LandSeaAir

udging from the photos of the new 2012 w204, it seems that a facelift may not be so bad to do you self.

If you study the difference between a 2012 and an 11 it seems like all you need in the front is a new hood, head lights and a bumper (and you may even be able to leave the old bumper as it looks like the new headlights will fit). The fenders seem to be the same.

As far as the rear, the lights are the the only thing and they will most likely be available on ebay in a couple months.

The interior is different story, which is a shame cause the 2012 seems to be much nicer...

jimmythegreek

the only thing worth it is the taillights, the LED strips in them are rly nice, the front is almost the same, moot point. The interior is nicer overall, but I dont care for the exposed nav screen like the E classes have. The current models w the pop up screen get alot of comments at shows and w friends, JMO of course.......

JaCe88

I personally think it'll be more trouble than it's worth. Judging by the OP's father's car collection, you might as well buy one rather than try to DIY unless you get a kick out of the effort.

ps. I like the new head light design and bumper a lot- enough to make me want the car as it looked far more aggressive.

Gashde

I prefer the folding nav screen simply because its more unique in comparison with other cars fitted with a screen out there in the market, though the LED taillights in the 2012 models really catches my attention

JaCe88

I also thought the folding out screen looked pretty snazzy too considering I wanted something like that aftermarket in my old car. The new screen is very S-Class though in terms of how it blends in the dash.

Gashde

Yer it does, and the improvement on the interior trims are also a plus for the 2012 model, though I personally dislike those silver buttons, I find it a little odd next to the black dashboard, but that's just my opinion.

xolinlevh

I like the look of the new wheel, and the LED lights, but beyond that i like the current styling better. I love the pop-up screen, its very unique, none of my friends have one, really catches peoples eye when they are in my car. If i truly wanted the new styles im sure there will eventually be mods to convert the tail lights to be like the 2012s, and same for the steering wheel.

snarlingchicken

Actually there are already mods to convert the steering wheel and tail lights. If you search around you can find them. Both on here and the C63 forum. I feel as though the internals of retrofitting the new headlights would be much more complex. Seeing as there are DRLs in the headlights themselves, as well as the LEDs on the new bumper compared to fogs, you would have to install a new switch (the little knob on the left to control the lights) for the new lights and a buttload of wiring. Unless by some miracle the headlights are plug and play.

NewtwoMB

Sorry to be a party pooper, but why bother? The car will never be a 2012 (and it'll look like a dodgy deal when you come to sell it) so just live with it for all the good things that you bought into in the 2007 - 2011 model. Just my view....

hitokiri89

Just trade it in for the 2012 instead save you a lot of trouble fml moments .

LandSeaAir

That is true, although as I am planning on owning this W204 for a while, I feel like the pop up screen is something that could eventually break. I sat in a C300 at an auction with around 50k on the clock and the radio worked, but the screen would not come up, it was stuck down which sucked.

Nah, it's not gonna work that way for me, My dads only buying me one car, anything from then on its all my own money, and so it won't be a while until I can afford something nice myself. If I crash the car he buys me, that's it, I'm losing it even if its repairable, and he would never buy a new 2012 if we waited, we're looking at 08 C300s in the $25k range, which to him is a huge amount of money for a first car already.

Yeah, I kinda of like the new screen...

Very true, although I think the LEDs in the headlight are the turn signals as the DRLs are still in the bumper, so maybe with some type of capacitor, it will just be plug and play for the blinkers. Xenon conversions are no problem, it would be great if you could just get a shell for the new headlight.

Point well taken, but instead of saving up for the new 2012 (which is unattainable for me), maybe save a couple thousand in effort to upgrade to the news style, it's the cheaper way out, and even a used 08 C300 to me will still drive amazing.

mbdude66

I don't think it's worth it to pay 25k for a 2008 C300 when the 2012 model starts at around 33k. Why don't you look for a glk? There won't be a facelift for the glk until 2013 model. But I think that ''facelifting'' a c300 it's not worth it.
I found this: http://autos.yahoo.com/used-cars/mer...z&distance=any good mileage, clean carfax, and it's 2010

JaCe88

I still think for a first car for a 17 year old, you don't need the latest C Class Benz.

