AMGAffalterbach

Changed the order of the customizations a bit. Waiting to do the E63 conversion as the last thing due to the expense of painting it. Also bought Arnott Industries rear AirMatic struts as my right rear strut was leaking after the accident with the curb. Was able to get an alignment done and camber bolt replaced and that fixed the car almost completely. I was told that one wheel is still about 1/3 to 1/10 of a degree off and I would have to replace a control arm for that, but it isn't worth it and my car should be fine (including tire wear) as it is.

AMGAffalterbach

So as of today I can check off window tinting. I went to a company called All American Window Tinting in the Denver area, they did an excellent job and were really knowledgeable (despite having a small shop in an industrial area of town that isn't known for its best and cleanest auto stores).

It looks amazing I went with the Huper Optik Xtreme 35 film all-around which is cheaper than the nano ceramic version but still a top notch film and registers (from what I am told) about 28% VLT which is perfect for the 27% legal limit here in Colorado. Took about an hour and a half but the car looks amazing. Visibility is almost unaffected but from the outside it looks BLACK.

Once I can wash it again in a few days and take some nice pictures I will post some, but so far very happy. My Arnott springs are in the male and should be here tomorrow or early next week so I can have those and the lowering links installed finally. Won't go super low, I call it the OEM+ look =)

desired_speeds

how much did you pay?

fila0220

You remind me of myself when i was trying to mod my car.
There is a veryyyy very thin line of what tasteful and overdone to the w211. But everyone opinions differ.

I remember when i had tints. I decided to remove mine because my lawyer recommended i do so, to convince the judge of good faith

I rock the mohawk look now, Back windows and visor tinted, and sides clear so everyone can see me flossing LOLL JK...



but as for the fog lamps tho, I seen a few people on the forum who black out their non amg front bumpers. Give it a shot. Plasti dip at home depot is liek 10 bucks tops, and the best part is its reversible. U can transform your fogs from

=O= to O

Actually just found it SunnyJ did it looks clean







and as for the euro plates..... I am not one to comment

AMGAffalterbach

I paid $220 for tinting with the Huper Optik Extreme, it isn't one of their high end nano-ceramics but still has about 40-60% heat reduction, is a nice quality film with a lifetime warranty, and has a very slight charcoal look that the nice nano ceramics have. Very slightly reflective but it is still well within the legal limits in Colorado.

Hahaha nice Fila! I am glad I do because you're a cool guy from what I know of you. So do you think of my list of mods is generally tasteful? It still looks stock and elegant in my opinion but has a few nuances that anyone who knows these cars will notice it isn't just the average W211.

Thanks for the tip on the fog lights, until I do the E63 conversion a while down the road I will do this, had no idea you could get it at home depot so I will check it out tomorrow. When I get the E63 bumper there will be no plate in the front, mark my words lol. Because as of now there is a little bit of damage from the bracket so it looks right to have it on there and I like the europlate look for the time being.

What do you think about the caliper paint fila? Yes/no if so what color? Thanks, been beating myself senseless on that debate.

fila0220

Yea your mods and future mods are tastefull.

I can vouch for the AMG pedals they really clean up the look of the interior. Since your always behind the wheel. I also added all weather floor mats with the honey comb design to sorta match the flow. Very easy to clean, with no worries of salt or mud damage that you would double take on bringing into the car with regular floor mats.

as for the calipers, i personally would let them be, or at least not with this rim set up. Even when i was contemplating painting my rims a dark gunmetal i was thinking about painting my front calipers dark burgundy red, but at the ended decided against it. But then again feel free to do as you please. Looking forward for progress pics

AMGAffalterbach

Burgundy Red had been suggested to me before, and I don't completely dislike the idea but... since I have the gunmetal face I might just do them a gloss black to match the car and keep it somewhat low-key, better than the slight rust/old steel color for sure.

AMGAffalterbach

This is before a lot of post-processing, actually a raw photo from earlier today that I took in Sedalia, Colorado - a small, rural, and decrepit industrial town about 45 minutes away from where I live.

Modifications and changes pictured so far are the white side markers, EuroSport MB-8 18x8.5 wheels, low-profile Michelin Primacy MXM4s measuring 255 all-around, Huper-Optik Xtreme 35 (about 28% VLT) all-around (except for front), and Europlate. Not pictured on the other side of the car are green wheels, purple flames, vinyl Mercedes logo, and a giant NRA sticker.

