imboom

Hey all,
Just happened to finish a DIY myself after finding a ridiculous price for a Lux grill last week($20 new). I have never had experience in painting but I decided to wing it, and I'm very surprised how great the results were.

Few things to keep in mind:
a) The Lux grill is fully made out of plastic, making it very easy to paint without too much sanding.
b) The inside inserts(behind the polished finish fins) are palladium silver.
c) The grill is technically two pieces(palladium silver inner and chrome-ish outer) but I could not figure a way to pry the tabs out.
d) Instead of searching for w204 grill for grills, try out c300 grill instead. This is how I managed to win with 1 bid for $20 on this new grill. There was another action at the same time with a line of w204 grill instead of c300 and it went for $80.

Supplies needed:
w204 Luxury Grill, PART #: A204 880 03 23
400 and under grit wet/dry sandpaper, 1 sheet would be fine.
Krylon Satin Black Indoor/Outdoor spray paint
Rust-oleum Painter's Touch Matte Crystal Clear
(Optional to replace Matte Clear) Krylon Crystal Clear Gloss
Scotch Blue Painter's Tape
Well ventilated outdoors!

Step 1:
Prep and clear room. Lay down your cardboard and materials needed.
Sand down the grill thoroughly. I used 400 grit so it was not too strong on the grill, as it just scuffed it a bit with light scratches. Careful to not scuff the badge area.




Step 2:
Use painter's tape to cover up the badge if you do not want it painted. You can use multiple pieces to create a circular mask(polygon effect) instead of making a circular one.




Step 3:
Spray! Don't spray too close as paint will clump. Keep at least 6-8 inches away and spray side to side with slight overlap. This Krylon unit has a 360 degree tip that allows you to spray horizontal and vertical. I sprayed vertically left and right. Allow 1 hour to dry afterwards.



Step 4:
This is optional, but I highly recommend shooting another coat of it to give it some durability. Make sure to also this take nice and slow. Allow another hour to dry.




Step 5:
Make sure everything is dry and clean. This is when you spray the clear. I personally prefer the matte, but you can also go clear. This is how matte clear on satin flat black looks like. It gives a nice texture.




Step 6:
After it is dry, you can drop another matte coat if you want to keep things strong and more matte.

Step 7:
Remove the masking tape on the badge and detail it. Install and have fun!

Illusive

Some additional notes:

The chrome can be removed from the silver back piece. Just takes some time and patience. A small flathead screwdriver will help a lot. There are a bunch of tabs that hold the chrome piece to the silver piece. I took my time and worked from one side to the other unhinging clips from the top down. Make sure to keep either your finger or another screwdriver or something else to wedge between the two so they don't snap into place. Once you have one half done, the other half is much easier.

The emblem can also be removed. I used an exacto knife and cut back some of the white plastic glue that is holding it in place. I then forced the prongs through with a set of needle nose pliers. It can be reattached after removal by simply pushing it back in. The white plastic will hold it in place due to the tight nature of the setup. You can always dab the back with some crazy glue to be sure.

BTW, imboom, we need some pics!

imboom

Thanks for the clarification Illusive.

I tried to pry a bit but they are extremely tight. I didn't want to break a piece.

If you can remove the badge, it makes things MUCH easier.

Illusive

Yeah the tabs are a pain because there are so many. I think there are 20+ that you have to work through. The emblem was a real pain, that took me a while as well, it makes painting easier, but the chance of breaking something increases a lot. I took a risk and got lucky.

I'm still waiting for pics! :p

BTW, imboom, did you leave the flat hood emblem or are you switching to the raised MB star? I just got one yesterday (raised star) and put it on, will post an updated pic of my setup with the lux grille tomorrow.

Spec_Davis

No primer used?

imboom

I talked with a few people about primer and they said it wasn't necessary as the paint holds extremely well.

Illusive: I'm not planning to use the grill. It was more of a play around thing as I never done such a thing before and I found a great deal on the grill. I ordered the last K1 dry cf so I will be using that!

vic viper

If mounted, that grill will look horrible after a few miles on the highway.

imboom

I've done some impact testing as I'm always wary about durability of myself painting things. The paint and the matte clear is rock solid. 2 coats + 2 coats of clear.

I dropped half dollars on it from 5 feet height. No chips. If that doesn't chip it, it will be durable. Additionally, on Hawaii roads, the roads are horrible but the asphalt is very soft. 2 years, no clear bra, no large paint chips, 1 small below the lower grill.

bulletspec

I know!, mine did chip after some miles.... Not the plastic base, but the chrome pieces... started to look like a black sky with little stars since they were shiny little dots... stopped the car, took out the grille, invested some 80 bucks in some HOTROD BLACK SEM paint... and sent it to the bodyshop... Came out PERFECTLY!... and there has been like a thousand miles and no chipping, no NOTHING!

Illusive

If you have a good clear on top, chipping shouldn't be an issue. You'll have some small chips here and there if you live in a snow covered area, it's inevitable with the road sanders, you'll get some chips. But if its done properly, chipping should be minimized. Also, if you want to try and prevent chips, leave a decent distance between you and the car in front.

charliele729

Where did you get the grilled for $20, I would like to buy one also

ulovemybenzo

pics on car??? please

Illusive

Check on eBay, one pops up from time to time...

alexlev

Ship the grill to me & I'll provide pictures ! !

imboom

"WHEN" my K1 DCF bullit grill comes in I will fit this one and take pictures.

I have been so exhausted putting on these new wheels this week.

I'm a weightlifter and I'll tell you that I had a good workout putting the wheels on.