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Im new to the site, but plan being a very active member from here on out. Today i'm looking for some opinions on what I should do to my 430. Particularly the grille, i'm kind of 50/50 on whether to keep it how it is now or get another aftermarket grille in black and chrome. Please let me know your opinion. I have posted pictures of my car as well.
Remove the AMG badge the CLK430 isn't an AMG, CLK55 is the only AMG. You have projector lights, smoked lenses, are the side markers smoked? Is the car lowered? Aftermarket rims
Remove the AMG badge the CLK430 isn't an AMG, CLK55 is the only AMG. You have projector lights, smoked lenses, are the side markers smoked? Is the car lowered? Aftermarket rims
Thanks for your reply. I'm aware that the CLK 430 is not an AMG. The previous owner put that on and I have no idea how to remove it. I just ordered some smoked side markers along with an aftermarket chrome and black flat hood emblem. The wheels are aftermarket and my car is not lowered. Waht would you suggest about lowering my car?
Green filters are nice and flow better than K&N. They give a throaty sound and possibly better throttle response.
Lowering springs and wheels are a good upgrade.
Clear side markers would look good with the silver and tint. I can't say I like the tinted head lights or tail lights though.
I'm not a fan of the grill. How does it fit? I heard a lot of the aftermarket grills don't fit well.
I'd also lose the crooked AMG badge. Anyone who knows AMG's knows they have only 2 numbers not three numbers in the car's model. I'd also lose the used car lot frames and sticker on the trunk.
I've never been fan of smoking the actual lenses of headlamps, as it greatly reduces the output of the headlamps, which is of great safety concern of me for other drivers on the road. Other than that, take the film off of the lights, just keep the housings smoked, then smoke the mirror repeater lights, and the bumper lights... The taillights look fantastic, as does the roof spoiler. The only thing I can't stand is the low-rent AMG badge on the boot lid... If it was a genuine AMG badge, it would't be as bad, but it's definitely a cheap knock-off (I know you didn't put it on, but grab some fishing line, a heat gun, and some goo-gone and pull it OFF) You could grab some plastic-dip and paint the insert around the exhaust in the rear bumper, that looks good on silver CLK's... see a picture of mine if you want to see what it looks like... A lip spoiler on the trunk lid would look great too.
Oh, and definitely seek out a new grill... I've been toying with buying a grill with the MB emblem and modifying it to fit the new backlit MB star from the new MB's
Thanks for all the replies guys! Really apreciate it. Here's an update, I just put some smoked sidemarkers on about two days ago. I removed the cheap AMG badge and now I know why the badge was not aligned right. The previous owner used the badge to cover up a paint chip! Lazy way out but it fooled me! Have a new black AMG badge coming today. Plan to put it on until I have the money to get the car repainted to remove all the chips and scratches. I'll update you guys with pictures once I'm son everything.
You're opening a big bag of opinions here. My opinion is as follows:
I like the big star grille, but not the one you have. I have a similar one, but mostly gloss black with chrome accents. You already have the hood ornament delete to flat badge. The hood ornament just does not suit this sports car. If leaving the stock grille, then it might look good painted with black plasti-dip, but not so sure on a silver car. It looks pretty good on a black car. I think the star grille also looks better with my after-market front bumper and the halo lights, it just makes an overall updated appearance. No one believes my car is 15 years old.
I'm not a fan of all smoked lights, unless the car is all black, but still not a big fan.
The LED tails should be next on your list. I prefer the red/smoke variation.
After that, a stereo upgrade would be on my list. I need my tunes, and that includes Sirius, iPod, Bluetooth, and other options than just radio or a cd changer that probably does not work anymore. See threads with lots of info about installing after-market with the PAC OEM module that keeps the factory Bose amplifier. Spending $500 on a nice new touch-screen stereo unit that has modern features just makes the car feel like a newer vehicle.
The original wheels on the 430 are not bad, but change them for a nice staggered set of 18 or 19s if you can afford it. Stick with 18 if you have rough roads, the 19s ride kind of rough, but they were on mine when I bought it, so no baseline for comparison. There are some sites out there that sell lots of MB replicas, which are the best choices IMO. I only like wheels that look like they came from the factory, i.e. using the original center cap. Chrome or some other brand wheels look terrible to me on any car.
You're opening a big bag of opinions here. My opinion is as follows:
I like the big star grille, but not the one you have. I have a similar one, but mostly gloss black with chrome accents. You already have the hood ornament delete to flat badge. The hood ornament just does not suit this sports car. If leaving the stock grille, then it might look good painted with black plasti-dip, but not so sure on a silver car. It looks pretty good on a black car. I think the star grille also looks better with my after-market front bumper and the halo lights, it just makes an overall updated appearance. No one believes my car is 15 years old.
I'm not a fan of all smoked lights, unless the car is all black, but still not a big fan.
The LED tails should be next on your list. I prefer the red/smoke variation.
After that, a stereo upgrade would be on my list. I need my tunes, and that includes Sirius, iPod, Bluetooth, and other options than just radio or a cd changer that probably does not work anymore. See threads with lots of info about installing after-market with the PAC OEM module that keeps the factory Bose amplifier. Spending $500 on a nice new touch-screen stereo unit that has modern features just makes the car feel like a newer vehicle.
The original wheels on the 430 are not bad, but change them for a nice staggered set of 18 or 19s if you can afford it. Stick with 18 if you have rough roads, the 19s ride kind of rough, but they were on mine when I bought it, so no baseline for comparison. There are some sites out there that sell lots of MB replicas, which are the best choices IMO. I only like wheels that look like they came from the factory, i.e. using the original center cap. Chrome or some other brand wheels look terrible to me on any car.
Thanks for the reply my dude! Do you have some pictures of your 430 that I can look at?
That stuff comes with option packages. I think the "Signal to Noise" site lists all the option packages, you can search for that info. Mine has everything; heated seats, integrated cell phone (now useless), headlight washers, sensing wiper, HID, pretty much every option that was available on a 430.
Got some aftermarket smoked sidemarkers. Got the mercedes signed front windshield sticker. I also replaced the low quality AMG trunk badge with an official gloss black one. *will post pictures of that tomorrow*
02-14-2015, 06:36 PM
CLK 430 Opinions Needed
Update of my CLK 430
