GOBP

The G I drove has gone through a complete mechanical overhaul and part of the brake job did involve brake fluid change/bleeding. Perhaps I'm expecting too much from a nearly 6K lb. truck, but heck, my old Cayenne Turbo would stop pretty well, but of course, this is nothing like that.

I hear you about leaving space and trust me, I do, will do more so now with this one.... Unfortunately for me, seems as if people down here have a death wish with the way they drive (cutting in and out of traffic with no warning among many other unsafe moves). Don't even get me started with the motorcycle delivery guys. Let's just say I will not be removing the brush guard anytime soon

G212

I have a G55 and it stops on a dime--my other car is a 997 C2s with Brembos so I am constantly comparing it to that. This truck would benefit from some larger and fixed calipers, but meanwhile, try EBC red pads, steel braided lines, and good brake fluid and a good bleed/flush, and of course proper bedding in. Oh and your tires are probably the biggest factor also.

Possible issues:
0-Your knuckles grease is flying all around and some of it flew onto the disk/pad on the inside (no brake shields on these) and half of rotor was lubricated nicely and didn't make proper contact with pad due to the heavy grease
1-Brakes need to be bled/fluid flushed
2-Leaking master cylinder
3-Pistons not properly extended to the pad / when retracting pistons leave master cylinder cap open, then close, then when bleeding pump pedal enough times so that pistons are making proper contact with pad, and pad with the rotor
4-Try different brake fluid
5-Try braided steel brake lines
6-Brake upgrade

GOBP

Thanks for all of the tips! Apparently I’m getting the truck next week, so I’ll be sure to follow each and every one the suggestions listed.

JD101b

Though not as elegant or impressive as Shiann's solutions are, replacing your incandescent bulbs with LED's makes a big improvement. I've swapped out all the IC bulbs on my G. The running and brake lights are significantly brighter than stock (at least 2x) but still don't dazzle as there seems to be a cutoff of sorts. I'd like to find even brighter bulbs for the rear fog and reverse seeing as you only get one of each, but they're at least 50% brighter than stock so it is an improvement.

JD101b

Curious to know how you end up treating the underside...I got on a creeper, donned a respirator and glasses and went to town with 6-7 cans of B'Laster surface shield. Any plans yet?

shiann

That is also my plan, except scraping off loose rust and flaking paint, then hitting some worse spots with some rust reformer first and let it dry before going to town with surface shield.

GOBP

Shiann: you going to dry ice blast your underside first? Just wondering what the prep will be like and if you have considered such measure.

shiann

I did consider dry ice blasting but won't be for this round. Main reason is cost and it's not something I can DIY unless I buy a machine (which I have definitely thought about! Definitely no time now to run a side business dry ice blasting cars)

The second reason is I don't want to strip off the old stuff that is under there that is still in good condition. I'll address the areas that don't have any protection left, and clean up the areas that have flaking paint or rust, then use rust reformer, and recoat as many times as I can with surface shield.

shiann

135k miles.

Haven't updated in a while with the busy summer in full swing, but that's not to say things haven't been eventful.

My neighbor lives behind my house in a 70 acre public nature space (all woods) on top of a large hill/small mountain, and has been clearing the steep old driveway the past few months to start using it again. We've gone up and down it in a 4wd golf-cart type thing a few times, but I had to get up there in the G of course.

Video here:

Overall it went great. Getting up was fine with only a center and rear locker (probably didn't need either), but I decided not to come down given how narrow it was and the large wash-outs from rain storms the past 10 years this drive hasn't been used. I ran into issues when my Transfer case wouldn't engage H after switching to L. Then got the dreaded TC in Neutral dash warning.

I was able to slowly roll along and engage low gear again and limped the paved way back to the house. Safe to say the wife was not happy at all.



I tried all the suggested things, TC reset procedure, rocking the G back and forth to and holding the buttons, nothing worked. I removed the TC motor and inspected, and on the exterior plastic gears, it all looked really good. You can't get to see the internal plastic gears without disassembling the entire motor which means un-peening part of the housing that holds the cover plate on.
I even tried to see if the motor was still spinning when the switch was pressed, which it was, so I was stumped why the TC wouldn't engage. The only real other option was to replace the TC motor as the internal plastic gear may have been worn out, or the motor may just be too weak to actually engage the gear.



