S-Class (W221) 2007-2013: S 320 CDI, S 350, S 450, S 500, S 550, S 420 CDI, S 600

S63 Facelift kit - do it or not?

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Old Feb 19, 2015 | 10:58 AM
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Depends on the weather
S63 Facelift kit - do it or not?

I've been thinking about getting the facelift kit from Gary. Does anyone have pics of their kit installed? I saw the ones from the facelift kit post but I'd like to see any others if possible.

I've been quoted about 2k for paint and install at local shops, plus the price of the kit and grille and tail lights...so with that said, is it worth it to justify 4k+ just to change the look, which I do like, or should I just sell mine/trade it and go buy a 2010+?

Or......... keep it as is and buy another set of rims/tires? Plastidip the car white and leave the roof gloss black? I don't know. Maybe I'm just itching to do something since spring is coming.

I've also thrown around buying an S63 but then I don't think I want the expense of repairs with that because my wife would kill me

Thanks for any input and your opinion!
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Old Feb 19, 2015 | 11:54 AM
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2007 Mercedes S550
I have seen a couple facelift cars in person and they seem to look a little off. I don't know if it was because they didn't have the right wheels or what but that is kind of preventing me from doing it.
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Old Feb 19, 2015 | 12:04 PM
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W140 Mercedes S350, W221 S550 sport
With all that and the deals to be had, trade up.
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Old Feb 19, 2015 | 03:07 PM
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09 S550, 08 Charger Srt8, 63 Ford Galaxie 500, 07 GSXR1000
I just did the front bumper, and grill. Including paint it came out to about 1,200$
S63 Facelift kit  - do it or not?-img_49641_zps1eae25c0.jpg

S63 Facelift kit  - do it or not?-img_49951_zps855b3a50.jpg
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Old Feb 19, 2015 | 04:34 PM
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What color is the car now?
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Old Feb 19, 2015 | 05:06 PM
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09 S550, 08 Charger Srt8, 63 Ford Galaxie 500, 07 GSXR1000
Same color
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Old Feb 19, 2015 | 05:37 PM
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Depends on the weather
castroadan - if you had to do it over, would you do the same thing? Do you like it vs your original look? What rear bumper is that?
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Old Feb 19, 2015 | 05:54 PM
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Maybe I should be more of an enabler here for my fellow W221 owner, but personally I wouldn't do it. I just think in terms of opportunity cost, what else could I do with the money. That and I think it would only hurt resale. With all that considered put me in the move up instead camp.
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Old Feb 19, 2015 | 07:30 PM
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09 S550, 08 Charger Srt8, 63 Ford Galaxie 500, 07 GSXR1000
Originally Posted by WHPH28
castroadan - if you had to do it over, would you do the same thing? Do you like it vs your original look? What rear bumper is that?
Hell yeah I would do it over. I bought the car in June. And the rear bumper is from a kit from japan. I like the way this bumper and grill look. Looks more aggressive
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Old Feb 19, 2015 | 07:32 PM
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Originally Posted by castroadan
Hell yeah I would do it over. I bought the car in June. And the rear bumper is from a kit from japan. I like the way this bumper and grill look. Looks more aggressive
It does look nice.
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Old Feb 19, 2015 | 07:34 PM
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Originally Posted by castroadan
I just did the front bumper, and grill. Including paint it came out to about 1,200$


I think the oem grill on your NEW bumper is the best combo
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Old Feb 19, 2015 | 07:42 PM
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Originally Posted by castroadan
Same color
Oops. I meant what color is the OP's car. Yours is Pewter, right? I had a 220 in that color. Loved it.
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Old Feb 19, 2015 | 08:58 PM
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Depends on the weather
This is what it currently looks like but I've added 5% tint all the way around last week.

