SL/R231: hood vents
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Junior Member
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 41
Likes: 6
2018 SL 550
hood vents
2014 SL 550 with chrome hood vents. Want to remove them to wax the hood. Would make it a bit easier to do a good job. Best I can tell is that they are held in place with a couple of threaded fasteners. Anyone have experience removing the vents.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,447
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From: South Florida
2013 SL550 (Lux Sport), 2006 CL55 AMG (Muscle). S550 (Wife's Sedan)
I'd just leave em on, but chances are you'll need a soft toothbrush to remove wax trapped beneath the edges of the chrome vents. Same applies for all other areas of the car 'where chrome meets paint'...
Last edited by bob55; Jun 21, 2020 at 01:55 PM.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 256
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From: Newbury Park, CA
2016 SL400 & 2021 C300
You may also be able to mask them off with tape, to minimize the amount of wax that gets on them. If you use a brush make sure it is soft, it is possible to scratch paint with a brush. I am curious about the wax you are going to use. I am assuming you are planning to apply it with something like a Porter Cable buffing machine, since hand waxing normally is easy to apply where you want it. I chose to polish my SL400 by hand to limit the slinging of polish. I bought my car from a local dealer and was not happy with the condition of the paint. It looked okay, but felt gritty. I started with detailing clay and was surprised this did not smooth the surface as expected. Next, I tried Maguires ultimate rubbing compound, which worked but the process was slow and laborious. I finally decided to use a polishing pad for the Porter Cable to apply the Maguires by hand, and this combination gave the result I wanted. I followed up with hand applied PS21 wax, which went on very easily. This morning, I decided to use a spray-on sealant, Beadmaker, which I expect will last and protect better than the wax.