Video of the TC motor spinning out of the TC case when buttons pressed.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Hm_tOx0q5pk

I had not yet drained the Transfer case since getting the G, knowing the previous owner had just drained and refilled with Redline. I was pretty surprised to find some really dirty gear oil. No metallic flakes or shiny glitter, but really really dirty for sure. Glad I decided to change the TC fluid, and I think this may have been one of the reasons the TC Motor wasn't strong enough to engage the H/L gears.


Back when I purchased all of the Amsoil Severe Gear for the Diff housings, I also got the recommended GL-4 Manual Trans & Transaxle Lube for the TC. Of course I was dumb and only purchased 2 qts, so needed to order at least 1qt more. I decided to order a second set at the same time, and I'll proceed to redrain the fluid at the next oil change to hopefully see it all cleared up.


My TC motor overall looked good and still worked, but just not enough to shift into H/L gear. I'll disassemble it completely when I get some time to see what the internal gear looks like, but that's a fun "when I get to it" project.


I did try to use the plastic gear removed from the TC motor, and made a manual lever that connected using the large gear teeth. My FDM printer just wasn't accurate enough to form the small gear teeth.


I was actually able to turn the TC gears a lot, but couldn't engage either gear. I found that turning counter-clockwise would engage High, and clockwise would engage Low. I think this actually could have worked pretty easily, I would just need to be under the G while someone else was rocking it back and forth to allow the axles to spin enough to line up. Pretty sketchy for sure! I do think this would be a pretty nice emergency tool to have if going on a long trip or off-road adventure where a last ditch effort is needed to reengage the TC. I'll probably hold onto it for the future.


New Transfer Case Motor in from FCPEuro for the nice cool cost of $650. Yeesh.


Installation is easy. There are only 4 Allen head bolts, 2x 5mm and 2x 6mm. Do yourself a favor and get some short 1/4" Allen sockets for this. Not enough room to the body to fit in a 3/8" Allen socket, and the keys get lame really quick.

One thing I discovered with the new TC motor, it still doesn't directly engage when pressing the button. If you shift the transmission to N and hit the L or H button, it will attempt to engage but just keep spinning till it stalls. At that point, if you put the Transmission in P and turn the car off, it will fall into the H/L gear you previously selected. The H/L letter still won't come on on the dash, but I really don't care about that.

I still haven't taken the G to the dealership to perform the 'relearn' procedure for the TC motor as I refuse to pay the dealer $400 for a diagnostic fee + whatever else they want to charge, so we've been living with the annoying "TC in Neutral" message and beep for a few weeks now. I'm planning to just buy a MB Star/Xentry system so I can do all of the electronic work myself in the future and not have to rely on the dealer. I have a spare Lenovo laptop for this already, just need to find the best source to get a C3 or C4 system.



I also found my door handle fix wasn't strong enough and will need a slight redesign. This handle worked for maybe 20-30 pulls before it lost tension again.


I redesigned the bracket to have much thicker walls, and oriented the print perpendicular to avoid the same failure mode. Still need to find time to install these and test them out at length before thinking about selling these as repair kits.


Now the big project. I finally was able to collect all the parts to build/rebuild the rear cargo area storage solution. This is the layout I came up with. Old 10" Alpine-R subwoofer in a sealed box on the top left, Frontrunner wolfpack with recovery gear in the bottom left, space for hard mounting/wiring my air compressor top right, and a full 22" deep drawer bottom right.
I decided just to go with a 22" deep drawer since I had a ton of 22" full extension soft-close drawer slides already, and I wanted the extra space behind for an air compressor box, to make airing up/down a breeze in the future.


I used 3/4" plywood for the sides and top (top was the same piece I used for the shelf previously trimmed down), and had some old Ikea particle board shelves I used as the bottom pieces. The dimensions came out to 37 7/8" across (right between the anchor bolt heads), 33" deep, and 12.5" high. I made mine slightly taller to house the subwoofer, but perfectly flush with the rear seats down is ~11in.
Construction was made using pocket holes, then driving in 2.5" deck screws to secure the boards. I even edge-banded the front edges for a nicer finish (really not necessary).

