We have a 2003 C240. I would like to upgrade the plugs, plug wires, air filter, oil filter, oil, etc. This is my bride to be's car - I drive a "slighty" modified Land Rover that sees alot of offroad use. In my Landie, I have upgrades the aforementioned items and have noticed a nice improvement. I am looking to do the same for her MB. Any opinions and facts would be greatly appreciated. Also, anything else I can do to prolong the life of the MB? I am NOT looking for chip upgrades to make it faster....her d*mn lead foot is hard enough to deal with![:@][sm=alcoholic.gif]

 

Bump.....also, what is entailed in a tune up? I can do all this stuff on my Landie but I don't want to screw up the future Mrs.'s MB! Can I do it myself or do I have to take it to a stealership?
Thanks,
Steven

 

Geez....anybody?[&o]

 

I have a 2002 C240 as well and am looking to do some upgrades. I noticed a big difference when I changed the "Life-Fill" trans fluid and filter at 50k. The shifts got so much smother, just like new. I also did my own oil and oil filter, I used MB fluid and filter for both jobs. The fuel filter helped little too. I ordered a Bosch filter on-line for about $45. Being an MB these jobs were a bit different then your standard car but they are DIY tasks, if you have the tools, time and patients. The first thing that you will notice is that MB uses uncommon fluids. The engine oil is Mobile One 0-40 synthetic. I found an AutoZone that had it for about $7 a quart, you'll need 9 quarts (the car takes 8 1/2 quarts). The filter I got at MB. I liked the way MB setup the filter on this car, no spills and very easy access. Oh, and you don't have a dipstick, you'll need to use the Command console on the dash. I simply replaced what I took out and checked the Command console. I guess you could buy a dipstick from MB for about $35. (you should be able to find some good DIYs in this forum)

The auto trans tuff too. My C240 has no drain plug on the torque converter so it can't be completely drained without a pump. I simply drained what I could from the AT case, replaced the filter and replaced the exact amount of fluid I removed (3 liters). There is no level check in the Command console for the AT. I drove the car around the block and drained what I could out of the AT case (drain pan plug only) then replaced what I took out again (3 liters). I drove the car around the block again and once again replaced 3 liters of fluid. The only AT fluid you should use is the stuff MB sells and it isn't cheep! I paid about $11 a liter (yes, they sell it in liters). You'll need 9 liters because the AT takes 8 1/2 liters. I wasn't able to find a good DIY for this task because not all C230\240\320s are the same, some have drain plugs on the torque converters and some don't. MB sells a dipstick for this too. Their is a plastic lock on the AT fluid filler tube, you'll need to snap it off. MB sells these plastic locks for about $3.

The fuel filter was tuff to get to but wasn't that bad. It's located in front of the rear driver site wheel. You'll need to remove the belly pan to properly get to it. The filter has 4 lines, none of them are high pressure but they do have fuel and it will spill so have a pan under the filter and expect to get some gas on you. The original hose clamps are one use only, I broke the old clamps off. You'll need to get some hose clamps. I picked some up at the dealer for about $4 for all 4 clamps. They are the same hose clamps you could get from Home Depot but they are metric rather then standard, being German and all. Once you are done you will need to allow your car to prime the lines. Let the car idle for about 5 minutes before you drive it. If it loses fuel and starts to miss your check engine light might come on. If this happens just disconnect your batter ground for about 60 seconds. Make sure your windows are all rolled up otherwise the auto up/down feature may get confused. If this happens you will need to roll all of your windows up, auto wont work so you'll need to hold the switches until they are all the way up. Once they are all up attempt to roll then up. Yes up, even though they are already up. You should then be able to auto them down and back up, all is good now.

My next task is to replace the air filters with K&N and the plugs (there are 12 spark plugs on these cars). I'm not sure what plugs I'll use, maybe Bosch quad tips??? I'm not sure about the wires either.

They make a pully set and ECU upgrade that add some power. That along with some K&N air filters should give you the slight boost you're looking for.

 

Hey thanks! I use the Bosch Platinum +4 plugs with the Magnecore 8mm racing plug wires on my Land Rover, along with the K&N air filter and the K&N long oil filter. I noticed a nice increase in HP and mpg. I look forward to playing with the Benz.

 

The C240 has two plugs per cylinder. I also noticed that the wires are very short because each cylinder has a distribution just above it. I'm not sure if you can find aftermarket cables. You may need to use Mercedes OEM. Let me know if you find some though. I wonder how those Bosch Platinum +4 plugs will work on the C240? Should be good. I'm planning on running a ground to my intake manifold, it made a noticeable improvement in engine response on my 2004 Acura TSX. It uses drive by wire just like the C240.

 

i have a 2002 c240 and i was wondering with all the high prices of adding a kompressor that cost somewhere between $10,000-20,000. can i get a cheap 1999 c230 kompressor and add that kompressor on to my c240? if not, what other clever way can i boost up my perfomance? can anyone help?