Here are pictures. Not pretty. Two issues - (1) general fading and (2) the darker areas in the wood are literally being bleached grey. Looks horrible. We've owned Audi's, BMW's, Lexus and 3 other Mercedes, all with wood trim and never experienced this. Truly disappointing and the fact that Mercedes is unwilling to step up adds insult to injury.
It was covered under the factory warranty. Once the factory warranty expired, it wasn't covered under either CPO or ELW as it was considered cosmetic and those aren't covered under those warranties. Sometimes you can find kits on eBay.
A cheaper option may be getting wrapped in carbon fiber or any other color of your choice. Mine got replaced under warranty but the area around the beverage holder is fading again. When they replaced it they said one-time replacement only. Good Luck!
Now I'm embarrassed to share pictures of my faded wood. Looks gray in places like OP's. No luck with goodwill out of warranty unless you count a service coupon of 15% off $3k or whatever they wanted for it.
They replaced my trim but it took some convincing. They replaced the dash and front doors, but did not touch the center console or back doors. I showed them how much of a difference there is between the old and new. They replaced everything.
I'm curious too, how did you get it done out of warranty? I'm on ELW and just dropped my car off for a couple little things, wood included, which I'm expecting to be declined.
I have a 2014 E350 with the same problem, and I just discovered that there is a law firm in Atlanta that is trying to certify a class action lawsuit against MB because it's clearly a defect in the material used to cover the wood. The suit alleges that the problem occurred in E class vehicles manufactured between 2009 and 2016. You might want to contact the attorneys to see if you can join in the suit. Call James McDonough 404-996-0869
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
