Can this be fixed?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jun 2003
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From: San Diego, CA & San Jose, Costa Rica & Stuttgart, Germany
1959 220S / 1979 230 G / 2002 A210 AMG / 2003 C320 SC / 2004.5 C320 SS / 2005 ML350 SE / 2008 smart
I just checked my car (2005 C230 SS) and it has the same gap as Mr. Size 16 has on his car. In fact, I'm surprised that Saprissa's wife's car has no such gap, as all the C's I've seen all seem to have this. Plus, I know my vehicle has never been involved in any accident. Wonder what gives?
Could the acceptable tolerance range be so high for these bumper strips? Meaning they can be, for example any length between 6 feet and 6 feet 1 inch? Get it??...feet....ha ha haha
Sorry....basically the 6 foot being loose fitting and showing a 1/2 inch gap on either side versus the 6 foot 1 inch strip with that extra inch filling in the gap on either side? I would think MB tolerances would be tighter than that.Any guesses?
Saprissa...is your wife's car a US-spec model or a Euro/ROW model? Reason I ask is that the Euro/ROW models have the bumper strip with the Parktronic sensors. Who knows, even though it's basically the same strip, only with holes cut out, they may be made on different machines, which might be calibrated differently in terms of cutting lengths for the strip. This might also be the case if the bumper and the strips are sourced from different suppliers.
Cintoman
OK, so there's a little gap, but by no means is it as wide as what Kris showed in his now gone pictures...
The bumper is an AMG C32 back bumper. The center strip is a Euro Parktronic strip with PTS sensors, but the L & R strips are stock US.
Maybe that's the whole difference.
Everything seems a little tighter.
Carlos
Saprissa@aol.com
2004.5 C320 Sport Sedan
Last edited by Saprissa; Sep 13, 2008 at 12:05 AM.
Super Moderator
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
These gaps vary quite considerably from car to car. My car with factory Parktronic has wider gaps than that. To make matters worse I just tipped my builders vehicle that had been parked behind me - Yes Parktronic & all !!! - I just touched a rubber trim on his vehicle (and put a sizeable dent in his fender) and polished the black mark off my bumper - no paint damage at all but it opened up my left gap & has resisted all efforts to close it up
So I now have a wider gap left than right - Oh well - only the **** like me would notice!
So I now have a wider gap left than right - Oh well - only the **** like me would notice!
Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; Sep 13, 2008 at 05:11 AM.
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Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4,539
Likes: 4
From: Southern Cal
a C32 AMG & S-Works Tarmac
As I said earlier, we consider you an online friend. If we were flaming you, you would have felt some real heat.
I'm sorry if we touched a nerve. I was hoping you could laugh with us. I thought you were playing along for a while. I guess we just went a joke or two too far.
Sorry again.
I'm sorry if we touched a nerve. I was hoping you could laugh with us. I thought you were playing along for a while. I guess we just went a joke or two too far.
Sorry again.
Super Moderator
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
These gaps vary quite considerably from car to car. My car with factory Parktronic has wider gaps than that. To make matters worse I just tipped my builders vehicle that had been parked behind me - Yes Parktronic & all !!! - I just touched a rubber trim on his vehicle (and put a sizeable dent in his fender) and polished the black mark off my bumper - no paint damage at all but it opened up my left gap & has resisted all efforts to close it up
So I now have a wider gap left than right - Oh well - only the **** like me would notice!
So I now have a wider gap left than right - Oh well - only the **** like me would notice!
See my PM
I'm off to have my car cleaned. Will charge camera batteries & post a pic of mine. I would NOT take the bumper off for that. It is not a nice job - there will be much swearing & scuffed knuckles - I'm not sure you will really achieve anything - maybe make gaps equal
Here are my bumper pics - as you can see, left gap is wider than right after bump I gave it - both gaps used to be equal but quite wide. I would not mess with removing the bumper - sorry for indoor shots but I've just had the car cleaned & the weather is changing - typical
As I said in my PM. 50% of the cars I've seen around the world have gaps like ours.
Oops - when I double click on the photos to take them to full size & resolution I can see chamois marks on the chrome - crap cleaning job !!
Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; Sep 13, 2008 at 03:33 PM.
Super Moderator
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 192
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
ps - I'm going to take a rubber mallet to my Parktronic strip to try & centre it so the gaps are large but the same
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 9,498
Likes: 4
From: San Diego, CA & San Jose, Costa Rica & Stuttgart, Germany
1959 220S / 1979 230 G / 2002 A210 AMG / 2003 C320 SC / 2004.5 C320 SS / 2005 ML350 SE / 2008 smart
no worries man...
if you look at the above pics of my wife's car... it's dirty as heck.
She's been egging me to wash it all week.
Carlos
Saprissa@aol.com
Thread Starter
Banned
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 910
Likes: 2
From: In Kush Land So cal
02 C320 Sedan
Kris,
See my PM
I'm off to have my car cleaned. Will charge camera batteries & post a pic of mine. I would NOT take the bumper off for that. It is not a nice job - there will be much swearing & scuffed knuckles - I'm not sure you will really achieve anything - maybe make gaps equal
Here are my bumper pics - as you can see, left gap is wider than right after bump I gave it - both gaps used to be equal but quite wide. I would not mess with removing the bumper - sorry for indoor shots but I've just had the car cleaned & the weather is changing - typical
As I said in my PM. 50% of the cars I've seen around the world have gaps like ours.
Oops - when I double click on the photos to take them to full size & resolution I can see chamois marks on the chrome - crap cleaning job !!
See my PM
I'm off to have my car cleaned. Will charge camera batteries & post a pic of mine. I would NOT take the bumper off for that. It is not a nice job - there will be much swearing & scuffed knuckles - I'm not sure you will really achieve anything - maybe make gaps equal
Here are my bumper pics - as you can see, left gap is wider than right after bump I gave it - both gaps used to be equal but quite wide. I would not mess with removing the bumper - sorry for indoor shots but I've just had the car cleaned & the weather is changing - typical
As I said in my PM. 50% of the cars I've seen around the world have gaps like ours.
Oops - when I double click on the photos to take them to full size & resolution I can see chamois marks on the chrome - crap cleaning job !!
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Super Moderator
Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
I don't think so - mine started that way - I always thought it was the Parktronic strip that did not fit until I noticed lot's of cars without Parktronic the same. If you look at the design I think it was made to tolerate other tolerances in the plastics of the vehicle being variable
