In a interesting twist, the dealer threw in a set of crossbars and a giant box for my recent CPO purchase. The parts were from a trade in on another used GLE350. Part way through the install they realized that part was missing. Hence my question.
The part number is A166890139364 and I'm missing one of the plastic latches (and lock). They don't look like Thule or Yakima or Inno. I'm thinking they might be Oris based on some ebay photos.
Nothing yet. I'm not out of patience yet.
Plan B involves molding them from polyurethane resin. I've done this in the past for another project and it worked very well.
Check out: https://www.alumilite.com/
Looks really good. I'm a jeweller by trade and thought of the same but I could only cast it in some kind of cheap alloy.
Let me know how it goes and you definitely have a sale too.
It's not an exact copy, but it looks great and works well. It turns out that the polyurethane used in this molding process has (not surprisingly) slightly different properties from the HDPE(?) that the original part is made from. This means that the metal swing bale had to be mounted differently on the inside and the mechanics of the limiting the throw of the lock had to be changed. There is some post-molding modification required to make it all work. However, the part is aesthetically and operationally "equivalent" to the original.
If you're interested in obtaining a copy, send me a message. The cost will depend on how many people are interested and what ancillary parts (i.e., bale and lock) you already have.
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
