AMG fender spacers
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AMG fender spacers
Someone help me out. I tried to order them through my standard MB parts shop but they said they've discontinued it, so I'm planning on making my own.
As I right in thinking they are just a bit of plastic that goes between the lower fenders and the chassis? If so, does anyone have any measurements and can describe the material that they are made of?
As I right in thinking they are just a bit of plastic that goes between the lower fenders and the chassis? If so, does anyone have any measurements and can describe the material that they are made of?
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From: STL
95 e320...sold the rest
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W124's
I'm pretty confident while I was working at MB awhile ago I purchased the last two sets of AMG Fender Spacers.
Because when I checked the German inventory it was at ZERO after it shipped.
Then again - if demand is good they will make more.
Jeff, did you use the B part number or the HWA part number?
Because when I checked the German inventory it was at ZERO after it shipped.
Then again - if demand is good they will make more.
Jeff, did you use the B part number or the HWA part number?
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From: Glendale, AZ
'95 E420 SE
I just had four spacers made for myself. From the info provided on picture one I made what you see in picture two. I did them in 6061-T6 aluminum because I had the material.
FYI: I could have more made if there was a demand. Probably about $40 for the set.
borrowed image
FYI: I could have more made if there was a demand. Probably about $40 for the set.
borrowed image
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Cheers. Chris, I used the B number. You are probably right about you getting the last 2 sets then!
Should I try the HWA number instead?
Thanks STL and Shanman for the link and pic! I'll probably experiment with them myself since they look easy enough to fabricate myself! One question though, wouldn't the aluminium be hard and wear through the paint and eventually cause rusting? No idea
Should I try the HWA number instead?Thanks STL and Shanman for the link and pic! I'll probably experiment with them myself since they look easy enough to fabricate myself! One question though, wouldn't the aluminium be hard and wear through the paint and eventually cause rusting? No idea
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From: Glendale, AZ
'95 E420 SE
I thought about that too, so I am going to plasti-cote these or throw a thin PTFE washer in between the fender and the spacer when I install them. Of course, if everything is tight and stays tight, the answer is probably no.
Cheers!
Cheers!
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So Shanman, you haven't installed them right? I wonder if we could push it out further. Cux, as I understand it, the spacer works by pushing out the fender. Would this also give a tad more room at the top/arches/brim where the tire usually rubs?
Cheers, Jeff
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Chris, I've just asked my parts guy to have a look on his system with the HWA number. It's come up with a "seal for engine hood bracket" for 124/230E MY 89 or earlier. 
I'm probably better off making them myself then!!
I'm probably better off making them myself then!!
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Youngtimer
i bought some 'spacers' from a member on here, they were basically just rubber stopper looking things from home depot. you can use anything that is about half an inch to an inch thick with a hole through it for the screw, i would not pay top dollar for this part. just me though.
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i bought some 'spacers' from a member on here, they were basically just rubber stopper looking things from home depot. you can use anything that is about half an inch to an inch thick with a hole through it for the screw, i would not pay top dollar for this part. just me though.
Jeffrey, I follow your logic about going thicker to gain even more clearance, but I suspect that at some point it becomes too thick to work due to the stiffness of the fender and the amount of flex it would have to have so line up with all the screws, etc. and still snug up properly.
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W124's
my AMG sideskirts came with a set of AMG Fenders as well.
I might sell those.
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Youngtimer
look at the picture of them... they are literally just plastic washers. Nobody in their right minds should pay more than $2 for a set of 'fender spacers'. unless you want the AMG name, on a part that even you will hardly be able to tell is installed, let alone see...
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No offense Zed, but paying $2 each for something you can buy at Home Depot, which is made in the tens-of-thousands or even millions is NOT the same thing as having something made in limited quantities...regardless of the material it's made from.
I deal with this all the time through work...a customer says thay want this widget...just like the one they see in a catalog for $5...but they need to change it just a bit. The problem is, the "little" change would require adding material to the part, not removing it. Thusly, you have to make a whole new part...that does not exist. The customer thinks he should only be paying maybe twice the cost "because it's only a little widget". The truth is, that in order to make a limited quantity of what he wants, he will have to pay $50/each. he get's all butt-hurt and thinks he is being ripped off.
I learned long, long ago that as soon as I know I am dealing with "that guy", that I simply smile and tell him he might have better luck at another shop. I am not suggesting you are "that guy", but I am trying to prove a point.
In this case, the cheapest thing to do is probably to go buy a box of 10mm flat washers and stack them together to make the spacers. Maybe use some contact cement or double stick tape to keep them stuck together long enough to get them installed. By the way, even doing it like that will probably cost you $10 and an additional hour or two of your time, right? Sometimes the initial sticker price of a thing is better understood only after one tries to go about it the hard way.
I deal with this all the time through work...a customer says thay want this widget...just like the one they see in a catalog for $5...but they need to change it just a bit. The problem is, the "little" change would require adding material to the part, not removing it. Thusly, you have to make a whole new part...that does not exist. The customer thinks he should only be paying maybe twice the cost "because it's only a little widget". The truth is, that in order to make a limited quantity of what he wants, he will have to pay $50/each. he get's all butt-hurt and thinks he is being ripped off.
I learned long, long ago that as soon as I know I am dealing with "that guy", that I simply smile and tell him he might have better luck at another shop. I am not suggesting you are "that guy", but I am trying to prove a point.
