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I am on the fence about that. The aluminum trim on my car.. I like it on the doors, but by the gear shifter looks perpetually dirty. In that regard the CF seems superior. It is VERY nicely done.. seems like quality work.
Tex,
Do you have a record of where the PO got the CF trim?
When you look down at where the aluminum trim piece is, does it look like the CF trim is just stuck on or does it cover all the aluminum except for the rib on the bottom? If I thought I could get a good wood grain trim set to cover the aluminum well, I'd be really interested.
Last edited by ncmudbug; 09-19-2011 at 11:48 PM.
Reason: added questions
Tex,
Do you have a record of where the PO got the CF trim?
That's easy to find out as he kept all the receipts and printed all the auctions he ever won for the car.
He bought the CF trim off Ebay. Seller's name was bayarea-ca.
I think the trim looks excellent on the dash, console and around the front window switches. On the upper part of the door you can see some of the aluminum trim peeking under the edge if you look from the right angle. But nothing that would take away from the overall appearance.
That's good to know about mostly covering up the aluminum. I wasn't able to find the seller in ebay so maybe he's quit.
There are a couple of manufacturers that seem to be pretty good, MimoUSA,
Remin, and B&I. Do you happen to know the manufacturer?
I was thinking that the CF trim probably looks better on the aluminum door trim since the color differential isn't that great. With the burl wood trim color I would want, the aluminum showing would be more obvious...
I know of people who have bought the wood dash trim pieces, but I don't think the door pieces are available by them selves. I guess you would need to buy complete door panels! All of that makes it out of my range so the stickon stuff would be my only choice... Oh well... One day I'll make up my mind... Don't anybody hold your breat!
After 8 years, 4 months, 65K miles as well as with a heavy heart, I’ll have to say the W203 is now gone. Bought it from a member here at MBW. Before and after pics below. Those 19s w/Nankangs sucked *****, big time! Should’ve ditched them MUCH earlier than what I did.
Bought it w/90100 miles on 9/14/11 for my daughter, one day before she turned 16. Just sold it an hour ago at 155487 miles, so she drove about 65K extremely trouble free miles. Never had any major failures, just maintenance items: oil changes, brakes, batteries etc. Still runs and drives great with no leaks or engine noises. PO had 100K CPO warranty, so he milked MB all he could until he decided to sell it.
My daughter goes to medical school now and lives five hours away, so I decided to get her something a little bit newer and got a good deal on a low-mile Infiniti G37, so I gave her a choice and, not surprisingly, she chose the G. She seems to be happy with her choice so the MB needed to go. Went to a local (less than 2 miles away) soon-to-be 16-year old girl, so the cycle with this car continues.
I have nothing but respect for these things and since I’m always wheeling and dealing, so who knows, maybe one of them will come around again. But for now, I’m out of these things and even though I haven’t posted a whole lot here at MBW, I’ve still gotten a lot of good ideas from here, so all of you are appreciated. Keep on MB’ing!
Great decision on the W203! I got my 16 year old daughter something similar—a 2005 C240 4Matic. Perfect car for mom and dad’s peace of mind in snowy Colorado winters.
Previously, she was driving a 1999 C230 but it was hit by a guy in a F250 4x4. The C230 would still move under its own power, the truck not so much.
The day after I sold my second-owner 2002 BMW325xi, by daughter emailed to the effect that on the last night she had it, she "drove it pretty fast". No amount of pressure could get her to say just how fast that was. I'm pretty sure she's heard that I did 115 on a BMW America-owned 540i six-speed in 1995 (they were new then), with two more gears to go.... I guess I may never know, but "not really that fast" is a lot faster than you think, and a lot more that is potentially terminal.