There are plenty of other better cars for $25k which are more suitable for a young guy.

bringtherain

in all honesty you should go for a cheaper first car. ask your dad to go with a cheaper car for now and then ask for him to help you with a new car later down the road. my first car was a 2002 focus for about 1 week and then my dad decided to pass down his w203 to me (2001 with 40k miles on the odometer). That ended up being my experimental car , which is what you need. I guarantee you you will want to fix your car up if you continue to hang around here, its just a fact and doing a 08 front end conversion is honestly not worth it when the car you want already runs 25k. You're looking at bare minimum (crappy fitment/material parts) 2k to do a front end conversion. You've now spent 27k on your car and thats only 5k away from a new 2012 MSRP! You might as well get a beater and wait a year for the new 2013 models to roll out and buy a discounted 2012. I never took much care of the w203 i received, but now that i have a brand new 2011 i'm as **** retentive as they come. You need that bad first car to appreciate your nice 2nd.

LandSeaAir

It is now confirmed that the new 2012 front bumper is interchangeable with the 2008-11 models, someone from Spain on BenzWorld responded to my thread there with pictures, and I think the car looks amazing! I want this exact specification, in fact I almost prefer the way this looks over the actual 2012.

If anyone knows how to get a hold of this new bumper please let me know.

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w204...ml#post4823490

LandSeaAir

I am currently thinking of getting an 08 C300 4M with 70,000 miles for around 20K which may be a good choice for me. I know some people will recommend against it saying it will have problems, but considering my father took an 03 S-Class up to 200,000 miles with no serious problems I have trust in high mile Mercs, especially the W204 which is probably the most reliable new Benz around (even more then the W220 Benz). This might be a nice compromise between a beater and a nice W204.

team3d

the 35k 2012 c250 is 201hp with 4cyl 1.8 turbo

2008 c300 is 228hp 3.0 v6

to get a 2012 w204 with the same 3.0 engine, it's $38,000

team3d

this is what landseaair talking about... 2012 bumper on a 08-11 w204

qaz393

not worth the $$$$, the old interior looks like crap compared to the new ones. If you were going to throw that amount of money into body work and paint, you might as well trade in ur older one for a newer one.

angeloxnet

I understand this is a forum and everyone has their opinions, i personally think it would be cheaper to retro fit a 2012 bumper then "buy a 2012", its not that simple. I def want to look into this as the pics above look amazing!

Let's contribute to getting this done, vrs telling the kid "tell daddy to buy u a different car" or "this is a stupid idea".

I'm glad someone did this prior, just need the proper part #'s and a DIY now that i know its possible.

hannes

The fitment isn't perfect. The hood on the pre-facelift car is straight, while the new one follows the diagonal shape of the inner headlights.

dcjwlee

Wow, looks really nice.

Sure the interior isn't up to par but...

I really hope some vendors start making replica 2012 bumpers so we don't need to pay up the butt for an OEM one. I really like the look of the sport model ones...

acr2001

I vote not worth doing. But if you enjoy the process and have the cash then that may just make it worth it! To each his own. The 2012 tails are my favorite exterior change.

wszypszak

Just to chime in- I got an 2008 C300 4matic sport with 9200 miles on it from Autolenders- they represent the banks that hold the leases and sell only cream-puffs- I could not afford a new MB otherwise. Question- are led rear lights interchangeable with my current MB, and if so can anyone tell me where to get them, and if it is a plug and play or more complicated? I want to keep my car OEM so anything I put on it has to be able to be removed should I sell it in the future. I have gotten $$ hurt many times after trading Corvettes and BMW's with mods because the dealer takes off the cost to replace the mods from the trade in value. Simple matter of business, I guess. No one really wants someone else's custom ride- I think there is a great sense there. Just my opinion- others may differ.

shanmugasothy

Hello everyone, i own a c 220 cdi of 2007.

My question is can i change my halogen headlight to facelift halogen headlight without any problem?

Thanks for reply.