Well for me it was blacking out the grill / badges, getting a flat hood badge,lowering the car, euro plate, different wheels, and some tint.
As far as the exhaust goes I just had my resonator taken out and was happy with the improvement but wouldnt mind getting a magnaflow muffler in the future

Heres a few pics of my W210

Hope this gave some ideas

 

the most important upgrade i have to say are the wheels, and then lowering, then tints and the rest are just sweeten it up even more.

 

why is everyone so infatuated with the flat badge?! i love my big hood ornament.

 

I agree, removing that is just wrong.

 

does the resonator delete give any check engine light or anything?

i like the mercedes badge on the hood. but someone stole mine so i might just roll flat badge. thanks for some ideas so far.

 

I took the resonator off and no cel.
I do like it sticking on the hood though.

 

also i need new headlights, should i get OEM or aftermarket ebay ones?

 

I got upgraded head lights made by zam2000 but i'm not sure he is still on here and does it anymore, for me it was a good 1000 spent.

 

I would bet money that deleting the resonator actually results in less horsepower.

 

i feel the car response alot quicker when i step on the pedal or maybe its just in my head. but it does make some noise without it.

 

I updated the headlights with projectors and HID got updated tails, different wheels, new style key.

 

contact me please must need the links sir

 

No offense to anyone, but am I only the person who likes their Mercedes stock? I am still in shock 6 months after buying mine how good of a car it really is. Maybe it's because I grew up and learned to drive in Chrysler products....

 

for me it was just slight cosmetics to fit my peronality. Performance wise i think shes perfect. I think every car can use a wheel/tire package to bring out her inner beauty, i like tinted windows because i like the privacy plus it looks better, my lights wear yellowed so i went with something to freshen her smile and imo the best lookin wheels for an older benz it the oem amg monoblocks. mercedes are best left classic.

 

no offense taken. i, too, prefer to keep it as close to stock condition. that
lasted about 7 months into ownership so you have another month.

tried to stick with MB though....
E55 bixenon projectors
E55 seats (for my bad back)
E55 rims because I hated the 10 hole wheels
Audio 10 head unit from K model to allow hot swapping CDs
taillights from face lifted 210, didn't like the oval

......E55 and AMG emblems
E55 battery
E55 tint
E55 radiator fluid
E55 nitrogen for tires
E55 windshield washer fluid

 

......E55 and AMG emblems

you have AMG badges on a non-AMG...? eeek, don't agree at all...Just like a non M bimmer with M's all over it...sorry but its a poser-thing-to-do...

 

I'm glad most MB owners prefer stock and OEM, personally I'd hate seeing a replica of MY car at the local BINGO hall (for some reason I always see MB's there).

For me, my favorite mods are my suspension and three piece wheels, HID's and my custom bumper are cool too, but an agressive stance is always my first and prefered mod.

 

Stock on most cars gets a little boring.
It becomes a matter of choice and money as well as a personal preference as to wether you want something individualized.
Tires/wheels are a good start. I'm considering them now on mine. Lowering is also a personal taste thing. Mine is already lower than most (~ 1 1/2" the way I bought it), and yet a friend with a E-430 thinks lowered cars look like a hispanic trait (yeah they started it, and it looks good) but then he likes pickup trucks.
Since my car is already black, I'm considering blacking out the grill, window tint, and black painted alloys wheels with a exposed alloy outer rim. (then again I might go with a dark grey for those accents)

I come from a background of modifying old muscle from my Detroit days, so individualizing is a preference to me. (even did a Vega with a 400 small block)
Lets face it. Stock isn't everyones cup of tea on Mercedes or there would have never been a market for AMG. Us that cannot afford AMG, or want differing changes need to make other considerations. Even being older, doesn't circumvent this desire. I am not the old man in florida wearing the hat that everyone avoids. Stock gets a little boring for me, but I understand it for others.

To each their own.

aardvark

 

I also think the rear end of this car is somewhat lame looking and like the newer models even less. I live with it. The aftermarket tail lights don't help in my opinion. I do love the front end look and prefer it over the facelift look. It looks more serious.

aard
sorry for carrying on

 

I must be slow but when it comes to front end differences between pre and post facelift I can hardly tell any difference.

 

raymond did you see any power gains when you added E55 windshield washer fluid? I think that will be my next mod.

 

Hmm...I think 10-15 hp also lower fuel consumptions!

I will try it out this weekend

 

The best "mod" you can do and the best money spent will be to make sure that your car is up to date with its service. This is where you will get the best bang for your buck. Good luck and enjoy your car!

 

True, maintenance is the best money spent on our cars, but it's not a modification.

 

Im getting golden hood star I think thats gonna be quite good looking, hopefully now one wont steal it. I think that projetctor front lights are must and if you have pre facelift, backlights are also must. Lowering is also desirable and bigger wheels also

 

where are you getting this golden star?