Test fitting the box to make sure I didn't mess up the dimensions:


Checking the clearance to the rear seats. I left this gap slightly larger to be able to reach into the gap if needed. With both rear seats latched down and folded flat, there is just enough room for me to squeeze my arm in the side of the 1/3 bench and reach the lever to unlatch the seats to fold up.


I cut and added the rubber mat back on from the previous shelf and added the excess into the wolfpack/subwoofer side so things don't slide around as much. I really wanted to leave it wood colored since it looked so good, but in the end decided to paint it flat black with a top coat of satin poly.


The black blends in much better overall. Here it is all loaded into the rear. I used an RV door handle/latch for the latching mechanism with is all metal and pretty quality, as well as lockable. I added large D-rings on the sides of the boxes to hold it down to the factory D-Ring cargo load points, and added 4 more for tying down whatever I end up storing on top.


Drawer is a nice normal 22" depth, but pretty wide and deep. It holds all of the normal things we normally carried in an open crate in the back. I also drilled shelf pin holes every few inches if I ever want to add drawer dividers. Now, everything has a place including the stroller that stows away nicely on the side over the wheel well.


Got to do some light off-roading and see a bunch of hot air balloons launch in Central NJ the past weekend. Lots of fun for the family for sure.


Also picked up 2 small future install projects. First, a replacement dash cluster screen to replace mine that is really difficult to see during the day time. Purchased from Amazon from Tanin Auto Electronix for $74. Reviews are good so it should work well.


Also picked up some new W463a style tail lights from iJDMTOY (Amazon). I was about to purchase the older oval style, but saw these were coming on the market from a lot of different vendors and wanted to wait for the updated look. iJDMTOY sells lots of LED lights for the G so at least there is a company behind the products, but we'll see how well they work. There are resistors wired in so hopefully they just work without any issues much like the older style did for many G owners. I still don't know if I'll like the updated/modern style vs the OE lights, but it's a simple installation, so can always go back if needed. The wife likes them so what she says goes anyway.


Cheers!

Tricky Rick

OP... I just cannot say THANK YOU enough for all your diligent work that you have done to your G and then... taking the time to post it all here! I have spent the past several days reading this WHOLE thread from start to finish. It pointed out to me (A new G owner as of last week) where I need to concentrate for future preventative maintenance. I am so glad this forum has someone like you who posts his achievements and failures so we can all learn via you! I am a "hands on" person as well... Though I do not have a 3D printer! lol|

I truly do appreciate your time!

Thanks again!

Rick

shiann

137.5k miles

Took a quick last minute long weekend trip up north to the land beyond the boarder - Montreal. The G did great with 4 adults (myself, wife, parents) and the kid. The storage drawer worked great for organizing all of the recovery, emergency, and cleaning gear, and all the platform storage worked great for keeping everything nice and organized. Totaled ~800 miles and averaged 11.7mpg.
G was absolutely filthy after driving through a few rain storms and many active construction zones.



Got a little bit of time to tackle a few nagging issues with the G.
First, the front passenger door lock actuator has been weak/not functioning properly intermittently for a while now. Took apart the door to replace the actuator that I've actually had since I purchased the G.


Old vs new Actuator. The 'strength' of the actuator was actually very noticeable. The old actuator would barely push the lock pin up with even the smallest amount of finger pressure on it. New actuator was much stronger.


Any simple repair job isn't complete without a "while I was in there" side project right? Took apart the door handles to clean up the push button and replace the O-ring. Also did the same to the driver side front door.


For the rear door inner handles, I replaced the V1.0 3D printed/designed cable holder with the beefier versions. So far, both rear doors work well. I think one of my cables is stretched as it doesn't return the door handle to the correct position, and if not tied on, the cable hook will fall off the handle. Some zip ties will work well enough for now though. Will further test this V2.0 to see how well it holds up.


