[aakashk8300]

2020 is a year that has been one of turmoil not only for me but for the entire world. :)

However one of the most unexpected things happened this year with the welcoming of one of my dream cars home.

The Story starts off in December 2019 when I after much annoyance had to let go of my 2008 Honda Civic S Manual, equipped with a sweet-sounding AutoMech Exhaust System, which had run an astounding 1.76 lakh km and still felt relatively good for its age and running. However, expenses and failures caught up and we had to let go of it.



As it always happens, with each car going a new one enters the scene, with me now inheriting my mother’s 2016 Honda City VX Manual I-vtec in a stunning shade of Golden-Brown M. On paper it’s one of the best cars when you think about it, Decent Engine, Manual Box, Good Amount of Features, and Fairly Low Cost of Maintenance. But there you have it, for a person who used to drive a civic, the city simply does not cut it, thanks to its setup being oriented more for luxury and relaxed driving rather one for an Enthusiast.



Cut to 2020, and we have been hit hard by the pandemic with the cars now becoming more of visual objects, rather than serve their actual use. With the months passing by and me now staying Socially Distanced from the world in Goa, the bug started to bite me that maybe I need to start looking for a replacement for my Honda.

The Replacement would have to comply with the following:

1) Low Slung (I missed the civic too much, the scraping not so much)

2) An Auto Box (With me shuttling between Bombay and Goa, I needed something comfortable for the highway and city traffic)

3) German Manufactured (While Japanese cars are great and economical to run/ own, I sorely missed the Thud Feeling we experienced in our Ex W210
E250D. A Better built car would also be nicer for those highway drives.

4) Something Classy (With the number of City’s sold, the car simply stopped feeling special, something which the Type 2 Vtec always did)

5) Had to be USED (Very Simply seeing the depreciation occurred on the City in a matter of 4 and a half years shirked me away from buying a new car again.

6) Driving Usage: 20 to 30kms Daily in Medium Traffic, hence did not want a diesel.

The Options Considered:

VW Vento / Skoda Rapid: Knocked out since we have a 2018 Vento TSI Highline + at home.

VW Jetta: While many praised it, finding low run models was difficult in my budget range. Out.

BMW 3 Series: Drove a friend’s 320D, but with practically no 330i’s available in the used market, it was Out.

Audi A4: While a great overall car, the cars in my range were high on km, and service bills were scary, Out.

Mercedes Benz C Class: Finally, we hit the sweet spot, however, my happiness was short-lived with most Models either having a series of issues or being highly run. Still Searched.

A Few weeks passed after this, with my enthusiasm now taking the backseat with my dream of owning a German car apart from the Vento.

In August 2020, I randomly received a phone call from a close friend who wanted to sell her W204 Pre Facelift 200 Kompressor Elegance finished in a shade of Warm Silver Metallic. This car came with a 1.8L Supercharged 4 Cylinder Petrol Motor mated to a 5 Speed Auto Box. Power Figures are 160bhp and 240nm of Torque with power being supplied to the rear wheels!
A few phone calls and a personal inspection later, I could not believe that I now owned a Mercedes Benz, after a gap of 7 years from the last one.





Few Formalities later, she was home, albeit only for a short while until it left for a bit of periodic maintenance to the workshop! The car was out of Warranty but had made a space for itself in my heart.

I write this at the start of November, the car has been with me for the past few months and while many said this was an unwise decision I.e. to move to an older and less reliable car, every time I start the car via it’s (thank god it’s not keyless and I still get to turn the key) traditional start-up process, the 1.8 Supercharged Motor whines to life, with each push to the accelerator it makes me smile.

While the facelift has much been spoken about thanks to its aggressive look, this pre-facelift oozes old school merc subtleness, with the hood ornament taking stance over the now very common massive star.

When seen from the front, we have a traditional Mercedes Look with a thick Chrome Grille, flanked with neat headlights on either side and foglamps at the bottom. I personally prefer the Avant-Garde Bumper purely due to its mesh-like pattern which lends the face more character, while this makes do with plastic slats instead. Panel Gaps are Mercedes Level, with nothing below perfection.



