W203 coupe illumination and audio aux.

[Christopher79]

First and foremost, may I introduce myself, my name is Chris. I have just recently become a proud owner of a 2006 model c200 cdi se sports coupe. I decided while I like the fully all blacked out look I got the car with (wheels,windows) I feel something is missing and wanted to upgrade a few bits and bobs. I am enthusiastic about ecstatics on a car and also choice of Audio setup. So to begin with, i tried installing an AUX cable, I bought the original Mercedes part, took apart the side but what do you know? There is NO mother I could connect into. So this is my first issue. Secondly, I bought some rather pricey custom made door sills that illuminate “Mercedes Benz” particularly for my model but here again, no under light (pundit light) to connect them to and this brings my third issue, I also got some ghost illumation lights for when you open the door, the logo reflects on the floor but again, I did this without checking first if I had the lights in the door in the first place. I really would like to reach out for any help or assistance I can get to install these. I’m resident in London and don’t mind going within a reasonable distance to have them sorted. In addition to all this dilemma, I want to convert my headlights to hid as they are currently h7 halogen. Need advise on weather to buy just the kit or change the entire front lights at an affordable price that is. My vin;WDB2037072A941298

 

[DSM10000]

Welcome

Taking things in order:

What Audio unit do you have installed? I believe not all will support Aux in. This company are Forum sponsors and can certainly help with Audio and potentially other upgrades: Catalog

Puddle lights (assuming "pundit light was a spelling error? ) etc are possible to retrofit but you will need a wiring harness per side, possibly different door modules and possibly coding.

As for HID, well you might find quite a range of opinions on these here. Standard headlight reflectors are not designed for HID bulbs and will not (generally) correctly aim and cutoff the beam pattern. HID headlights are also supposed to have a cleaning and self levelling system fitted.

You could of course buy and fit the correct Xenon lights, again wiring looms and coding would be needed.

 

[Christopher79]

Thank you for your quick response.
The audio unit is called Audio 20 I believe. It’s has a single cd, no cdc or phone fitted even though the buttons are there. To have them retrofit the phone, I was quoted over £500 and said forget it. Don’t need it that badly. The aux cable I got for £40 and decided I wanted to do it on my own as a diy project. Saw a few instructions on here and I followed them quite easily till I couldn’t find where it connects to and thus now seek professional help.
Again, thank you for the correct terminology, it is “puddle lights” I was referring to. Glad to hear it could be retro fitted, would really need the parts needed for this and ofcourse cost. But I must say, I DONT want to fit the normal puddle light as I bought an aftermarket logo projector that supposed to fit in there. I believe it’s called ghost lighting or something of that sort, got it off eBay for £15.99. But looking under the doors, I don’t see anywhere it could fit in. Does that mean we need to hack and saw our way through the metal to create an opening?
I’m terms of the headlights, I want to pass MOT and not have any issues whatsoever, so just a ball park figure, if I were to go down the route of correct xenon lights, wiring looms etc ? What would that set me back and again, who/ where can I do it ? Bear in mind, I also have the illuminating door sills as well.

 

[DSM10000]

Thank you for your quick response.
The audio unit is called Audio 20 I believe. It’s has a single cd, no cdc or phone fitted even though the buttons are there. To have them retrofit the phone, I was quoted over £500 and said forget it. Don’t need it that badly. The aux cable I got for £40 and decided I wanted to do it on my own as a diy project. Saw a few instructions on here and I followed them quite easily till I couldn’t find where it connects to and thus now seek professional help.
Again, thank you for the correct terminology, it is “puddle lights” I was referring to. Glad to hear it could be retro fitted, would really need the parts needed for this and ofcourse cost. But I must say, I DONT want to fit the normal puddle light as I bought an aftermarket logo projector that supposed to fit in there. I believe it’s called ghost lighting or something of that sort, got it off eBay for £15.99. But looking under the doors, I don’t see anywhere it could fit in. Does that mean we need to hack and saw our way through the metal to create an opening?
I’m terms of the headlights, I want to pass MOT and not have any issues whatsoever, so just a ball park figure, if I were to go down the route of correct xenon lights, wiring looms etc ? What would that set me back and again, who/ where can I do it ? Bear in mind, I also have the illuminating door sills as well.

