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Those Problematic Polished Aluminum Sill Plates....
Another SL quandary. Why does Mercedes use polished cheap metal sill plates that scratch so easily? I bought both my 2017 and 2019 brand new and both had shoe heal scratches on the upper sill plates right off the lot. What a shame....
Thought I would try the rolled carbon fiber strips off Amazon and the installation looks great. Whether it works in the long run is up for debate. This appears to be more of a thin plastic embossed to look like carbon fiber. In fact so thin the long horizontal lines you see in the picture are from the original sill plate below the added strip. Medium install talent needed as the product is thin and sticky on the back side...
Last edited by Utopia Texas; Sep 26, 2019 at 12:17 PM.
Mine (inner & outer) were both in a terrible state, and it annoyed me too. I actually replaced mine with new ones, and had the new ones thickly lacquered and ceramic coated by my car detailer before installation, and since then they've held up without any markings. They tried a clear plastic film coat (Xpel?) over them but concluded it looked unacceptably plastic.
Light scratches can be wet sanded off with progressive fine grits - 400, 600, 800, even 1000. Starting point depends on how deep the initial scratch is. Then polish with Simichrome polish. This works great on stainless steel also.
I realize these plates can be sanded and polished. Over the years I have rebuilt 8 horseless carriages and automobiles dating from 1898 to 1931 and am familiar with the process.
I just find it amusing that I paid 122k for a car that I have to refurbish every two months or so to keep it looking nice.
Maybe I should change my entry/exit technique and jump over the closed door like they do in the movies!
I did just what you did to my 2015 SL550 in 2016 after getting frustrated with the scratches the guys at the dealer made when I got my car washed there every week.
Bought an extra set of sil plates and installed on the 2015 when I traded it in 2017 for the 2018 I now have and put the covered plates into the 2018.
So...2 yrs in the 2015 and now almost 2 yrs in the 2018 (4 yrs) and they still look great.
Everyone comments on them ...saying...MB should have done this.
Good to be in good company with you.
BTW...how do we figure out how to change the ABC fluid and filter?? Have you figured this out?
Eventually I’ll drive to my local MB dealership and ask some questions but since the SL is new it should be quite some time before I need to do anything to the ABC fluid and filter. In the mean time hopefully someone else will get the correct answers....
Normal clear film for paint works great....if any scratches on it a minute with hair dryer and they vanish.
When every oz counts on a car with perfect 50:50 weight distribution in a world of poorly handling SUVs and pick ups many of which look like poorly mainteined alleys outside of homeless shelters after a few months of use, this should be viewed as a high performance light weight part haha.
Alternatively, it's easy just to seat in the car first, tap shoes soles together outside of the car, then up and over the plate, for a good ab excercose lol and clean foot well. I always use this method and my sills look perfect forever and car stays clea plus I have an easy 6 pack haha.
Normal clear film for paint works great....if any scratches on it a minute with hair dryer and they vanish.
When every oz counts on a car with perfect 50:50 weight distribution in a world of poorly handling SUVs and pick ups many of which look like poorly mainteined alleys outside of homeless shelters after a few months of use, this should be viewed as a high performance light weight part haha.
Alternatively, it's easy just to seat in the car first, tap shoes soles together outside of the car, then up and over the plate, for a good ab excercose lol and clean foot well. I always use this method and my sills look perfect forever and car stays clea plus I have an easy 6 pack haha.
All assuming you are able to park where you can fully open the door. I'm 6'2" and 225 lb (used to be mostly muscle now mostly something else ) and need a little more space to get in and out.
Last edited by rorywquin; Dec 26, 2020 at 05:26 AM.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Here is a photo of my 2004 SL500, after 12 years of ownership. They actually used two different materials for the scuff plates, where on the R231’s, it is all polished metal. On the car shown here, the lower plate was made of a textured, black plastic, which seemed to be fairly indestructible. It did have that metal insert, but it was easy to avoid. The upper plate was a sort of rubberized plastic that matched the interior color. I found both very simple to maintain. So, here MB had a winning formula for these things, but some brilliant mind in Stuttgart said something like “I know, let’s change the door sill plates to easily scratched, polished metal!” Yeah! That’s the ticket! I don’t think the adage “If something isn’t broken, don’t fix it!” translates into German.
Over on the W222 S Class forums, we were talking about audio systems and I posted: I drive a 2020 S560 with the $6,000.00+ Burmeister 3D sound system. I cannot tell you how much more I would appreciate this system, if it were as simple as the truly magnificent Nakamichi system that was in my 1997 Lexus LS400. That system played my cassettes, it had a CD changer, it had simple knobs to adjust everything and the sound was truly WONDERFUL! The automotive industry has overly complicated so many things, with questionable results. They think they keep making things better, when they should consider leaving some things alone, once they get them right!
Here is a photo of my 2004 SL500, after 12 years of ownership. They actually used two different materials for the scuff plates, where on the R231’s, it is all polished metal. On the car shown here, the lower plate was made of a textured, black plastic, which seemed to be fairly indestructible. It did have that metal insert, but it was easy to avoid. The upper plate was a sort of rubberized plastic that matched the interior color. I found both very simple to maintain. So, here MB had a winning formula for these things, but some brilliant mind in Stuttgart said something like “I know, let’s change the door sill plates to easily scratched, polished metal!” Yeah! That’s the ticket! I don’t think the adage “If something isn’t broken, don’t fix it!” translates into German.
Over on the W222 S Class forums, we were talking about audio systems and I posted: I drive a 2020 S560 with the $6,000.00+ Burmeister 3D sound system. I cannot tell you how much more I would appreciate this system, if it were as simple as the truly magnificent Nakamichi system that was in my 1997 Lexus LS400. That system played my cassettes, it had a CD changer, it had simple knobs to adjust everything and the sound was truly WONDERFUL! The automotive industry has overly complicated so many things, with questionable results. They think they keep making things better, when they should consider leaving some things alone, once they get them right!
Sure, some things are taken too far, but technology keeps moving ahead. We cannot go back to the archaic knobs-and-buttons only systems. Screens, with the right input methods, are superior for infotainment.
Sure, some things are taken too far, but technology keeps moving ahead. We cannot go back to the archaic knobs-and-buttons only systems. Screens, with the right input methods, are superior for infotainment.
Perhaps in home media applications this is true, but touch screens in cars are flat-out dangerous. With buttons and knobs, an owner will eventually learn their locations and be able to operate them without taking his/her eyes off of the road. Not so with screens. Technology is supposed to make our live easier/better, not harder/more dangerous. One of the reasons that I love my R231 so much is that it doesn't have a touch screen.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
All I know, is that I would much prefer to have what is pictured here, in my 2020 S560, instead of the $6,000.00+ Burmeister 3D system that is in there now.
Last edited by Streamliner; Dec 28, 2020 at 04:48 PM.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
) and need a little more space to get in and out.
