Mercedes-Benz CLK (2005 and earlier)

grandsport1

I've seen some aftermarket versions of the C230 with the wider, 245 tires on the rear. This size tire looks perfect in the rear wheel-well as it follows the line of the car perfectly. This presents a problem because you would not be able to rotate tires (as they don't fit on the front)and you'll go through them even faster. (I'm speaking from experience.) Does anyone know if it'd be possible (or safe really) to put spacers behind the rear-wheel where it bolts to the hub to bring the wheel and tire out to align with the car? This is one of my pet-peeves. Also, I was thinking about a set of springs to bring the car down just a little bit to lessen the gap between the top of the tire and the fenders. When researching springs, I read something about the Mercedes spring pad being adjustable to lift or lower ride height. Anyone know anything about this? Maybe I wouldn't need springs at all and could simply ask the Benz dealer for an "adjustment". Your thoughts are appreciated.

onie1

grandsport1
From what i've read w203 do not need or don't have spring pads. I'm running 18" brabus V with 225/40/18 tires front and rear. You're right about not to be able to rotate tires with wider rear tires. It does look better. I'm still waiting for h&r to release springs for the c-coupe, not sure if the springs for the sedan will work. The gap right now at the front is like 4 fingers, the rear looks fine.

ranchero

ranchero

Ordered a magma red six speed yesterday. Dealer allocation limited on manual transmission cars; looks like January or February delivery (which is fine).

Drove a demo car and liked it a lot. Dealer had four cars in stock - all with identical equipment: auto, sunroof, cloth.

Initial impressions:1) torque excellent at low rpm and acceleration very satisfying; 2) seats excellent, lots of support for legs, firm, grippy (with cloth); 3) automatic was very well designed and performed well; 4) goofy little glass in rear useless because of distortion; 5) car is complicated and will take awhile to learn; 6) that intangible Mercedes construction quality makes the car an incredible value.

Drove a 6 speed manual in an slk 230 - same engine and transmission as sports coupe. I prefer a manual transmission but this one is only ok. It is neither good nor fun. Though it is a rwd car, the shifter feels rubbery and vague. Clutch engagement point seemed quite a way through travel of pedal. I will be able to live with it and though the auto is excellent, in the long run I think I'll be happy with the six speed. The existing five speed manual in my Miata is much more precise and easier to use.

genie1

Does anyone have the 17" wheels? Are they worth the extra $$$? I think they look better, but what about performance and ride quality? Will we feel every bump/pothole?

What about tire wear? Will we be replacing performance tires faster than Shumacher? I anticipate getting winter tires for half the year, but how long can I expect the softer summer/performance tires to last?

Are they worth the extra effort of swapping tires 2x a year?

(The only reason we're opting for the Evol. package is because it includes the leather wrapped shifter knob/steering wheel which you have to order with leather interior)

bccoupe

Definetly worth the the $750. Just the larger Z rated tires alone go for anywhere from 500-600 dollars a set of 4. On top of that not only do u get a bigger exhaust tip and as you mentioned before the beautiful 7 spoked rims you also get the painted door handles which alone is not a bad deal.

Bruce

leepolun

Om, my bad, I thought it has 10, but must be my confusion on my part. But regardless, it's great bose system.

I am in the Oakland Hills. But I bought mine from Laguna (south of LA, north of SD). Because I know the sales manager there. Drove all the way up right after I bought it. I was so mad that I couldn't break it in yet and finally did this past weekend. Feels great. How about you, where are you about in the bay?

c702000

Last Friday picked up my new C230 Coupe, with Bose,sunroof, and C7 package. Have many request to post pictures of this color with the 17" wheels. Have had the windows tinted, live in Florida, and will post picutres next week at http://www.mbworld.org/forum/w203/board/home.html. This is a good site for info on the C230. This weekend going to the Vintage car races at the Daytona speedway and show off the car, it's the only one with C7 in Daytona. Bose system is excellent, order the CD player from Miami ($400)and the dealership installed it for $195.00, this sure beats the $950 from Mercedes

Regards

Tom in Daytona

chowchow3

I am that close to buying my C230 and am very very looking forward to it. However, I want to make sure I am not a sucker. I have talked to all the dealers in the Bay Area (Northern California) and they all wanted MSRP except one was willing to give me a tiny little break. I always thought that you should not pay MSRP. Did anyone have better luck with the price? Thanks.

