LAWYER2

Ok, so I've noticed that the 98-99's lower (rocker molding) area is different from 2000+'s. They are NOT painted to match the car. I'm thinking about having my car painted since it's a convertible paint & materials would be somewhat reasonable.
I'd like to update the mirrors and plug the fender blinker holes while it's being painted. Also I'm interested in an inexpensive body kit that will update the look of the car.

Any suggestions?

insame1

inexpensive and mercedes dont go in the same sentence.

there are a lot of kits out there but i bet the cheepest rout is to get a 430 or 55 kit from a wrecker.

MG21

pm sent.

LAWYER2

is it a direct fit??

insame1

Originally Posted by insame1
inexpensive and mercedes dont go in the same sentence.

there are a lot of kits out there but i bet the cheepest rout is to get a 430 or 55 kit from a wrecker.

I have nevr done it as I have a 430 but from looking at the 2 cars it seems a direct fit. Maybe some one that has done it can chime in.

mint

No kit is going to fit well without lots of bodywork and labor going into it...not worth it.

I'm fairly certain AMG side skirts and rear bumper bolt on, but the front won't work due to different fog light placement. The AMG side skirts won't flow with the non-AMG front as they're significantly lower to the ground, so we're pretty SOL. Best bet is to find an elusive Brabus chin spoiler (which is nearly impossible to find).

jbenz2001

the amg kit will fit perfect on any w208.i say its cheaper to buy then trying to buy a replica kit that you might have to put more money into trying to make it fit well.another thing you can do is go on ebay and look at there lip kits.i feel the br-s kit is the best only cuz its the replica of the brabus lip kit which i have.

brasil

This was probably the first question I asked on these forums, and also about getting some OEM AMG 17" rims. You can see my before and after pics below. I really just wanted the fuel economy of the V6 with the look of the 430/55.

After not having any luck finding the OEM AMG bodykit I found someone selling the extreme dimensions sideskirts for $100 on ebay. Everyone says the fitment is horrible, and the guy in my area who installed them said it was "hell" getting them to fit, but he did pull it off and only charged me $500 (I supposed that's a good deal for the amount of work he had to do). I ordered the rubber strips separately from the dealer, and they are not cheap! Over $100 for the four pieces if I remember correctly, maybe more... it just seemed like an awful lot for pieces of rubber.

It doesn't look perfect without the AMG bumpers but with the black parts painted to match it looks good enough for my current budget.

I went to a flatfix place a few months ago and I'm really glad I was standing there watching before the guy jacked up the car. He wheeled the jack right under the sideskirt and I'm pretty sure had he jacked it up that way he would have cracked it.

All in all I would not recommend the extreme dimensions stuff unless you find it for a steal like I did. I'm interested to hear others' opinions on this topic.

mint

Well, at least the work looks good -- I applaud you for your efforts brasil.

Spending $500 on side skirts that cost a fraction of the labor just proves how shoddy the fitment will be and I could see how crap fitment could quickly escalate into a hack job for a shop that doesn't want to take the time and effort for perfect fitment. The front bumper to the sideskirt transition doesn't look too bad actually, but as you can see, the side skirt to the rear bumper transition is pretty significant and looks a bit out of place to me without the rear AMG bumper.

In a nutshell, if you absolutely must have it and are willing to invest a relatively large amount of money and time (I'm pretty sure bumper fitment is much more difficult than side skirt fitment) then definitely go for it. But if it's something you can live without, just paint the OEM parts and be done with it.

insame1

I like the 320 front bumper. I ahve been looking for one to try on my ride.

LAWYER2

so you guys think I can just slap these 430 skirts on my 320 and be good to go?? this parts car just so happens to be the same color as my car too!!!
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/pts/2544193763.html

jbenz2001

yeah your good if you plan on putting a front lip and a rear lip with the skirts.if you just put the skirts its not gonna flow right with the car.just my opinion,its your car and i respect any mod somebody wants to do to their car.