Also finally got some time to install the new LED tail lights from iJDMTOY. I purchased these off Amazon but you can get them straight from their website as well.
Seems like there are tons of sellers/companies marketing these same lights. I wanted the ones from iJDMTOY as there's at least a company I can contact that has sold more than one part. Maybe not any real assurance, but better in my eyes.

Overall, they look good and work well. No error codes after wiring them up, and the install was so-so.

Using the OE screws to attach the brackets was quick.


This is where I noticed the first issue. The screws included are too long. Screwing them tight will dig into the panel behind and never get tight. I had to trim the screws from 26mm long down to 18mm long.


Screws trimmed on my disc sander.


On the other side (outside mounting bracket), the whole assembly slides into the bracket, but can never get tight as there is such a large gap. The bracket should sit flat into the recess, but there is a ton of material missing to actually hold the bracket tightly.


I 3D printed a ramp to take up the dead space, and also had to trim off the unused mounting bosses so the tail light could slide correctly. This bracket looks like the same that was used on the previous version LED tail lights, so was just reused, which is why they don't work 100% correctly.


Wiring the lights was easy by following the directions. I used these solder-seal connectors and was impressed how easy they were. Will use these more in the future when needing sealed solder connections.


The tail lights fit ~90%. On the outside corner of the lights, since the lights slide onto the bracket, there is no mechanical way to pull them tight to the body with the included brackets. The included gaskets are actually really nice and fit well to the body, just can't get tight enough.


On the passenger side, I have a ~1mm gap on the top corner. On the driver side, it's more like a 2mm gap and extends the entire top of the tail light, and tapers to 1mm on the inside by the cargo door hinge. Definitely not great for keeping water away from the load resistors and the tail light cavity. So I will have to figure out a better solution. My plan is to redesign the bracket and 3d print a new set. I plan to keep the design very similar, but have larger ramps to pull the tail light body closer to the body. For now it will probably be ok. I don't think the other V1 LED tail lights fit well either according to reviews, so this may overall be a non-issue. I want to keep water out of the cavity so will redesign.


New on the right, and old on the left. All 3 lights fully lit up (running, turn signal, brake light). The new lights are much brighter in person, which is good for safety, and look significantly more modern.


Both lights installed and how they look when not lit up. The red color is pretty nice and the inner geometry looks good - sculpted well and not cheap. Still not 100% sure about the more modern look, so I'll be keeping my original tail lights for the time being. Plus, all the rest of my lights have been updated significantly, so these fit better with the look overall. Also the wife likes them better, so they're staying for now.


Running lights on. The turn signals are much more orange than the running lights, and can 'blink' as sequential also, but I kept it as a solid blinking bar.



Cheers!

Tricky Rick

Interesting with the rear lights. I bought similar ones from Amazon and love them. I bought the matching set to replace the rear fog and reverse. In hindsight... I think the set you bought is brighter for brake lights than mine... I wanted another set to REALLY warn people that 6,000 pounds is coming to a rest!

shiann

That style is what I would call the V1 style that many different vendors sold. I was originally planning on using those, but when I saw the newer W463A styled lights from a few vendors, I decided to wait and get the set I wanted. One thing I really wanted was the light housing to be lower profile, which I believe the W463A style lights are slightly, but not even close to the actual W463A lights.

One thing about the older style that I see that is definitely better, is that it uses 2 screws to mount the lights, so you can really compress the gaskets. The newer style I have only has 1 screw on each side as I explained above.

It's difficult to show how bright my lights are, but it is significant during the day and night compared to the OE lights. Cameras always adjust exposure and blend colors at night so it's difficult to compare pictures.

shiann

139.5k

It's been a busy month with a lot of driving, and a lot of rain.

My rear cargo door has never been aligned correctly, and after installing the cargo drawer box, I saw that the door was actually sitting incorrectly on the door alignment block. It was about 1/4" too low, so I took out the jack, disassembled some of the interior, and went to raise the whole door up. Worked well overall, but need to readjust now to angle the top of the cargo door in towards the body now. It's sitting proud about 1/8", but now the door closes significantly easier and the 'thud' is a lot cleaner than before.


