BMS

The grille was bolted in by Satish at Motorwerks(www.motorwerks group.com). My car is on their site as a project car. 2004 sl55. I watched him bolt it on in less than 3 minutes. Took mine off and bolted the new one on. Black fins and chromed. If curious the car has custom Sirius antenna in front hood ports, Reus audio, Kleeman stage 1 and 2 ( approx 600 horsepower), LSD, Carlsson ultralight 1\16 20 inch wheels. I may make mistakes from time to time as I am not the most knowledgeable Mercedes guy around, but I am smart enough to know what I saw with my own two eyes. If you have doubts about what I am saying call Billy, Satish, or any of the guys at Motorwerks and ask them. If your mechanic doesn't know how to do something I'm sure they'll be glad to help him or you out. Phone= 248-668-6793.

nknauz

Did the bottom of the grill clip into the bumper?

BMS

Yes, there were two clips but as I stated earlier, I didn't do the work. I just watched.

CY

So WTF, does it bolt on or not?.....one member swears it wont, another wathced it go on.....does it matter if you have a 03-06 sport or non-sport...mine is sport and I want that grill if I keep my SL....

????

mjr24

I was right there when nknauz was trying to put the grille on. It DID NOT fit. There are 4 bolts on the top of the grille....however, the 2007 grille would NOT fit into the crevice on the bottom part where it meets the bumper. There was a HUGE GAP....2 inches.

Theoretically, you COULD bolt in just the top.....but the grille would likely fall off while driving....because then you only have the 4 bolts holding it in. You can move the grille around alot when only the 4 bolts are in.

Why is this? Look at the 2007 grille....there are 3 slats and then the star emblem goes down a little bit under the lowest slat. However....on the 2003 grille....with 4 slats....the bottom slat is about 1-2 inches lower than the where the star comes down on the 2007 grille.

This means one of a few things.....either.....

1-The 2007 SL55 did not change the bumper as far as where the main grille goes in. Overall, the bumper is different though because the fogs are different and bigger. I highly doubt they changed where the part where the grille goes into....only for the SL55. I think the 2007 SL55 and SL550 sport package are the same.

or...

2-The 2007 SL55 grille is different size-wise than the SL550...which I also doubt.

BMS...I am not calling saying you are lying, but if your guy simply bolted it in....there must be a gap where the grille and bumper meets and the grille must not be on tight. We have the same bumpers (BMS and I).....so maybe the SL55 grille for 2007 is different. I don't know....but I do know the SL550 grille will not bolt right in, end of story.

BMS

There is no gap where the grille and the bumper meet. Maybe the SL55 grille is different than yours. Mine has mesh in the bottom and sides. I wish I had a picture for you. The grille fits perfectly and no gap. I'm sorry for the conflict but if you call the guys at Motorwerks (248-668-6793) I'm sure they will clear up any confusion. Ask for Satish. He did the install. They had a car rally today and a lot of people commented on how nice the 07 grille looked. Twenty to thirty knowledgeable Mercedes people in attendence.

BMS

I should have said the bumper has mesh, not the grille

billybenz

it bolts in ,there is no gap and thats that, will post a pic when i HAVE TIME Bill from motorwerks !

theboogers

BMS- any possiblity of seeing a picture with 07 grille and 04 bumper. thanks

BMS

The bumper is on order. The grille is on and I believe Motorwerks will post picture on this thread soon. If I had one or knew how I would post. Thanks

theboogers

BMS- sorry for the confusion, but you said the grille went in fine with the sl55 bumper and fits fine. why are you replacing the bumper then? does it look and fit fine with the stock bumper? thanks

BMS

The new 07 SL55 bumper for the 030 option has mesh side louvers. The SL65 has this bumper also. The regular SL55 bumper does not have these side louvers. The 07 grille looks great with the SL55 bumper I have now, but I wanted to upgrade to the bumper with the side louvers. They look really sharp to me. I will also upgrade to the 07 clear brakelight as soon as it comes in. I am still debating whether to get the 07 smoked tail lights. The difference from what I can see is very subtle.

theboogers

thanks for the reply, how much is the sl65 style bumper? can you help with the parts numbers when you have them. thanks again

dmjohn02

not to fan the flames here but I recently tried to have Mercedes of South Orlando change out my 2006 grill for a 2007 grill. it didn't fit. I have the AMG package so I'm not sure if that plays a roll in this or not.

CY

DMjohn 02: Did you try to put a 55/65 grill in or a 550/600 grill in...?

Also...WTF again...some cars it fits or is it that some installers know how to get it in there.....

BMS

All I know is my car is a 04 SL55. It had a 4 slat grille with mesh in 3 places. Motorwerks had ordered an 07 grille with 3 slats, black with aluminum edges which they had ordered for another SL55. When they showed it to me I said I wanted one and since the other guys car was wrecked they said I could have that one., and they would order him another one. They said let's see if it fits. So Satish, the owner of Motorwerks, took off my grille and put on the new one. Three minutes, no more than that. A few screws and some clips and bingo. Great new look. I have also ordered the 07 bumper for the SL55 which has side vents with mesh and also is the SL65 bumber. By the way the grille has no gap and fits like the 4 slat grille fit. Any clarification needed can be done by callinf Motorwerks and asking for Bill( who posted earlier), or Satish. Phone is 248-668-6793. Hope this helps. If I had pictures I would post them. Next week I'll be up at Motorwerks and I'll have them take pictures and post them.

theboogers

hang in there BMS! i would appreciate the clarifiication so i can order new grille and bumper also. thanks

mjr24

Well.....3 people have now said it won't fit....while only 1 has said it will.

3 of us have SL sports packages....

Dmjohn...was the one you tried having installed a SL550 or SL55 grille?

detailas

In order to fully clarify the "YES IT FITS - NO IT DOESN'T FIT" issue, I suggest the following:

Someone to responsibly advise (and if possible to post close-up pics), which are the bumpers' differences (if any) between following models:

-SL (2003..2006)
-SL (2003..2006 with AMG sport package)

-SL550 (2007)
-SL550 (2007 with AMG sport package)

-SL55 (2003..2006)
-SL55 (2007)

Regarding the grille, I guess that there are only 2 versions, 4-slat & 3-slat one..


George

++

mjr24

If there is a difference in the bumper WHERE the grille goes in, the only way to see if there is a difference is to get pics with the grille taken out.

Seeing pics with the grille installed does nothing....even if it's a 2007 on a pre-2007 car.

We also are talking about only the SL55 and the SL with sports packages, not non-sports package SL's. I do notice there is a different part number for the SL55 front bumper versus the sports package one for the 500/600, although they look the same.

dmjohn02

CY0811, it was a 2007 550 grill that didn't fit on my 2006 500 (with AMG sports package).

CY

perplexing situation

mjr24

I think we have established the 550 will not fit. End of story.

Will the 55 fit though on our cars with sports packages?

BMS

There are pictures on the SL55 thread of Sharkster's 03 SL55 with the grille installed. It looks exactly like mine. No problem. Mine is a 04 SL55.

meegle

Sharkster also mentioned in an earlier post that the 07 grille "didn't look right" with the original bumper(03) so he also purchased the 07 bumper which ended up being perfect.
This dilemma is indeed confusing and It's unfortunate to hear about all the issues people are going through.