In this case, the cheapest thing to do is probably to go buy a box of 10mm flat washers and stack them together to make the spacers. Maybe use some contact cement or double stick tape to keep them stuck together long enough to get them installed. By the way, even doing it like that will probably cost you $10 and an additional hour or two of your time, right? Sometimes the initial sticker price of a thing is better understood only after one tries to go about it the hard way.
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Youngtimer
I understand what you're saying, and if you bought fender spacers made by AMG, the price might be justified.
What my point is, is that knowing what this product is, you can buy a substitute of equal or greater quality for a fraction of the price, and it would be silly not to.
I would not ordinarily tell people to go out and buy some stuff from home depot instead of AMG, but i did this mod to my car, and i know that whether the part comes from AMG or home depot, it will do the same thing. And if you do it yourself, you can adjust it as little or as much as you want, and any fraction inbetween.
the time it takes hunting for these spacers, and then paying 10 or 20 times the price of the cost of similar pieces from a hardware store makes zero sense to me. these are not precisely machined parts, they are plastic bits that go between the fender and the body that make the bottom of the fender stick out a few millimetres, that's it. not rocket science or a part that will cause catastrophic failure, or that is under any stress at all.
people can do what they want, if they want 'AMG fender spacers', they can pay $40 or whatever they cost, or they can go to the store and pay $3 and get the exact same thing. it will not take any additional time to slide a home depot washer over a screw and bolt it up than it would take to slide an AMG washer over a screw and then bolt it up. Just saying.
What my point is, is that knowing what this product is, you can buy a substitute of equal or greater quality for a fraction of the price, and it would be silly not to.
I would not ordinarily tell people to go out and buy some stuff from home depot instead of AMG, but i did this mod to my car, and i know that whether the part comes from AMG or home depot, it will do the same thing. And if you do it yourself, you can adjust it as little or as much as you want, and any fraction inbetween.
the time it takes hunting for these spacers, and then paying 10 or 20 times the price of the cost of similar pieces from a hardware store makes zero sense to me. these are not precisely machined parts, they are plastic bits that go between the fender and the body that make the bottom of the fender stick out a few millimetres, that's it. not rocket science or a part that will cause catastrophic failure, or that is under any stress at all.
people can do what they want, if they want 'AMG fender spacers', they can pay $40 or whatever they cost, or they can go to the store and pay $3 and get the exact same thing. it will not take any additional time to slide a home depot washer over a screw and bolt it up than it would take to slide an AMG washer over a screw and then bolt it up. Just saying.
Last edited by ZedStyle; Jan 24, 2008 at 03:28 PM.
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i dont want to bugg in your guys'es chat here or anything but what exactly are AMG fender spacers""" what do they do, are they important or anything? sorry maybe they are lame questions haha but its new to me
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Youngtimer
they push the bottoms of the fenders out. when you have wider wheels, when you turn them they can scrape against the bottom of the fender. the spacers create a little bit more clearance down there. if you needed them, you would know every time you turned your wheels!
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Zed, I understood your point both times...and you did a great job of making it BTW. I just want people to understand that sometimes, even the simpliest of parts like a washer will have a cost that is seemingly higher than it should be based on how many were made. Also, sometimes buying the real article or making an exact replica is worth the peace of mind...even if you cannot see it once installed. I agree that a fender spacer may very well be a poor example however.
If you were able to find a part at Home Depot that did the job for you...awesome! Others should definitely show as much DIY effort, especially if the AMG parts are hard/impossible to source (using this case as an example) and/or they cannot make their own (third option).
I chose the third option...make my own parts to be exactly like the original (dimensionally) because I can, and because I could save myself a trip to the hardware store. Yes, I am lazy....but, my time is worth more to me than the cost of these particular parts...at least in this case.
If you were able to find a part at Home Depot that did the job for you...awesome! Others should definitely show as much DIY effort, especially if the AMG parts are hard/impossible to source (using this case as an example) and/or they cannot make their own (third option).
I chose the third option...make my own parts to be exactly like the original (dimensionally) because I can, and because I could save myself a trip to the hardware store.
Yes, I am lazy....but, my time is worth more to me than the cost of these particular parts...at least in this case.
Last edited by ShanMan; Jan 24, 2008 at 05:05 PM.
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Youngtimer
making over buying every time! yours came out really nice, by the way.
your point about economies of scale was spot on, i was just telling people to use that in their favor and pay less for the mass produced part!
your point about economies of scale was spot on, i was just telling people to use that in their favor and pay less for the mass produced part!
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S500
Hey Guys, I have some left over 3/4" and 1/2" white acrylic based plastic, left over from one of the counter tops we did recently. I could run a batch of spacers at either thicknesses if anyone is interested.
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LOL Shan and Zed..
I agree with both of you. I'll just do whatever is easiest to get hold of in Hong Kong
I'll have to roll my fenders anyway even though, if I run Zorro's set up, I shouldn't have to roll them. Ahh I'm allergic to fender rubbing it makes me sick. 
I agree with both of you. I'll just do whatever is easiest to get hold of in Hong Kong
I'll have to roll my fenders anyway even though, if I run Zorro's set up, I shouldn't have to roll them. Ahh I'm allergic to fender rubbing it makes me sick.
