dmike67

I wanted to post pics of my S. It has taken me a while to "piece" everything together and get the look that I wanted to acheive and I am kind of leary about exposing myself to some of you Ralph Cirelli (sp?)-types (from Howard Stern--he's the one that judges the women with the laser pointer and always find flaws in them). Anyway, I realize it might be a little "pimped-out" since Chrome wheels always gives it that flashy almost-overkill look. However, that is my taste and and when you spend $ on a car you should have the right to "dress it up" the way you like it. Maybe I will grow up one day. I do think the Lorinser LM5s are one of the few Chrome wheels that will allow an S to maintain its elegance and classy look, but again-My Opinion. But I did want to get some other opinions. I love these forums. It has saved me many phone calls to Mercedes with those "What If" and "I Wonder Why" type questions.

dmike67

Another Pic

dmike67

One last one

dmike67

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apricotscrub

Excellent! the only car with not only the star replaced off the hood, but its replaced with a hood, looks like it wasnt supposed to have a badge or anything.. look at my pics of my car and let me know what u think, its on the forum titled look car gets new rims!. thats not a real s55 is it?

Crankin

It looks good! Where did you get the grill and what method did you use to lower it? What have you done to the interior, if anything?

dmike67

Very perceptive ApricotScrub. Yeah, I bought it with around 4K miles with the S55 emblem and had it shipped from Fla. The dealer down there said that alot of people in Fla switch out emblems! Anyway, it came like that and see no need to switch it out unless god-forbid I were to have some damage to the rear end and had to have the back replaced then I would probably have the S500 emblem put on. You could do that with your S430-LOL. Your car is very nice. I love black on a car, but I am a clean-freak and I would be a slave to my car more than I already am with that color. Black is beautiful but you have to keep it clean. Are those the 2003 tail lights? Did you install them yourself? Yeah, I dont think you will find too many cars like mine without any emblem at all on the front hood-again you are very perceptive to even notice that. Its the same hood they just filled in the hole and re-painted. Thanks for the compliment.

dmike67

Thank You Crankin. I have not done anything to the interior except replace the steering wheel and the shift knob. The car has not been lowered. The 20s already cause a little rubbing so Im scared to have it lowered. I got the grill from Performance Products. The only problem was that there was not a slot/hole for the hood release lever to fit thru. So I had to cut a hole in the corner where the star is it to allow it to fit thru. Maybe I did something wrong-dont know, but its not very noticeable. The problem is that it was already painted by the time I figured it out and Im sure I couldnt have sent it back. If you look really close at the picture you can notice it . Thanks Again for the compliment.

dmike67

Oops, somehow I lost one of my other pictures and posted another picture twice.

Mowateriology

sweet ride dmike
and the chrome looks good given ur car is silver .. no worries there
what ru thinking of next ? id love to see ur car with the new 03 taillights and the wing that goes on the back window .. looookin good

btw where can u order a front bumper like urs [spoiler] .. its nice
brabus isnt it ? [btw am just asking for the site where i can order it]

Crankin

DMike, what color is your interior, and did you put a leather and wood wheel in it? Where did you purchase it? Cost?
Thanks alot

apricotscrub

yes, they are 2003's not much needed for installation, get the 2 lorinser spoilers for the back and roof, black is so hard to keep clean, i have to wash it like every day and i am going to pay for it to be buffed, btw i won the s55 original OEM emblem off ebay for 30 bucks, after i find an OEM emblem for AMG(the ones off ebay are not the originals) i might make the switch, it sucks, to know u are driving a fake car, but i think ill do it anyways.

dmike67

Thank You Mowateriology. I think I am going for the 2003 Tail-Lights. Its already a fake S55-may as well fake the year of the car as well. I do have the roof spoiler already on there. I was considering the lip spoiler if thats what you are referring to. I want the decklid spoiler not the wing.

dmike67

Yeah ApricotScrub, if youve got the S55 emblem in hand you may as well put it on. I think EBay is great not only for getting deals on stuff, but also just for looking. I am going to get the 2003 Tail lights soon. That way both me and you can fake the model and the years of our cars-partners in crime . Lets face it anyone who spends over $70K for a car has to have some degree of being materialistic or superficial. Anyone who goes into the safety aspect of the car, blah, blah, blah is lying. They want the car cause its a status symbol and theres nothing wrong with that at all.

dmike67

Crankin, my interior is charcaol/burlwood. If I had to do it all over again I would have gotten white with the beige/chestnut interior. The beige/chestnut interior is absolutely gorgeous. I got the steering wheel off of EBay and the shift knob from Auto Class (ask for Gaston-hes a good man). The steering wheel was done as a core exchange for $400 (I think-its been a while) and the shifter was around $89 I think. They are definitely worth it. Hope the info helps!

Mowateriology

dmike, oh man am sorry i just looked at the pictures again and noticed the roof spoiler
the decklid spoiler will look nice too ! go ahead
oh and about the taillights and the 55 emblems, its aight as long as no one claims it is "Real" .. am getting the 2003 taillights too, but if anyone asks, ill just say i installed them
nothing wrong or to be ashamed about guys

dmike67

Mowateriology, Let me know how installation goes with those 03 Lights-Ive heard its pretty easy. Do you have any pics of your car? Oh, yeah -- Im very honest about the model of my car and your right the 03 lights enhance the look of the car which has more to do with it than allowing it to look like an 03 Model.