EDIT: I forgot to mention I have the lowering links at home as I have for a week but I am waiting on those Arnott rears so I can get those installed at once so yes it will be lowered, not slammed but flush-with-the-tire low. OEM+ low.

AMGAffalterbach

And I hope you all don't mind me using this as a sort of changelog of customizations and such. Not a build thread but similar, I like having this to get quick feedback. Here is the photo after a couple hours of work, please note this is my first real shoot so I don't expect it to be perfect:

fila0220

lookin good. I think a black caliper would fit that look ur going for nicely. Can't wait to see her lowered.

AMGAffalterbach

Muffler delete with Helmholtz resonator done! I will post a video tomorrow in a separate thread, it sounds absolutely amazing. At idle it's quiet as stock maybe a little deeper, at cruising speed it is a little deeper upon a little bit of acceleration... but when I put my foot down O_o it shakes the earth and moves worlds. It's pretty loud under hard acceleration but not ridiculous, it has a lion-like growl but doesn't sound like a muscle car at all - almost an exotic. Even has that pop sound when you let off the gas or shift sometimes =) It is also a bit of a weight-savings gain too.

Build pictures and video of the final product to come tomorrow.

AMGAffalterbach

So today I fixed one side of my front plate that was bulging, remounted an aluminum doorsill that had comeoff when my shoelace got caught in it, and picked up some PlastiDip for $8.99 but it was too cold today to apply it to the foglight surrounds, but I'm glad I found it in a can for less than 10 dollars. Did a video of the exhaust but it sounded horrible on my Galaxy S mic so I will do another one with a camcorder soon.

Please check out my J-Pipe build thread I will post in a few minutes.

fila0220

can't wait to hear the exhaust.

As for the plasti dip. I'm not sure if your familiar with how to apply it but its simple. U wipe down the area with alcohol to clean it up. Then you let it try and spray the area with 1 light coat. Nothing crazy. Let it dry for 10-20 mins. Then apply another coat (this coat will get a lot darker) and let that one dry. Repeat until ur desired look is reached. If you get the plasti dip on areas you don't want painted, take a tooth pick and slowly peel it off. Good luck

AMGAffalterbach

Thanks man, it sounds great. As for the PlastiDip, I am familiar with how it is done despite never having actually worked with it myself. Your tips do help tough. The problem is it was so cold and breezy today it was impossible, I did a test spray on a piece of scrap material and it took over and hour and a half to dry and it didn't bond with the surface properly it was so cold. So I will have to wait for a warmer day, possibly tomorrow at mid-day if conditions are better - though you're right I do like how error-safe it is.

AMGAffalterbach

Okay so I was able to PlastiDip the foglight surrounds today. I was initially paranoid and tried meticulously masking parts off as I wasn't convinced it would be easy to remove but I ended up redoing it to get sharper lines. When I was about to remove the dip on the circular frame on the light, I stopped - stepped back and actually don't mind the entire surround being black. Let me know what you think (cell phone pics again, another shoot will come soon I promise).

fila0220

AMGAffalterbach

Thanks bro She's coming together! For tomorrows list, when I take her into StarTech, I am having the AirMatic rear struts from Arnott put in, the lowering links installed, the tick/check-engine fixed, and alignment rechecked.

Saw a few of your videos on YouTube, as a side note, they were good! Made me laugh my tail off when you were low on gas and skipped through all that traffic hahaha

fila0220

Hahahaa thanks man. I hope all will go well with the Ticking and code clearing. And looking forward to more Progress pics

AMGAffalterbach

Thanks again, will report as soon as I get word and take some pics tomorrow when I pick the car back up.

AMGAffalterbach

Okay so found out today that it was in fact a bad coil on plug assembly that was causing a bit of a misfire and thus the check-engine light was on. A $67 and about $150 to fix it at StarTech, so not too bad.

Also, I got a call today that the ticking sound was actually per-ignition due to the failing coil so the timings were off and causing this ticking sound. After they replaced the coil, I did some very extensive testing under different conditions and it is 100% fixed.

AMGAffalterbach

Decided to lower via STAR method I will be doing that and an alignment within the next week or two.

My question is since it is programmable, does it allow me to set a specific ride height for the raise car option (IE can I have the elevated car mode stay the same height while having regular driving height lowered)?

desired_speeds

It still raises but not as high. Whatever amount you lower, each suspension mode will be that amount lower.

AMGAffalterbach

Not a modification but I did get a rear license plate frame from MB of Littleton, and I am almost ready to lower the car via STAR if I can get rid of these lowering links. It'll be a much better deal for me.