After reading the posts about members attempting to get their faded trim replaced- I gave it a try. I contacted my Service Advisor and he requested pictures. He received approval for the replacement and had my car picked up. I went by today and they had replaced the front doors and the dash pieces. I asked about the rear and center and was advised these were not approved for replacement, but now that the new pieces were installed it was very obvious they had faded too. My Advisor is requesting that the rest of the parts be replaced. He said in the previous year models- the trim kits were a complete kit but my year the parts were available separately. Do they really think its a good idea to try to match woodgrains/colors from different years of production? Sometimes trying to be cheap doesn't pay off.

 

Your last sentence is a good summary. I think the main reason the interior wood was available in kits was so that grain/color/finish matched. I agree as you stated that once some of the wood is replaced it highlights deteriorated finish of the rest of the trim.
I also went thru the interior trim replacement, in my case everything was changed (kit).

 

Op. That's great that you got it replaced. Unheard of imo. I do not mean to hijack your post buuuuut....lol

Just want to add my advise although not solicited, I ask that you bare with me. lol

Window tinting and a windshield sun shade helps to protect against fading of these trim pieces. With today's new age CERAMIC style window tint; it provides superior UV protection without the need to go gangster dark. LOLOL. For example. Say you want the protection of 20% darkness without the darkness. Then I would use 30-40% Ceramic tint. Extreme heat will damage wood trims over time as well as aide in the delamination (flaking if you will) the glossy coating(s) of the trim. It is in part caused by extreme interior heat. Winter time is much easier on car's interior but the same care should be given imo. <-- (in my opinion) Rear Sun Shades and front sun shade should ALWAYS be used whether the vehicle is tinted down or not. Summer time or Winter time. The windows should always be cracked opened in the summer whenever possible. Even if its just one window. Cars and trucks are not cheap these days and the more aware you are of what YOU can do to slow the aging process the better it is for our investment. ie resale value.

So in my case and with my new to me E400 coupe. I went with 20% tint. DISCLAIMER... I just bought her on the 1st. I asked the dealer to send her out for tint. I told the dealer I wanted 20% all the way around. I DID NOT STIPULATE THE WANT OF CERAMIC TINT. Which is my mistake. I was SOOO excited at the time. LOLOL and I only said tint. BUUUUT....... When going 20% or darker the UV protection is pretty darn good whether using ceramic or not.

ALLLLLLLSOOOOOOOOO.......... PEEPS & PEEPETTES............ Keep in mind that the COLOR of your interior will make whatever percentage of window tint APPEAR lighter or darker. For example. Beige or white interior will make 20% look like 35%. AND 5% will look like 20%-ish. Black interior will make 20% look darker. You get the gist of it. So sorry this was so long but I really wanted the NON mechanical knowing <-- LOL to understand there are simple things that can be done to off set wood trim and interior trim fading. Who am I and what is my back ground??? I've been a back yard mechanic for 32+ years and a Motorcycle Mechanic for 15+ years. I AM NOT A MB MECHANIC. I HAVE NEVER OWNED ONE. I have owned well over 100 cars (HAND TO GOD) and I have tinted many a car. I actually found a few bubbles today on my tint that the dealer had done and I repaired it myself. LOL Its nice to pay someone else to the things I no longer feel like doing. Hahahaha.

I am also a Stationary Engineer by Trade. My job is to assess and repair. I work with voltages from 12 & 24v to 480v 3 phase daily. I am very OCD about it all. LOL. Hope this helps some of you guys. Again. So sorry it was so long. God Bless.

 

I have LLumar CTX "Dark" on all side/rear windows and Air80 on the Windshield and Sunroof. I also leave my rear sunshade up at all times. Even in the ridiculous Florida heat- my interior temps are usually low.

 

Neko, of course it stands to reason that interior trim fade is impacted by heat/uv/tint. What we're talking about here is documented early failure of the woodgrain clearcoat due to mfg defect. There is a TSB on this that relates failure to specific MB models and allows for replacement. It's a known issue for some years/models irrespective of whether the windows are tinted or not. Certainly though a car will reveal defective trim sooner if it lives outside most of its life vs garaged.

 

OH. hahahahaha.
My mistake. I did not know it wasa known issue. Thank you guys.

 

I had mine replaced about a year or so ago (last few months of the extended seven year warranty period). Arguably, I was outside the TSB period, but SA contacted MBUSA and ordered a complete set and replaced ALL the wood-dash, doors, console, etc. All of it had faded equally so it was obvious how much better the "new" wood looked. Would also have been obvious is "old" wood left in place.
Glad to hear you got some and maybe all of it replaced. I think this is one reason why it is often advantageous to use an M-B dealer for service.

 

I'm planning to replace the faded wood trims on my 2012 pre-facelift. Does anybody know if the facelift (14-16) trims will fit on a pre-facelift (10-12) model?