This is personally my favorite angle on the car, and for good reasons with the taillights adding a sense of bulkiness to the otherwise sleek body line. While the 200 only gets a single tip exhaust, the quad-tip setup on the C63 AMG is to die for, especially with that killer of a soundtrack it comes with.



Boot space is adequate at best when compared to the smaller Honda City. Airport Runs will not be the best in this car. What is nice is the Emergency Triangle being neatly tucked away in the top half of the boot, with the left side wall coming equipped with Nets, allowing for neat storage of things such as the First Aid Kit and some Moisture Absorbent Devices. On the right boot side of the boot, this space is reserved for a fuse box. Another very nice feature is the provision of the boot light which for once is bright and helps during the night time. The absolute best feature would be the boot opening on its own allowing you to enjoy a hands-free opening experience via the key fob button, boot switch located inside the car, or the lever located on the boot.



The Elegance Badge sitting on both sides of the front half of the car. It's nice to see how understated these badges were unlike what Manufacturers do today to showcase that the car has an AUTO transmission. Yes, it's KIA I am referring to. :D
This model year came in three variants, Classic which was the bare-bones version, Elegance being the Luxury oriented mid variant and Avant-Garde being the cream on the cake equipped with all the bells and whistles you could ask for.



The Side Profile is one that has always received love thanks to its clean design. What helps it as these multispoked 16" Rims sported Pirelli Tyres. The Rim design is a Love/Hate for most people owing to their simplistic design with many owners opting to switch to the AvantGarde ones or Aftermarket.
I will be getting them refinished in the stock shade post-Covid.



Chrome Mirrors! I could not believe it until is saw it in person. They come with LED Integrated Units. The Units are well-shaped and offer a good look but could be a little wider, to aid highway driving. Mercedes India kept experimenting with this Pre Facelift shape sporting these chrome units, body-colored units, and the facelift units during its production span from 2008 to 2011.



The Heart of this Mighty German, the 1.8 Supercharged Petrol Motor!
All the mechanicals are neatly tucked away under the various plastic covers! As nice as the motor looks and sounds it's a shame it was discontinued and replaced with the CGI motor. The Motor is good at delivering power but takes it's time to deliver it.



Driving Review:

City Driving: Feels very smooth and does not have the urge to go fast unless pushed. Drive it in comfort mode and the transmission will also be relaxed.
Some rubber moldings have not kept up with time and will need replacing soon.

Highway Driving: Onto the highway, comfort starts to feel a little weak, with it not picking up speed fast enough. The solution to this is to switch to Sport Mode where everything tightens up (Engine and gearbox). Shifts become faster and hold on for longer and higher revs which make overtakes and cruising fun. The soundtrack is lovely to listen to as well.

Braking: With all this power to go about with, the car comes with 4 Disc brakes along with ABS and ESP to ensure good stopping power. The pedal is ergonomically placed but the brakes could do with a bit more bite.

NVH Levels: Good at Low Speeds and okay at Higher Speeds with a light whistle kicking in at triple-digit speeds. The Engine is dead silent unless revved above 3k rpm making city driving very peaceful.

Fuel Efficiency: City - 8 to 10kmpl with the highway taking it up to 15kmpl when driven lightly.

Gotta say, Merc surely knows how to keep branding classy with just a simple star being placed, unlike other manufacturers who write down the engine configurations or name.



The Headlamp setup consists of a Projector for Low Beam, Halogen for High Beam along with a Halogen Bulb Indicator.
Something I did not know about the car when I bought it was that it came with factory fitted DRLs albeit they are halogens again!
The Low Beam is extremely weak, which causes me to switch to High Beam more often than I would like. LED's incoming!




The C200 comes equipped with the Traditional Mercedes Key, with buttons to unlock, lock the car, and for boot release. The feeling of turning a physical key is unparalleled, which this car happily provides.



Step inside to be greeted by oodles of leather, wood trim, some chrome, and tons of class! With a fairly simple shape to the dash, everything falls to place and works ergonomically. What is a sore point is the multitude of buttons everywhere cluttering the layout very easily. The screen as seen in this photo is tucked away with a Cover taking over when you want a cleaner look.



