Yo! I picked this thing up last week and I've been busy getting it tinted, debadged, and coated. Being in inland southern CA, it gets pretty hot and lots of sun. It's so weird to me how the german cars don't have a real sunroof cover, just a thin sheet of panty hose LOL When I asked about tinting the sunroof, the guy asked if I wanted my windshield done. I've never heard of doing this, but he sold me on some 3m crystalline. I got the second lightest tint and he assured me that I wouldn't be able to tell it was tinted. He was right. I did 35% color stable on the front windows, and 20% on all the rears/sunroof. With the factory tint it comes out looking like limo tint, but night-time visibility is still very good. I can see clearly out of all my windows, I can still see stars through the sunroof, and the windshield looks like it did from the factory. During the day, I don't feel my eyes watering up without my sunglasses. It's still better to put them on, but definitely a noticeable improvement. I let it sit in 100 degree sun the other day and the interior was drastically cooler than my previous car (IS350, 35/20% color stable, naked windshield). Doing the windshield makes a big difference.

Yesterday I had it coated with c quartz. On the lexus, they sold me on eckbond, but that sht is a joke. Super expensive ($1600) and after 6 months, the coating was gone. I think they just put $50 in chemicals on it, slap a fancy warranty onto the paperwork, and bank on the fact that nobody will use it. This time I paid $500 for the coating and interior sealant. supposedly it will last 2 years, we'll see. Its a lot more slick than the eckbond thats for sure.

What are you guys doing for cell phone mounts (galaxy s9+)??? I'd really like to use google as it routes around LA traffic way better than any nav system I've ever tried. I used the merc nav for a full day of driving over the weekend, but there wasn't much traffic, so I can't comment on its routing abilities.

Also, who has the best prices on OE Mercedes parts and accessories? When I did an online search, it was difficult for me to tell who was a legit online retailer. I have a toyota tundra and the forum member have 2 or 3 that everyone recommends. I use TRD sparks, its a dealership on the other side of the country. They usually sell for 30% less than the dealerships here so I either make the local dealership price match or else I buy online from sparks. Is there a similar shop that you guys use for parts???

Since I know it didn't happen unless pics, here ya go!



C Quartz coating






Windshield tinted, 3M Crystalline







Debadged the model name

 

lovely looking car. I have not done the windshield tint on a recent car but did it on my 2006 Dodge magnum and loved it. I did have 5% tint on the rest of the car though.

I thought you said you debadged?

 

I just pulled of the model name. I don't like all the letters and numbers LOL why can't cars have real names anymore?? The AMG badges look nice though so I left them

 

have you considered swapping the badges you are keeping to the black badges? might contrast well with the wheels and other black parts.

 

yeah actually I did think about that! But how would I deal with the door handles?

Also, where is a good place to buy them?

 

+1 on the black badge !

 

+1 on the windshield tint. I went with Huper Klar85 as we have some aggressive tint enforcement in Utah and I didn't want to deal with the hassle of forcing them to pull out the meters...

 

dang. i completely missed the chrome handles. Perhaps they could be wrapped with vinyl.

 

Apparently they can't be wrapped , you will loose the contact for keyless entry .

 

Thats cool. After staring at it for a long time, I think the wheels and the mercedes start and the grille really go well together. The chrome badges match those pretty well.

That coating is working really well. Feels super slick and much better than anything I've used before.

Now if I can only figure out where to mount my damn phone. I don't really like either of the kuda options and proclip says theirs doesn't work for the amg model...

 

 

I really like Temecula Auto Glass and Window Tinting on Jefferson Avenue in Temecula. I've been using them since 2012. They've tinted half dozen of my rides and several windshield replacements. Super professional, easy to schedule, great prices, and excellent attention to detail

The windshield tint was 3m crystalline second lightest shade. I highly recommend it. I'm in Vegas right now and it really keeps the Temps down in the car. The rest of the windows are 3m color stable

 

The handles come in 2 pieces. (3 for the drivers side) Can wrap the top half and leave the body matched colour bottom half intact. It looked great on my c43 in polar white with black 'accents'. It looks like you have a night package, MB really should have finished the job with the handles imo. I plus one getting the badges blacked out too, be proud of the glc43 badge, without it, people will think you stuck an AMG badge on a 300.

 

Do you have pictures of this done ?

 

haha If they think I'm rolling a 300 then I'm good with that. I've already had a charger try honking his horn at me a couple times on the freeway and then floored it thinking I was gonna race him. I'm a grown man, not a spoiled teenager LOL I was initially gonna debadge the whole car, but I like how the AMG badge looks and the biturbo badges are pretty cool too so I left them

tbh, I probably would have given him a show for about a mile, but I was still breaking it in

 

I Do.

 

Looking good !