After years of owning Porsches and Saabs I recently bought my first Mercedes; a 2005 C230 Kompressor with the 6 speed manual.
I have to say that I really love the car. A forced induction 4 cylinder engine has always been my favorite since the first turbo saabs were introduced 20+ years ago. The C230 is light, handles great and has a nice simple interior.
The only complaint I have is with the steering wheel. The leatherette steering wheel feels all wrong and the razor wire stitching is much too sharp. There is also no stitching at all where I rest my thumbs, on the flat spot right above the control buttons.
All I have to do is sit in a Porsche to remember what a real leather wheel with perfect cotton stitching feels like. I’m amazed Mercedes missed something so basic in a car that is so good in every other way.
Does Mercedes make a real leather steering wheel for the C230? Perhaps as part of the leather interior option package. This is the only flaw in an otherwise great car.
A while back there was someone offering a group buy on an aftermarket steering wheel that looked like the clk63 black series steering wheel for $600. It was extremely nice but expensive.
The steering wheel I purchased from Euroteck was for my 2007 C230 Sport with the 3 spoke wheel. I had Mercedes-Benz of Long Beach install it. Everything works fine. The steering wheel looks so amazing that I wanna drive the car all the time!
As soon as my son brings back my digital camera from vacation, I will post some pics. Just talk to Neil at Euroteck and he will hook you up! He gave me a $100 discount with 3 day shipping! I recommend having a Mercedes-Benz dealer install the steering wheel due to the dealer being able to reset the airbag code after the airbag gets disconnected during installation. Mercedes-Benz of Long Beach only charged me $120 while some "Mom & Pop" stereo shops wanted $150 without guaranteeing the work and any problem or malfunctions the airbag disconnection would cause.
The picture of the steering wheel in the Euroteck website is not the one I purchased. Actually, the one I purchased (3 Spoke) is much better looking. The one pictured on the website is from the older model C-Class. You won't be disappointed with the 3 spoke wheel. The silver carbon fiber on the steering wheel matches great with my ash interior.
As soon as my son brings back my digital camera from vacation, I will post some pics. Just talk to Neil at Euroteck and he will hook you up! He gave me a $100 discount with 3 day shipping! I recommend having a Mercedes-Benz dealer install the steering wheel due to the dealer being able to reset the airbag code after the airbag gets disconnected during installation. Mercedes-Benz of Long Beach only charged me $120 while some "Mom & Pop" stereo shops wanted $150 without guaranteeing the work and any problem or malfunctions the airbag disconnection would cause.
there is no airbag code as long as you don't leave the key in the ignition when you unplug the airbag. It's a 10-15min job. me and a group of others all did it ourselves. $120 for 15min is a rip off.
As I indicated in my original post, I'm fussy about my steering wheels. I've changed many steering wheels in the past, so I'll probably attempt this myself.
The only real trick is to disconnect the battery so that the claymore on the steering wheel doesn't go off.
I assume I can disconnect the battery with no collateral damage. A few years ago VW Jettas went into 'limp home mode' if the battery died or was disconnected. This turned into a tow truck ride to the dealer and a reprogramming hit. Nice.
I'll look forward to pictures of the EuroTeck steering wheel.
This is my first experience with the benzworld forum. You guys have been very helpful.
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