The Steering Wheel is a 4 Spoke unit, wrapped in Leather with Audio Controls along with Controls for the Info Display in the speedo housing. Via the controls, you can alter light settings, reset trip meters, check efficiency, etc. Grip wise it feels good even after so many years, however, in terms of feedback, it feels adequate at best. The steering gives off a disconnected feeling which is great in the city with low-speed maneuvering and parking however on the highway it tightens up by a very small margin creating an almost Hyundai-like feeling.

Cruise Control: Above the Indicator stalk, the cruise control is located. Easy to use and works brilliantly on the highway.



Switches are very conveniently placed on the upper half of the door freeing up space to rest your arm while driving. My car does not come with Electrically Folding Mirrors, although that will be added soon! The Buttons have held up well for their time, with all working to date and I hope to keep working!



In continuation with the buttons theme, the upper part of the roof gets controls for all the car's interior lights along with sunroof controls. Again easy to use but some buttons are confusing in terms of their operation.



This model comes with partial Electric seats, with the other adjustments being operated manually. This was a welcomed addition since it allows much more customization in terms of comfort. It also has a lever located on the side of the seat for Lumbar Support, something which will come in handy for long-distance drives. A surprise was the inclusion of a Fire Extinguisher located as part of the driver seat.



The Rear Seats are not the best in the business, especially when compared to how comfortable the front ones are. It is also meant for 3 passengers however 2 are comfortable while 3 will be cramped. The armrest with the storage shut can be seen here. The Kneeroom is poor, and with this being the situation in the C, I can only imagine how bad the situation must be in smaller cars such as the CLA. However, when my slightly shorter brother sat in the same seat, he said it is okay for a drive lasting a few hours. (For Ref. I am 5'11")



The Infotainment System, one which in the picture is neatly tucked below the upper lid is a small screen that displays Radio Channels, Aux Input, CD Songs, etc. Unfortunately, it does not support a rearview camera, hence an aftermarket unit will have to be fitted. Many owners have opted to go the aftermarket route with Android Auto units, but for now, I will make the most of this unit. As I mentioned previously, the buttons dominate the whole central space, with it feeling cluttered at times. In terms of speakers, the car is equipped with Door Tweeters and a base speaker in all 4 doors. In addition to this, you have one unit in the center of the dash and one behind the headrests in the rear seat. Good output for a stock System.



Auto AC is a boon, with both my ex cars having it, I had to get it on this one too! A Bonus is it being a Dual Zone Unit, flanked with massive turn knurled rotators, something which was a welcomed feature after the struggle to use the City's Touch AC Panel. The AC performance is decent but I find myself using it on 18 degrees too much to combat the Goan Heat which hurts fuel efficiency. The panel is otherwise neatly laid out with all buttons being easy to use. Rear AC Vents are helpful on hot days.




Ashtrays with Cig. Lighters have become a thing of the past in a bid to promote healthier behavior. Was very surprised to find it in this car, but was glad to see that the ex-owner wasn't a smoker! Can be used as a charger port as well, but I prefer to keep it shut with the wood trim flowing as one piece. Something which caught my attention was the inclusion of a light within it showing Mercedes's attention to detail.



The Driver and Passenger get their Individual Armrests which are openable for storage via buttons placed on either side. The best part? One can be shut while the other remains open. These have enough space for a phone on either side but the narrow shape makes its usage limited.



In theme with the rest of the interior, the 5 Speed TC also gets a nice looking gear selector. I am glad to have this in my car over the column-mounted unit in the W205. The Gearbox being a single-clutch unit is not the fastest to shift but makes sure to shift smoothly with no jerks. It comes equipped with a Sports Mode which tightens upshifts and holds the revs on for a bit longer. It also comes with a Manual Mode which allows you to shift up to 4th Gear and on shifting into 5th goes back into Auto Mode. The Box has a pattern and does not have a button to release or shift modes.



A massive auto-dimming mirror unit, with map lights, integrated. One of the most useful features of the car! Weirdly, these Map lights are LED's while the other interior bulbs are halogens. Hanging anything around this unit was a bit of a nightmare with only Little Trees working out.