bccoupe

Lee this is Bruce again I live in so cal right now but have lived in the bay area for the majority of my life. I have family in SF and still go up every now and then to see them. I'm curious Lee as to how much you picked up your coupe for, did the dealer cut you any deals? HOw does the bass sound on the bose system Lee from the specs I was told 4x6 seems alittle small for really deep bass though I was impressed with the sound from the stock set up. Lee if you have some pics of the car up send it over to my e-mail account at iibeatdownii@aol.com

Regards,

Bruce

bccoupe

Chow I am in Southern CA but also frequent the bay alot. I know a few dealers up north and most of them are fixed of selling the car for MSRP because of the demand. I do however know a dealer down here who got me a great deal I paid MSRP for the car and a few options but he said he'd throw in the CD changer at no extra charge! Let me know if you have any such luck in the bay if not if might be worth the trip down south. If you need any more info just e-mail me at iibeatdownii@aol.com and I'll point you over to my dealer.

Regards,

Bruce

leepolun

Hi,
I actually got a ok/good deal I guess. $1000 below MSRP. Because I know someone at Laguna (very large dealership). I don't think there is much room for profit on this car for the dealer ship, probably $2000-3000 max. Even though I only got $1000 below MSRP, I also got a free car cover (about $200 for Mercedez) and a key chain (about $20). So nothing much, but something. But I had to drive all the way up from Laguna to Oakland.

Actually, I saw a GREAT deal for leasing in the Oakland office if you are interested in leasing chowchow. $2000 down and $350/yr for 4yrs.

Chowchow, if you can get $1000 to $2000 off the MSRP then it's a great deal I think. The best I can do was $1000.

Hey Bruce, that's so weird, I live in South Pasadena for a few yrs and then stayed in the bay area after that. my family is in LA & SD, so I go down a lot.

No pics on car yet, but will. and I pumped up the bass all the way today, and it's deep alright. I think it worth getting.

tomqbui

Wondering what kind of prices you guys paid out for the MB C230 sports coupe.

I got mine for $28k out the door.
Black w/stick
C2 package (sunroof and rain sensing wipers)
6 CD-Changer
Car Cover

I think that alone configuration alone is $27.5k (MSRP) before tax and license.

Had to get it in SoCal though. Dealer in San Rafael was willing to negotiate some, as was dealer in Sacramento, but not to $28k for all that.

bccoupe

In general I think the dealers in So Cal are more willing to wheel and deal then the dealers up north so if anything try down here chow. Lee great deal! geez I thought a free cd changer was a good deal but looks like you got hooked up big time! Lee e-mail me and let me know the sales person and the guy you spoke with at Laguna I'd like to see what they can do for me.

Regards,

Bruce

huntzinger

The further north you are, the more that you'll benefit from two sets of tires. Of particular note is running high performance (Z) summer tires in cold temperatures, as they'll turn to hardballs. I almost lost my 911 this way, on a frost covered road on a ~20F morning.

The thing to remember is that all All Season tires are the proverbial "Jack of All Trades, but Master of None".

Unless its warm enough so that you can comfortably wear shorts outside all year long, get dedicated winter tires for all 4 corners.

FWIW, the C230's wheel package looks like a reasonable deal, to get your summer tire setup.

-hh

mapman1138

Has anyone here gone with Tirerack's suggested tires, on the alloys that they list? I'd like to see some pics, if they're around. I'm going to have to order a set of snows when my car arrives, but I'd rather get steel wheels, if they are feasible.

jrct9454

...and they will show pix of your car with your color and the wheels you've picked.

tommyp13

I've never done it. Lived in New Orleans for 5 years, then moved back up to the Northeast, and just ran all seasons on my crx until I bought my c230 w/ c7 pkg. Is Thanksgiving a good cutoff?

I'm planning to get the Tirerack's package of the 16" Millie Miglia (I'm sure that I messed up that spelling) with snows. The package looks fine; I'm in n NJ, so I don't anticipate having the winters on past sometime in March. And, it's only $900 sumthin. Not a bad deal.

