Not having much luck so putting a reminder up here in the place where c43 owners might get a useful reminder that I am looking for a black c43 somewhere near California (if possible). Pls pm me with leads...and thank you. That white car on ebay for$18k doesn't scare me price wise...

 

http://sfbay.en.craigslist.org/eby/cto/4588297541.html

 

found this buried in an old w202 section:

resurrected for fun...

"roughly 900 c36 came over to the us, 1995-1997, about 300 per year. 95-96 4 speed auto, 97 5 speed auto, all had hand-built 24-valve inline-6 putting out 268 hp, 280 lb-ft torque (97 had 276 hp). then came 98-00 c43 with a new 24-valve v-8 putting out 302 hp, 302 lb-ft torque. c36 comes with amg body kits, 17x7.5 front and 17x8.5 rear amg monoblock wheels, 225-45-17 front, 245-40-17 rear. the engines were hand-built, with modified rods, forged aluminum pistions in bigger sleeves to provide 10.5:1 compression ratio vs 10.0:1 for the normal c280. took s350 turbodiesel crankshaft and specially machined it and balanced it, putting out 3.6 liters instead of 2.8. enlarged cylinder-head ports, used sodium-filled exhaust valves, amg intake camshaft with greater lift, e320 intake manifold (larger-diameter and variable-length), low-pressure exhaust system, and basically the whole computer was reprogrammed. installed heavier-duty differential used in current e-class. additional oil-spray jets installed on engine block. four piston calipers and 12.6 inch front brake discs from sl600. 10.9 inch rear from e420. upgraded anti-roll bar stiffness, 35% front, 49% rear; shorter springs from euro-sport-spec (although if u put c280 and c36 side-by-side, c280 is actually lower). interesting AMG "degressive" gas shock absorbers. Schmevlar Kevlar (carbon fiber) used on B-pillars (door pillars) instead of plastic. interior had tasteful amg badges to remind u it's an amg. has two sets of fog-lights. one is a "street light" which uses the high-beam part of the assembly to shine down and spreading it down a few feet infront of car, lighting up the road (great for looking out for potholes). second is a more conventional one that projects quite far but is from the air dam and sits really low. don't know about c280, but i think c36 also came with euro-spec headlight assemblies instead of the normal fuzzy us dot-spec, because on the left side of the beam pattern, the cutoff is horizontal, and on the right half of the beam pattern, the cutoff rises to the right at a 15 degree angle."

 

I know the headlights on my 94 C280 were, to date, the best headlights I've ever had in a car I was driving. The night time visibility in that car was far, far ahead of anything else I have ever owned or driven, including the stock xenon in my 98 C43, which is quite odd. No idea what "spec" they were but they were stock US pre-update glass w202 headlights.

 

thats good to know, I wonder why

 

To Sulaco:
Certainly the use of 100w bulbs helps. However, you need to check that the plugs to the bulbs and wires don't overheat. Normally if all the contacts are good, no problem. I used them on my old W124 for years and loved driving at night Also if the head light alignment is good, the drivers coming opposite don't get any glare at all.

 

You know, I never knew what the original bulbs were, they were whatever came from the factory. After I hit a deer and shattered a headlight, I got it fixed but used sylvania silverstar headlights (new thing at the time, it was back in 2000) that got REALLY hot so I went back to autozone and bought whatever their little book said was normal for my car, and the visibility was still the same as before.

My 99 C43 has normal halogen lights, but they're the update w202 type and they are very obviously not as bright. The reflector, bulb placement, and lens are all very different, with the fogs mounted in the bottom instead of towards the center of the car. they work just fine, but still a huge difference compared to my good old C280

 

how do you like them Vs the c43 w/ xenons?

what bulbs would you suggest for lower grill fogs?

 

There's a very detailed write up on w202 lighting options by a former member google "Kropf w202" and you'll find his site. Some very very good info there


Sorry to hijack your thread! But to answer your question I think the xenon are clearly sexier with their auto leveling function when you turn them on. But the brights are standard halogen so id recommend some silverstars to make the low beam and high beam colors mesh better
Same for the fogs.

But the stock halogens top to bottom on my 99 are totally fine. They mix perfectly and don't take $1200 to replace a broken headlight.

 

reaaaally good example of a clean, low(er) miles w202 for sale at club 202:
http://www.club202.com/forums/showth...310#post188310

I think 80k on the car, 60k on the E55 5.4l engine in it. He has multiple galleries of his mods being done and it was all done correctly. He's even done the comand 2.0 upgrade so that he has the DVD/nav and stuff from the E class.

 

anyone have a link to a c43 buyer's guide (or a pdf) to share?

 

I doubt a buyer's guide per se exists. I'm sure plenty of people here would be happy to submit their own thoughts.

RED FLAGS:
Transmission issues. If the carfax or records don't indicate major transmission service, rebuild, or replacement by now I'd want to see proof that it was at least maintained regularly (flush, filter). These cars shipped with what MB called "lifetime" fluid that allegedly meant never ever having to flush it or maintain it. This quickly proved to be dead wrong. MB has recanted the statement and had to do a LOT of warranty repairs on transmissions as a result.
Design flaw in the plastic conductor plate and the transmission controller connection line. Generally if a car won't shift up or shift down but appears to be pulling just fine in gear, it's probably one of these 2 issues and isn't a big deal nor an expensive fix. Grinding gears? Slipping? RUN AWAY. Repairs run from 2k to 6k. That being said, I wouldn't run away if the car is the right condition and price. MINT C43 with low(ish) for $4k but needs tranny rebuilt? I'd bite, depending on quote for tranny fix.
Don't take any of this to mean that these cars have bad transmissions. The transmission is actually extremely durable and very long lasting if somewhat maintained regularly. I have 2 cars with regularly maintained trannies and they're bullet proof. One with 200k, another with 275k.