The rear seat central armrest which comes with one of the coolest flip opening cup holders. I have only opened them once out of fear of the mechanism giving away. It comes with storage as well, but only phones can be flat enough to fit in there.



An Electronically operated Sunshade with a button located on the dash. A Boon in places with hot weather to protect passengers and leather.



Pros:

1) Brilliant Engine: Having another supercharged motor in the form of the Audi S4 with the 3.0 V6, I knew that these motors generate power well. While the Audi being an S variant puts it down fairly quickly, this being a Luxury oriented variant pleasantly surprised me. It puts down power well and can hit triple-digit speeds fairly quickly while being well settled at that speed with 165bhp on tap.

2) Suspension: To my surprise, it has good ground clearance with it clearing all the bumps courtesy of Goan Roads. The car is very settled at triple-digit speeds as well. A new set of shocks will be required in the coming year.

3) The Attention: Being a ten year old does not hinder it from people turning to have a look at it. I guess that's the magic of the 204 shape. The Hood Ornament helps its cause.

4) Interior: Doused in leather, the cabin feels very premium and well built.

5) Quality: 10 Years later the car feels equally well built, with everything working as per factory standards. The THUD I was looking for is very much present in this car!

6) Safety: 4 Airbags, ESP, ABS, 4 Disc Brakes. Well Loaded. The rear mid seat gets a proper 3 Point Seatbelt unlike the Lap belts usually given in the Indian Cars.

7) Comfort: From the dead pedal to the handrest, to the ingress angle, Mercedes engineers nailed it on this car. It has brilliant proportions for City driving while having a good road presence. The driving seat is the best in the car, with various adjustments and tons of padding, the rear seat is not the same as explained below. Highway stability is superb, with it not having any floatiness but instead a directed driving feel.

Cons:

1) Fuel Efficiency: Now I know, I may receive flack for complaining about FE on a petrol Mercedes with a supercharger but at the end of the day it's a sedan the size of a Honda Civic. This is a con purely if the motor is compared to its design counterparts.

2) Infotainment System: The screen is not only small but also useless. Apart from displaying AUX, it is rendered useless for the most part. An Android Auto Unit is in the plans as one of the upcoming mods.

3) Maintainance Costs: Technically I should not be allowed to complain about this, but I was in for a surprise seeing how expensive certain parts were even for the supposedly Cheap Mercedes back in 2010. Aftermarket Support to the rescue!

4) Headlamp Throw: While I am not sure if this is the projector unit or the bulb behind it, the throw-in Low beam is terrible, which causes me to use the High beam more often than I want to. A fellow W212 Owner also complained about the same issue, LED's are on the shopping list.

5) Rear Seat: The People situated in the back, if tall will complain. The knee room, headroom, and angle of seating are average with the padding not providing comfort which is up to Mercedes standards.

6) Basic Lack of Technology: The car in stock form does not come with Parking Sensors or a Reverse Camera making driving this car a little cumbersome in the City. If you spot my car has the aftermarket version but the factory fit is factory fit, with the aftermarket ones currently out of order.

7) Steering Feedback: When compared to the W203's Hydraulic Unit, this steering feels very light which is great in city driving but does not offer the feedback the car deserves when driven onto the highway.

Jobs Carried Out:

New Front Headrests with Fresh Airbag Wiring
New Auto Headlamp Switch
New Rear Left Power Window Switch
New Battery
New Wheel Speed Sensor (Rear Right)

Jobs Pending:

Front Right Chrome Strip Missing
Rear Tow Hook Cover Missing
New Parking Sensors and Camera
Front and Rear Bumper Touch Ups
Left Rear Door and Fender Dent and Repaint
New Front Hood Emblem
Thorough Detailing Session (Inside and Outside)

Mods Planned:

LED Headlamps in the Low Beam Projectors
Colour Matched Parking Sensors
Dash Camera (Hard Wired)
Android Auto Touch Screen Unit

All in All, I have spent a fair bit in bringing it back into shape, but I smile every time I drive it, and that’s all that matters according to me!

Apologies to the moderator if I have made any errors while writing this. It is my first thread and has written it thanks to the push by my good friend @blackwasp who will be detailing this car very soon!