The C7 is the best deal on the c230, I think. If you look at the stand-alone price of the rims, you can see how MB is gauging people if you don't get the rims. And, you can't even get the best part yet: the color-keyed handles. Really make a difference, and I'd imagine that MB will charge a fair amount of money to swap them out, once they're available.

I think that you can order steelies from Tirerack as well.

brightness

After market prices are not comparable unless MB gives you back the stock 16" rims and tires as backups/snow mounts.

Jim

huntzinger

For the paranoid, you're already too late, as we've historically had bad snowstorms as early as Vet's day in October.

But in general, anytime before mid/early December is good enough...Thanksgiving Weekend is a good planning point. Its a good idea to plan to do some dry driving on the snows, because it will take them a few miles to settle in and for you to get used to how differently the car handles.

My personal SOP is that I'm starting to watch right now, and I'm playing it by ear depending on what appointments I have and what the weekend weather forecasts are showing. I'll probably see if I can get one of the cars done this Sunday (there's rain forecast for Saturday AM).

If its rainy/windy/cold, I have enough time still to wait for another weekend. The important thing is to NOT get caught doing it 10pm on a Tuesday night the day before a storm is predicted for the next day out (BTDT).

FWIW, the same "watch for good weather" rule of thumb applies for your home's Christmas lights :-)

For taking them off, anytime after the Ides of March.

-hh

tommyp13

That's good to know. Guess I can look forward to dropping a grand in the next couple of weeks. Maybe I'll win it when I'm down at the casinos in New Orleans in a couple of days?

Brightness - I realize that. But, if you stack up all of the crap that you get in the C7 and compare it to what you'd have to pay to get the same deal (and subtracting out the price of the rims/tires - I'd assume that the other crap wouldn't be worth much - ie, stock exhaust tip, knob, steering wheel, pedals, door sills, black handles - maybe a couple of hundred total in real dollars for those) you're still doing well by ordering the c7 package. And if you want to plus size the stock 16 inchers, you're still left with them anyway, though they wouldn't be bad for winter.

mlsphd

there seems to be a lot of enthusiasm for the c7 package. Besides the aesthetics, could someone enlighten me on (1) handling/performance difference of the larger tires/wheels and (2) the likely additional cost over time in replacing the performance tires vs the stock tires.

mapman1138

...its mostly an appearance thing. I'm sure that someone will argue with me, but the 17's will get you (maybe) slightly quicker turn-in. In exchange for this, ride will be harsher, unsprung weight will in all likelihood be higher, and it will be easier to damage your wheels, since there's less tire to absorb stuff. Oh, tires will be more expensive and will wear more quickly (in general), too. Cost will vary with what tires you buy and your driving style/environment.

FWIW: I got C7 because I like the way the 17s look, and I wanted the door handles! Plus, I knew that I'd be getting winter wheels/tires whether I got the C7 package or not. All-season tires are too much of a compromise, IMO.

jjpeter

Guys, the stock 16" rims take 205-55/ HR16 tires. The C7 pack gives you 225/45 ZR17 tires. Go to Tire Rack and look these sizes up across the well known brands and compare replacement costs. Here is an example:

Dunlop SP Sport A2 205-55/ HR16 = $92 each
Dunlop SP Sport 8080E 225/45 ZR17 = $185 each

You'll see that the C7 tires will cost quite a bit more to replace, about twice as much in the Dunlop brand. And, you'll need to do it more often because of the softer rubber compounds used... Something to consider. We went with the the stock Michelins and they handle great!

jrct9454

...I'm not especially enthusiastic about this package, especially as it applies to the wheel/tire combo. To each his own, however...

c702000

Glad I live in Florida...no tire problems
Tom in Daytona

ranchero

I got what I think was a pretty candid answer from the salesman when I ordered the car. I should expect about 35,000 miles from the standard 16 inch tires and about half that mileage from the performance 17 inch tires.

I was disappointed to get only about 35K miles out of original equipment Goodyear Eagles on a recent new car; yet I am advised that is about standard for the newer compound tires.