 

friend of mine ordered four of them they only gold-plated but its the idea that counts

 

up-to-date service may also include modifications. not worth quibbiling over such minutia

raymond did you see any power gains when you added E55 windshield washer fluid? I think that will be my next mod.

illest, the best stuff seems to come from formymercedes. all the others espec
those found on ebay use imported, unfiltered water. it's denser and increases
unsprung weight. look for MB 210.99b approval on the label

 

i put socks in my pants....and my lady friend had her breasts enhanced, too.
i wear fake rolex watches and i beefed up my vitae with online degrees
from non-existant universities. great for job promotions.

 

:yelrotflmao::yelrotflmao:

 

I prefer stock, except for the wheels. I hate the stock wheels on my 2002 w210. If I ever do get different wheels though (hard to justify the cost) they will be the same (or close to stock) size, just not as ugly. I can't stand the look of massive wheels with super-low-profile tires. I also think lowering is just dumb. If you want a sports car, buy one. These cars were not meant to be so low, and I have no patience for people who lower their cars and then can't get in/out of driveways at normal speeds without bottoming out and destroying all their ground effect black lights.

On the other hand, if you modify to actually improve the performance of the car because you take it to the track on weekends, that's different. Lowering for looks is just silly. Any mod that makes the car perform worse is absolutely lame, IMO. For example massive spoiler/wings on the back of a Honda Civic. All that does is ruin your fuel economy... LOL.

 

I agree that the stock wheels are somewhat bland but they do have a purpose....fuel efficiency and speed. The "normal" W210 10 hole wheels are designed to allow just enough air in to remove heat from the brakes but not be so open that you form eddy currents of air around them when going highway speeds. Everything else the same, a W210 with the stock wheels will be measurably faster and more fuel efficient. Less drag=less fuel. In my opinion, this is an area that was "over engineered" on our cars as most manufacturers wouldn't give a hoot about how their wheels affects the fuel efficiency equation. I also believe the stock wheels are much quieter.

 

Yeah, but also stock wheels on the 99 E430 are 5 spoke.

 

i think the wheels on my 97 320 are absolutely hideous. but if they do serve a purpose i can see why having them on is worth it. i am defiantly looking forward to putting new wheels on my 420.

So YAY or NAH on the updated projector headlights? i like the OEM but i really dont wanna spend 4hundred to 6 hundred dollars on them.

 

So YAY or NAH on the updated projector headlights? i like the OEM but i really dont wanna spend 4hundred to 6 hundred dollars on them.

Cheap headlamps from Ebay are not an upgrade. Stay far away. I say this partly for your benefit, because the quality is not there, but also for the benefit of your fellow motorists. Also because the quality is not there.

I would look for used factory parts to save money. From a decent wrecker, new-looking used lamps should cost about half the new price.

 

Honestly, I was tempted to get new lights but I chose not to when I found the "easy off" method of removing 10+ years of road grime from the stockers. Worked good, just make sure you don't get it on anything else around the lights. For less than the cost of a #1 combo meal you can have sparkling "new" headlights.

 

j99xi: Do you have links to any references, white papers, or other publications that corroborate what you're saying about the stock wheels? You made some blanket statements that imply the stock wheels will be more efficient than any other wheel. I find this hard to believe. Take for example the stock wheels from a 2004 e-class. These look much better (IMO) and I'd be very surprised if they were significantly more or less efficient than the stock wheels from a 2002 e-class.

It's been many years, but I know a bit about aerodynamics and fluid flow, and what you're claiming sounds a bit like marketing taking one small comment by one engineer and running with it to the point of blatant exaggeration. (The classic marketing vs. engineering battle).

Mind you, I'm not saying you are lying or anything. I'm sure you read this somewhere. I just wonder who exactly originally claimed this, and what numbers they have to back it up.

Now, compared to those AMG wheels that are mostly flat with five (IIRC) small holes around the perimeter... then yes, I'd say that the 10-hole wheels are better for brake cooling (still not sold on the fuel economy part though). But there are many wheels out there that might provide the same or better ventilation as the stock 10-holers.

 

There is a lot of evidence that the closest a wheel is to a solid disc, the less drag it would produce. This makes sense because the air would slide over the wheel rather than being sliced constantly by spokes. Ever seen those really fast racing bicycles with the solid wheels? Same idea.

Cars designed for very high speeds and/or low fuel consumption usually have soild (or close) to solid disc wheels or wheel covers molded into the body somehow. Unfortunately a solid disc isn't an ideal solution for cars designed for more spirited driving as the brakes would cook if they weren't ventilated. This is why the stock E320 wheels are close to being a full disc for reasonable fuel consumption but allowing just enough air to enter the wheel well to remove heat for when you feel like driving a twisty mountain road.

Car Aerodynamics 101

This video shows Mercedes attention to detail concerned with fuel economy and safety, the wheel part comes in around 18 seconds or so.