CitronC230K_03

just came back from Blacks Beach this sunday. saw your car there agiain justin. anyhow, that why im all beach bummed look. wanted to show my friends my car and take some pics.

CitronC230K_03

friends were telling me about 20mph when we hit. i think between 15 and 20mph. MB said had to be under 25.

Justinius7

Doug,
got your message last night. Left you a message in return. I am off to Europe tomorrow, but will be at Dollar beers in La jolla again tonight.

My thoughts, are very simular to JEDCRED's. Just because a shop is certified, does not mean anything. There is nothing that makes Jose at MBSD better that his cousin Juan in Mira Mesa. (they probably have painted just as many cars, and were both taught my mr. myaggi)

As for the matching CITRON, unfortunatly she's never going to match, ALTHOGH she can be "fadded" She's had 3 years of exposure to the sun, the rain, getting rubbed up with wax, etc.

Any good shop will "fade" the new paint into the old paint, it just becomes a matter of how good the painter is, and MORE IMPORTANTLY how good the painters PREPPER is.

If it was me... I would honestly pull CITRON from MBSD, if they will not replace your bumper with the '05. AND this is partially why... If you get the 03 bumper, knowing you, you will not be 100% happy... and eventually go out and spend another 1k on an 05 bumber which needs to be painted Citron green all to once again face the risk of it not matching, then that would have to be fadded into the new fenders. WOW lots of $$$ and extra work, never mind your car would be out of commission the entire time.

I don't honestly believe you will be sacrificing any quality, plus if you find a good shop, you can take it back if not satisfied. Been there done that, with a BLACK car.

Yes mercedes is soft paint, BUT how many mercedes cars are in So CAL? how many of these cars wreck? How many lexus, Acura, BMW's, Porsche, etc wreck that need to be fixed. Were not talking Kentuky here.

CitronC230K_03

i sent an email to my body shop advisor saying that OEM parts are OEM parts. anyhow long short of it is they reassembled the car, said tow it out! they seem a little pissed, and the adjuster is supposed to be there today to look at the damage.

per their email to me:

I have had the issue reviewed by my supervisor the information I got in response was that as a Mercedes-Benz dealer we do not modify various models of Mercedes-Benz. Secondly, all parts purchased to repair the vehicles must be purchased thought Mercedes-Benz. This allows use to warranty and guarantee all repairs. This being said, we may not be the best fit for your needs on this repair, I have instructed the tech to reassemble the car as best as possible, and to prep the car for a tow out. Please know that there is a 300.00 dollar charge for the tear down, we will not charge you any storage on the car, provided that the car is removed from the premises in a timely manor. The car is now ready to be picked up, thank you.

so, that being said, im kind of in between a rock and a hard place. this ****ing sucks!

MBenzNL

If I would get a message like that - I would tow it out immediately...kind of arrogant.

greetingz,

Justinius7

It sucks NOW, but in the end, you will be much much happier...

A couple of options... Find out how much it costs for them to put the car back together.. Is there a reason they are putting stuff back on, so it can just be taken off again? Seems kinda repetitive, but a good way for them to get a few hours labor on the car. and ready for tow? what to prevent parts from flying off? guys workin you cause you upset him.

Also, make sure you get him to FAX you the list of parts you need. And then start calling places. I would imagine there is some rating system on replicable places. Another quick and fast way to do it is call... California Buroe (sp) of Automotive Business Buroe. They can give you a list immedialty.

and then expalin to the shops your predicument.

CitronC230K_03

steve, i found a body shop willing to install your 2005 bumper. their only concern is if the 2003 pieces underneath (brace, supports, etc) will accomidate a 2005 front end. if it does, then its a go. i need to arrange for pickup tomorrow.

Justinius7

awesome... i'm kinda jealous.