The Aux in cable plugs in to the back of the head unit on most.

See this article, it may help :http://mercupgrades.com/Aux+input+retrofit+on+A+B+C+CLK+ML+GL+R-article-17.html

Also, try the Forum search function, it can be very helpful. I do suggest contacting COMAND On Line as per my link, they are experts in all things MB Audio and other upgrades It might be better to consider a non MB head unit if you want more functionality, MB are rather behind the times on many fronts!

I was assuming puddle lights could be fitted as I had them in my C Class saloon and have them on my E Class,perhaps there are different doors without the cutouts?

Look on Ebay etc for Xenon headlights, you will need the full looms, control units, self levelling control units etc and they will need coding to work, I have no idea of new parts prices but it will be very expensive, well over £1000. It is probably not worth the effort or expense.

Drive the car for awhile and if some of these really are must have features then it might be better to look out for another car that has them fitted,

I just found this on the Forum re Aux in :

!It would be on the left, about 3" in. If your car hasn't got one then you can see the knock-out hole if you look carefully

If it hasn't you have to determine whether the car has the intermediate white 4 pin connector in the wiring duct in the passenger sill. If so, you need a cable from there to the glovebox. If not you need one going to the back of the stereo.

You can get either from Comand Online (search for AUX)"

 

[Christopher79]

Well, thank you for the info. I will go to command, hopefully, the can sort out the audio and perhaps the lightening as well.

 

[GLK]

I retrofitted OEM illuminated door sills to my car, and also replaced the standard courtesy (exit) lights with logo projection types.

The actuation of both is by SAM (Signal Acquisition and Actuation Module), and basically is the same - on, when door opens, and goes out in 5min, if still not closed.

If you don't have factory courtesy (exit) lights (at the bottom of the doors, red/white reflectors at about 120º), there unlikely to be wiring in place for them, so could get expensive...

Actually, just checked on EPC, and there seems to be a full wiring harness present, so might just be a matter of fitting the lights, and finding the right connector (the mounting point might be pre-stamped, or ever cut and covered - you'll have to check).

The door sills are much more involved, but here's a couple of files to guide you.

 

[Christopher79]

GLK, thank you very much for your time and all the information you have composed. It is helpful and gives me an idea of the work involved. I looked at the car door just now and I cant seem to find any opening either on the door or door clad. Ofcourse this is just me looking and not taking it off. While I enjoy a bit of diy every now and then, I think I’ll leave this to the professionals whom have the right tools and would know what wire connects where. I feel if I attempt this install, the end result would be costlier than expected . I am already in touch with command for my audio system and have an appointment on Monday. I’ll ask if they can also fit in the door sills and ghost lights. Once I have those done, I’m looking to convert the headlights to hid. Please what’s your opinion on this :MTEC HID SPECIAL KIT FOR MERCEDES W203 C CLASS '01~'07. No Error Message. | eBay
It’s a bit pricey and coming from the USA but it seems the real deal as opposed to the cheaper ones I’ve seen and for my model. Changing to factory xenon doesn’t seem cheap at all. Maybe looking at salvage yard/ breakers and I could by them outright for a decent price as opposed to converting. I’m just getting a feel as I truly want white lights.

 

[GLK]

You're absolutely right - if there's any doubt, best leave to professionals, and you're in the safe hands with Comand.co.uk. That should be "best hands" really

As to the HID lights, I'm afraid I don't have any experience with that ... would love to get the lights to match my LED side lights and DRLs, but as far as I know, the legality of such conversion is a grey area, and could cause MOT complications.