We also had a company retreat/get-together up at Autocamp Catskills, so of course I volunteered to drive up and carry a bunch of company swag, supplies, etc. I added Harbor Freight's foldable hitch cargo carrier to carry 4 additional 27 gal totes. This setup worked surprisingly well and came in very handy. Didn't feel it at all back there driving during the downpour either.


The back was completely packed full top to bottom. Another instance I'm glad I have a rear view camera.


Made it up in pretty good time, and of course the G was a beast during the rain storm. This Autocamp site is also super nice and was a ton of fun to spend a few days up here with coworkers spread all over the country that I rarely get to interact with.


I also found that the iJDMTOY W463a style headlights have sort of contoured themselves to the body. The gap on both sides is noticeably better than when I first installed. 2k miles on them now and they're working perfectly.


I don't think I ever showed a full rear view with lights on during the day. The LED tails really are much brighter than OEM, and threw on the rear fogs with red backlight to show what it all looks like. A really large improvement in light output for sure, and modernizing the rear as well.


A fellow forum member reached out a few weeks back letting me know he had a MB STAR/XENTRY C4 setup that he hasn't gotten to use much yet, but if I wanted to prod around and provide some info to the community, that he would send it to me to borrow. Thanks Shane!
There were a few hiccups getting everything up and running, but once everything was set up correctly, the whole system worked like a dream.


For me, the first task at hand was to run the re-learn process for the transfer case to set the H/L positions for the TC motor I replaced a few months back. A little poking around and it was done in a minute or so!


Second task was to look for how I could remove the Navigation system from the instrument cluster in order to be able to set the time through the cluster.
Found this menu and set AUDIO, CTEL cellular telephone, and Navigation System to NOT PRESENT. Now when scrolling through the instrument cluster menu, there is no NAVIGATION ---- or AUDIO ---- screens. I was also able to set the time!!


Setting the time is such a small detail, but it drives me crazy that I couldn't set the time and that it was always off. I had, at one point, contemplated unplugging the battery and waiting till the cluster time was accurate, then reconnecting the battery. No time though.
Also notice the H for the TC Case indicator. Finally back now that the system was programmed correctly.


I'll start a separate thread on the MB STAR/XENTRY features/functions and how to do certain actions as I have yet to see a tread dedicated to that with pictures, and easy tutorials. If anyone has any specific questions about XENTRY or where to find things, let me know and I'll write a post about it.

Cheers everyone!

shiann

Got the oil analysis back from Blackstone Labs and the M113k was given a clean bill of health!

The plan is to keep running oil analysis every change, along with the other fluids, to keep on top of any early signs of wear in the engine/driveline.




Cheers!

Mklokholm

Hey Everyone.
I'm new as a member, but been following for a long time and really enjoying reading about your projects and knowledge - And wow the guides and explanations @shiann it's facinating - good work!
I've got a G55 from end 2005 which i've had for 4 years and 150k kilometers.
I've just started to give it the big refresh tour, (Shifter assembly, renovated Kompressor, LCD display, G63 facelift exterior, Rims, and soon doing headliner, seats and steering wheel.)

HELP
My headunit screen died the other day, and i'm now in the looks for a aftermarket one. But the aftermarket suppliers can't really help me - and don't even want to give me an offer to do the work - so i'll do it myself.
Can i get a plug'n'play aftermarket unit? or do i need one that is fiberoptic compatible and or Fiber decoder?!

I hope you can help since i've searched everywhere and cannot find the answer (I do not have Bose or Harman Kardon speakers.)

Tricky Rick

Look up Belsee custom Android units. I just bought a custom 9" screen for my 2003 G55. The only issue is that I cannot get the 4G to work but as I always have my cell phone with me... It connects wirelessly to take my calls, so it takes over for maps and such. Go to their main page and work your way down the line to find you model year to see what is available. They are pretty much plug and play. You do lose some of COMAND.... But i had a Kenwood unit installed in mine when i bought it and I actually got back a few COMAND functions.

