Paint Front Grill or Buy Replica on Ebay?
 

Hey guys.. I am looking to get my front grill and leave the chrome showing at the end. Many of you have this done on the board.

I am not experienced enough to DIY, so I have two options.

1.) Get it done professionally - how much you think?

2.) Purchase the grill on Ebay for $150 or less shipped.

I like the idea of having my original OEM painted, since I feel the replica quality will not be as good. However, it might be more expensive this way.

Does anyone know a reputable link I can purchase the grill at? Below I have some but it is through a random search on Ebay..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/07-08...#ht_5366wt_968

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/08-10...#ht_2524wt_939

If you are on a lease you may want to keep your OEM grille but if not I would suggest just have it painted the way you want it... Paint and Labor costs should be around $100

Improper fitment is the number one issue with aftermarket/ replica grilles... There are some out there with good overall fitment with no uneven gaps... You will also lose the T-bar that holds the grille to the top of the radiator which adds more stability to the grille

I own my car and I was worried about the crappy fitment issues with afte rmarket grills. I am getting an estimate and hope it is under $150 to have it painted - because the OEM will def look better than an after market grill.

Thanks.

I got an all-black grille (star included) in a group buy here which, unfortunately, did not go as well for some other members. In any event, it had no chrome strips to mask nor remove, but the shop did mask off the mesh behind the slats and star barrel, as well as the inside of the barrel, itself, to create depth, and then painted the grille Palladium. Total cost=$120.

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...le-photos.html

As you can see, fitment is quite good, even as an aftermarket part.

And if you're just looking to paint the grill slats black, it's even easy to do your self....plastic-specific spray paints hold up pretty well even on the grill

That reminds me....the grille was sprayed with primer first, and flex (usually used when painting fascias) and adhesion promoters were added to the paint to strengthen it against chipping.

I am debating doing this myself one weekend. What do you guys think? How hard is it?

From my understanding these are the steps involved.

1.) Take the grill off the car and remove all the chrome pieces.

2.) Sand the grill with fine sand paper to ensure the paint sticks.

3.) Clean with alcohol to get off all dirt, dust, lint, etc.

4.) Spray multiple light coats of black paint.

5.) Spray a light coat of clear coat for the glossy finish.

6.) Assemble back together and install back on the car.

My only concern is the paint that I choose. What is the best choice? I have a black car so I need the paint to be an exact replica of the paint on the car or it will look weird.

Can anyone recommend a decent brand that will match the black on my C300?

If you guys decide to paint the grill my advice is to use gloss paint, with time the paint will fade and will give you a semi gloss look and it will be more chip resistance and don’t forget to spray a coat of primer.

+1 .....either that or the hard way:y

I think I am going to take apart the grill, sand it down, clean it and then give it to someone to prime, paint, gloss, etc. They shouldn't charge more than $50 to do that and I am getting my back tail lights done like the barbus ones by them - hopefully they can package the deal together.

I ordered mine from EBay...it came with the chrome strips on the end of each horizontal bar but those came off easily (held on with double sided tape) and I left the star chrome. It's made of black plastic...not painted black...so I don't have to worry about the paint chipping from rocks and debris hitting it. Great quality...fit and finish is as good as the OEM grill. See sig for a pic...

I have now plasti-dip sprayed two grills. My OEM sport grill, as a test, and yesterday I did my c63 rep grill. All I can say is, if you're looking for the matte look...there isn't a chance in hell that I'm going to have to worry about rock chips. 5 layers, every 30 min...and the quality is amazing. Oh also, I sanded the OEM grill prior to spraying, but I didn't sand the c63 grill. There is no difference between the two. Plasti-dip sticks to the chrome without sanding, no prob.

I would order it. Cost is almost the same without the hassle of painting it yourself. I had no fitment issues with mine and since it's not paint, it doesn't chip. It's also nice to have the OEM grill as a backup.

i would like to order a black grill without the star but with the chrome along the front edge of the louvers, any idea where i might get something like that.
here is a pic of what i mean, but, of course, without the star.

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/$(KGrHqV,!i8...Kptg~~0_12.JPG

paint it yourself if you have time.

i would but that doesn't get rid of the star.

I'm in the same boat as the orig. poster, wanting to blacken my grill slats (keeping all the existing chrome & star) from the OEM silver color. My Benz mechanic friend mentioned a vinyl wrap versus painting. Anyone tried this and care to post pics? Any idea on price for the wrap?

Disregard this post above (from earlier today) ... I ended up buying the CL style grille at ForMyMercedes.com in glossy black... exactly the look I wanted and I can keep my OEM grill just in case.

http://www.formymercedes.com/images/Eug%20204%20Bk.jpg