TTR

Hey guys,

Been pouring over this thread from start to finish over the past week. I have a Brilliant Silver 2001 C240. I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and am a student so mods are gonna be on a tight budget. Your advice is greatly appreciated. My biggest concern right now is I've heard of cutting stock coils to get a lower ride but will that affect handling? If I do cut them, what would be a good balance for a sleek look but still be okay for our dreadful winters?

Thanks,
Trevor

Intended future mods:
- C32 kit
- Eisenmann exhaust (cheaper options?)
- Most cost effective performance mod? - ecu? Intake?
- S class tail lights
- HID projectors

samaritrey

Honestly first I would save around 1k for a rainy day before any mods. unless your 01 is gifted like mine you will need that for general maintenance and when something goes wrong. After you have your safety next I would recommend wheels if you are running originals still and from there some real bix followed up with some clear mirror turn signals.

I will leave you with a few other things First please don't cut coils do it properly. Second how many miles i ask this because you might need to do new shocks/struts with the springs.
And finally get us some pics

myW203

A cheaper option for exhaust would be Remus/Sebring (around $300-400). But if you want something around the price range of Eisenmann, go for Meisterschaft. Sounds meaner in my opinion

ncmudbug

I agree with samaritrey pretty much. Save your money to be able to take care of incidentals and maintenance. Wheels have a big impact and if you're into it (I'm not so much) you might be able to find some body kits like trunk spoiler or front air dam. New head unit with navigation.

TTR

Sorry about the quality of the picture, but I've put it into my signature now. As for money; I've bought the vehicle and have enough free cash for a rainy day fund.

She's a "Classic" so she's got the silly looking hub caps... So rims and I guess a small drop are the first thing on the list for me. It's got 70000km on it, or 43496 miles. It was my mom's daily driver but she barely drove the thing.

Btw, what is "bix"?

capt_paul

If you want to update the look of the car, I can sell you a mint-condition set of the halogen lights with the clear lenses from my '05 C230. They are not bi-xenon, but they will be much cheaper. PM me if interested.

TTR

Thanks for the offer, but headlights aren't really at the top of my list at the moment.

anonymousmoose

The w203 is a great car even without mods. I'd stick with it standard until you are in a better financial position to get the car how you really want it.

I can understand that the hub-caps are not the most appealing wheels. Perhaps try to find some Mercedes RIMs or suitable after-market ones and leave her at that for now.

bobinyelm

I've never done this on a Benz, but I HAVE done it on other cars with excellent results if you are looking for a lower ride height in the front.

This method will not stiffen the ride, and YES, anything that lowers the car WILL affect the suspension geometry, but minimally so. I would at least check the toe afterward.

My dad and I had a front end (alignment/brakes/exhaust) for many years (he for 40 years), so I am not clueless on this.

First, jack the rear of the car dead center so it is balanced by the jack (weight off rear tires), and all sprung weight is on the front suspension.

Put aluminum foil inside the front coil springs to protect the struts. Have your helper standing by with a fire extinguisher in case you do something really dumb.

Using an oxy-acetylene torch with a hot neutral flame (use the cutting tip to get enough BTUs to heat the spring quickly so the heat only affects a local area), heat a 1" segment of the spring a coil or so from the top or bottom (where you can get it in there w/o damaging anything else).

Move the torch back and forth over that inch until the car settles 1/2" less than your desired height (have someone holding a tape against the fender lip while heating). Do NOT spray water directly on the spring if you can help it. You MAY smell some hot rubber from the spring seat (but try not to hit that w/ the flame).

Go around to the other side and do the same.

The springs may settle up to that 1/2" in the first 1000mi of driving (though they usually settle less that 1/2 that amount).

Handling is usually IMPROVED slightly as this will give some negative camber to the front wheels, which will reduce understeer a bit and improve turn-in.

If you don't get crazy, the slight lowering probably won't affect toe much, but I WOULD check it after 1000mi, or if you notice abnormal tire wear (which you shouldn't).

Let me know how it works for you.

I have NEVER had a problem later with ANY springs I've done this to over a 40 year period, BTW. Never had anyone sorry that they'd done the procedure, either, and it takes 15 minutes per side max.

Bob
My personal position on this is that MBs are pretty well set up as they come from the factory, so I would not choose to do this on my own car. I also don't like swapping coils (Eibach or the like) as they do affect the ride. But hey, I'm an old fart, so am no longer willing to trade comfort for a tad better handling and a bone-jarring ride. If it rides harder than my B9 Alpina, I am not interested, but I understand opinions vary.

TTR

Thanks for the input, but I don't have a torch available for me to use lol.

bobinyelm

Hey, even if you have to RENT one, it's a heck of a lot easier than disassembling the suspension and probably damaging it by using cut springs, which were an old trick from the 1950s and earlier.

I would in NO way advise cutting springs.

My first suggestion would be to leave the car as it is and save your money for repairs. MBs WILL require occasional dealer maintenance (it's built into the design), and you will need the money for those issues.