I fitted OSRAM Cool Blue Intense H7 bulbs to my dipped beams, and they are just as yellow, as the Nightbreakers I had before

Looked into fitting genuine xenons too, might still do it, as it's clear what's required, but certainly not cheap: new bumper; tubing; light switch; either new washer bottle, or sensor retrofit (not sure mine got connectors); wiring harness; lights obviously; STAR update, etc etc ... Not sure if it's actually worth it, and definitely not before I get the door rust sorted

 

[DSM10000]

GLK, thank you very much for your time and all the information you have composed. It is helpful and gives me an idea of the work involved. I looked at the car door just now and I cant seem to find any opening either on the door or door clad. Ofcourse this is just me looking and not taking it off. While I enjoy a bit of diy every now and then, I think I’ll leave this to the professionals whom have the right tools and would know what wire connects where. I feel if I attempt this install, the end result would be costlier than expected . I am already in touch with command for my audio system and have an appointment on Monday. I’ll ask if they can also fit in the door sills and ghost lights. Once I have those done, I’m looking to convert the headlights to hid. Please what’s your opinion on this :MTEC HID SPECIAL KIT FOR MERCEDES W203 C CLASS '01~'07. No Error Message. | eBay
It’s a bit pricey and coming from the USA but it seems the real deal as opposed to the cheaper ones I’ve seen and for my model. Changing to factory xenon doesn’t seem cheap at all. Maybe looking at salvage yard/ breakers and I could by them outright for a decent price as opposed to converting. I’m just getting a feel as I truly want white lights.

It is not just the legality of HID conversions that is in question it is the often poor beam patterns produced from headlamps designed for other types of bulbs, all this just to have whiter lights?

Are your headlamps yellowed from UV degradation of the perspex lens? Re-polishing can produce excellent results and I have found Osram nightbreakers or Phillips high output bulbs do produce a brighter white biased light output.

 

[Christopher79]

I’m definitely not going to do anything illegal or anything that would cause an issue during MOT, that’s why I am asking the questions on this forum and elsewhere and hope I’ll be pointed in the right direction. I have found factory bi xenon lights on eBay retailing for £539.99 each side and that too is still without the modifications needed. It’s just mind blowing to know that retrofitting headlights could cost close the entire car it self. Same thing with the phone feature in the car, even tho I have the buttons on the steering and even on the headunit, I was told I needed to retrofit the entire system and I was quoted over £500. The car is a 2006 model.. in my mind, I assumed since it’s so old, by now, prices would deprecate just as fast as the car did but that seems not to be the case. I am just a car enthusiast and would like to personalise it a bit and put my touch on things to bring it close to perfect (in my eyes), but Mercedes is making it hard. I must admit, if I could afford a higher end car, I probably would have, for now, this is my pride and joy and I’ll treat it so. Who knows? Tomorrow something great might happen and then I’ll get the newest s class coupe with lorinser upgrades. That would truly be heaven but till then my W203 is it .

 

[DSM10000]

I’m definitely not going to do anything illegal or anything that would cause an issue during MOT, that’s why I am asking the questions on this forum and elsewhere and hope I’ll be pointed in the right direction. I have found factory bi xenon lights on eBay retailing for £539.99 each side and that too is still without the modifications needed. It’s just mind blowing to know that retrofitting headlights could cost close the entire car it self. Same thing with the phone feature in the car, even tho I have the buttons on the steering and even on the headunit, I was told I needed to retrofit the entire system and I was quoted over £500. The car is a 2006 model.. in my mind, I assumed since it’s so old, by now, prices would deprecate just as fast as the car did but that seems not to be the case. I am just a car enthusiast and would like to personalise it a bit and put my touch on things to bring it close to perfect (in my eyes), but Mercedes is making it hard. I must admit, if I could afford a higher end car, I probably would have, for now, this is my pride and joy and I’ll treat it so. Who knows? Tomorrow something great might happen and then I’ll get the newest s class coupe with lorinser upgrades. That would truly be heaven but till then my W203 is it .

I was not trying to put you off or disillusion you with your new car, just trying to be realistic as I and others have faced similar issues before and found the solutions can be limited and /or ludicrously expensive.

If you think about it the car is now 12 years old, new it may have cost £28,000?, unfortunately parts prices do not fall in line with depreciation and it is one of the continuing profit lines for manufacturers! On some of the new E Class vehicles a headlamp unit can be £2000.

MB , like BMW etal were very good at providing a lot of optional extras, yes you have buttons on the steering wheel and head unit but that was common to all. A lot of Mercedes were sold for business use and these may have had the telephone system fitted but rarely did private buyers opt for this.

