I'm sure this topic has been covered by other members within various threads on MBWorld, but I figured I'd dedicate this thread solely to this perpetuating problem on older Mercedes.

As you can see from the photos, my wheel caps were peeling horribly and for the life of me, I couldn't justify the $80-$120 expense to replace when I could use that money towards mechanical maintenance or tuning.

So last night I was a little bored and decided to revamp my wheel caps, since they devalued the look of my car (2005 C230 Kompressor Sport Sedan W203). I had some leftover 3M Gloss-Black Auto Vinyl that I used to cover up the scratches on my black window pillars from an auto break-in... The whole process took me about 1.5 hrs.

What you'll need:

- Standard kitchen butter knife -OR- very thin flat-head screwdriver
- X-ACTO Knife w/ fresh blade
- Scissors
- 3M GLOSS Black G12 Scotchprint Car Wrap
- Dawn dish soap & brush
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Paper Towels and Cloth Towel
- Hairdryer -OR- Heat Gun

1. Remove wheel caps with butter knife by carefully wedging the knife in between the outer edge of the cap and the wheel about 1/4 inch deep and pry towards yourself CAREFULLY. Once you can get the wheel cap to pop out just a little, you can hold the cap with your fingers and insert the butter knife inwards and slightly pry in a circular motion until it pops out. If done correctly, you will not have any scratches or cracks.


2. Wash all four wheel caps with Dawn and a soft brush in warm water and let them soak for about 10 minutes or so. This'll help remove the peeling paint.

3. Use your X-ACTO Knife and basically outline the three inner "triangular" edges of the Mercedes symbol. This will allow you to remove the peel the paint off in one piece. Use your best judgement on this..

4. After paint is removed, wash them one more time with your brush and remove any excess adhesive or paint chips and dry with cloth towel. Let them sit and dry for about 10 minutes or so if needed.

5. Put a small splash of rubbing alcohol on a paper towel and carefully wipe down all exposed plastic surfaces EXCEPT THE CHROME. Rubbing alcohol will remove chrome finish so I can't stress this enough..

6. Cut three 3x3 inch pieces of Vinyl per Wheel Cap, peel adhesive paper off each vinyl piece and place it over each triangle (one at a time) starting with the middle. Use your fingers and rub outwards towards the chrome lips of the star. Once you have it in there real good, I would advice you to use your hairdryer/heat gun and heat up the vinyl so the adhesive properties bond to the plastic.

7. Once you have it in there real good, use your X-ACTO knife and use the edges of the chrome star to guide you as you cut the excess vinyl off. TIP: Try your best to do ONE slice per edge, multiple slices with vinyl will result in uneven edges and will cheapen the look.

8. Wipe clean and pop those suckers back on your car!


By no means am I an expert on vinyl work, I've watched a few vinyl wrapping YouTube videos and simply try to use my best judgment with patience. If this helped you at all, please voice your feedback. If someone else has a better solution, please feel free to share your experiences.

 

I was able to find replacements on Ebay for really cheap. Good job on yours.