W202 side airbag trim panel replacement

[jjrodger]

I have a '98 C200 Sport. I think this is the same as the Sport package in the US; in Europe it is one of the four lines in which the '93-'00 C-Class was made available (Classic, Esprit and Elegance being the other three). In essence it includes uprated suspension, sports seats, and faux carbon fibre interior trim.

My car has a black dashboard and black cloth trim (there was no colour choice with the Sport line). I know that cloth seat trim must make you guys in the US laugh, but you don't get any spec on a Euro-MB.

I have been thinking about installing a leather interior. I reckon I could do the rear seat bench, backrest and head restraints easy peasy and the front seats (manual adjustment) pretty easily. Then there are the rear door trim panels, which shouldn't be difficult, save that my car has manually operated rear windows.

This is the cause for concern: my car has front side airbags. Is it possible to change the door trim panels for vehicles so equipped? Is it difficult? Or should I leave well alone?

[mbdoc]

Whenever the side airbags deploy, the trim has to be replaced. Door panel R & R is easy on the C-class. CLOTH interior is Great!!

[MBenzNL]

jjrodger,

I own a euro C-class as well, although my car is a 1993 "classic". You can imagine that it had completely nothing (besides the sunroof).

I changed my complete interior from blue cloth to gray leather and from black plastic trims to faux carbon ones (they look good though).
I presume that you know that leather door panels with manual windows were not possible with mercedes? The leather door panels are fluffy and the manual window crank would damage the leather...

If you get yourself some OEM leather door panels from the later W202, you can change them anytime.
The older C classes did not have side bags and these panels are not very suitable (the complete door panel is different, so I think you do not want to have those older ones anyway)

The OEM door panels have the trims attached to them and if you want to, they are exchangeable...

greetingz,

[jjrodger]

Thanks! I didn't know that leather and manual windows was not a possibility, but it makes perfect sense. I've had a good look around the MBenz website and it was this that got me thinking...

There are quite a few mods I'd like to make; interesting to hear that the cloth interior is great, or was that tongue in cheek? I don't think it's bad, especially the Sport cloth.

[MBenzNL]

Personally I like the look of the clothy sport interior and to be honest, I never felt the need to get a leather interior in my car...I just found that interior whilst I was looking for an airco system (for the US-members: arconditioning is NOT standard on european models) and couldn't resist the offer.
Now that I have the leather interior (in all three cars), I think I will never settle for a clothy interior again...

If I were you, I kept the clothy interior and spend my money on something else (now you probably think: look who's talking)

greetingz,

[jjrodger]

Like a stereo upgrade... or wheels and tyres... suspension...

Maybe I should just get an extra car! I'm quite impressed by the MBenz collection: I've always liked the rather large 300CE-24 cabriolet. These were very, very expensive new in the UK and are quite rare, but they are becoming affordable; my preference is for the pre-facelift model. Similarly current model W129 (?) SLs are coming down in price. When the new model is released I figure I might be able to get a very tidy SL280/320 for sensible money.

All these dreams put the long winter nights in!

[MBenzNL]

jjrodger,

The 300CE-24 conv. was very expensive in the Netherlands as well (the car cost about 1,5 times as much as the current CLK320 conv.), but the price of a used one went down a lot. I have recently bought this german registered vehicle for a very reasonable price. A similar model costs about twice as much in the US...

If you want to buy yourself a second just-for-fun vehicle, you should go for the R129 SL. That car handles great and becomes an addiction in no time (even in wet and cold countries as ours).

greetingz,