Karma

First, let me say that I think your car is nice.

I really want to say that your assumption is ridiculous. Buying a Mercedes has nothing to do with superficiality or materialism. Mercedes has ride and performance qualities that few other makes can match. It's the same thing with BMW's and Audis. People buy those cars because of either the superior performance or luxury (or both). Am I saying that Mercedes is better than BMW and Audi? The answer is no. I'm just saying that it all goes back to people's preferences. But anyway, if one buys a car because of status, that's fine but let him/her not make the assumption that EVERYONE buys that car for that same reason. I bought my REAL S55 AMG because it's simply the most exciting car I've ever driven so far, not because of the status it possibly gives me or because I'm superficial or materialistic. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if a Toyota gave me the same ride, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. Even with the S55 on the way, I still drive my VW Passat and I'm not ashamed of it.

Anyway, dmike67, you admitted that you were superficial and materialistic and that's fine, really. But please don't assume that everyone buys a Benz because they have your traits.

Karma

dmike67

Karma, I agree with you whole-heartetly (sp?). I did not say EVERYONE who buys a high dollar S Series is superficial, I just said that they would probably have SOME degree of being materialistic, even if a little. I do think one would buy an S55, or a CL, or a CLK, etc for the fun of it (vs being superficial) more than a S500 because of these cars having a more sports-car type feel/ ride to them. Therefore, you are right alot of people would be more likely to buy these cars, including your S55 (Congratulations BTW) for the fun and excitement of them. But I guess theoretically all Mercedes models do have some amount of sportiness and "fun" to them. But I do stand by the fact that MOST people who buy a Benz, Audi, BMW, Bentley, etc are buying them as a status symbol or as a way of saying to everyone else "I have worked very hard my whole life and I am successful." Unfortunately, a lot of society now is caught up in a competition of who has the nicest ride, biggest house, best looking wife/husband. I have two other cars like yourself and my favorite car, no doubt about it !, is my Toyota Sienna-much more multi-purpose. And BTW a VW Passat is a very nice car. Sorry if I passed judgement on ALL luxury car drivers. I was leaving a quick reply on EMail "off-the-cuff" and didnt put a whole lot of thought into what I was writing and didnt mean to offend you or anyone else. Thank You for the compliment on my car.

Karma

I guess I could have put more thought on the term "superficial." If we look deeper into that term then you're right, people are superficial and materialistic, even me. I didn't realize this until you mentioned the "I have worked very hard my whole life and I am successful" because, honestly, as much as I bought the car for the drive I can't deny the fact that I do believe this car symbolizes my hard work/status. Competition these days is sad but it's human nature.

Thanks for complimenting my cars. I have a 91 Toyota Tercel, too. Toyotas last forever!

Karma

dmike67

Hi Karma. Although their motives may be warped, competition keeps people striving and avoids complacancy (spelling?) so its not always bad. One of the companies my company buys from only hires ex-athletes for sales positions cause they want their salespeople to have that competitive/fiery instince-very smart I think. But competition in regards to having the nicest car, largest house, etc does seem silly-but your right that is human nature. Yeah Toyotas do rule-theyll last forever. I have a 95 ES300 (Lexus and Toyota are basically the same company) with 162,000 miles and the Oil is just as clear after 3,000 miles as it is when it came out of the container/can. I will NEVER sell that car-it has been very good to me and it will last forever. The Japanese and the Germans know how to make cars, thats for sure.

D

S552003

:p You mentioned that the wheels are rubbing. WHat tire size and which tire or wheel is rubbing? I would like to buy the same wheels but i am now concerned. You are the second person I have seen say they had this issue!

dmike67

I have 275/35s for the rear tires and 255/35 for the front. The rubbing is in the rear, never any problems in the front. I had the fenders "rolled" a little, but I still have just a tad bit of rubbing. It only seem to happen on the highway at fast speeds (70 mph or so) when I go over a "dip" in the highway. I even know the trouble areas on my normal routes. It happens maybe twice a week. I doesnt really do any damage to the tires, just damage to my calm and serene state-of-mind when it happens. Its just a very disruptive noise that scares you if your not expecting it. I think if you move down a size from the 275s in the rear you should be OK. If you are at all leary just go with the 19s. If you have the $ the Lorinser LM5s are the way to go-in my opinion no other wheel looks as nice and classy on a "S", maybe the Lowenharts. Basically, like many things in life, its a trade-off. You get the nice, aggressive look that the over-size wheels give you but you have to deal with an annoying noise a couple times a week-the price of being a little Vain ! Good Luck though.

S552003

Is it both sides or just one? Do you know the differnce in tire diameter and width between the 20's and 19's. I do think I will buy the LM5's but have not yet decided on 19s or 20s. Your car looks really really nice!

dmike67

Yeah, it is pretty much on the ouside edge of the tire, not the part of the tire that makes contact with the road, and thats why I dont see at as a safety issue. You can get the LM5s (I think) in both a 10" and 9" width for the rear. I know the normal "set-up" with a S with 20s, staggared, is 9" in the front and 10" in the rear. I also think the 19s dont go up to a 10" width, but I might be wrong. I am not that much of an expert on the subject. You can call Peter at "The Wheel Experts" or Luke at the "Tire Rack." I think there is even a forum just for wheels/tires. I would love to see your car when you have them put on. What color is it? And also, thank you for the comments on my car.