads in this forum who think the C-Class is a McLaren.
Enjoy the Corvette for what it is, a performance car !

Congrats on the new ride....

Carlos

Saprissa@aol.com

drexappeal

Welcome to the world of MB'z!

You'll definitely want to check out the upgrades/mods sticky in this forum. It'll give you some ideas off the bat.

As for what you should do right away, let us know what your budget would be (if you have a budget) and I'm sure there'll be a lot of people that can give you their $.02 on what to do.

Belle the Benz

Bi-Xenons.....................$1200.00

Wheels & Tires..............$3000.00

Stereo........................$5000.00

Hiding the receipts so that your wife doesn't find out.......... $priceless

mick1

Don't rest your arm on the armrest otherwise it's gonna peel (see pic below). When mine is replaced, I won't rest my arm on it.

MB-BOB

This is really puzzling. The armrest on my 4 1/2 year-old 2001 looks like the day I drove it home. And I use the armrest often.

clkcadet

if your 320 isnt equipped with sport package, hook it up! and get rid of the nasty wheels!! (if it has the 5 spokes your good to go i have them and love them!)

jdetar

Oh I didn't even see the sticky. I'll check it out. I don't really have a budget for mod's but it's my daily driver so I don't want to go too crazy.

Bi-xenon's are tempting, but it's not worth $1200 to me.

Wheels and tires I'd like to do. I just have the factory wheels, nothing special or anything. However I need a good tread mix that's friendly in the winter too! I'm just fine with replica's. Even if they don't last as long they're a third of the price on average from what I've seen so I could replace them 3x over the life of the car and still make out!

Minor stereo upgrades would be good, such as replacing the factory speakers and adding an amp and sub but that'd be about it. I'm not a huge sound fanatic.

Humbucker87

Do you guys use any cleaning products on your armrest? I definately dont want mine looking like that.

Justinius7

first mod....

SWAY BARS... cheap and easy mod.

tommy

If you're willing to do that, then I'd suggest getting replicas with summer tires, and keep the stock rims/tires for winter duty only. I know that it's your dd, but having PS2s on during warm weather will make you miss your vette a little less on your drive. Besides, winter salt is a killer - having only your winter tires exposed to it makes sense.

mick1

I didn't believe these guys' stories either until it happened to me . I spoke to the dealer and they said they will replace the armrest at no charge

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=6797

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w203/86542-my-lovely-experience-dealer-today.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w203/109921-2005-c230-ss-5-1-2-month-update.html

drexappeal

Okay, so if you have no budget, here are a few inexpensive and easy cosmetic mods to consider:

- clear sidemarkers $40 on ebay or Euro Impact Strips ~$140 (not sure on the price)
- Rear S Class style taillights (~$260)
- Rear Deck Lid Spoiler ($ depends on whether you go authentic or aftermarket)
- Roof Wing spoiler ($ depends on whether you go authentic or aftermarket)
- silver door pin surrounds (formymercedes.com)
- silver door pins (formymercedes.com)
- Rear Euro Plate piece (wider than US, but can be drilled for US license plate)
- If you don't have a sport version, upgrade OEM shifter (MBenzNL - Steve)
- If you don't have a sport version, upgrade to AMG swaybars (I believe prices posted here were anything between $125-$140)
- Aftermarket illuminated door sills (formymercedes.com)

Now, if you don't mind spending a little money on cosmetic mods, here are some more "expensive" mods:

- Body kits (check out the body kits thread I started)
- Wheels (depending if you go 1 piece, 2 piece or 3 piece), you might be looking at anything between $1,500 - $6,500 (including tires), depending on which rims, what size, staggered/non-staggered, etc...
- Exhaust Muffler (A few different companies) could range from $800-1,000 +
- Re-flash/ECU chip (you'll need to do some research on this for the 320)


Okay, so that will give you some things to think over.

vadim

That's what I have been doing all the time since day 1 (my car being manual), and no peeling! They must have changed the supplier since.

EKY

My car is going to make one year this month...and I already have some peeling issues with my armrest as well. Can this be covered under warranty?

Eric Y.

mick1

In my case, yes. Other members at mbworld.org who had this problem were able to get it fixed under warranty too.