you should create a new thread for this - it’s going to get lost in the shuffle here.

 

This past Thursday, August 28th marked 1 year since I took delivery of my 2025 E450. Actual build date was July 1st, but I'm basing it off when I took delivery so maybe more like an anniversary than a birthday. I posted the first pictures one year ago today so I thought, why not post some more a year later. It was due for a 5K oil change so I changed the oil on Friday and then gave her a good wash on Saturday before taking these pictures. Car still looks great. Here I have the Vossen HF7 wheels on which will always hold my summer tires and the original 20" Multi-Spoke AMG wheels has my winter tires on them to go on towards the end of November. Current mileage is 14,750 which is quite a bit more per year than I see many others putting on their cars. It's my daily driver after all and the car still looks great! I usually wash it every 1-2 weeks depending on how dirty it gets, but it stays in the garage so a lot of times, it's just dust and pollen along with some bugs on the front end.

 

Looks great! Are you putting any of the ceramic type sprays on the paint - like MaxL, Ethos, Chemical Guys, etc.?

 

I've used a couple different ones and even did an old fashioned carnauba wax. Lately I've been using TurtleWax Hybrid Wet Spray Ceramic wax. It's used like a drying agent to help with drying. I don't spray it on the wet paint like the directions say. Instead, I spray a little at a time into the pressure washer spray stream after the car is fully rinsed. I go around the entire car with the pressure washer in one hand and the spray bottle in the other. Then I dry like normal. Car comes out very slick and hydrophobic. It lasts a while, like maybe a few months, but I reapply every wash because it's so easy. Works great. I've thought about a professional ceramic coating but I haven't justified the cost just yet.

 

My mileage is also racing along. I just crossed 7800 miles today, but my car is younger, with the purchase date being in February of this year.

 

L1Wolf - I always appreciate your thoughtful replies - on many of the threads. Could you send pics of what you are doing - you have inspired me to wash/ wax myself this time in time for her anniversary.

 

I don't have pics as that's kind of hard to do while holding a pressure washer and a spray bottle. I got the idea from DYI Detail (below) where they were cleaning an engine bay and used this technique but also mention that you can do this with paint as well. I thought, why not do that with ceramic wet wax and decided to try it. Works great. The wet wax I'm using is Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Wet Wax.

 

I used a polish called "Adam's Polishes Advanced Graphene Ceramic Coating" on my car. In theory, this is supposed to last for 9+ years, and once cured, the coating is said to be several times stronger than steel. I had to park my car for several days, waiting for the coating to cure well. And one also has to refrain from washing the car with soap for over a week or so (I did not wash it for 3 weeks, while it sat, curing, in my garage).

The carwash soap I use (for regular washing) is a German product called "Kochchemie Gentle Snow Foam - pH Neutral" and I use deionized water (similar to distilled water) to do the washing/rinsing. I use an electric pressure washer that siphons water from a bucket to do the washing, and what goes into the bucket is the de-ionized water.

 

Here's a picture of her taken today, but after driving over a 150 miles, and thus has a patina of dust on the car:

 

Looks great! Can't see any dust. What roof cross bars do you have on that?

 

Those are Mercedes OEM Roof-cross-bars for the All-Terrain Wagon. As per the specs, they can take a dynamic load of 220lbs. and a static load that's 3 times that (660 lbs).

 

Here is the wagon at work yesterday... bringing home some sheet goods for a little home improvement project... it is a Thule rack. I got the widest rails they had (60") so I could fit 4x8 sheets on it easily and so I would be able to lean the sheets against the ends without danger of touching my precious car (!) while lifting them onto the rack when working by myself. Had to do a little metal working to get them to fit, but they work great.

Oh, yes... and that is my trophy wife throwing gang signs!

 

pictures of the S214 at home...

 

 

Beautiful. Love the red calipers. I may have get mine done in red.

 

Looks fantastic. I especially love the classic grill with the hood ornament, and wish that option was available here in the US.

 

Since the forum member you mentioned has an E 53, which the classic grille and hood ornament was indeed retrofitted on.

 

I can't stop loving this 1 of 1 worldwide sleeper W214 E 53 with the classic grille, keep the pictures coming

 

I don't think this is a retrofit. It is a factory option. Since he's in Europe, I suppose they have more options.

 

Actually it is indeed a retrofit, I was following along with Tim from his factory order to installing the grille. Factory is the panamericana grille on the E 53.

 

Here you go : )
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ml#post9129833
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ml#post9050586
Hence why we call it a sleeper, the luxury grille was never an option on the E 53 but regular pedestrian models estate.

I mean even the S 63 W223 gets the panamericana grille now so there is that as well.

 

Oh wow, ok. If so, then I'd like to explore the retrofitting of the classic grille on my E450, including the hood ornament. Is there a thread where this retrofit process was laid out ?

 

Ask Tim : )

 

This was how it was before OP's retrofit.https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ml#post9130674

If I read it correctly, OP paid the dealership for the retrofit,
just ask him : )

 

Here is another forum member that retrofitted it on a regular W214 https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ml#post9125897
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ml#post9125921
It was a great thread as well. I recommend reading the whole thread. It contains part numbers and many pictures.