So I took the standard 16 inch tires. They should be just fine for everyday (but not aggressive) service. I like the look of the standard 16 inch wheels very much. An important issue in wheels, to this owner, is how easy are they to properly clean. With c230k, either wheel is fine in this regard. So the choice is pay more now for tires that wear out twice as fast and cost twice as much - in order to get those mono color door handles and leather shifter. Easy choice for this buyer!

huntzinger

Tommyp13,

I'm not sure how far north in NJ you are, but being that you're new to the area and looking for wheels/tires, I would be very remiss if I did not mention that up here, we have "Eurotire" on Rt 46 in Fairfield, NJ: (973) 575-0080. Their prices are good, but after years of being a satisfied customer, I no longer even think of going anywhere else: Bill Bloomfield gives straight answers, supports the local auto clubs, takes appointments and walk-ins, and even has Saturday service hours. If you call, please tell Bill I said 'Hi'.

-Hugh

huntzinger

Treadlife and Performance are inverse relationships. You get higher treadlife through rubber hardening additives to make a "hardball" (typically very slippery in cold winter weather, BTW), and you get more performance by running a softer compound...its the old "no free lunch" bit.

For as much as a car costs to run these days, the general difference between a 25K tire life and a 75K tire life is pretty small. For a $75 tire comparison, its on the order of a penny per mile.

Personally, I'm willing to pay that extra penny per mile. I do a lot of of city driving which really trashes tire wear, so I consider a treadlife of 2OK-25K miles to be acceptable.

-hh

bccoupe

Dear forum memebers I recently was over in another chat board and saw a post about bi Xenon lights being offered from MBZ for the C-coupe in June sometime can anyone here confirm this or knows the price? I was aware that the Euro models of the Coupe offered no such option and did not have the lights either. For those of you who have the C320 and have the ion lights can you please explain the benefits of having the lights over the standard halogen lights and if it is worth the extra $1000 or so to get the lights as an option?

Regards,

Bruce~

P.S. If anyone has added the white lights or bulbs to there Coupe could they please post up some pics and maybe give alittle insight in how the setup is.

mapman1138

The car I'm in now has Xenon HIDs, and they are *much* brighter than halogen headlights. I can only assume that the same applies to any car. I feel that I can see much farther at night in my S2000 than I ever could in any previous car.

I was really wishing for HIDs as an option for the C230, so I'd like to hear about this, too.

rbraver

I would agree that to be IN a car that has xenon lights is great. To be IN FRONT of one (and have its lights in your mirrors) is awful. I drive through Silicon Valley every day where virtually every other car is expensive enough to have these lights, and I just hate them. They are supposed to be very narrowly-focused, and some of the really high-end models are supposed to auto-level. I've been blinded enough times to be convinced that the DOT should rethink these being legal at all. Sorry for the rant, but I really think they're dangerous.

huntzinger

I believe that there's been some studies that are starting to show that HID may not be all that its cracked up to be.

While they are indeed brighter, I believe that the concern was that the change in color temperature means that the light is at a different part of the spectrum. Supposedly, the wavelength in question is one for which the human eye is less sensitive to (we're very strong down in the reds). Consequently, it is possible to technically put out more light, but end up seeing less.

I'll have to check my other PC to see if I still have this article referenced. Probably worth a web search to see what pops up.

-hh

leepolun

Hey,

I have a question. I saw on TV regarding the tornadofuelsaver:

http://www.tornadofuelsaver.com/info/

It sounded prettey convincing. But I got a friend told me that it's not good because once you install it, if you don't have it in there, the car won't run. Anyone has any experience with this thing? Supposedly it saves your gas by 20% and boost about 20 horse power for the car. Any one knows anything about it in tangent to the new C230? or from previous experiences with Mercedez in general?

Man, I love the stares on the street on the new car. It's a great feeling... I made a right choice between the 325 BMW and this one... Too many 325s on the streets now. and very few of the C230 yet, SO HAPPY!!!!

thanks!

jrct9454

Forget it; this is all nonsense. At least a couple of times a year, this kind of black magic surfaces - it's nothing more than a blatant attempt to take your money.

c702000

Those that requested picture of the C230 in Magma Red with the C7 go to...wheelhttp://www.mbworld.org/forum/w203/board/home.htmls ..note there are two posting...see the latest the other was the forms mistake.
Tom

chowchow3

Hi for the people who responded to the board posted by Chowchow (msg #510) - Thank you very much.

