Hi, I'm looking for any recommendations on updating the grille or grille insert. The Grille is in great shape for a 30 year old car but the insert at a minimum needs to be upgraded. I
see there are many websites that sell inserts and grilles but anybody recommend a site?

 

Sorry but I know nothing about the site's you're referring to as I plan to keep my W201 stock. Be sure to keep the original grille if you ever decide to sell your car as originality is very important in MB world.

 

You'll wait longer but save hundreds ordering from China aliexpress sometimes you can find in USA shipping to do it doesn't take as long

 

Chinese build and fit qualities are questionable at best. I think the old saying, "you get what you pay for" applies here.

 

Lol have you ever done any? I've done plenty and if use the right stuff they can be better than your factory. For instance the 12 in Android screen is wasay better than factory. Mercedes over charge for the same plastic and when u look it's cheap plastic. My point is that a lot Mercedes upgrades can be done oneself on older models. Now if you want to overpay for the same plastic and think it's better cuz it's Mercedes it's not. Certain things are worth spending on factory other are not. When it comes tech where do you think your chips are made in Germany? No they are made by TSMC IN CHINA LOL SO 😆 dunno

 

I have yet to see a different grille look good on these cars but the original refreshed one. I refreshed mine after I got the car back from my friend and it had the 29 year UV fade and age, but otherwise fine. The chrome was fine too.
So I went online and bought an original MB plastic insert. Came in the proper packaging too but it sure seemed like it was some sort of a quality reject due to imperfections in the plastic. So maybe a returned part. I recall it was cheap.
I could fix it easily but lesson learned. Go to the dealer for original parts first and only if they do not carry it or it is crazy pricing, go online.

Another tip is get to know your parts guy at the dealer. I can get most available parts at nearing online MB OE prices from AutohausAZ, Pelican, FCPEuro, etc. etc. (sometimes even cheaper) at the dealership since the dealer gives me the wholesale matrix pricing. Of course it helps that I bought the car from the dealer 32 years ago but the parts guy/gal has the authority to give customers wholesale pricing.

You can also try the online dealer pricing, just google the part number and they pop-up. I get usually that price at the dealer but I do not have to pay for shipping this way.

Happy Friday!

 

I've read too many online horror stories about the poor build quality and durability of Chinese parts. I'd rather spend a little more up front and buy a much better part for quality and durability and also only have to buy the part once. That's what my engineer father taught me and it's held me in good stead for my W201.

 

This is how I was taught as well, Dolucassi and it works well for me.

 

but it also depends on the installer and who you get what from know and from who you get your products I happen to know good Chinese supplier for upgrades that are fairly priced but make car look nicer for example like quad tip black chrome exhaust pipes why pay 750$ for night package i can get chrome delete &better quads black chrome And have extra hundo . So maybe your no good at sourcing or installing are you going get some parts that crap from China yes if you have bad source benz symbol on front is plastic I have no reason pay way more for oem when no difference at all. Things like that electronics can be done well too but you got absinthe good source and not be **** installer use proper diagnostic tools XENTRY etc

 

I have an aftermarket grille but I decided I like the OG grille better. Some ppl have painted the original grill inserts/fins black, looks pretty good depending on the color of your car.

 

I love it how people think they know more than MB's engineers.

 

Hi BetterDaze, just an FYI but you need to replace your hood pad. What's left of your current hood bad can be a fire hazard.

 

Lol thanks, that picture is very old. My car is in storage right now

 

You're welcome. Glad you replaced that hood pad. I'm also glad you're keeping your car off the salted roads. I would further suggest that you hook your car up to a trickle charger so that you won't have a dead battery when you do next start it. That's what I do with my 190E.

 

R.E. Grilles-it's true that for the W201 nothing beats fitament of an OEM grille. I've got an aftermarket S600 style one and it looks pretty good from a distance but when you get close you'll see the fitment isn't perfect. I had to do modifications to make it fit.

Now to be honest some of the made in China/aftermarket Benz parts aren't bad. Stuff that's not mechanical like body accessories can be decent depending on how makes it.
Also MB engineers were smart, but some of their decisions were pretty dumb IMO particularly w/ interior plastics Case in Point: ON my R129 the stupid visors are made of plastic that loves to crack and fall apart. Someone else figured how to 3D print reproductions that are much better quality and 1/2 the price.
On the 201, the 3rd brake lights love to crack. Meanwhile we've got some 90's Hondas w/ perfect interior plastics.