CitronC230K_03

ok, if anyone can give me a place for an AMG front and rear bumper, i will order it and have it installed. please PM me either the phone number or the email adress. i would preferably like ot go AMG over 2005. please soem one help me.

pshek

Doug,

It'll be hard for you to find the AMG front bumper for the CL203. No one keeps it in stock, so you'll probably have to order it from AMG germany. You can try asking a parts manager to order it for you if you give them the part number. I think the AMG front bumper is at least $1000-$1500. I'm sure Carlos posted the part number's for the AMG bumper with and w/o the headlight washer. There's been a few CL203 AMG bumper's on ebay.de in the past but not recently. Problem with ordering on ebay.de is you'll (most likely) end up doing a wire transfer and the seller doesn't always ship to USA. If I were in your situation I'd order the Lorinser CL203 replica kit from Dronellis at his website. It'll probably end up costing a few hundred dollars less and your coupe will be unique compared to Carlos' AMG coupe "a la mod." My sympanthy for your predicament.

Link PM Dronellis first if you decide to get it.

CitronC230K_03

so should i go Lorinser, AMG or 2005 front end?

any ideas. i the 05 front will be the my accessable. Ill price the Lorinser and see what i find out. I know the AMG will be hard to get my hands on. thank in advance for all your input.

JohnCL

I love the Lorinser but it is still a little pricey for me. You will be able to pick up the Lorinser pretty easy, and EVO has it for $1700. Did you price out the '05 bumper?

MARK CUMMINS

I Would Go with the AMG Parts..They Will fit and are OE Parts..Not like Brabus and Others..Order them from Steve before he departs..
One CAN get parts here in Three days..Yes Even Very Large Crates!

Sorry To hear about your Coupe..Had a Little Fender Bender just like it except the 203 was rear ended and stuffed under a truck.. Glad your ok!

CitronC230K_03

i would definately rather have OEM. the thing is, can i get an AMG bumper ordered in time and shipped. i asked steve but he left today to pick up his W203. ill find out tomorrow.

FrankW

wat's your time frame? might be hard before the 15th if you are aiming for the meet.

CitronC230K_03

i will be at the next meet, but not with my car. the car will be in the body shop for 6-7 weeks. the new place is doing the estimate right now. was soon as i haer from steve, i will find out if the AMG bumpers are available, otherwise ill go 2005.

Arn560

Ouch Doug - Chin up man!

CitronC230K_03

well i got a list of prices from steve and i think im just going to do the 2005 upgrade. i like the 05 front ends, though the AMG do look better, the 2005 is alot cheaper than the AMG and easier to get. either way i will be getting a mod out of the deal, plus im trying to swing Euro spec BiX from Steve. that will be 2 mods for me all for the price of an insurance deductible!

steve, really quick, the parts list youy sent me was for all 2005 parts correct (foglights, etc.). also were the BiX you have Euro?

CitronC230K_03

i had my 03 grill painted to match my car. what do you guys think about an 05 body matched grill. im thinking im going to buy an extra grill, and have it painted. that way i have it, it matches, and i can swap it out whenever i like!

Outland

Go with the AMG nose. If not, the 05. I think the Brabus and Lorinser stuff just looks like it doesn't belong on the car. The cues are wrong, the shapes don't flow with the lines of the car. It looks way aftermarket.

Grille could be cool painted. I've been thinking that my 05 grille would look better in a dusty grey silver. Its just too much bright silver on my bright silver car.

JohnCL

'06 bumpers...Are they the same as the '05???

CitronC230K_03

yeah they kinda look like the 05 bumpers. the 06 bumpers i saw looked alot like AMG front and rear!

CitronC230K_03

turns out i didnt have any foam behind my front bumper. the last body shop that installed my front bumper last year after the accident didnt install the foam. im thinking they did it to pocket the money for themselves. i wonder how much damage would have been prevented from the installation of the foam.

Outland

Ouch. Can you sue them for fraud?

Outland

The rear bumper is unchanged for 05 and 06 I believe.

I like the 05 nose...its pretty close to the AMG piece in style. The AMG rear bumper, is, IMHO, a dramatic improvement over the car's least liked feature...that big rear end.