Bob

contact148

buy some new rims save the steels for winter

make sure the car is up to date for service IE tranny fluid/filter oil change

that will save you problems down the road

VividRacing

Please don't cut your springs. Either mod the car properly or don't mod it at all. Driving an MB in college is leaps ahead of what a lot of your classmates are driving, I'm sure. Save up and do it right

draz.amg

Well said! Don't end up like that one guy who cut his and ruined the ride of the car..
Do it right the first time and you won't have to address it again.

TTR

I've just found out that I might have some money coming in from an insurance claim. I found a C32 and a C55 for around the same price. Opinions? I heard C32 is actually faster and I presume better on gas? Thanks in advance.

amanonfire

Not really. You can buy one for < $7K, and a 2001 Civic is > $5K with about the same mileage.

I love my W203, yet the used luxury market is so cheap right now there's lots of better options than dumping money modifying a slow ugly C240. As the OP already found out he can get a C32 for < $12K. The mods he's planning would cost ~$5K anyways (wheels, body kit, performance, ...) so just save your pennies and upgrade the entire car!

Then again, when I was in school the last thing I was worried about was my car, I spent all my $$$ at the bar and on various women.

bheng

azn.ttr

do what reasonable in your budget. know that driving a mercedes is college is a blessing but it will also come with hardship in terms of cash flow. if you want a faster car stock, go with a c32. it will already have the amg kit, the hp, the sound. and will already turn heads in college. just dont be the douchebag with it. humble is key especially when everyone else around you might be jealous of your ride.

lol on another note. you should do mods that you enjoy most. i enjoy listening to music, so audio was my first upgrade. wish i got it done as soon as i got the car. but if driving around corners is your thing, save up for some worthwhile suspension.

ncmudbug

Not content with the Merc you already have???
I can't tell you what to do. You know your situation better than anybody else. Some people probably thought I was crazy when I bought a Lotus Europa when I was in college. I think if it were me, I might spend a little on the car I had and bank the rest. I spent a lot of money racing when I was in college and occasionally I've wondered how things would have been different if I had saved that money instead. I don't regret my racing, but sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't have done it.

derecklouthood

I would go with samaritrey and have that extra cash just in case. If something does decide to go, and depending IF you find a good indy shop, most of anything to do on this car is expensive, however!!! this forum is great for DIY to what you feel comfortable in doing with your car.

With that said, enjoy her my friend, they are great cars when they work lol

jcnash

Totally agree with all thats been said above.

Mods if not done properly are not worth doing as they will invariably cause more expenses/inconveniences in the future.

However, despite that if you want to do some cheap mods heres my list:
1. Clear/smoked front markers (if youre into that) ~$40 from ebay
2. AVIC HU with navigation, bluetooth, iPod etc ~$400 used
3. Clear headlight assembly ~200ish for the sedan used
4. HID headlights ~50 DDM Tuning, Ebay
5. Rear license plate and front city lights LED conversion

Rev 2 Liv

Agreed, hillbilly spring cutting sans alignment is ludicrous and defies all logic. Especially on a Mercedes-Benz which is supposed to stand for German engineering and precision.

Depends on what college you are attending. Scores of young lads and ladies getting their parents used cars. W203, W210, W211, and E46 BMW's seem to be the most popular around my parts. Luxury market for German cars past warranty plummets and this is reflected come trade-in time. So Mom and Dad would rather give it to their child, especially in light of all the expensive dealer recommended maintenance they've adhered to so rigorously over the years.

derecklouthood

lol... like seriously who the hell would do that...

Or have Gucci Interior lol... Im' sorry i see that post this week reading up on here.. Oh god.. why.. and neon lights are a big nono... as far as I go.

rofl..

I honestly dread getting a new benz unless it's leased... I can't even imagine people with amg's. I mean once your out of warranty things can start piling up real damn quickly. But... That's the price to pay i guess. I started with this C class to see how it would feel.. Now i can't wait for a newer one....

bobinyelm

It's NOT just Benz.

BMWs are money pits after the warranty wears off as well. I had an indy import shop in the 90s and early 2000s and other than lower control arm bushings, e23s, e24s, e28s, e30s, e32s and e34s (except for the climate controls) were pretty bullet-proof, as were W107s, W123s, W126s.(again except for the crappy Philips climate controls)

But past those ALL European cars got spendy.

I recently disposed of an '01 Volvo S60 T5 that had belonged to a relative into which $18,000+ had been spent just on maintenance between the end-of-warranty and 110k miles.

If you want cheap and reliable get a Toyota, a Honda, and Acura, or a Lexus.

Of course, here I am saying that w/ 3 Benz's all out-of-warranty, fingers firmly crossed.

W203E35

His car started handling better especially in the rain lol

Also I saw somewhere here about torching the springs??? Don't do it!!!

Here is an example of what can happen if you torch your springs.

https://mbworld.org/forums/suspensio...g-springs.html

samaritrey

If you maintain it yourself. The Toyota dealer that my dads fj goes to is more expensive on some things then my local Mercedes dealer same goes for Honda my friend just got an oil change and something replaced under warranty and walked out with a $200 bill and a list a mile long of recommend crap.

As for having three out of warranty my 01 has had no real issues since its warranty expired except for my ac compressor slowly dying but the car does have 166k lol on original water pump, ac compressor, alternator etc.