Earlier this year, I wrapped the front bumper spoilers and the chrome trim on the fender vents of my E53. I removed the front spoilers to apply the wrap which has held up well. Since I could not figure out how to remove the fender vents, I wrapped those in place. Initially, the wrap job on the vents looked good, but after six months the rearward edge started to bubble up. I don’t really have the experience or tools to do a professional looking job wrapping trim pieces in place.

I was determined to remove the vents and reapply the wrap. In the past I have managed to break various trim parts (EQS SUV and E53) so I have started purchasing spare parts ahead of time to better understand how they are secured.

The W214 E53 fender vents consist of three separate parts with W206 prefixed part numbers. These parts are not available individually and must be purchased as an assembly.

The part numbers for the right hand fender vent are:

Complete assembly: 214-880-24-04
Black "base" that snaps into fender cutout: 206-885-02-04
Chrome trim that snaps into base: 206-885-96-03
Black louvers that snaps into chrome trim: 206-885-04-04

The black louvers are held in place with four snap-lock tabs and two small pieces of 3M double-sided tape. The lovers can be removed relatively easily from the installed fender vent. The chrome trim is held in place with five snap-lock tabs, a small piece of 3M tape and one anchor point fused to the black base near the leading edge. The chrome trim cannot be removed intact without first disabling the fused anchor point. Since this cannot easily be done with the vent in stalled, the black base and chrome trim must be removed as a unit. The black base is secured with seven snap-lock tabs and a “hook” that extends from the front edge of the base. It is not possible to remove the front edge of the black base from the fender without first fully removing the rear edge.

Interestingly, the fender vents on the W206 C63, with a different assembly part number, are interchangeable with the fender vents on the E53. Even more interesting, is the part numbers for the three vent components are exactly the same for the C63 and E53, even though the black base and chrome trim are designed slightly differently. On the C63, the chrome trim is secured with six snap-lock tabs and no fused anchor points. In other words, the C63 chrome trim can easily be removed while the fender vent is installed.

I don’t know the procedures MB techs would use to remove the E53 fender vents. But, this is the approach I used:

1) Remove the black louver by releasing the four snap-lock tabs from the back side and use wedges to separate the louver from the chrome trim until all four tabs are unlocked.
2) Release the five snap-lock tabs on the chrome trim and pry the rear edge of the trim away to expose the black base.
3) Release the rearward snap-lock tabs on the black base and work forward until all seven tabs are unlocked. Then shift the base rearwards to allow the “hook” on the front edge to clear the fender.


Bubbled up wrap applied with vent installed.


Gently removing louver.


Rear edge of chrome trim pulled away from black base.


Black base partially removed.


Wrap reapplied in silver. No more bubbles.

 

I scraped the fused section of the forward anchor point away with a chisel-shaped Xacto blade. Applying the wrap to the chrome trim was much easier once the two parts were separated. In order to secure the front edge of the chrome trim I drilled a 1.4mm hole through the tab and "socket" so I could use a small 1.2mm R-clip to secure the trim. I attached a wire tie loop to the R-clip to facilitate removal if I need to rewrap the trim in the future. The chrome trim is reattached to the black base before installing the assembly into the fender.

I will be able to remove the R-clip and the chrome trim while the black base remains installed on the fender. But the black base will have to also be removed in order to reinstall the R-clip.


Back side of E53 fender vent.


Chrome trim separated from black base.


Drilled hole through tab and socket using pin vise. Shaved small notch into locking tab in order to properly position drill bit.


Small 1.2mm R-clip used to secure front anchor point.

 

Great write up. So all that engineering went into what is a totally faux / bogus vent? Is there any actual function?

 

Photo of black AMG Night Package C63 fender vent showing the slightly different design with six snap-lock tabs securing the trim to the black base. This part will fit the E53 fender, but, only the outer louver part is exactly the same for the W206 C63 and W214 E53.


W206 C63 fender vent. No fused anchor point. W206 specific assembly part number.

 

The fender vent is not functional. However, on the driver side it may provide access to the hose connections for the windshield washer reservoir. But this is probably not necessary since the regular W214 sedans don't have a fender vent. Note: I am assuming those hoses are for the windshield washer fluid, but not absolutely certain.


Driver side fender vent removed.

 

In case anyone is interested in purchasing a slightly damaged E53 fender vent to study how it is secured to the car, I posted one for sale in MBWorld Marketplace.

https://mbworld.org/forums/market/919488