This is the one I have... And the one you want.
Belsee Best Aftermarket 9 inch Touch Screen DAB Radio Replacement Stereo Upgrade for Mercedes Benz CLK-W209/C209 W168 W203 Viano W463 Vito Vaneo Wireless Apple CarPlay Android 12 Auto Head Unit Sat Nav GPS Navigation Audio VIdeo Multimedia Player System

shiann

What country are you in?

I'm not sure what your stereo setup if you don't have the HK system. Do you have the OEM amplifier under the driver seat? Any Part numbers on it? Subwoofer under the rear bench seat? CD Changer in the cargo area?
I know that earlier G's from 2002-2004 did have non-premium audio systems that did not have an amplifier, subwoofer, or any fiber optic circuits at all.

There are countless sources for the new android type units like the one linked above. They are relatively cheap overall (the electronics and screen themselves), but there is usually an upcharge for the mounting bezels and wiring. The unit above is priced pretty well overall without a crazy G-Wagon markup. These are all MUCH better than the older android 10 options with smaller screens.

Depending on your country, Ali-baba or Ali-Express may be a better source if Amazon/Ebay are not available.

Mklokholm

Thanks for fast reply and the recommendation. @Tricky Rick
I did have a look at that previous - really been checking everything out i could find, but got confused because i got mixed info regarding the fiber optic.
Do you have the Harman Becker amplifier under your drivers seat?

@shiann Thanks for fast reply - 'm Located in Denmark in Europe I have the Harman Becker Amplifier as mentioned above under the driver seat and no CD changer, but i do have the fiber optic for the cd changer i think and the cables in the amplifier could also look a bit liek fiber optic. see picture

Tricky Rick

Yes... I have the exact same amp. Yes... I was confused a little too as Belsee has a fiber optic kit but the communication with "Rambo" at their corp office was a little lost in translation as to whether I needed it or not. I winged it without and it all seemed plug and play with 3-4 wires needing to be spliced for power, ground, ACC, etc.

I have to say... After loading up a USB stick with thousands of classic rock songs... I really think the stock speakers and amp in the G have made this one of the best sound systems that I have heard in a vehicle. Definitely the best stock sound system I have heard. I *MAY* replace the 6" subwoofer in the rear, but I am not sure yet as I haven't even popped the cover on that yet to check its condition. My main goal for my G (Since I bought it in July) was to do everything from a preventative maintenance perspective before I went into what is pleasing to the ear or eye. I've pretty much finished that.

Next up are 2022 style side mirrors. I have them but not sure I want to wire for power fold or not at this point. Plus I still need to prime them, spray them silver and then clearcoat them. I am also going to be taking out all my wood trim and skinning it with carbon fiber. I'm actually REALLY looking forward to that! Next up might be to buy a 2022 front end and lower brush bar. But I am not sure about that yet as I get so many compliments on it the way it is. It has been very well taken care of by an enthusiast and seriously looks like it is 2 years old... Not 20.

Mklokholm

Great to hear.
Unfortunately i just tried to order from Belsee homepage and it makes fault when trying to pay,
I then tried to write their support on the homepage, which is also making fault.
Phone number is not working either.
When did you receive and install yours?

Looks like i need to find another supplier.

Ahh that sounds great, I was afraid i needed to do complete hifi workover.

Sounds great, yea i also started with all the mechanical stuff etc, only thing left exterior wise is i need to do rust on 2 doors on the window frame and on the trunk door. That is planned for January.

Tricky Rick

Yeah... I had a fault with Paypal when I tried to get their TPMS sensors... I had already bought the head unit. I ended up having to buy the head unit via Chrome instead of MS Edge. Just a thought to try.

shiann

I think the overall sound using the OE speakers and OE amp was ok overall. The OE amp is just really underpowered. The real surprising improvement was adding a better (more powerful) amplifier with the OE speakers. I would say easily 2x better volume and significantly better clarity. Unfortunately, there aren't many aftermarket amps with DSPs built in that work easily with the G's system as you'll need 6 channels + 2 subwoofer channels. JL Audio makes an 8 channel 75W/channel with DSP amp but it's like $1500. JL Audio and Audiocontrol both make 6 channel amps with DSPs if you power the subwoofer independently (separate amp) but you're still looking at $1-2k without install.