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Old Feb 19, 2015 | 09:36 PM
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G63 AMG
I would definitely get the Gary's kit.
APAC have seen my car with his kit, and they can hook you up with the paint and install!
I would do the kit first, and do lights next.

talk to Derrick, and tell him John Kim referred you!
while you there, have him paint the calipers make that into the package deal!

good luck!
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Old Feb 19, 2015 | 10:17 PM
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On black cars like ours, where the contrast between the AMG lower grilles is very subtle, I decided against the front, although in any other color I love the difference. I did do an S63 rear bumper and aftermarket mufflers with quad tips and that did make a difference visually (and audibly) but I deliberately shot the lower diffuser in a color that was several shades lighter than stock, and I used that color to shoot the lower grilles up front as well. That gave me the contrast I felt was lacking up front.
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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 05:18 AM
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W221 S500 SWB
$2k sounds a bit expensive?
I'd have expected around $1k.

I got it all done for around £1k with a lot of modifications so that it fits SWB and Distronic Plus. A labour charge here is a lot more expensive than the US.

Don't go for plasti-dip though in my opinion. I did the wheels on another car and it looked really cheap. Nothing like a wrap. And getting rid of it was an extreme nightmare.
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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 06:29 AM
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Depends on the weather
Originally Posted by aznevoviii
I would definitely get the Gary's kit.
APAC have seen my car with his kit, and they can hook you up with the paint and install!
I would do the kit first, and do lights next.

talk to Derrick, and tell him John Kim referred you!
while you there, have him paint the calipers make that into the package deal!

good luck!

I contacted them a few days ago since you did your calipers there and told them I was referred and they quoted me with "starting at 2k"..lol.
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Old Feb 20, 2015 | 06:35 AM
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Depends on the weather
Originally Posted by Mike5215
On black cars like ours, where the contrast between the AMG lower grilles is very subtle, I decided against the front, although in any other color I love the difference. I did do an S63 rear bumper and aftermarket mufflers with quad tips and that did make a difference visually (and audibly) but I deliberately shot the lower diffuser in a color that was several shades lighter than stock, and I used that color to shoot the lower grilles up front as well. That gave me the contrast I felt was lacking up front.
Do you have a pic of the rear? I think I remember seeing it somewhere before.
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Old Feb 21, 2015 | 06:56 AM
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09 S63
Yes I would. The kit fit very well with the exception of the rear bumper in the center area on the bottom, we had to fab up a bracket to secure it to the car. Love the way the car looks, many compliments. I was in around $1200 for paint and install, me and a friend did it. I didn't have PDC sensors so we filled the holes but we plastic welded them instead of using epoxy or body filler.
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Old Feb 21, 2015 | 07:00 AM
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Depends on the weather
Thanks for everyone's input. I am headed to the Bahamas in a few hours to escape the snow that is apparently headed to the MD/DC area this morning so I will make my decision when I return next week!

Last edited by WHPH28; Feb 25, 2015 at 01:00 PM.
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Old Feb 23, 2015 | 05:29 PM
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W222 S63L, ML/GLE350
Here is mine:

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...1-project.html
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Old Feb 24, 2015 | 02:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Mike5215
Oops. I meant what color is the OP's car. Yours is Pewter, right? I had a 220 in that color. Loved it.
Yeah mine is the Pewter, I love it and haven't seen another w221 in this color.
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Old Feb 25, 2015 | 09:26 AM
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Depends on the weather
Thanks Chris! Looks good, great work. Im still 50/50 right now on justifying to myself the price of the paint/labor at 2k plus.
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Old Feb 26, 2015 | 02:19 PM
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Depends on the weather
Another question....

Would a shop paint the parts before putting them on the car or after?

If I installed the kit, would the shop remove it to spray it and re-install it or just spray it while it's on the car and taping off the rest of the car?

Thanks!
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Old Feb 26, 2015 | 02:52 PM
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09 S63
I think every shop is different. We painted my parts before we installed them. We let them cure that way if we bumped the parts into anything the paint wouldn't scuff up. I think it is best to paint the parts before install due to getting paint all over the surface area.
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