1997 W202 C200 Restoration Part Two

This is Part 2 of the 1997 Mercedes C200 W202 restoration article, where the main focus is on the undercarriage components and the fuel system.

The front lower arm bushings were all shot. One option was just to replace the bushings but fortunately, managed to source a brand new set of OEM front lower arms which were promptly replaced. This really saved a lot of labour and swearing. At the same time, the steering stabilizer, drag link and tie rods were also replaced in the pursuit of a "like new" steering feel. The steering box was also overhauled with new seals (in blue). The "vague" steering feel was now a thing of the past and there was no longer the "dead zone" when driving down the road.

The next thing to tackle was to replace both engine mounts which had collapsed. The replacement parts for the rear axle were harder to source but eventually, the rear subframe bushings, spring pads, rear shocks, control arms and links arrived and were promptly replaced.  It helped "pull" in the rear wheels and lifted up the car's appearance in the rear which gave it the correct stance as it was from the factory. The driveshaft boots, brake rotors and brake pads were also replaced.

After all the front and rear undercarriage work, it was now time for a wheel alignment. The shop tech commented that this was the nicest W202 they had worked on. The car's steering was now very responsive, the car ran straight as an arrow and was really fun to drive!

The existing fuel supply hose looked like it hadn't been replaced before. In order to further enhance the W202's reliability, replaced the fuel hose as well as a new fuel filter and fuel pump to ensure consistent and leak free fuel delivery.

As the front bonnet struts were weak, replaced with new struts. These were a little tricky to take off and put back. The new bonnet struts were so much stiffer and initially was worried they might shoot out one of these days! :-)

Finally got down to doing a full diagnostic with the Mercedes Star C4 diagnostic system at the workshop. Everything was perfect with no errors. As I had another non-MB consumer diagnostic system on hand, did another round of diagnostics and this time, there was an error code relating to some missing components. My understanding is that whilst these consumer grade diagnostic scanners are quite capable these days, the W202 was perhaps a little too "ancient" for the generic consumer grade scanners of today.

With the restoration finally all complete, decided that the best shakedown test would be to take the 1997 C200 W202 across the Causeway into Johor. After fighting through 2.5hrs of slow traffic along the Causeway, the car performed beautifully throughout. Found a good spot at a popular JB haunt to take a picture! :-) 

This concludes the restoration blog for the 1997 W202 Mercedes C200. Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed putting this together!

Finally sent the car for a much deserved interior and exterior grooming session that brought the gleam back and took years off the tired paintwork! At the same time, replaced a new set of rear lamps as the existing set was a little faded.  The entire car was now looking really good!

Couldn't resist taking pictures during a shakedown drive to the airport. With the 17" AMG C36 Monoblocks, the W202 was now looking good once again!