Please share your thoughts on this move and whether you would make it too!

Godspeed! -aakashk8300

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[car love]

Congrats!! This is a very fine car. Probably one of the best maintained in the country. Awesome.
I remember when it was launched and the first time i saw a black one near my place, i was blown away. Time flies so quickly, feels like just recently.

[bhargav2015]

Dear Aakash,
Beautiful car. Detailed thread. I could feel a sense of deja vu when you were narrating the events leading up to the car coming home.
On a related note, you own the S4 too. Being a newbie i don't know if i can PM yet, but I'd love to take few ideas/ suggestions/ advise from you on maintaining it.
Regards

[aakashk8300]

Originally Posted by car love

Congrats!! This is a very fine car. Probably one of the best maintained in the country. Awesome.
I remember when it was launched and the first time I saw a black one near my place, I was blown away. Time flies so quickly, feels like just recently.

Thank you, and I am not so sure if it is the best maintained but I intend to maintain it to the highest standards here on. What's really funny is that the W203 shape has really aged while the W204 shape still retains its modernness, even though they weren't far away in terms of production years.

[TheHelix0202]

What a lovely car, and a lovely shade too. Wishing you many happy miles!

Personally, one thing that I quite do not like with this generation of C Class is the colour of the steering wheel. Mercedes could've at least wrapped it in a darker finish. But they chose to make it a dirt magnet

[GTO]

Congratulations! Enjoy the Mercedes experience - wishing you many happy years of motoring pleasure. The first Mercedes is always the most special .

My sister & her hubby own a W204 since 9 years and they are very happy with it. The car's reliability has been better than the notorious W203. I've driven it a couple of times and have enjoyed the drive. Importantly, Mercedes made this generation a lot more user-friendly too.

Agreed with you on the Mercedes key; it's the best implementation. I like to slot in a key (feels quite chunky the way that Mercedes has done it). Feels good & you always know where the key is (smartkeys are easy to misplace even in the cabin).

[aakashk8300]

Originally Posted by bhargav2015

Dear Aakash,
Beautiful car. Detailed thread. I could feel a sense of deja vu when you were narrating the events leading up to the car coming home.
On a related note, you own the S4 too. Being a newbie i don't know if i can PM yet, but I'd love to take few ideas/ suggestions/ advise from you on maintaining it.
Regards

Well, the S4 is my uncle's and all we have done is periodic maintenance at Audi since the car is stock. The services are expensive and parts have to be pre-ordered but minus this small headache it's a very easy car to live with.

Originally Posted by GTO

Congratulations! Enjoy the Mercedes experience - wishing you many happy years of motoring pleasure. The first Mercedes is always the most special .

My sister & her hubby own a W204 since 9 years and they are very happy with it. The car's reliability has been better than the notorious W203. I've driven it a couple of times and have enjoyed the drive. Importantly, Mercedes made this generation a lot more user-friendly too.

Agreed with you on the Mercedes key; it's the best implementation. I like to slot in a key (feels quite chunky the way that Mercedes has done it). Feels good & you always know where the key is (smartkeys are easy to misplace even in the cabin).

Thank you, GTO! I look forward to showing you the car in person and going for a spin when I am back in town. I drove a friend's W203 C200K equipped with a 6-speed manual and suddenly it dawned upon me how much more luxury-oriented my car was. From the seats to the suspension to the weight of the steering wheel. I used the smartkey on the City, always preferred the Civic key!

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

What a lovely car, and a lovely shade too. Wishing you many happy miles!

Personally, one thing that I quite do not like with this generation of C Class is the color of the steering wheel. Mercedes could've at least wrapped it in a darker finish. But they chose to make it a dirt magnet

Thank you! My car steering has gotten darker with use, but with the help of @blackwasp, I intend to bring back the interior and exterior to a better state.
Also, I wish they would have gone ahead with Tan instead of beige, makes a world of the difference.

[eyeman]

Congratulations on the new asset. I have to say that your friend handed over a very well maintained car to you. Those all beige interiors look so fresh even after all these years. Enjoy many miles with it.