 

I have to say that I think cars that aren't garaged and have to sit out in all kinds of weather are the ones that are more likely to suffer such issues. Cars that are garaged and waxed and interiors routinely covered by interior protection products are less likely to suffer such issues. Having been raised by an engineer, I will also say that it's the accountants who decide the amounts that'll be spent on car components and not the engineers. The W201 got in just under the wire before the real cost cutting got underway at MB..

 

So my car has been garaged since brand new and while the interior has held up, I've still been having issues w/ door panels lifting and interior plastics breaking like the third brake light. Unless you keep your 201 in a climate controlled garage and never drive it plastics are going to get brittle.
Also w/ the R129, development started in 1984, but the interior plastic MB chose was still terrible. My 129 was also garaged since new but I've had to replace both visors, a couple panel pieces and epoxy together a lot of plastic pieces.
Meanwhile if you step into an 90's Honda/Toyota the interior plastics still hold up under hard use. I love MB but they dropped the ball on their plastics engineering (confirmed by my brother who's a materials scientist specializing in plastics)

 

Haven't owned a Honda (civic) since the summer of 1985 but I recall the plastic/interior did not have a pleasant smell. Maybe that is reason the plastics faired better (:-)).
I agree though my car was also garaged for 33 years and still I have had to replace a lot of plastics. I would call these pretty good plastics as UV and heat will get to just about anything. Comparatively an equally garaged W210 started loosing plastics after 10 years of ownership. Now that a majority of the W201 are replaced glad I have the windows tinted now 355! It helps both for UV and heat cycles as the interior stays cooler/longer in the sun.

BTW my experience is that the palomino plastic is the weakest. Black interior seems to do best but then the carpets are prone to fading/wash.

There is no winning against UV and heat cycles I'm afraid.

- Cheers!

 

Dolucasi-we had a 91 Accord and a 97 Civic, fortunately by then the interiors didn't smell funny! The 97 we had until 2018 and despite getting baked in the sun for 23 yrs the interior was pristine!
Window tint is a must for all of us in sunny CA to preserve our interiors. I'll be getting my R129 tinted soon since it's triple black it gets hot.
You're right about palamino being the weakest too, the gray ones seem to hold up pretty decently as well.

 

I remain amazed that people who aren't engineers think they know more than the engineers. Having been raised by an engineer, I know that's not the case. BTW, for the record my engineer father had bachelors and masters degrees in engineering, more than 40 years of aviation and automotive engineering work experience and was a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers.

 

190Efan-I think the point others are trying to make is that MB engineers aren't perfect. Your perspective seems to be that "because they're MB engineers, they're always right" The w201 is a marvel of design engineering but it's not perfect.
No engineers are perfect.
Also, Dolucasi and I brought up the terrible plastics quality on some of the interior pieces. Other W201 flaws include the M103's tendency to blow head gaskets and the over-complicated belt tensioner.
Btw, I come from an engineering family, including some members who specialize in materials science/polymer development and their insight is that the MB engineers did a poor job when it came to longevity of plastics.

 

It just rankles me that people with no automotive engineering work experience think they know more than the engineers when I know that's not the case. Regularly applying a high quality protectant product to an interior is key to helping to keep it in good condition. That's what I've done with my W201 and I don't have these interior issues.

 

To continue our debate: So do you think an automotive engineer is going to be the expert when it comes to polymer/plastic design? I'm sorry, but in that case I would rather trust a materials engineer/polymer specialist that deals in plastics.
Also- if I recall your car is a pristine concurs winning garaged car correct? Anyone can keep their plastic interior perfectly preserved when the car is in a climate controlled garage and hardly used.
If you're going to use the car semi-regularly it's going to get exposed to the sun and cause plastics to degrade and crack, no matter how much protect you apply. Believe me I've used Turtlewax, Meguiars, 303 Aerospace, Chemical Guys etc.....
If you see any higher mileage 80's MB w/ perfectly preserved interiors they've certainly had to swap out a couple bits here and there.

 

Most W201s left now have had many multiples of owners and years of deferred maintenance. Both take their toll. I take exception to people who aren't engineers thinking they know more than the engineers and who blame the car for years of deferred or almost no maintenance. I think it's now time for everyone to move on from this thread.

 

All right this will be my final post on this thread. I have actually enjoyed our debate though about the quality of MB engineering.
Final counterpoints-My car has zero deferred maintenance and has been garaged and taken care of since new. So I guess it must be my fault then that one of the door panels lifted, the e-brake button broke, the third brake light failed, the engine needed a complete valve job and head gasket? Not to mention solder joint failure in the OVP, fuel pump relays, climate control box and antenna control module.
These are all real world failures I've seen on well taken care of W201s that get regular usage.