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So, first post here. I just purchased a 2011 e550 three days ago and the first thing I wanted to do was replace the front grille and hood star and get a lowering module. But I may have purchased the grille too soon. My car has distronic and I am reading all sorts of issues with distronic and aftermarket grilles. I really don’t even want the distronic function but I don’t want to loose the other features like blindspot sensing. Can I install the grille and just disable the distronic function? Or even attach the factory plate behind the grille or lower grille, something along those lines? I’m also curious about distronic center star options if I could somehow get that to work with the new grille. Any input would be appreciated.
So, first post here. I just purchased a 2011 e550 three days ago and the first thing I wanted to do was replace the front grille and hood star and get a lowering module. But I may have purchased the grille too soon. My car has distronic and I am reading all sorts of issues with distronic and aftermarket grilles. I really don’t even want the distronic function but I don’t want to loose the other features like blindspot sensing. Can I install the grille and just disable the distronic function? Or even attach the factory plate behind the grille or lower grille, something along those lines? I’m also curious about distronic center star options if I could somehow get that to work with the new grille. Any input would be appreciated.
i have 2010 E550 RWD. Car body is the same as yours.
I purchased the front star grille from 55Tech for my first MB E350 that did not have distronic.
When I got the E550 with distronic I purchased the distronic star and installed it to the grille. Has worked flawlessly just like with original grille.
Installing the star was a little job but I think they sell or did sell grilles with the Distronic star on them already.
And i I need to correct you. After you use the Distronic a bit you will want it and won’t buy a car without it anymore.
You can disable the radar sensor in the cluster menu but with it desabled you will not have cruise control at all.
The grille change is very easy job. The only tool you need is a 13 mm socket wrench, rest is plastic clips.
No cable to the star.
I have to correct, it is 10 mm, not 13 mm.
Just today installed the star grille. I take turns with the looks of the front. The Distronic star I have is actually not the "painted" MB Distronic star. I remembered when I saw it that I only got the plastic round blank that I installed the star from the grille that I bought from 55Tech. This is the metal chrome plated star in front of the Distronic radar sensor and the Distronic works just fine. I have read many posts where people say that a big bug or like in front of the sensor would cause a problem but for some reason the metal star does not.
I also installed the hood badge that I bought from dfwdude when he used to make these. best hood badge ever been available.
Thanks for all the info! I put my grille on over the weekend and of course the distronic would not work with the emblem that came with it. I had a distronic star that I ordered but it would not fit into the grille. I sent it back and ordered part number 0008880011. This one looks like it should fit. I’ll update with results when it comes in.
So I finally got a grille installed with a working distronic emblem. I originally tried an all honeycomb grille with different oem distronic emblems but couldn’t get any of them to fit. It would have taken a lot of cutting. So I settled on the one below that was advertised to work with distronic. It works great and I think looks pretty damn good.
So I purchased my grille from ebay, here is the LINK. I thought it looked like the one from 55tech too but mine specifically said works with DTR distronic. The emblem came already installed. I cannot tell if the emblem is oem or not but it looks kind of like this one. Hope this helps.
So I purchased my grille from ebay, here is the LINK. I thought it looked like the one from 55tech too but mine specifically said works with DTR distronic. The emblem came already installed. I cannot tell if the emblem is oem or not but it looks kind of like this one. Hope this helps.
The link you shared says that it doesn’t come with the distronic, looks only, did you have to buy the distronic separately? Also has your aftermarket distronic been working since you replaced it?
The link you shared says that it doesn’t come with the distronic, looks only, did you have to buy the distronic separately? Also has your aftermarket distronic been working since you replaced it?
Distronic is factory option... not aftermarket. The grill is simply compatible with OE Distronic system, since the sensor resides behind the grill.
The one I bought from 55Tech with Distronic worked fine in the dry although the product quality compared to OEM was questionable at best. Get it wet in a car wash or rain and all kinds of errors popped up. It does not have the plastic surround that covers the sensor like the OEM grill does. It was simply Chinese garbage for a whole lot of money and all for nothing.
I ended up putting the factory OEM grill back on and have forgotten about it. Non of the ones I have seen, have the plastic that wraps around the sensor to protect it from moisture. They just simply protect the face of the grill only. The do not protect the housing like the OEM does.
I too had 55Tech grill with distronic option on a pre facelift W212 and never had any issues. I`ve had the grill for a couple years , the distronic part is located in the sealed plastic box located right behind the star and never had any rain/carwash interference nor any interferences at all.
As for the 55Tech quality, yea, it is a very cheapy made part but i think it was like $150 or so.
You get what you paid for
I too had 55Tech grill with distronic option on a pre facelift W212 and never had any issues. I`ve had the grill for a couple years , the distronic part is located in the sealed plastic box located right behind the star and never had any rain/carwash interference nor any interferences at all.
As for the 55Tech quality, yea, it is a very cheapy made part but i think it was like $150 or so.
You get what you paid for
Mine every time the car would get wet, it would say Distronic disabled and the orange lights in the mirrors would stay on while I am driving. Once the whatever dries up, the lights go out, proximity lights work again as designed and distronic message goes away. It usually took about 10 minutes or so of driving after I exit the car wash. Once I put the OEM grill back on, problem was gone. Also, not splitting hairs here, but that so called Distronic grill was $ 250.00 that went into the trash.
Yeah maybe. The OEM grill has a plastic housing that wraps around the sensor or the box behind the grill. The aftermarket from them did not have that. It only had the solid face behind the logo but nothing in the back of the grill. Oh well, I'll live with mine. I may either paint or wrap the silver fins and keep the chrome exposed. The suck was that it was so cheaply made, as careful as I was removing it from the car , most tabs broke right off. They were so thin. So I threw it away. Looked like a one time install thing . There was no removing and reinstalling that sucker.
04-05-2019, 04:48 PM
