I have noted that some people were having issues with faded wood trim - more of a mismatch issue.

My S212 wood trim is uniformly faded - it has lost the deep burl wood lustre to a light yellowish trim. The trim all over is more or less uniform (except the ashtray cover as it is usually half open).

Is this normal? Is this what most people end up with?

The car was in service in April 2011 and is still under warranty. I live in Canada, not Abu Dhabi. I wonder how the car's trim would fare in really hot countries. As I plan on keeping the car for good, is this something that would be advisable to speak to Mercedes about? Thanks

 

Get it fixed while it's under warranty. Those trim pieces are expensive.

 

They have a protective coating that is supposed to prevent them from fading. However there were a batch that didn't have sufficient coating thus causing fade after prolonged exposure to sun light. Get it replaced under warranty. The new set should not fade.

personally, I always get my vehicles lightly tinted. the tint will block 99% UV that causes fading or cracking of the interior. It also blocks a good portion of the heat and lets the AC work more effectively.

 

the ashtray cover only be half faded is a dead give away. You can also look at the parts of the wood trim that are always covered like the end of the piece just inside the door jamb that you only see when the door is open.

Yes, all wood fades in the sun - the issue here is premature fading. We are not talking about restoring classic cars here.

 

Thanks for the replies.

My steering wheel is also wood, - has this been an issue with the wheel as well? I don't notice any fading on the wheel, but I don't know how it looked when new.

 

No issues with steering wheel, reference LI68.30-P-053962 to SA allowing for trim replacement under warranty - https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...mb-dealer.html

 

Thanks for this.

 

I have tried to get my local dealer, MB of Jackson (MS), and the only dealer in town, to replace the badly faded trim on my 2010 E - their reply, "tough luck, it's out of warranty" - this despite the fact that the fading obviously occurred when the car was under warranty. The extended warranty only covers mechanicals. I was told that the waiting time is now four to six months - parts on back-order!

Has any one heard of or devised a DYI fix? I tried Old English Scratch Remover with little success - it must have a hard time penetrating the urethane coating. Is there a dye of some sort that can darken the wood?

Joe Burghard

 

Check your PM.

 

Call MB CS. The car has a TSB for this. I just had mine done, it is a night and day difference.

 

if you are looking for DIY, someone posted in another thread about vinyl wrapping their trim pieces. They did a nice job with it, but it was carbon fiber look IIRC, not wood. There are companies you can google that restore wood on classic cars. Another option is trying to find a used set on ebay - however, there are no guarantees with that (or any of these for that matter).

 

Although my door panel trim looked fine, I noticed a difference in the ashtray cover and then also looked at the end of the piece on the dash over the glove-box area. There was color difference. I took the car in for some warranty items last week and had this as a question on my list, the service manager took one look at the trim and told me it would all be replaced.
I dunno about the 4-6 month wait time the Jackson MB mentioned, mine's already been done (Houston). Dealer MB of Houston Greenway has been great.

 

I had mine replace on my 2010 CPO, big difference

 

What percentge of E's are affected?

 

IIRC, everything up to about mid-2012, maybe 2013. The problem manifests itself faster the more the wood is exposed to sunlight. Down here in Florida, just about every used E on the lot has wood issues. EXCEPT ones which were garage-kept by snowbirds and rarely saw any use. Then the problem is trying to get the wood to fade fast enough to still be covered under warranty.

 

Clean point for trim is AUG2011, MY10 – early build 12. Validation, pull dash trim of your choice to check production date on rear, see here: http://workshop-manuals.com/mercedes...res/page_9968/ + next page.

 

Thanks, explains why I don't see it....mine is garaged in summers and not used....and garaged when not in use in the winter....only a matter of time....