dwlovell

I really like the 4 door E sedan, but not a fan of the hood ornament and plain grille. Is there a factory OEM or dealer option to get the MB logo in the grille and the flat badge instead of hood ornament? (ie: similar to what they do with the C350 sport and E550 coupe)

I dont want any aftermarket thing that will devalue the car, just curious if its a plug-in-play kind of OEM swap out option?

220S

imho, why consider OEM with stuff like that? The cost will be way too much. There's plenty of high quality aftermarket to choose from, including German made grilles.

As far as "devaluing" the car, if it's resale you're concerned about then just put the original stuff back on when it's time to sell. Making a "mutt" out of your car will "devalue" it anyway since these sort of cosmetics modes are very subjective.

In fact, it's considered a no-no to put the big star grille on an E sedan (although that's subjective too and a whole other 'heated' topic I won't get into; do a search.)

dwlovell

Well, I would prefer if there was an OEM option first, but if they are easy to swap back and forth, I would consider a aftermarket option.

Not sure why its a no-no to put the big-star grille on the E sedan. In the C class, the dealership says they sell 1 "luxury" trim C for ever 20 "sport" trim C that has the big star in the grill. Most people these days seem to think the old grille and hood ornament is passe. But obviously that is subjective opinion, to each his own.

I found this other thread with a picture that looks pretty good (other than I dont like the color of the grille they put in):

https://mbworld.org/forums/w212-amg/...upe-grill.html

220S

As I mentioned, it's subjective. A C-Class with the star grill is one thing. Not sure how you derived that "most" people think the "old" grill is passe(?) Certainly not on the E Class. Again, maybe on a C which is a different sale than the E.

Anyway, I don't want to get into that issue; it's up to your own tastes. Here's one thread of many: https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...you-think.html

If you want German-made then get a Schaetz. Again, they are very simple on-off applications. And any cosmetic changes will either devalue or increase value depending on the eyes of each individual.

dwlovell

I appreciate the link. What's funny is on that older model, I agree the classic grille looks better than the star grill. The older model seemed to have smaller grille proportions. The W212 grille seems to be wider and the the slats just look too wide and too many which is why I prefer the star on the newer model. The W212 is in general sportier looking than the prior E's and perhaps this is also why the classic grill doesn't fit to me.

mg-E550

cool link and good question. I've been wondering about this. what is estimate of cost to do this?

K-A

I was gonna tell you why I think comparing how the C-Class works with a Star Grille has nothing to do with how another M-B Sedan would (lower-end M-B Sedans usually = more Sporty oriented, higher you go, more "stately" they become, for one), but then I noticed you realize this aspect.....

I get what you're saying....

People who put Sport Grille's on 211's crack me up, as they think it makes the car look more "Sporty". W211 has more classic grille proportions, less wide, more tall (with the face-lift at least).

M-B does design their cars with grille proportions in mind, the W204 is VERY MUCH designed with the Sport grille in mind, which is why the Luxo grille looks awkward and hideous on it.

The W212 has a wider and shorter grille than the 211, so it does work a bit better than on a 211. However, if you notice, NO OEM M-B Sport Grille ever has an immediate slat on the top (where it starts), i.e it's always "space>slat>space>slat...." The Sport Grille's I've seen on the 212's still start with an immediate "slat>space>slat>space....".

Not a biggie to many who just want the giant Star up front, but to me, those things matter, as M-B would never design or intend for it to look that way.

dwlovell

No idea about labor to install, but I found these two grilles (black and chrome) for the W212:

black: $259
http://www.mercedesbenzwheel.com/mer...-w212-563.html

chrome: $279
http://www.mercedesbenzwheel.com/mer...-w212-562.html

I am not endorsing this seller or mfr since I haven't tried these kits or anything from them, I am still considering the options on which car to buy.

dwlovell

I really appreciate your post, you have a lot of good points. My real dilemma is I want a roomier 4 door car, but I still want it to be sporty. I am waffling between the E550 Sedan and the BMW 550i.

The E550 is a great design. The grille/hood ornament isn't perfect, but it is not a huge deal. If they made a sportier trim sedan that was in the E price range and size, I would probably be happy. We have a GLK and love the MB quality all around, but at times its hard to overlook what feels like "grandpa's" car with the styling in the front of the E sedan.

Ultimately the drive will decide the issue and even if I never change the front of the sedan, I still think overall its a great design.

K-A

Yeah, different strokes for different folks.

I'm younger than 30 myself, and I couldn't own an M-B without the hood upright star, to me it's like staring at automotive history, and the quintessential sign of "Luxury" while driving. I'm a big fan of M-B's history I guess, so the classic Star on hood, and stately Luxo grille do it for me a bit more than the Sporty Star grille. As well, if you notice, the Star grille has kind of become the brands generic "corporate grille" all of a sudden (used to be the other way around, but seems as Sales spiked with younger-oriented/lower priced models with Sports grille's, M-B started using them more). Now with Sport grille's you have: C, E-Coupe, SL, GLK, R, GL, G, upcoming C-Coupe, SLS, ML, CLS, and I might be forgetting some.... Yikes! That's more than I thought.

Luxo grille basically goes on S, and E, and some awkwardly placed rare C's. Can't think of any others.

Either way, enjoy your choice. BTW, not sure if you've heard about the new 2011 5-Series, but if I were you, just to make sure you make the prime choice, I'd wait to check it out before you make your decision! Supposed to be a huge step upward from the current E60 5-Series.

jonw

Not sure how to start a thread so guess I will jump in here. I would like to know if the grill badge on a 2010 sport package e550 sedan is replaceable. I like the hood emblem but would like to remove the grill badge so that I do not have two Mercedes ID's so close together.

303E550

I'll stick with what Mercedes gave me. I have a black plastic shield protecting my distronic and other 'tronic distance-sensing gadgets that can't be swapped out.

BPhillyBenz

Here is another option.

http://www.55tech.com/index.php?main...Path=65_69_156

I would be curious to see pictures if anyone else has done this.

master_prince

Here is my E350 with the said sport grille installed. A very simple DIY that can be reversed in under 10 mins.



And this is the same grille that has been painted in body colour.

jonw

I like your painted grill but the 2010 e550 has two emblems in front. The hood ornament and the badge on the grill. I would like to remove the badge on the grill, but do not know how to cover the hole. A solid chrome badge to match the grill would be nice. Does anyone have any ideas?

BPhillyBenz

I think the best option is to replace the hood Star emblem with this badge. Just a plain solid badge would look "kluged" (IMO).

http://www.55tech.com/index.php?main...cbe405d2ec3f70

jonw

I'm sure it is just me but I am partial to the hood ornament. Having the hood ornament and the badge is bit too much. So I am still looking for a badge removal solution.

Ninjaryder

Maybe it's just the position of the two cars but the MB emblem in the grill looks beter with the double round fog lights vs. hockey stick LED's IMO.

master_prince

Ok , looks like others are misunderstanding what you mean. I will try to put it in another way. What you want is to keep the original hood ornament(the star that sticks up vertically, which you can see from the driver seat). It is the small badge on the original grill that you want to remove. I think there will be two holes when it is removed. You can try those thin metal foil tape for repairing mufflers . Cut it to the shape of the original badge and stick it on the grill. This may just work.

jonw

Yes! That is what I am looking for. I do not have the car yet. I have special ordered the car (e550 2011 artic white 4 matic sport P1 package distronic. I will check out the foil. What I really need is Chrome. Thanks for the idea