[aakashk8300]

Thank you @eyeman. The Interiors are truly well kept, it's a shame some things were not taken care of when they could be saved in the car, eg: 2 of the AC vents have broken internal adjusters. The central storage is now permanently open, originally came with a retractable shutter.

[vredesbyrd]

Great review! Welcome to the old-school club. I think the low beam bulb in concern is H7 (if halogen, it looks halogen yellow). I'd suggest going for Morimoto/Auxbeam/Novsight LEDs, just make sure that you have enough space behind the bulb for the cooling and canbus paraphernalia. High beam has the same H7 size.
For reference, here's my LED (L) vs HID (R) (4300k halogen color) and then both LEDs.

[Shanky_1002]

Congrats on your new three pointed star! It is indeed a very well kept car for it's age. Please do share updates on planned mods, maintenance and repairs cost etc. so as to help/guide other aspiring preloved Merc owners. Wish you many happy miles of joy with your hot wheels!

[SID2997]

Congrats on getting a Merc which oozes so much of character rather than being a mere appliance. This one shall become a highly sought after neo-classic in the near future.

[aakashk8300]

Hello Everyone!

A Big Big Thank you to all who wished me and the C well!

In the time from the last update I posted the W204 has been opened up quite a few times for checkups and some part replacements.

On the 1st of December, I noticed a metal clanking noise coming from the right front wheel of my car. Without much delay stopped driving and had the car opened to find out that the Outer Tie Rod Ball Joint had failed and had massive play.

A Snap of the wheel opened, with the tie rod being replaced with twenty minutes and the car being back on the road.



With some Jugaad, we finally sourced the tow hook cover, albeit in a different shade. It's scary how the same part is 4x the cost of the Facelift Tow Hook Cover.



The Car came back from the paint shop thirty minutes before I can type this
The Joy of seeing something you have wanted to change since very long, and when it finally happens is unparalleled.

If you scroll to the initial pictures of the car, there is no tow hook cover and has black parking sensors and a tackily fitted reverse camera.

Scroll Down to see the after effect.



The sensors are now body colour, we bid adieu to the parking camera which had an extremely aftermarket look and to all the scratches and dents courtesy of Mumbai Traffic!

Apart from this, some other things I have done to the car would be:

Removal of Rubber Pad in Infotainment Screen Dock
Interior and Leather Clean Up
Engine Bay Detail
Playing around with the various settings of the car (Follow Me Home Headlamps, Bluetooth Connectivity for Music, Figuring out how to connect my phone to the MB Bluetooth and getting dad to finally drive it!)

He simply said it feels awesome!

Till the next update!

[aakashk8300]

Hello, fellow BHPians!

It has been a while since me and my C200K now dubbed Lulz have updated our storyline on the forum!



However in the months from Dec-Jun we have experienced everything from moisture-related issues to rats making our life hell

But here we are once again, full of smiles and petrol aching to hit the highway.

We did our first road trip from Goa - Bombay, and back! In typical old german car fashion, the C did pop up an error while exiting a tunnel on the Expressway with the right projector bulb giving up!







No harm done, with the replacement being sorted out the next day at a reasonable price due to it being a halogen bulb.

Attached is a link to a reel I recently made, showing the journey of the car from new to a month before I type this! (https://www.instagram.com/p/CPI1EbOD..._web_copy_link)

After this, the second wave hit and it has been more of sitting than driving, unfortunately.

With the monsoons setting in as well, I find it best to park the C in a covered spot where I know it is secure.

A small cosmetic change was courtesy of my friend (@parkedingoa- https://www.instagram.com/parkedingoa/) who sorted me out with this Gorgeous Avant-Garde spec grille, which transforms the front of the C from old school to new!

Here's an Old vs New






While this move is not loved by people obsessed with originality, I like it very much and it definitely causes me to turn around and look back at the car one more time when I park it!

Here are a few shots from the installation process which has 100% DIY from fitting the central star perfectly to disassembly of certain panels and attaching them again, 20 minutes and a steady hand.

I followed the whole process by watching a YouTube video showing how easy it is to do basic mods on these cars if you have a bit of patience and an assistant as you can see in one of the photos

Let me know what you think of the car, it's always good to have another POV!

Till then, Stay Safe Stay Home.