What's the consensus on aftermarket body kits

May 12, 2011 | 01:08 PM

brasil

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From: upper west side, manhattan, new york

1999 CLK 320 Coupe

What's the consensus on aftermarket body kits

Hi everyone.... I can't believe I've had my car going on 3 years since I first discovered and posted to this forum. I guess I'm not a "n00b" anymore. So far in 3 years of occasional driving my '99 CLK320 I've taken the car from 63,200 miles to 86,700, so for a 12 year old car it's still very low miles, and it's running perfectly. I am becoming a benz owner for life after this experience

Someone on ebay sold me a pair of side skirts last year from Extreme Dimensions for the ridiculously low price of $100 including shipping (I really wanted that AMG look so I couldn't refuse). The body shop next door to my place installed them for $500 and told me the fitment was hell and they spent two days trying to get it to work. I spent another $100+ getting the OEM rubber strips that go with them through the dealer. The black section under the bumpers was painted a matching silver and it looks pretty nice, although AMG bumpers would be nicer, i can live with it for now.

$700 spent, and it looks okay from a distance, but the fitment is so bad you can see the rubber strips weaving in and out and definitely not straight. The perfectionist in me is going crazy with the "tacked on" look.

So..... Is it possible to buy an aftermarket AMG body kit that ACTUALLY FITS, and if so, from where? Obviously, you get what you pay for, but I definitely don't have this kind of money:

http://www.cars.engisoft.net/EBMS/Ca...ProductId=2463

This company has an AMG replica kit for $1050 and that's more my budget, but will I have the same problem as the E.D. stuff I currently have? :

http://sarona.com/Sarona/www/index3.html

Who has a success story for me with a full non-OEM kit that actually fit? Anyone ready to sell their OEM AMG kit for a good price?

May 12, 2011 | 01:38 PM

brasil

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From: upper west side, manhattan, new york

1999 CLK 320 Coupe

Are there any aftermarket body kits made of urethane that don't cost an arm and a leg? The aftermarket sites seem to want to downplay the materials and in many cases don't even post that information in the description. It's all very frustrating.

May 12, 2011 | 03:08 PM

brasil

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From: upper west side, manhattan, new york

1999 CLK 320 Coupe

Someone in this thread, https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c...umper-lip.html, suggested the kits at this site:

http://www.duraflexbodykits.com/1998...x-p-13290.html

$600 for the whole kit is a crazy price, but will this be the same ill-fitting crap like I already have?

May 12, 2011 | 03:12 PM

dlbehrns

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From: Nebraska

99CLK320,

I don't have any experience with aftermarket body kits however, you usually get what you pay for.

Last edited by dlbehrns; May 12, 2011 at 03:20 PM.

May 12, 2011 | 03:24 PM

brasil

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From: upper west side, manhattan, new york

1999 CLK 320 Coupe

It's just amazing that I can't find anything mid-priced. The kit in my first link is $4500 (half the resale value of my car) and my last link it's $600 (so cheap that anyone would be suspicious of the quality).

May 12, 2011 | 03:29 PM

big_mike1979

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From: Northern VA / DC

CLK 320 (2001) and 2015 GTR

http://www.yourhotcar.com/product/li...ons/Body_Kits/

May 12, 2011 | 04:10 PM

brasil

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From: upper west side, manhattan, new york

1999 CLK 320 Coupe

Thanks for the link, Mike. Has anyone actually installed the VIS Racing kit (their version of the AMG)? Naturally, I'd be interested in knowing if there's a big improvement in fitment over the $600 full kit at duraflexbodykits.com. If there is then it's worth the extra money. They say it's fiberglass in the description:

http://www.yourhotcar.com/prod/VIS_R...ET-099/764023/

Last edited by brasil; May 12, 2011 at 04:25 PM.