Believe me the MB phone system of that era is frankly awful, with some units it loads the phone book (often twice) each time you get in the car and if you do not have linguatronic then it is either manually searching for contacts from the head unit or scrolling through the entries with the steering wheel buttons. It is very clumsy and now very dated technology hence my suggestion of an aftermarket unit that will be a lot easier to use with a lot of the functionality, better Sat Nav etc that you are looking for at a much lower cost. Ask Comand when you see them.

 

[Codger49]

^^^ +1 Very well put.

 

[markjay]

The manufacturer can't be held responsible to the high cost of spare parts for older cars? They are all made by other companies who charge whatever they charge.

And yes depreciation means it inevitably gets to a point where the car is no longer worth fixing (let alone retrofitting).

 

[GLK]

My car is of the same year, and I too had Audio 20 NTG2 head unit, so faced a similar dilemma, although I had the telephone pre-wire, with a phone console in the armrest.

And, even though I fitted an AUX port myself, so I could play music from my iPhone, it still felt ancient:

I wanted the USB / SD card playback, a reversing camera, etc.

So I decided to replace the dated system, with a modern aftermarket head unit:

Fitted it 11 months ago, and it's been perfect.

 

[Petrol Pete]

I agree ^^^^ the OP is obviously very enthusiastic about modifying his car and fair play to him , but I can't help thinking all of it will be time and money wasted.

And at least the OP has arrived on this forum with detailed genuine questions and not just the first post... " I have a white Mercedes Benz, what engine oil should I buy from Aldi ? only Aldi you @ssholes , I won't shop anywhere else. Hurry UP! and answer already !"

 

[DSM10000]

The manufacturer can't be held responsible to the high cost of spare parts for older cars? They are all made by other companies who charge whatever they charge.

).

Not exactly. MB et al have huge buying power, they do put a significant markup on parts prices which is why and how some dealers can offer significant discounts.

 

[markjay]

Not exactly. MB et al have huge buying power, they do put a significant markup on parts prices which is why and how some dealers can offer significant discounts.

I agree, but my point is that the same markup and distribution channel costs apply to a part made for a 2016 car and for a 2006 car?

To my mind there is no logic to the assumption that original parts should become cheaper as the car's value depreciates.

(In fact in IT it's quite the opposite... components and spare parts for current models are often cheaper than parts for older models, because mass production reduces manufacturing cost, and as the volume goes down due to older models becoming obsolete the costs for small production runs go up)

 

[DSM10000]

I agree, but my point is that the same markup and distribution channel costs apply to a part made for a 2016 car and for a 2006 car?

To my mind there is no logic to the assumption that original parts should become cheaper as the car's value depreciates.

)

I did not suggest that they did, I said quite the opposite.

"If you think about it the car is now 12 years old, new it may have cost £28,000?, unfortunately parts prices do not fall in line with depreciation and it is one of the continuing profit lines for manufacturers!"

 

[vulcanben]

My car is of the same year, and I too had Audio 20 NTG2 head unit, so faced a similar dilemma, although I had the telephone pre-wire, with a phone console in the armrest.

I wanted the USB / SD card playback, a reversing camera, etc.

So I decided to replace the dated system, with a modern aftermarket head unit:

Fitted it 11 months ago, and it's been perfect.

Can I ask What aftermarket head that is, looks good to me and I am looking for one to fit my w203 C230K.

 

[GLK]

Can I ask What aftermarket head that is, looks good to me and I am looking for one to fit my w203 C230K.

This is Erisin ES6982B, model-specific (169/245/639) so no adapters, frames, etc.
It has now been superseded by newer models, with better spec (4GB RAM) and latest Android OS, but this one does everything I want, looks good, runs cool (no moving parts - no DVD drive), and has been entirely trouble-free for a year now.

The trick is to go for a model-specific unit, so if you search for 'W203 Android' you get many to chose from, in different styles (OEM-looking or like mine - large screen).
Make sure you buy from a UK-registered store: I bought mine from "carparts-mall" seller on eBay - they are Erisin's own outlet, with UK warranty, returns and VAT number.