hoontastic

Just picked up a '99 c43 with 97k.
I'm stoked on the car - gonna be a lot of fun.

As you can see it has some ebay mods that I am NOT crazy about. I look forward to returning it back to stock or at least modding it to actually look like a benz. The tint is fine. The lights.. idk. The wheels well they look OK-ish but don't match the character of the car. The grill is tacky to me. What y'all think?

siideways

Yeah, except for some of the mods, the car itself looks clean! I'd lose the grille, headlights, and wheels, and change/switch them back to avantegard, OEM w/ aftermarket HIDs, and OEM monoblocks, respectively.

503C43 ////AMG

The grille and the headlights NEED to be changed NOW!!! The majority of us have the avantgarde grille, which I think is the best looking grille.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB!!

If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask, we have a lot of members on here that have VAST knowledge of not only the C43 but Mercedes in general.

LawRens

Welcome hoontastic, i'm glad that your opinions about the current mods on your c43 coincide pretty well with ours. Just curious, is there a noticeable power difference/acceleration between your ml430 and the c, or are they similar?

hoontastic

OK! Def going to kill the grill quick. Are the light covers easy to find? The wheels are gonna take longer to deal with cuz good wheels are $$$ and I want to make the right choice. I do have the oem 17" monoblocks but they are badly curbed.. maybe refinishing them is the ticket.. What is the general consensus on wheels size "sweet spot" Obviously 17's are going to be more comfy but conversely less sporty?

btw 503 - I also live in stumptown

@pinoc - the ml430 is an awesome truck and I love it but it weighs 4500 lbs.. and the engine is detuned so there is a BIG difference in throttle response, in gear acceleration, and overall performance. The ML gets out of its own way but isnt fast. The c43 while not fast any longer by 2011 standards still feels like a sportscar.


There are a bunch of little nitpicks I will have to sort out. Like the side bolster air feature on the seats is inop. Also high beams and cruise control are inop. The light behind the ac climate control is out. The overal condition of the car though is GOOD. It also has a NEW transmission as of 65k miles.. so thats good.


thanks for the welcome y'all. The benzworld ML forums filter for a less enthusiast type crowd and I can tell I like the vibe here already.

Motorsport3

Congratulation sir!!!
I would also drop the side AMG badge, but thats just me
As for the wheels, if your looking for good wheels for good price I would take a look at Mandrus and TSW or W210 e55 monoblocks.

hoontastic

Yeah I was think of debadging everything and just having the 3 pointed star on the trunk and nothing else.

So is this the avantgarde insert? (ebay link)

DRBC43AMG

Yes, that is one of many you can find. Easy change for a DIY just take you time when dismantling and putting together. A bit of fettling may be required. Do you still have the original chrome surround? Because the grille you linked is ONLY the insert.

hoontastic

How would you guys describe the difference in exhaust drone when you delete the second cat and resonator? When I deleted my cat and put in a straight pipe in my modded TDi it was too loud and booming. I don't mind a better note and possible performance boost but I wouldnt want to overwhelm the fam.

hoontastic

Has anyone tried the one piece ebay light with the integrated fogs? Or is this very question a form of blasphemy?

503C43 ////AMG

Exhaust drone around 2,500-2,700 RPM, not to bad outside of that RPM range.

hoontastic

yeah i dont want to upset my lovely companions too much. Maybe a stainless cat delete but with a small inline glass pack or something to replace the resonator?

503C43 ////AMG

You won't hear the drone unless you are driving on the freeway...

503C43 ////AMG

Check out this:
http://www.supersprintna.com/categor...ategory_id/139
I have talked with a member on here who installed this system on his C43 and he loves it. He emailed me video and it sounded real close to stock but a little deeper. I am thinking of going this route or eisennmann

Motorsport3

Jason! You can take my exhaust for really good price when I do custom dual exhaust!!

siideways

BTW, how do you do the 2nd cat/resonator delete? Are these 2 units one piece that you can simply unbolt and have a muffler shop make you a custom straight pipe in its place?

hoontastic

503 is this what you were talking about? If so what is this bolting too?

http://www.supersprintna.com/product...arch_model/205

hoontastic

hey man - when you said OEM w/aftermarket HID's you are talking about non projector stock reflectors, right? I haven't yet come across an oem projector setup for the w202. Even my 99 ml could be ordered with oem bi-xenon projectors. All the ebay lights look tacky to me and the oem reflectors look right.. just wish there was a factory projector option.

DRBC43AMG

Do some reading in this thread https://mbworld.org/forums/c36-amg-c...haust-c43.html and get a secondary cats and central resonator delete by pass pipe (see post #56). I have the pipe sitting in my basement, but havn't got around getting it installed. I have done a pre mod sound track http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuBns...er_profilepage and will also get a post mod one done too
Many people say that the OEM rear muffler is the best. Others swear by these guys (MKB Tuning) http://www.mkb-power.de/content/en/p...&prod_gruppe=6 but the price may give you a heart attack

hoontastic

thanks that was a good read.. it sounds like there may be drone issues with any of the non stock options.. i already effed up once in that dept on another vehicle so I know the wife would be like "wut?".. I guess its stock for me.. one of these days i'll ride in 503's whip and get a listen.

siideways

There is, but I'm not sure it's something you can go buy at a dealer or anywhere else for that matter. My understanding is that there was a factory HID option for the C43, I believe for 99s and up?

hoontastic

right but i think its still a reflector and not projector.. which, if so, I'd rather just spend $50 on a ddm tuning hid kit and be done with it. Seems if you actually want projectors you also have to sign up for the bling anime new money look.

hoontastic

OK! I got the ricer wheels off. Phase 1 complete. I'm glad the seller gave me the oem wheels with the ride. These will be my winter wheels (although I plan to ride them all summer this year). I put on Conti ExtremeContact DWS. I have to say the car rides so much better on the 17's compared the rubbish that was on there.

hoontastic

Currently the car is sitting higher in the front then the rear. I didnt really notice until I changed to these wheels. I think its because i tried not to look at the wheel area before.

Oh, and i peeled off the stupid amg stickers on the side. Still can't decide if i'm going to debadge the trunk like i did the ML.

DRBC43AMG

Good and now it is starting to look like what it should be. Please get rid of that star grille fast! Even an OE grille is better than that. Funny that the front is higher than the rear. Check how many "nibs" you have on the front and rear pads. It could be that the front is on the back and vice versa. If so, its an easy thing to change (you need however the correct spring compressor to do it safely) and you can play around with other sizes before changing your springs.