The subwoofer isn't worth replacing with something like the Kicker 6.75" unless you have a separate amp. The OE amp drives it at ~10-20W total. There are drop in replacements that you can get from parts-express if yours are blown for an easy replacement since the Kicker 6.75 requires some trimming of the mounting panel to fit correctly - not drop in. And even the Kicker 6.75" rated at 150W RMS really isn't enough for the cabin space of the G and gets overwhelmed quickly. Good for some low end fill, but nothing really more than that.

I'm a fan of these new android units, but really just don't like the location of the DD slot down so low. Nor do I like the spot of having a screen so high up mounted above the diff lock buttons/vents. When I have some more time, I'm going to explore how much effort it will be to move the diff lock buttons to the current DD slot, redirecting the vents, and adding the same type of android screen in that location. Will need to get a 3D scanner for that job though.

shiann

141k

Miles are slowly creeping up. Gearing up on maintenance items and fixing a few annoying rattles and things before our annual trip down to FL (1200 miles each way)

I've been sitting on 5 oil changes worth of waste oil for the G for the past few years and it finally came time to fill out all the paperwork and return/warranty it at FCPEuro. Refund credits haven't come it yet, but it should be a nice sum for replacement parts/more upgrades in the future.


My first time visiting was a pretty nice trip. Got to talk to some of the employees and got to check out some of their cool builds. Of course, didn't take the G as to not waste a million gallons of gas.


Next up, I found a cheap Android powered Carplay/Android Auto screen that I think fits well for the early interior W463's. It's close to the same width as the vents/center stack, but pretty short, so doesn't obstruct the view out of the windshield.


It's nice and convenient how it auto-connects and I only had to run 2 wires (power and a reverse camera), and I'll also be able to position a reverse camera low by the license plate for an actual reversing view. Everything else is wireless which is nice. The unit was cheap (~$100) so a low cost of entry compared to some of the G specific advertised solutions. The unit is relatively slow in processing speed, but I'll evaluate and see how well it works on all types of trips over the next few months to see if it's worth keeping or not. I think the perfect placement will be to be half inset into the same real-estate as the vents, so it barely sticks out over the dash, or even fully occupying the space of the vents and locker switches. This would require moving the vents and locker switch module, that will be a lot more work, but I'll look into that option when I get more time.

The provided mount is meant to adhere to a flat surface, but being that the dash area has a slight curve, I made a custom fixed mount to position the screen as low as possible and contour to the speaker grill. Mounting was simple using 3M double sided foam tape, and I tucked the wires into the AC vent and down to the glove box area where I have power connections.


Here's a shot of the whole center console now. Much cleaner than before with the phone mount, but I still plan to re-mount that wireless charger mount next to the AC vents so have phone charging available. As a bonus, I also installed a newer W203 digital CCU. Controls seem to be much more intuitive and the functionality seems to also be better with managing the temperature inside the cabin. Fan speed also seems to be better controlled so it seems like a win on all fronts. Thanks and shout out to the forum member J who sent it out to me.


Last fun update is that I purchased a 3D scanner. I went for the tried and proven solution that many in the automotive hobby space use, the Einstar, over many of the cheaper solutions. My computer is beefy enough to run the software and did pretty well in my test scans without bogging or slowing down too much. The plan is to scan interior parts, the entire interior if possible, and probably some exterior parts/sections in order to develop better options for parts that will improve the usefulness of the G. First project is to scan the center console area to see how to add an actual useful cupholder in place of the sliding cubby hole that is basically useless. Open to other ideas and will probably start a separate thread to discuss that effort.



Test scan of my Festool Sander turned out pretty good. Dimensional accuracy looks good so far, but I have more post-processing steps to go through to size/convert the model to be accurate enough to develop parts off of.


Happy holidays all!

G212

For the XENTRY portion, could you find the menu where you can adjust the tire diameters? There's a menu somewhere for that which lists some equivalent diameters and is super helpful when going up and down tire diameters so that shift points stay the same.