Hey,

Im replacing the air filter myself on my 2005 C230K, is there anything I need to know before replacing it? Is it safe to replace it myself?

 

Perfectly fine to replace it yourself. I have the same year and model car as you do and do most of my maintenance
since my car now has 107,000 miles on it. Use a torx-head on a 1/4" ratchet and undo the screws that hold the air
filter cover on and simply lift it straight up. You will see the filter (cone shape). Lift the front part UP out of it's "slot"
and pull and it will come right out. You can use a stock replacement filter if you want and can buy these for a great
price online if you don't already have one. I used K&N, but we won't get into that again here. You might want to get out
your vacuum cleaner and vac the dirt out of the box the air cleaner sits in if there's any sand, etc. in there. Then just
put the open end back in the box first and lower the front in the slot.....make sure it's seated tightly, and re-install the
cover. Presto. You've just saved the labor fee and some extra money if you bought the filter somewhere besides MB.
You might want to change your CABIN AIR FILTER frequently too. Do you know where that is? Pop the hood and look in
the rear of the engine compartment (passenger side) and see the black cover with three clips on it covering the battery.
Yeah, there. Pull up on those three clips to undo them and lift that battery cover up and out. The bottom of the cover has
a "lip". Now flip the cover over and you will see a pleated paper filter that you can remove. It's kind of an odd shape.
If it's dirty, you might want to replace it. Again, on the web, they are cheap. This is your only filter for cabin air on your car.
I bought a few and replace them periodically. You can save a ton by doing this yourself as well. I buy my stuff from
www.autopartswarehouse.com but you can get these things elsewhere...up to you. Hope this helps you out.

 

Oh, almost forgot. When the time comes for your fuel filter or spark plugs, and that's around
60K and 100K respectively, I can save you a bundle there too. Been there, already did that.

 

This is great info!

 

Just read this review, hope you guys are still around to advice if the
fuel and spark plugs 60k mile replacement is an easy DO IT YOURSELF
job.

Have you tried 4 point platinum spak plugs on a 2001+ C230?

thank you.

 

Are these jobs "easy"? Well, that depends on one's level of mechanical ability. If you are mechanically inclined, yes, I'd say
they are pretty easy. Just takes basic mechanical skills to do both fuel filter and spark plugs. I bought the single electrode
iridium plug that came in the car. I know there are other choices, but in this case, I didn't want to do the job twice with the
wrong plug. If you buy these plugs, DO NOT GAP them. They are factory "gapped" and have a very thin, delicate electrode you
don't want to touch. They work great. I'm here to help you. I have some photos of the coil packs under the cover that show
you how to unbolt them and pull them straight up to access the plugs. You just need to pull the top cover off. You will see how it
is held on. Get some Permatex ANTI-SEIZE and apply a tiny bit to the plug threads. Careful, not too much. This stuff is messy.
One of our members posted some great pics of the fuel filter replacement as well. You can search and find them. You can buy
all of these parts online and save a ton over dealership costs if you want to. Just like everything else though, you have to be
willing to spend the time and have the basic tools to do this type of work, but it's not hard. Changing oil is another one.

 

Sorry, forgot to answer the original post question....no, you don't need anything special to change the engine air filter or the
cabin air filter either. They are both right there. I outlined how to do the cabin filter. For the engine air filter, which looks kinda like
a big cone, use a torx head socket to remove the rectangular cover on top of the engine and lift up. Pull the air filter up and out.
You will see that the new one goes in just like the old one with that rubber "lug" in the slot. While you're in there, vacuum out the
dirt and junk laying in the box. Don't overtighten the lid when you put it back. Snug is fine. You're done. Cabin air filter is UNDER
that black plastic "tray" in front of the battery on the passenger side of the engine compartment on the firewall. Three clips and
lower the front of it and remove it. Flip it over and the cabine air filter is right there. Work it out of the tray and put the new one in
the same way. Replace it and clip the clips and you're done.