Hey All,
Being a new MB owner (of a used MB) I am still unfamiliar with the car. It seems that every mid 90's C-class car I look at has a "bleeding" LCD display on the radio. This must be some kind of factory defect.
Anyway, I will be replacing with an aftermarket head unit (Pioneer, Alpine, or other similar). While the speakers sound decent, I plan on replacing them as well. I have replaced head units before without much problems so I consider my skill level to be moderately good.
My questions on DIY replacements are:
1. How difficult is it to remove the dash panel, any special tools needed? Where are the lift/pry points? Don't want to crack & break it! Do I need to unscrew another panel for clearance first?
2. I heard that the speakers have Bose amps at each speaker. Is this true? If this is, will I be able to bypass them? Or should I"
3. I believe that the stock radio is by Alpine. If I'm correct, will the stock wiring harness work with an aftermarket Alpine unit?

Any other tips I should know so I don't end up with a mess onmy hands?

CHANGING THE RADIO IN THAT CAR IS NOT DIFFICULT, BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO DO SOME MODS.

TO START YOU NEED A SET OF REMOVAL KEYS TO PULL OUT THE RADIO, YOU DONT NEED TO PULL ANY PANNELS OR TRIM OFF.

THE FACTORY SYSTEM IS CONTROLED BY A BOSE AMP LOCATED IN THE LEFT TRUNK PANNEL.

THE BOSE SPEAKERS ARE 8 OHM LOADS SO YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE REPLACEMENTS AND KEEP THE STOCK AMP OR VICE VERSA

THERE ARE FOUR SETS OF VERY THIN SPEAKER WIRES IN YOUR DASH, THESE ARE THE SPEAKER LEVEL INPUTS TO THE AMP.
IF YOU JUST CHANGE HEAD UNITS YOU CAN CONNECT TO THOSE, BUT KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU WILL STILL BE USING THE FACTORY AMP AND SPEAKERS SO IF YOU BUY A HIGH POWER RADIO IT WILL BE USELESS AND THE SPEAKER LEVEL INPUTS TO THE AMP ARE VERY THIN GAUGE.

IF YOU GET A LITTLE BOLDER AND DECIDE TO RUN A NEW SET OF WIRES TO THE TRUNK YOU CAN HOOK UP AT THE AMP OUTPUTS WICH ARE MUCH HEAVIER GAUGE BUT AGAIN THE BOSE SPEAKERS ARE THE WRONG INDIPENDENCE (8OHM) AND IT WILL SOUND BAD

I INSTALED A PIONEER PREMEIR HEAD UNIT AND RAN ALL NEW CABLES (SPEAKER RCA AND REMOTE POWER ON) TO THE TRUNK. I FOUND THAT RIGHT UP THE MIDDLE OF THE CAR WAS THE BEST PLACE FOR ME TO DO IT, IT ONLY REQUIRES REMOVING THE REAR SEAT AND THE CENTER CONSOLE.
THEN I REPLACED ALL MY DRIVERS WITH INFINITY DRIVERS. I REPLACED THE REAR DECK SUBS WITH FULL RANGE AND ALSO THE FRONT DOOR WITH FULL RANGE, I AM STILL USING THE DASH TWEETERS BUT AM NOT USING THE REAR DOOR SPEAKERS.
I ALSO INSTALLED A PIONEER PREMIER 12 INCH DUAL VOICE COIL SUB (2000 WATTS RMS) AND POWERED IT WITH A SAS 500 WATT AMP. I ALSO INSTALLED A 2.4 FARAD CAPACITOR AS THE AMP DRAWS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF CURRENT.

HOPE THIS INFO HELPS
IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS LET ME KNOW

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I FORGOT ONE SMALL BUT USEFULL PIECE OF ADVICE,
YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE FACTORY ANTENNA DOESN'T FIT A AFTERMARKET RADIO, BUT YOU CAN GET A CHEAP ADAPTER FROM BEST BUY ETC. ETC.
THEY DON'T OFFER ONE FOR MERCEDES BUT YOU CAN
GET THE ONE FOR A VW JETTA IT IS A PERFECT FIT FOR MERCEDES.

So what's wrong with 8 ohm speakers? They're as common as dirt! Please explain yourself.

8 ohm refers to the resistance of the speakers, almost all car audio is 4 ohms, so finding 8ohm replacements will be almost impossible and a very limited selection.
if you connect 8ohm speakers to a 4ohm radio they will sound bad and also put extra stress on the amplifiers,

check out this link for some usefull info
http://ccs.exl.info/frame_installation.html

You affirmed my thoughts that changing the head unit alone may not be a good thing. Great tip about the antenna lead. This will keep me from getting swindled by the store. Knowing now about the Bose amp and the very thin wires, I will do a 100% project....it WILL be more expensive but will MUCH better in the end. Thanks again!
Also, that's a great picture of your C280. Mine is the exact same color.