Birds of Uxbridge
Hello! Finally another 19 yr old with a merc! Same model too! Same engine :bannana:
Anyways, I brought my car down to Mercedes Performance (also known as Birds of Uxbridge as they now do BMW cars). They do know their stuff. They are good, but the can also be qutie rude towards younger drivers (jealousy?

) Anyways, as I said they know what they are doing, but they also know that as they are so good, they will overcharge you for their jobs (arch folding, 300£ and up...)
As for your exhaust, let me try to clarify. The engine is like a man with a washer stuck in his throat, that effectively reduces the amount of air that can go in and the amount that can come out. Why, you may ask? Well, this makes the car ALOT more silent, and also allows some of the petrol to remain unburnt and thus is more efficient in the long run.
So, if you fit a new back box, you have helped the man breathe, but just barely, as the main problem is the piping to the back box. If you want a job well done, want to hear a good increase in sound (I'm not saying a new back box wont increase sound, it will, but not as much as a new system) get a whole new system. My recomendation is to buy the tailpipe from birds (merc perf... Im afraid I can't quote their prices, I cant seem to place their catalogue in the mess that my room is) but if Im not mistaken the one I liked cost 80 each. So 160 per pair. Then either open a mag like redline, max power or fast car; find someone who custom bends exhaust pipes and get them to do it with the tailpipe you chose from birds (or use one of theirs if you don't want the brabus look). OR get quik-fit to do it. I have not tried kwik-fit, but I have heard some stories. From what i hear, theyre cheap (120£ on special offer), but their exhaust will live exclusively the warranty period then fall apart (3 years on the stainless steel). Another option is to buy a welding station and weld a pipe yourself, but this is a-hard work, b-alot of work, c-YOU MUST MUST MUST have welding experience.
Now for your induction kit. If you want to hear what an induction kit would sound like on your merc, pop your bonnet, open the box to your air filter (on the left hand side when you look at the car from the front, if you need pics I can email them over, ask binaryone<@>blueyonder<.>co<.>uk. Now with the box open, grab a clean cloth (something from poundland will work), put some oil over it (to protect the engine from dust entering it) and have a mate start the enging. Don't run it for more than 30seconds like this as dust is still enterring; our diy filter isn't the best

. The sound you get will sound a bit deeper, but not much unless you have a clear way for the air to go out (your exhaust).
My recomendation? Change your exhaust, the whole system. Use birds/merc-perf only if you have alot of cash to spare. If you don't (like me) find someone who is will custom bend an exhaust for you, shop around. Get quotes. Then choose a compromise between your wallet and the cheapest. Try to get a warranty on the system for at lest 3 years. The better ones will last 10/20 years, with warranty. If you still have cash to spare, you might consider an induction kit, but remember, the merc air filter (at least on my car, a 96/97 W202-180) the OEM filter kit and all is nowhere near bad. It is most certainly comparable (probably better, but don't have a meter to check)(performance wise) to the Max Power forced induction kit. Which brings me to another point, a forced induction kit has a nozzle at the front of the car (or on the bonnet) which, as you drive faster, gets air rammed into it. My W202 has this as standard; and yours too probably (if not, the members here will probably flame me

) To check, follow the pipes coming out of the box, one should goto the engine the otehr to a hole in your lower front bumper, forced air, voila! So my recomendation for an induction kit is to phone those (un)charming people at merc-perf/birds, and ask them to see a demo car with the kit they offer to install. If they refuse, ask them to show you the unmounted kit. In any case, ask them to produce some test showing its performance is at least as good as the OEM one (this is a point where sound and performance go together).
Hmmm, I think I've covered all my points. Oh well, my car is in the garage, I'm putting some fake vents to see what they look like (impresa style in the center, and smaller nissan GTI style on the sides (lumps)). When its all fitted I can post some pics.
If you really want to mod your merc a bit more, post or email me, I'll be more than happy to share my experiences as welll as a list of mods I've tried on a W202.
Regards,
Spinal
QUICK EDIT!
This is all true for my C-class; W202 (C180); NON COMPRESSOR! (Insurance...) And if anyone can give me some rough ideas on what prices of turbo conversions are I will be very grateful!
YET ANOTHER EDIT!
One thing that birds does do whihc is exclusive is super-chipping. They actually flash your chip and put new performance/fuel tables; they do NOT put a 50p resistor on the fuel sensor line, as you can find on eBay. (universal 12/20/10bhp gain advertised on ebay). Although fitting a resistor does work, too much petrol puts too much strain and fouls up your engine.
THIRD EDIT
Yes I know Im getting tedious, but I keep forgetting things. What version of the W202 do you have? Mine is an esprit, which is merc-lowered by 30/35 or 40mm compared to the standard. If you have the esprit, don't even LOOK for lowering springs (unless you feel like fitting 13inch wheels

). My current setup is 18inch wheels, standard esprit springs, rolled front arches (rear done as standard) and slightly pulled (also known as flared) front and rear arches. The wheel are too big (width wise), but unless I bring the car to its operational maximum load, I don't have problems. Another recomendation, change the speakers!!! Mine were nokia, and trust me, they suck!
Spinal