Watch for sagging headliner in the states. Happens in a great many of them, but isn't very expensive to fix.

Vacuum leaks in the AC and door lock system. A door not locking/unlocking properly, AC vents blowing/not blowing like they should. If it's a blown vacuum belows under the dash, $$$$$ to get in there and replace a $12 part.

AC evaporator also in dash. If it or the expansion valve need replacing, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ (like $2k-3k)

Power seat relay in trunk is super cheap (maybe $20) but is prone to fail on many cars at this age. If the power seats aren't responding, 99% chance this relay has failed.

Floppy wiper blade. If it's not making a good press against the glass, be wary. Might be broken arm (cheap) or broken assembly (cheap to pricey, depends where you get your new one). Never heard of a motor failing. Sometimes it hesitates (especially when cold) but the linkage needs white lithium grease. Super cheap, easy fix.

Xenon headlights are crazy expensive to replace ($1200 each). Not a tough job. I've read it's essentially impossible to retrofit a non-xenon car with the factory xenon, ballast, vacuum leveling system, etc; due to the way it interacts with the rest of the cars system and sensors. It's actually a very sophisticated (complicated) set up.

Front bumpers are, at this point, essentially non existent. Good luck finding a real replacement. A member here allegedly bought the very last one in the US from MB recently.

I've read on various sites that w202's in general are rust magnets. I've read an alarming level of people claiming so. I've had 4 w202's in various ages and saw ZERO rust. I don't see it, but others say its a big problem. Examine underneath entire car.

Make sure harmonic balancer has been replaced. Factory recall.

Lower control arm bushings prone to fail, costly to replace. They are pressed in/out. Newer ones are much more durable (I think off the w203).

Vast majority of C43's are black, silver, and white. Anything else will be quite rare.

Tuxedo (black white) and designo (blue black) interiors are quite rare. I love tuxedo.

2000 model is rarest of the rare. Somewhere between 22-27 in the US. Updated wheels from SLK and new transmission with select shifting (no paddles).

1998 models will have older, outdated interior sound system wiring. 99 and up have the fibre optics which were apparently superior.

Crank position sensor is very common, but cheap failure. Car randomly dies or won't start. $50

Oil leaks. Engine is prone to leak at valve covers especially. All M113 engines. Prone to leak at oil pressure test port and oil cooler at front of engine. Again, cheap and easy fix.

PCB boards in tail lights tend to be loose and make bulbs seem to fail alot, only to magically start working again. You can pry up the metal plates to make them hold the bulb more securely, or replace them completely.

Thats all i've got for now...

 

no head gasket stuff and main wiring harness? will re-read this tonight but thank you for now!!

 

No, those problems are exclusive to cars powered by the m104 straight six engine from 94 to half way through 96 (the majority of C36's, but nearly all of them have been fixed or crushed by now)

 

I've heard of some head gaskets, but super rare and could have come from overheated engine. No harness problems as far as I am aware, but seeing age creeping on, some wires may start to be hardening if they pass close to heat sources (manifolds, etc.).

Sulaco has made an excellent review. I agree with the rust thing, but if the vehicle has lived its life away from salty conditions, rust should not be a (major) problem.

 

Hunt Update - I am flying to check out a low mileage car next weekend and possibly seeing another local car soon.

A buyer's guide sticky would be cool, no?

 

I would agree. I've definitely noticed an uptick in people interested in a C36 or C43. Maybe they're getting cool again? Or maybe they're just so cheap people can't say no. It's a WHOLE lot of car for very little money.

 

a c43 under is A LOT less expensive compared to what it would cost to grab a c63 507 - worlds different cars but still...

 

since we have so many SF eyes on here would you mind sharing with me your top shops for general or speciality work? Nissi is near my office, and so is this old time-y place called Silver Star.

 

In the end I'm guessing it comes down to deciding between the following:

A) super low mileage long term owner unmodified car (stock)

Vs

B) medium mileage medium term owner modified car (tune, brakes, wheels, exhaust, maybe more)

They both have the pros & cons and I am guessing they end up being about the same price.

 

The bottom line is, modified or unmodified, they're still largely the same car. The entire w202 chassis (and especially the AMG's) had very few options for mods. Pretty much the only mods you will come across are kleemann headers, renntech airbox, resonator and/or secondary cat delete....and I'm really struggling to think of more. There was virtually NO tuner market for these cars. They produced somewhere between 3,400 and 4,400 of them worldwide, and there's never really been much of a market for upgrades on any MB until lately (now that they're turbo'd in many cases).

If you're lucky you'll find one with a 5.4l swap, or a proper SC install (preferably kleemann, but I hear HPS is fine too).

And that's the difference in modified and unmodified. Still 99% stock. Maybe less than 10 cars total have had the full monte, exhaust, intake, 5.4l swap, and I only know of MAYBE 2 that have had the 5.4l swap AND a supercharger. One of those would likely hang pretty close with a C63 507 edition.

Speedybenz and his 5.4l with home made intake velocity stacks was able to pull on a standard C63. For me, that's a watershed moment of what MB could've done had they built the C43 correctly.

 

Let me know which car you don't buy...I'm interested in both.

 

"and I only know of MAYBE 2 that have had the 5.4l swap AND a supercharger."

that car must eat tires for breakfast

 

MBCLK60 will keep you posted.

 

JMG1848 - I'm the guy in Miami with these....