C36 AMG, C43 AMG (W202) 1995 - 2000

C43 Trim Polishing

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Old Feb 5, 2016 | 11:51 AM
  #1  
eFifty5AMG's Avatar
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From: San Diego
2004 E55
C43 Trim Polishing

Hey guys, thought I'd share some photos of my recent projects. The interior trim was pretty beat up and I've been meaning to address this sooner.












As you can tell, there are some pretty visible scratches and swirls in all the trim components. I began with a light cut using Menzerna Final Finish and an orange pad on my Flex rotary polisher.










These are the results after my second cut. I could have used a slightly deeper cut to speed up working time, but it is better to begin with a lighter cut and work towards a deeper cutting polish to avoid cutting too deep.








All finished. There is one crack that I couldnt remove and also a few imperfections but most of those sit underneath the trim ring around the shifter. I threw a couple coats of Menzerna Powerlock sealant over the trim pieces to try and get some protection over it.












I decided to clean up the B pillars and window trim. The pillars original finish was fading and there appeared to be some overspray on both the pillars and window trims.










I ended up using some 3000 grit sandpaper and wet sanded everything down to remove all of the original finish, scratches and overspray that was present on the trim.













Here is everything all finished and looking fresh.








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Old Feb 5, 2016 | 12:25 PM
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05 c55 silver, 98 Imperial Red C43
Amazing work. I want to do the same thing on mine

Do you have any good techniques to clean the door panels and the rest of the black surfaces? The skin like texture seems really hard to clean properly and Im tired of soaking it up with greasy stuff. I feel like warm soapy water would work besr. Any experince with this?
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Old Feb 5, 2016 | 12:53 PM
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door pilar trim, did carbon look trim fade in sun?

do you have Brabus doorpins?
they sit perfect a lot better than original AMG brushed metal door pins.

eFifty5AMG can you do me a favor?
can you take a picture where the B-pilar is?
where the horizontal window trim starts and go further down to the door trim where front of the rear door meets B-pilar and the rear of the front door meets B-pilar.
I need to know how big this gap is when both doors are closed?
could it be approx an inch in panel gap = about 2.5cm?

thanks
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Old Feb 5, 2016 | 12:54 PM
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1999 C43 AMG, 2005 E55 Wagon
that tuxedo interior makes me wet...

also, anyone know how to straighten door trim that's started to curve away from the panel?
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Old Feb 5, 2016 | 01:00 PM
  #5  
eFifty5AMG's Avatar
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From: San Diego
2004 E55
Originally Posted by PJmak
Amazing work. I want to do the same thing on mine

Do you have any good techniques to clean the door panels and the rest of the black surfaces? The skin like texture seems really hard to clean properly and Im tired of soaking it up with greasy stuff. I feel like warm soapy water would work besr. Any experince with this?
Thanks! For the interior, I use CarPro's Inside cleaner or an all purpose cleaner. Soaps may leave behind a residue. After I clean the door panels or dash, I follow it up with CarPro Perl using a 1:5 ratio (Perl:water). It provides a nice satin finish that isn't too greasy & won't dry out the surface- also should give a few months protection.
Attached Thumbnails C43 Trim Polishing-photo312.jpg  

Last edited by eFifty5AMG; Feb 5, 2016 at 01:14 PM.
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Old Feb 5, 2016 | 01:13 PM
  #6  
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From: San Diego
2004 E55
Originally Posted by kowalski
door pilar trim, did carbon look trim fade in sun?

do you have Brabus doorpins?
they sit perfect a lot better than original AMG brushed metal door pins.

eFifty5AMG can you do me a favor?
can you take a picture where the B-pilar is?
where the horizontal window trim starts and go further down to the door trim where front of the rear door meets B-pilar and the rear of the front door meets B-pilar.
I need to know how big this gap is when both doors are closed?
could it be approx an inch in panel gap = about 2.5cm?

thanks
Yeah, it seems as if the pillars just took weather damage & typical wear for a car of this age.
Yes! They are Brabus door pins- *** love these things.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to take a picture today. Maybe somebody else can help you out? If not, tomorrow I should be able to snap you one.
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Old Feb 5, 2016 | 01:17 PM
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eFifty5AMG's Avatar
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From: San Diego
2004 E55
Originally Posted by Sulaco
that tuxedo interior makes me wet...

also, anyone know how to straighten door trim that's started to curve away from the panel?


Not sure what you mean? Does it look warped?
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Old Feb 5, 2016 | 01:47 PM
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no hurry man, take a sharp close up pic tomorrow of B-pillar door gap

my fake carbon pattern still looks 100%, no wear on them.
maybe you're spoiled with lots of wonderful sun in Denver and this will fade plastic trims?
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Old Feb 5, 2016 | 01:56 PM
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Originally Posted by eFifty5AMG


Not sure what you mean? Does it look warped?
yeah, they are warping and coming unglued from the panel! in 2 cars!
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Old Feb 20, 2016 | 03:23 PM
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C43 w/clk55 Organs
Great restoration work man, Looks really fresh again!

Edit - if you need to those trims are easily removed so you can get right in the corners!

Last edited by Pagz; Feb 20, 2016 at 03:26 PM.
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