velvet fog

I've had the car for a week now, and I love it. Obviously it is a great leap forward from the CLK in every dimension.

But like any new owner, I have a few questions.

The car doesn't have a front plate on it now, but I'm going to have to put one on since they are required in Washington. I found a mounting bracket and screws in the trunk but the bracket is dark grey plastic.
- Are your brackets painted?
- I would really like to avoid screwing the bracket to the bumper, are there any alternatives?
- Could someone post a pic of their front plate from the front, top and side?

I read how to roll down the rear side windows when the top is up. Can you raise the little rear windows when the top is down?

When the side windows are rolled down, the glass sticks up about 1/4 - 1/2 inch above the window gaskets. Is this normal? The glass rolls down a little farther in my CLK.

My keyless go button is looking a little worn. Is it possible to replace the button or do I just have to live with it?

What is involved in adding the Sirius sattelite radio to the COMMAND? I have XM in the CLK and can't stand regular radio now.

Can the F***ing remove key beep be turned off?

Thanks in advance.

I'll be getting some pictures up in the picture thread later today.

teeth

- Are your brackets painted? No, but I don't use it.

I read how to roll down the rear side windows when the top is up. Can you raise the little rear windows when the top is down? You can raise all 4 windows, press the buttons again after the sides are up. You can't raise them independently.

When the side windows are rolled down, the glass sticks up about 1/4 - 1/2 inch above the window gaskets. Is this normal? Yes

My keyless go button is looking a little worn. Is it possible to replace the button or do I just have to live with it? Yes, it can be replaced.

What is involved in adding the Sirius sattelite radio to the COMMAND? I have XM in the CLK and can't stand regular radio now. It's already in there in mine. Press the SAT button.

Can the F***ing remove key beep be turned off? No. Enjoy the beautiful tones.

gqa

as for the license plate bracket. i use a strong suction cups on my front plate when driving around town and on the highway. it hasn't fell off yet. i take it off for long trips or when i don't think ill be hassled. just use felt on the back of the plate so it doesn't damage the bumper

velvet fog

Any more info on the suction cups? Link?

When I press the SAT button it says No Satellite Radio. What does is cost to get this added at the dealer?

Got the rear windows figured out.

Can I just replace the button or do I have to replace the entire knob to get a new keyless button?

What tire pressures is everyone running? The door placard says F26/R29 for what I would assume were the original Michelins. The car has new Conti Sport Contact 3's and I'm running 32 all around.

A few pics now in the pic thread. Thanks guys.

IngenereAMG

You can go higher on the pressures. I run 39/40 on my SL55

SL2003driver

I run what is recommended. I figure since you can't rotate because of different sizes front and rear they will only be good for 12K miles anyway. Mine came with the Michelin summer tires and I will replace with the Michelin all season which are higher wear rating and will then run 32 all the way around for longer wear. I'm not real worried about handling since I drive like an old man.

EX-BEEMER

Congrats Velvet Fog, I can't wait to see your picts. In answer to some of your questions...

- Are your brackets painted? No I also don't use them and haven't been busted in over 4 years.

When the side windows are rolled down, the glass sticks up about 1/4 - 1/2 inch above the window gaskets. Is this normal? - Yes, my '08 is the same

What is involved in adding the Sirius sattelite radio to the COMMAND? I have XM in the CLK and can't stand regular radio now. - Button may be there but Sat receiver may not be installed. I had to retrofit a receiver in my E55 even though it already had the button. Dealer option. Cost about a grand in '04. Do you have the sat antenna on the trunk?

Can the F***ing remove key beep be turned off? - Many have tried... but no.

rodin66

My nephew has an ingenious bracket that avoids drilling the front plate

Message Jallison12 and he can send you photos of it

jallison12

Talk about lurking
http://www.moweraxle.com/licenseplat...esbmwkits.html
My car is the E500 on the right

Larry is a real gentlemen also.

Nevada Jack

The front license plate problem...this could turn into a long post.

I hate them and in Nevada the law is quite liberal in that if the maker does not have a fixed place to mount the front plate you can go without one. I have been lucky to tell my dealer to NOT mount the front plate bracket for my last 4 MB's.... except for the SL which already had it mounted in the San Francisco dealership that my dealer traded with.

I found a source for "Bumper Plugs" which are small paint matched plugs that go into the holes made for mounting the bracket. So I ordered 4 of them and took them to Denver with me. They took the plugs and when the car came out of the shop the Sales Manager said they looked good but there was a problem. In putting the dealership plate on, the dealer used a long screw, the end of which penetrated the bumper. So I now had 6 holes, 4 of which were plugged nicely but as the Sales Manager stated, he didn't think it would look good with 6 plugs. I totally agreed...:-)

So the Sales Manager said he would pay to have the bumper plugs removed, have a body/paint shop repair the holes and do a blend paint of the bumper. This would restore the bumper to a state of never having had a mounting plate. I agreed and he arranged with an excellent paint shop in Las Vegas who called me Friday and I will take the car there on Wednesday AM and pick it up that night. If it does not look OEM, then I will request they replace the bumper.

Now, for those who must have the front plate mounted. The bumper plugs can be removed and the plate bracket mounted if you are so inclined to run sometimes with and sometimes without the front plate. Here is the URL of the Bumper Plug source. I will shoot a few pic close-ups to show you how they look installed.

http://www.bumperplugs.com/BPindex.html

You can see the two additional holes the long screws made. The plugs fit really well and are removable.




I told you this would be a long post...:-)

velvet fog

My trunk is clean so I guess I don't have the sat antenna. When I push the sat button it says No Satellite Radio. I'll contact the dealer and prepare to bend over.

I have Parktronic so it looks like the the tow hook option won't work for me. The website says it will disable Parktronic.

metalica_23

The other big dilemma with "removing the front bracket" is scratches. I'm not sure if Godzilla installed my front plate bracket, but there are all kinds of bumper scratches around the edge of the bracket (but underneath the bracket). If I took the bracket off, I'd likely need a paint job.

The "one" good thing I've been told in the past is "at least if you tap something in front it hits your plate bracket before damaging the bumper"...yeah, I guess that's a plus.

Sgooter

If you decide to have the sat radio (XM/Sirius) feature retro-fitted to your SL, you might consider asking the dealer if he can place the sat antenna under the hood and attach it to the vent opening area rather than drilling a hole/s and mount it on the trunk lid. At the owner's request, some dealers have been willing to mount the sat antenna under the hood as part of the sat radio mod.

velvet fog

Drill a hole? That ain't gonna happen. Have to look into the hood mount option.

Nevada Jack

Got the car back tonight and they did a very nice job. Not a hint that there were 6 holes in the front bumper.

Before:



After:

rodin66

Its amazing what bodywork magic can be done these days -- Great Job

Nevada Jack

They told me they would remove the bumper because they could fill the holes from the rear and also prevent any overspray. Really did a nice job.