Zunit83

I am looking to buy an 2010 E550 P2. There is only 2 within a 100 miles of me in Phoenix for sale. One is 34,995 with 51,000 miles on it. It is past the factory warranty, and the wood trim is fading. Mercedes quoted me 3,500 to replace it. It is a known issue with, and if it was under factory it would covered. I really want the car, but don't want to pay 3,500 to fix the wood trim. Is here a less expensive way to change it out? Is there 3rd party kits that don't look tacky? Or is anyone selling the kits on here that has replaced with carbon fiber? Please help! Anyone looking to sell a 2010-2011 E550 with lower mileage please let me know. Thanks in advance!

W210

I recall seeing someone on the forum selling a carbon fibre wrapped trim for $1k? installation may be a few hundred and you are good to go?

BM2BZ

an e550 w/p2 for less than $35k? that sounds like a very good deal. why not talk the asking price down a bit and have the trims replace by the dealer later?

hyperion667

I would like to wrap my black ash trim with burlap for the summer

tge4

Is that past the warranty? I know the milage might be, but that wood trim is not a mileage issue. Also, Mercedes released a service bulletin about the wood trim fading on certain model years. (2010-2011 or something) There was a batch of wood that did not get the UV protectant. My 2011 had 13K on the clock. I took it in on Tuesday, the service manager looked at it, agreed it was fading and said he'd look into it. I already knew this was a known issue, but I wanted to see how they would handle it without my suggestions. He called back later the same day and said there was a service bulletin released by Mercedes and that he ordered the wood trim kit for the car. They're fixing it no questions asked.

The best example of the fading can be found if you open the center arm rest storage and look at the wood that is under the flange of the armrest that never gets sun exposure. It's like a tan line. You can see what color the wood used to be vs the fading. It's like a shadow of the arm rest.

In my opinion, which might not be worth much, this should be handled like a recall that's not limited by warranty restrictions. It's not a wear issue or missuse. The part is defective and has always been defective.

Tell them you'll buy the car if they replace the trim, if you want the car. See what they say. The trim kit is one part number. They have to (and should) replace all the wood trim. None of it has UV protectant.

GoBlando

Want to swap for my burl walnut? I want black ash real bad!

hyperion667

I mean burlap, as in burlap bags that you stuff kids in to beat them

the black ash is very nice, and I understand for =14 cars it will have another touch of cool-ness

mbuster25

Tge4 is giving good advice.
Mercedes should do the right thing. At first their stance was to replace all trim but others have said their experience at dealer was only affected pieces (which would look like crap). I have seen faded wood or damaged coating on trim on w212 outside if the vehicle year.
I would stay away from that car unless they replace the trim.

navydoc333

I just bought a 2011 E350 with only 11k mi's. I noticed the wood trip above the glove compartment...and on the sides of the center console looked faded, but honestly never heard of wood trim fading before so I just figured that was the natural stain of the wood... then I came across this thread by accident. I saw that some one posted about a TSB regarding it...and figured I would ask while having another issue fixed at the dealer yesterday. Although my VIN is far outside of the range that supposedly got the bad batch of wood without UV treatment... they agreed it was faded and replaced all of the wood trim in my car. Looks FANTASTIC now. Here is a pre and post pic.

Live Oak

That's GREAT burl! Congratulations! Good for MB!

BenzV12

It looks very nice , good job
Burl is fantastic sometimes I say wish I could have picked up that instead lol

Shifter

OP--https://mbworld.org/forums/showthread.php?p=5612251#post5612251

El Cid

Another area to inspect is to open front door and look at wood that is normally closed when door is closed. Does it match wood on dash?

tge4

I had the very same issue. I took it in, and they replaced all the wood in my car no questions asked. I mentioned to the service manager that I was getting some brake pulsing in the steering wheel. My car has 13+K on the clock. He said they would take a look at it. They road tested it and agreed. Even though it was technically past the warrantee, they replaced my pads and rotors no charge. I'm very happy with the customer service at my dealership.

(I have no idea why I can't upright 2 of these images)

mbuster25

That's awesome! The difference is night and day in your PICs. Your dealer sounds like a good one!

BenzV12

Great job by your dealer and that's totally a different look before vs new

BM2BZ

if not because of the before and after pics, i thought the before pic is just some lighter wood color that you can see it in some cars .

tge4

yeah, thats kind of what I thought myself until I noticed the area shaded by the center arm rest/storage area. It's like a tan line. You can see what color the wood used to be.

Heres a better shot of the "tan line" and a flash shot of the Burl. The wood grain is fantastic

no_mulligan

Thanks for mentioning the brakes. I'll add you to my stats. Right on target as most people with problems in the 2011 E550 group. Mleskovar won't be happy to read this.

JasonQuillen

Just bought a '11 E550 w/ 20k on it & faded trim. The dealer discounted an additional $1500.00 off the sticker. Bought a brand new "darker walnut" OEM set off eBay brand new for $550.00 !

paking

At 20K, it's still under warranty, why spend $550.00?