Need Help 03 E500 Facelift
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Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 39
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2003 E500 Sport RWD
Need Help 03 E500 Facelift
I have a 03 E500 and I wanna do a facelift and lower it will the 07-09 headlights fit and plug up? Do I need to change the trunk? Where's the best place to get parts from? And should I remove the airbag suspension and go springs? I'm open to all valuable insight I wanna do this right I seen some conversions that look great and I seen some that look weird I wanna aim for great HELP!!! PS I'm more concerned about its coming out great then price
Super Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 673
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From: Frederick
2000 ML320, 2005 E320 CDI
Best advice you can get currently is search. Every single one of your questions has been answered at least once.
As for the trunk, no need for a new one - there is a piece that bolts on to convert it.
As for the trunk, no need for a new one - there is a piece that bolts on to convert it.
Member
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 222
Likes: 1
2006 E350
Unfortunately the oem 07-09 headlamps aren't plug and play into preface lift 06 and older model years. I have seen it first hand how Mercedes integrated the highbeam and parking lamp bulb plugs to one single external plug while routing the wires to each bulb internally. Luckily there are still options. You can get a pair of DEPO brand off eBay for roughly $350-$400 dollars that are specially made to fully plug-n-play into the preface lift 03-06 model years. Or if you want to take it up a notch and stick with OEM you could do what I did and buy some 07-09 headlamps off eBay for cheap (ie broken tabs = cheaper $$$) and do a retrofit to swap the bezels into your existing headlamps. More involved but it'll give you the opportunity to upgrade the projector lens from a frosted lens to a clear one which should give you better light output. That's a $40 kit from Retrofitsource.com or from their eBay auctions. Reason I went this route was because I heard the DEPO brand headlamps use a frosted lens just like oem, but that it's cutoff was also not on par with oem. All in all I spent $160 going this route plus 6 hrs of my life retrofitting. Here's my thread for more useful info on this and other mods. https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...11-budget.html
As for the updated trunk look you want, as mentioned above it's a separate piece that can be removed from the trunk and swapped with the one on your trunk. Basically it's from the top of the chrome strip down and is also the license plate holder. Easy to remove, just three hex bolts (two on sides and one behind license plate) and panel clips that are press fit into place.
As for suspension I've seen one thread on here where someone swapped coilovers in place of the air suspension, but you'll need to order a few parts (ie lower control arms/spring perch mounts). Good luck and start a thread of your own mods. Will definitely help others when mods are consolidated and thoroughly described.
As for the updated trunk look you want, as mentioned above it's a separate piece that can be removed from the trunk and swapped with the one on your trunk. Basically it's from the top of the chrome strip down and is also the license plate holder. Easy to remove, just three hex bolts (two on sides and one behind license plate) and panel clips that are press fit into place.
As for suspension I've seen one thread on here where someone swapped coilovers in place of the air suspension, but you'll need to order a few parts (ie lower control arms/spring perch mounts). Good luck and start a thread of your own mods. Will definitely help others when mods are consolidated and thoroughly described.
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Joined: Jul 2013
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From: Down Unda
W204 C63 AMG, W212 E250 CGI, C207 E250 CGI
Unfortunately the oem 07-09 headlamps aren't plug and play into preface lift 06 and older model years. I have seen it first hand how Mercedes integrated the highbeam and parking lamp bulb plugs to one single external plug while routing the wires to each bulb internally. Luckily there are still options. You can get a pair of DEPO brand off eBay for roughly $350-$400 dollars that are specially made to fully plug-n-play into the preface lift 03-06 model years. Or if you want to take it up a notch and stick with OEM you could do what I did and buy some 07-09 headlamps off eBay for cheap (ie broken tabs = cheaper $$$) and do a retrofit to swap the bezels into your existing headlamps. More involved but it'll give you the opportunity to upgrade the projector lens from a frosted lens to a clear one which should give you better light output. That's a $40 kit from Retrofitsource.com or from their eBay auctions. Reason I went this route was because I heard the DEPO brand headlamps use a frosted lens just like oem, but that it's cutoff was also not on par with oem. All in all I spent $160 going this route plus 6 hrs of my life retrofitting. Here's my thread for more useful info on this and other mods. https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...11-budget.html
As for the updated trunk look you want, as mentioned above it's a separate piece that can be removed from the trunk and swapped with the one on your trunk. Basically it's from the top of the chrome strip down and is also the license plate holder. Easy to remove, just three hex bolts (two on sides and one behind license plate) and panel clips that are press fit into place.
As for suspension I've seen one thread on here where someone swapped coilovers in place of the air suspension, but you'll need to order a few parts (ie lower control arms/spring perch mounts). Good luck and start a thread of your own mods. Will definitely help others when mods are consolidated and thoroughly described.
As for the updated trunk look you want, as mentioned above it's a separate piece that can be removed from the trunk and swapped with the one on your trunk. Basically it's from the top of the chrome strip down and is also the license plate holder. Easy to remove, just three hex bolts (two on sides and one behind license plate) and panel clips that are press fit into place.
As for suspension I've seen one thread on here where someone swapped coilovers in place of the air suspension, but you'll need to order a few parts (ie lower control arms/spring perch mounts). Good luck and start a thread of your own mods. Will definitely help others when mods are consolidated and thoroughly described.
Super Member
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 504
Likes: 49
W205, X253, C190, W213,
I have a 03 E500 and I wanna do a facelift and lower it will the 07-09 headlights fit and plug up? Do I need to change the trunk? Where's the best place to get parts from? And should I remove the airbag suspension and go springs? I'm open to all valuable insight I wanna do this right I seen some conversions that look great and I seen some that look weird I wanna aim for great HELP!!! PS I'm more concerned about its coming out great then price
Thread with pictures and all: https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...aqdlights.html
Get the headlamps here: http://www.oelighting.com/ They are the OEM headlamps in a Bosch box, and not a Mercedes box, thus 30% cheaper.
With that you should be good to go with the headlamps. The other posts have answered your other questions... but seriously... SEARCH... all your questions have been answered before many many times.
Last edited by irondad; Sep 27, 2013 at 12:44 AM.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 39
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2003 E500 Sport RWD
Thanks so much for all the feed back very helpful I need all the help I could get I'm new to the European cars I'm getting ready to take my car to the dealer to do my tune up need new brakes and rotors aswell some people are telling that's stupid but they no nothing about the car what do you guys think?
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Thread Starter
Junior Member
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2003 E500 Sport RWD
And I need some sites that sell Oem Certified parts front bumper with sensor as well as the back bumper I'm try to get the E350 AMG Bumper and a nice front lip and should I go springs or just stick to the air suspension ps I'm looking for the navigation module to replace my current Oem radio
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Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
2003 E500 Sport RWD
Help!!!!! This information is so much help if anyone really know these cars ill send you my number cause I'm really gonna need all the help I can get I doing this facelift and I want it to come out at its best and nothing short of that
