Originally Posted by jpeardm

Looks good Box! Those Pirelli's must handle very nice, are they useable in snow? The wheels fit the car really well. They don't look too bad to clean either. I have the 19" split spokes and they're a pain to get into the split area. We expect you to keep them sparkling at all times!

Originally Posted by Nevada Jack

Nice job Box...my compliments to you for an excelent photo display. Good angles, nice settings and perfect exposures. You did good...

Love the new wheels Do you notice any change in the ride from the stock 18's? I am getting the Appearance 19's and just wonder if the jump to 20's effects the ride at all.

Your posts and GL's (of his "ugly" one) show why this SUV is such a hit. Beautiful but conservative lines and a sharp profile against the competition. Your extra wax skills on the OB will keep it shinning for many years to come.

Enjoy

Originally Posted by boxboss

Honestly NJ, I only drove ~150 miles on the 18's and have driven less than half that on the 20's, on very different roads, so it's hard for me to say.

BTW, a D70 makes the camera work easy.

Originally Posted by Nevada Jack

D70...is that a Nikon product?
I use a Canon 20D SLR and a nice variety of lenses that make good pictures pretty easy these days.

Originally Posted by boxboss

1) Inside joke to NJ and oknish.
2) Get the bumper plate at your MB dealer - it is an EU OEM part. I have the part number at work and will post it tomorrow. List is ~$200 but my dealer matched MB of Eugene (Oregon) online price of ~$169.

Originally Posted by sgresser

1) I was one of the people whining about pictures, so that was a tongue-in-cheek comment from me.

2) I'll see if I can find it online. It's not in the "Genuine Accessories" book for the GL, so my parts guy will have trouble finding it.

Thank you for the info!

Originally Posted by boxboss

Here's the part number and what I paid (+ tax.)

Bumper plate: 164-880-02-11 $169.50

Originally Posted by sgresser

1)It's not in the "Genuine Accessories" book for the GL, so my parts guy will have trouble finding it.

Originally Posted by oknish

I wouldn't worry too much about parts guys not being able to find this since it's not in the "book". They have trouble finding stuff that is in the book and the book itself is a frigging joke.

Had one parts guy tell me that to get Chrome bumper plate, I have to order the whole bumper. I can swear that I have read someone else say the same as well.

Originally Posted by sgresser

IOW, don't bother asking us to match the price. Lovely.

Originally Posted by oknish

Then let your wallet do the talking If you need to buy anything, buy from MB of Eugene online. And when you need the warranty work done go back to your dealer. Make sure to let the Service Manager know about this too and how they are losing your business.

Originally Posted by sgresser

I'm paying the same daily (at least in theory - I don't actually plan to pay at all for the loaner)

Originally Posted by boxboss

First, thanks to blittle for the hard part - the first to pull the black one off. It will come off exactly as he says. I pulled up on the front right corner and kept pulling until the first pin broke. I would have been very apprehensive at this point if it were not for blittle's post. The black one has 4 plastic pins that have thin metal nuts attached. The pins will break off easily. The black one also has "L" shapes that slide under the edges of holes in the bumper. As you work from right to left, pull back on the piece - this allows the L shapes to slide out from under the holes in the bumper. I broke 3 of the 4 pins, the 4th (last on the left) slid off like the L's. Picture 1 shows the OEM part half way up, the "L" shapes, and holes in the fiberglass bumper. Picture 2 shows the holes in the bumper when the OEM is removed.

Originally Posted by sgresser

Umm .... am I missing something here? (Like a bumper plate?)

Originally Posted by oknish

Sgresser - Danno and BB nailed it as to why you are not seeing the plate. Follow the steps that L8Apex outlined and you should be sporting a Chrome plate in no time. Buy from MB of Euegne (OR) since they have the best prices.

Originally Posted by boxboss

IIRC, the black plastic plate started showing up about 3 weeks ago at most. That was the issue with blittle. Previous installs of the stainless plate were based on no plastic plate, meaning no bumper holes. In that case, all the L clips and pins had to be removed and sanded down and a 100% tape installation done (what you will need to do - it's a tried and true method.) blittle, in his excitement, prepped his ss plate in advance of delivery - only to find the plastic one on delivery. I posted instructions on how to install when you have the plastic one, or search for L8Apex's detailed info on installing when you didn't get the plastic one.

I know oknish used L8Apex's method (and help) so he can better advise you on the 100% tape install.

Edit: Here's the link to L8Apex's instructions SS Plate Install

Originally Posted by boxboss

First, thanks to blittle for the hard part - the first to pull the black one off. It will come off exactly as he says. I pulled up on the front right corner and kept pulling until the first pin broke. I would have been very apprehensive at this point if it were not for blittle's post. The black one has 4 plastic pins that have thin metal nuts attached. The pins will break off easily. The black one also has "L" shapes that slide under the edges of holes in the bumper. As you work from right to left, pull back on the piece - this allows the L shapes to slide out from under the holes in the bumper. I broke 3 of the 4 pins, the 4th (last on the left) slid off like the L's. Picture 1 shows the OEM part half way up, the "L" shapes, and holes in the fiberglass bumper. Picture 2 shows the holes in the bumper when the OEM is removed.

The stainless part has 4 pins that need to be removed. These are not the same as the 4 pins previously discussed. The 4 pins are on the part that wraps over the back and down. There are no holes in the bumper for these. I clipped these off with wire cutters and filed/sanded them smooth - 10 minutes max for all 4. One of these pins is shown in picture 3 - with white paper underneath for clarity.

The stainless L's are a perfect match for the holes in the bumper for the OEM part. The stainless L's look different from the OEM L's, but function the same. They fit by friction - and tightly. I put a strip of 3M mounting tape along the downward facing edge as a precaution - but this probably isn't even necessary - the clips fit into the holes very tightly. Picture 4 shows the tape and stainless L's. Put your tape (if you decide to use it) as close to the bend as you can, without going into the bend. My tape could have been closer to the bend in the part, downward in the picture.

Remove the red backing from the tape (if you use it) and place the stainless L's into the holes in the bumper. Hold the piece firmly down against the bumper - you may want a helper. I bumped the downward facing piece forward with the heel of my hand, working left to right, to get the L's to slide forward under the bumper holes. This is a lot easier when you're doing it than it sounds. The L's slid into place and I'm good to go. Finished plate is the last picture. It was actually really easy. Of course, if you want to go 100% tape you can, but there's a lot more pins and L's to remove.

BTW, I was able to retrieve the broken off metal nuts by shining a flashlight into the holes (picture 2) and using a large bamboo skewer to insert into the nut and pull it up to the edge of the bumper hole and grab it. This is easier to do than write about. You can also gain access from underneath the bumper. Be sure to do it before you put on the stainless plate so you can see light shining through the holes. Good luck!

Originally Posted by scottybdiving

My only concern is that the plate seems to fit snugly on each end but there is a small gap (1/8") toward the center alond the bottom edge of the plate. It almost seems like it does not match the curvature perfectly. It is not noticeable unless you get under and look up very closely. Maybe it is not an issue. I will keep an eye on it to see what happens.

Originally Posted by oknish

That is what my plate looks like too, Scott. But as you say it is hardly noticeable unless you know what to look for. I have had mine on for close to a year now and haven't noticed any issues at all. Wish you the same.