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Huge kudos to emilryba who discovered a great solution for those who like the efficiency of the Airpanel but prefer the more classic grill appearance when the shutters are closed.
It requires a can of plastidip, a roll of painter's tape, and a little patience.
Attached are two photos. The first I took during the painting so you can see what it was like masked, and the second I took in a parking lot at a short distance so you can see what it's like complete. At more than 5' it is a trompe l'oeil.
Porsche Macan S SportDesign / Ex M-B's: 11 & 10 & 06 E350's, 02 S500
Those louvers just look not right, which is unfortunate because imo the car looks SO much better with the luxury grille. Totally feels at home with its overall mature and classic luxury yet modern theme. The sport grill to me often can look awkward and maybe gawky when in conjunction with the rest of the body. The luxury grill looks like a literal smaller scale of the S Class, which is a very luxury look for this class.
The black louvers are a great fix as well. Though I don't get whey the luxury grill needs to be completely shut while the star grill gets to stay "open"? Nothing beats a depthy and cool, authentically functional intake look, imo.
What would be a great option is if they allowed the luxury grill with the otherwise sport body.
I'm not sure if they will be on the 2016 models. I thought I read on the forum somewhere that they would not be part of the 2016s. What I am still waiting to hear is when we can get Apple CarPlay in the cars. 2015 was supposed to be the intro year but still no word.
I'm not sure what others' experience has been, but in mine I notice that the only time the louvers seem to be closed is when it's either very cold outside or when the car is powered off.
I'm not sure what others' experience has been, but in mine I notice that the only time the louvers seem to be closed is when it's either very cold outside or when the car is powered off.
Likely it would be difficult to see them closed or partially closed at freeway speeds.
I dunno...is there any technical description of when they are deployed or how they are intended to work. For all I know they are either open or closed and not moderated. <shrug>
I dunno...is there any technical description of when they are deployed or how they are intended to work. For all I know they are either open or closed and not moderated. .
See my post on page 1 of this thread:
Here is some more technical information I found regarding when Airmatic operates on the C-Class:
With closed fins, the AIRPANEL radiator shutter helps to improve the vehicle aerodynamics, as the air can no longer flow through the engine compartment.
Less air resistance means reduced fuel consumption. When greater cooling performance is required, the fins open to increase air circulation to the engine.
AIRPANEL is adjusted via the engine control unit. The radiator shutter opens when one or more of the following conditions arise:
• Vehicle speed above 180 km/h
• Coolant temperature above 105 °C
• Suction fan performance requirements over 30 %
• Cooling water temperature above 34 °C
Until the conditions named are reached, and when the engine is switched off, AIRPANEL remains closed.
The system is visible from the outside and provides an interesting visual effect.
I thought AIRMATIC was something to do with the suspension? <shrug>
Good info though. You would not see them closed on the freeway if you were driving though. And yes, closed on shut down. I think it looks fine but the painted out louvers are an improvement, as is the distance sensor thingy that deletes them altogether.
I thought AIRMATIC was something to do with the suspension?
Good info though. You would not see them closed on the freeway if you were driving though. And yes, closed on shut down. I think it looks fine but the painted out louvers are an improvement, as is the distance sensor thingy that deletes them altogether.
MB has lots of "AIR..." terms
Airpanel - eco/efficiency grille Airmatic - suspension AirScarf - seat heating/neck area blower AirCap - top of windshield/roof to eliminate air turbulence
etc.
Huge kudos to emilryba who discovered a great solution for those who like the efficiency of the Airpanel but prefer the more classic grill appearance when the shutters are closed.
It requires a can of plastidip, a roll of painter's tape, and a little patience.
Attached are two photos. The first I took during the painting so you can see what it was like masked, and the second I took in a parking lot at a short distance so you can see what it's like complete. At more than 5' it is a trompe l'oeil.
I had a shop vinyl wrapped them.It is the easiest way. It took about 1.5 hours.
That sounds easier! Do you have a picture you could share?
Irritating that the luxury is otherwise a brilliant classic-yet-modern design. Wish the air panels were discontinued--but I bet that won't happen till the LCI.
With all due respect, the louvered grill sucks... it's old and it's dated... i have that on my e-class and i hate it...if a car is going to look sporty, then it needs a sportty grill.. not one that looks like it came from the 40's fercrissakes... hehehe...
Those are the active grill shutters to make the car more aerodynamic at high speeds. My understanding was that only certain euro models and the plug in hybrid will use these. I don't think these will be on the standard C300
i have this on my C200 I actually love the look and how they open up during driving..
Sorry to bump such an old thread, but I've searched the world wide web and still can't find the specific answers I'm looking for. The airpanels are probably not a big deal to most people, but they are for me. I haven't gotten this car yet, but the one I'm looking at online have the airpanels open in all the photos, but I noticed the headlights were on and it doesn't have the black shiny plastic in the middle, so it's not distronic. I'm pretty positive the airpanels will close when completely shut off.
I really prefer the shutters to be opened at all times and I'm not crazy about the painted / vinyl wrap look. If I physically remove the shutters, will that cause any serious damage to the car?
or If I take the car to a Mercedes dealer, can they convert it to distronic?
Sorry to bump such an old thread, but I've searched the world wide web and still can't find the specific answers I'm looking for. The airpanels are probably not a big deal to most people, but they are for me. I haven't gotten this car yet, but the one I'm looking at online have the airpanels open in all the photos, but I noticed the headlights were on and it doesn't have the black shiny plastic in the middle, so it's not distronic. I'm pretty positive the airpanels will close when completely shut off.
I really prefer the shutters to be opened at all times and I'm not crazy about the painted / vinyl wrap look. If I physically remove the shutters, will that cause any serious damage to the car?
or If I take the car to a Mercedes dealer, can they convert it to distronic?
You don't need to remove them. The power connector for the Airpanel is located at the bottom center behind the grill; easily accessible from under the hood.
Just unplug the connector when the grill is in the desired position, either open or closed, and it will stay that way permanently. Disconnecting it will not activate the CEL ('check engine' light) or affect any other functionality of the vehicle.
I put one of those reindeer noses on the front of my car for the holidays, so I disconnected mine in the open position to prevent the wire ties from the nose interfering with the shutters. Been driving it that way for 1.5 months and it has been perfectly fine.
Just be sure to cover the end of the unplugged connector with (electrical) tape so that it doesn't corrode in case you want to reconnect it again at some point in the future.
You don't need to remove them. The power connector for the Airpanel is located at the bottom center behind the grill; easily accessible from under the hood.
Just unplug the connector when the grill is in the desired position, either open or closed, and it will stay that way permanently. Disconnecting it will not activate the CEL ('check engine' light) or affect any other functionality of the vehicle.
I put one of those reindeer noses on the front of my car for the holidays, so I disconnected mine in the open position to prevent the wire ties from the nose interfering with the shutters. Been driving it that way for 1.5 months and it has been perfectly fine.
Just be sure to cover the end of the unplugged connector with (electrical) tape so that it doesn't corrode in case you want to reconnect it again at some point in the future.
Thanks for taking the time to respond! That makes me feel much better! I've been looking for information about this for most of the week lol
03-13-2015, 12:55 PM