I finally put my deposit down last Sat. I got $500 off MSRP without really bargaining with anyone. All I did was price it on one of the autoweb site, called all the SF Bay Area dealerships and only this dealership through the internet is willing to give me anything off MSRP. Even the guy at the dealership who helped me test drive my car won't match that price. Unfortunately, I can't go down to LA area right down so I have to settle for this.

I am going for the extended 48 months 100,000 miles warranty too - any opinion on this?

Final package

Black Opal - it shimmers really nice
Auto
C1
Cloth - need it for my active life
Still thinking about the boise system

lukyme

Looks like a good deal ($500 off MSRP). I understand that it is possible to get a little off MSRP when there are multiple dealers in the area. I ended up paying MSRP, but got the CD for a little off at $750.00. There is only 1 dealer in the Lexington, KY area. I'm sure I could have gone to Loisville or Cincinnatti and got a little better price, but at the local dealer, they had just what I wanted already on the boat. Only had to wait 3-4 weeks. Silver, Auto, C2, C7, Ash Cloth, CD. Your gonna love this car.
Regarding the extended warranty, I personally never opt for it, but I typically keep a car only about 2 years. My thoughts on extended warranties:
This car is covered 4 years, if keeping it longer, if something needs repaired, it will cost you (being that it's a MB with lots of tech stuff). So maybe the warranty is not a bad idea. The peace of mind you get is worth something too.
Good Luck.

revka

We look forward to hearing more when your ownership experience. Btw, for more opinions on extended warranties, you may also want to check out this new FWI discussion: Understanding Extended Warranties. Good luck.

Revka
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Hatchbacks / Station Wagons / Women's Auto Center Boards

rbraver

A while ago I remember someone mentioning that a vehicle's status could be tracked by its order number. My dealer called today and said that my C230 would be built the 3rd week of December, and gave me the production/order number. Any one know how to use this? On an unrelated topic, what does anyone think about Tele-aid? Is it as effective as LoJack? If I don't plan to use the "concierge" features, is it worth the money?

jjpeter

We just took deliver of our C230 coupe two weeks ago.

Here is the deal on Tele-aid. Expensive! $750 to install and activate. Only half an hour of free talk time the first year, then something like .40 a minute there after, for the first year. Year two: $200+ to extend service, no free time, each call starts the clock. This is basically for hand holding if you can't figure out how to turn on the lights or open and close the sun roof. Forget it. There is an 800 # on the drivers visor that you can call 24/7 for real emergencys. That is all you need.

Lo-Jack: We did opt for it. Proven anti-theft device that has a vehicle homing locator that will alert police of the cars whereabouts once they are notified the car is stolen. I'd believe the desireability of the coupe warrants this added protection.

Took the C230 in this afternoon for the perma-plate application and the aforementioned lo-jack installation. Got a 2000 C230 Kompressor as an overnight loaner from Smythe. I was actually pleased to see them give me this car because I wanted to compare it to the coupe. Wow, how much more solid, responsive, quiet, better handling is our 2002 Kompressor? Much more! And the old Benz dash, it looks very dated compared to the slick design of new model. Can't wait to bring our shiny baby back home tomorrow night.

lukyme

What are other owners opinions about the oil change intervals. Both dealer and car computer indicate 10K before first oil change. I had a 3 Series BMW that was similar. I have always had oil changed on other cars every 3-4K. What makes these MB & BMW's oil change intervals so much longer. Dealer indicates it's the synthetic oils.
I would definatly want the best care for this car, as I plan to give it to my son as a HS graduation gift next year, and he will likely keep it for a long while. Any thoughts?

jjpeter

Yeah lukyme, I have been in the same camp of frequent oil changers too. Even when I switched to synthetic several years back, I would only leave it in for 6-7K. To leave the first load of oil in for 10K seems sacreligious to a car man. Thats break-in oil Man! Dump it after 3K! Well, MB seems to have done the tests and concluded its alright to leave it in for 10,000 miles. They are the ones covering the warrenty, so oil related failures would be under their watch. What do we know!!?? God knows where the oil filter is and most likely Carlos Grease at the Jiffy lube won't have a clue either. Best leave this technilogical marvel we have bought to the factory trained guys.

skobola

I drove the auto this summer on a MB Power event, and I did not like the auto's delays when shifting up/down. As I usually have my cars with a stick, and as I heard a lot of "bad" opinions about the C Coupe's stick, I had to test it! And finally, my MB dealer got one yesterday and invited me to test drive it, so I did and I loved it!

