網誌日期：2006-10-13 20:27
The C36 remains a great ride for daily commutating. Reliable and refined despite some bump-thump on rough pavements. Smooth, torquey and quiet engine is its hallmark. Power and responsiveness are an advantage when looking for gaps in heavy traffic or a quick lane change. What C36 differentiates itself from its W202 brothers and sisters is its build quality and robustness. And there is a dose of calmness and peace feeling that can only be found in much bigger, less nimble Mercedes. I have started to worry about C36 that is growing on me. If the weather condition does not allow me to take the MX-5 with roof down, I will take the C36.
I have made a long list of things to fix. However Mercedes makes cars in such a way nothing really breaks all of a sudden. Instead it will deteriorate slowly so it is difficult to determine exactly when it is a good point to change or replace. Even though I have set up a policy it is not always a no-brainer. My policy is that if there is a threat to passive saftey or a nuisance, I will ask to fix. Will give an update here after the service.
W202 is a fine car to put good car stereo in. It is inherently a quiet place and solidly built. What has been bothering me is the factory speaker sizes (5" only) for the front and the rear deck (6.5" only). They don't allow me to put the speakers of 'right' size in. Frustrating!
After 6 months it was time to "upgrade" the stereo inside the C36 with 'drastic' measure. In the past I used Focal 5" 2-way in the front and 6.5" 2-way in the rear deck, with Nakamichi CD300 CD-Player as head unit. The sound quality definitely has much room to improve. I thought hard about the upgrade and did not want to spend money, if all possible. I wanted to keep the system simple, with no weight penalty of added audio components or harnesses. This time I did not use the Kam Lun in Mongkok since very time I did not get good result. Money spent and the experience was not usually rewarding. I do not want to carry an amplifier unless it is the best amplifier my little pocket money can afford (this way only second-handed). I used a one-man small shop for his workmanship and skill, and his superb patience with me.
What I did was fun. the 6.5" Focals were moved to the front. With some modification and new wood panel the 6.5" would fit into the 5" factory speaker location. The bigger and deeper magnet fitted like a glove inside the front door panels. There is no interference and it was hidden well behind factory grille. Nice. I traded my 5" Focal two-way for the small shop's Altec Lansing ALS693 (used, very old and more than 10 years old). They sounded good with clean and punchy bass. Good for pop music. The shop owner happened to own 4 of the classics and I picked the best among them. However another panel and metal cutting were needed to mount the 6x9" speaker in the 6" space in the rear shelf deck. Again the shop owner did a beautiful job and hid the ALS693 (as old as the C36 I believe) securely behind the factory grille. I had no idea but the American 6x9" sounded great with the French Focal in the front. It was a sweet surprise. The CD300 Nakamichi remained. Not bad. The sound is now much improved, with fuller body and more presence and vocal details. The best part is the natural mid-bass and more punchiness. Soundstage is expanded and appears wider.
Next step would be getting a Audison 2-channel amp to power the Focal in the front. Right now I am happy with what I have. And it is time to enjoy the music on the road.