Here is my opinion: I do not know what the others meant by "notchiness", but when I would touch the stick, it would easily and quickly pop out of the gear, a be ready for me to choose the next one. I liked it, because I believe that would (incremental) increase the speed of sifting, not that it would be needed. I guess that this could be called a positive shifting as well, in a sense. Maybe the throws could be shorter, but they were not that long neither. Also, I was amazed with the power - the car was pulling very strong once shifted to a higher gear. And this is when I compare it to my current car, 99 BMW 323i (E46) with 6 cyl/2.5l/170 hp. In addition, if some of you are even more power-hungry, there is a Wetterauer chip that improves the hp from 193 to 230 and torque from 206 to 236 ft/lbs. Wow, I would love to test drive that one!

I was quoted $430 for 36 months/10k + tax + $1,800 initiation for the plain car with metallic paint. I believe that the lease should be (much) lower that that! I would appreciate if you can share your lease deals with me, and in order not to clog this board, please e-mail me at skobola@cyberdude.com. Thanks.

rbraver

Thanks for your response on the uselessness of Tele-Aid. That was my feeling too. You mentioned PermaPlate. What is Smythe charging you for this--you must think it's worth it. I had it done years ago when I bought a new 98 black VW Passat and I was concerned about swirls. Does anyone else think it's worth it?

rockribbed

skobola, I agree with you about the 6 speed. Even tho I had been a long time away from a manual I found it to be smooth and devoid of the 'notchiness' that others have complained about. I think that MB is unfamiliar with the US and manuals and the real culprit is the location of the center arm rest. If it weren't there or were lower (or conversely) the shift lever a tad longer there wouldn't be the compaints. With the arm rest there (even at lowerst setting) you have to shift with your wrist (like operating a joy stick)and not your arm.

Even tho I liked the manual I opted for the auto out of deference to my wife plus the one on the lot had the roof which I like and the manual did not. I plan on using 'scooter' for trips and she will help with the driving chores. She likes the ride of her Suburban but after a long w/e trip from S/W VA to Memphis and 11 mpg I think she will see the virture of 30 mpg even it is has to be premium.

To me the coupe is a go-cart with a really good stero and a/c!

genie1

What is Perma-Plate?

tommyp13

Work in Secaucus, live in Clifton, so the shop's right down the street (3/46). Ended up talking to Bill, though didn't know it (or even remember his name) until he gave me his card. Gave me a price for a package which had S class knockoffs in 16" and a weird tire brand - vredestein. Has anyone heard of this brand, and have any input?

Thanks for the recommendation of the store; I'm going to buy my winter pkg from them, after hopefully waiting a couple of weeks.

jrct9454

...is a reputable EU brand that has been in business for a very long time, but doesn't do much here because they stopped active marketing a while back. Used to be known here for their winter tire designs, before Bridgestone came along with the Blizzak and basically grabbed the market by the throat.

jrct9454

As pointed out above, it's always a little stunning to me that folks are perfectly willing to believe the Stuttgart [or Munich or Asama or Osaka] engineers know what they are doing in designing the car in every area except oil change intervals. Then, somehow, at least in the US, nearly everyone has some kind of religious belief that comes to the surface and demands oil changes between 3-7k miles, depending on which oil-change-church one belongs to.

The big news, folks, is emissions controls. Cars with LEV and ULEV kinds of emissions levels are not dumping all of this unburned hydrocarbon junk back into the crankcase as they did in the bad old days. Sure, better oil technology helps, and synthetics in particular are indeed great, and having 10 quarts of oil in the crankcase helps, too. But the real answer to why you can go 10-15k between oil changes in these cars is because they are no longer poisoning themselves with every stroke they way they used to. If you still had a dipstick to look at [I do on my Hondas] you would see how clean the oil is at 5000 and 7000 miles - it just is insane to dump this into the recycling bin in the name of Jerry Jiffy's religious beliefs.

And the oil filter is handily on top of the engine, where it's been on most MBs for decades, but J-Jiffy probably doesn't have the correct cartridge, in any case.

Finally and incidentally, extended oil changes have been the norm in Europe for years...only in this country does the religion continue to dictate behavior...