When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Current-2011 E550 4MATIC, 2007 SL55, past 2013 C300 4MATIC, 2005 CTSV, 2004 Audi TT, 1998 Volvo S70
Hey I need some advice/input on my 2007 SL55
The thing is a work of art as it is right now but thinking about some options- 1- not crazy about the steering wheel, the wheel on my E550 is much nicer and would like to upgrade to either alcantara or perhaps wood/leather combo- any idea on what the cost for the wheel and installation? Also looking at some cosmetic work- someone suggested carbon fiber wrap on the rear view mirrors, I am sceptical about that. But I am thinking about tinting- may look really nice with the entire rear window tinted black to match the pano roof, more on the fence about tinting the side windows- any advice -suggestions help is greatly appreciated here is the car:
Dct will happily help you with your steering wheel needs. Just scroll down a little and you'll see a thread on 3 spoke steering wheels. As for the mirrors and tent go to my build thread and you'll see the carbon mirrors and tint.
FYI - to tint the rear window, it really needs to be removed from the car. Not hard, but time consuming, and you need 2 people.
I pulled mine to remove a bubbled tint, then left it without tint. Wanted to see better when the police were tailing me, waiting for me to romp and stomp
I wanted to do the same thing on my 2003 cubanite SL55 with Pano ... that is, tint the rear window so that it blends in with the black trim on either side AND the pano roof.
I ended up using the pinnacle by formula one ceramic ALL the way around. While I did want to blend the rear window in, I did not want to compromise the visibility .... AND, I wanted the high heat rejection (and lack of signal interference) that comes with quality ceramic tint.
A previous owner had removed the Pano shade, so I needed some tint there as well.
I ended up getting
30% on the back window
15% on the pano roof
78% on all 4 side windows
78% on the windshield
I spent around $400 and I am pleased with how the tint came out (been a couple of years now) . Worth noting, if you tint the windshiled, you are going to want to switch to NON-polorized sunglasses (often, however, when the top is up, I don't even need sunglasses anyway).
On the Steering wheel, I can also recommend DCT motorsports. I am always impressed with the quality of their wheels. I do their paddle conversions, so I see and work with their finished products on a regular basis.
Current-2011 E550 4MATIC, 2007 SL55, past 2013 C300 4MATIC, 2005 CTSV, 2004 Audi TT, 1998 Volvo S70
Thanks Chris, good info, getting tinted now, ruling out the side CF mirrors but defiantly interested in replacing the steering wheel, my,2011 e550 has a much nicer wheel, thick and looks much like what I have seen on DCT samples. Can I just take it to a dealer for installation?
[QOTE=latemodel21;6901499]I wanted to do the same thing on my 2003 cubanite SL55 with Pano ... that is, tint the rear window so that it blends in with the black trim on either side AND the pano roof.
I ended up using the pinnacle by formula one ceramic ALL the way around. While I did want to blend the rear window in, I did not want to compromise the visibility .... AND, I wanted the high heat rejection (and lack of signal interference) that comes with quality ceramic tint.
A previous owner had removed the Pano shade, so I needed some tint there as well.
I ended up getting
30% on the back window
15% on the pano roof
78% on all 4 side windows
78% on the windshield
I spent around $400 and I am pleased with how the tint came out (been a couple of years now) . Worth noting, if you tint the windshiled, you are going to want to switch to NON-polorized sunglasses (often, however, when the top is up, I don't even need sunglasses anyway).
On the Steering wheel, I can also recommend DCT motorsports. I am always impressed with the quality of their wheels. I do their paddle conversions, so I see and work with their finished products on a regular basis.
hope that helps,
Chris
latemodel21 Products[/QUOTE]
Thanks Chris, good info, getting tinted now, ruling out the side CF mirrors but defiantly interested in replacing the steering wheel, my,2011 e550 has a much nicer wheel, thick and looks much like what I have seen on DCT samples. Can I just take it to a dealer for installation?
Your dealer or ANY independent can do the wheel swap ... or you can do it yourself with a T-30 torx driver (to remove the airbag) and hex bit in an impact gun to remove the wheel (make sure you keep keys away while doing it so you don't accidentally turn on the car while the airbag is unplugged and then get an airbag code that needs to be cleared with a dealer level tool)
Current-2011 E550 4MATIC, 2007 SL55, past 2013 C300 4MATIC, 2005 CTSV, 2004 Audi TT, 1998 Volvo S70
Awesome thanks for the advice!
Originally Posted by latemodel21
Your dealer or ANY independent can do the wheel swap ... or you can do it yourself with a T-30 torx driver (to remove the airbag) and hex bit in an impact gun to remove the wheel (make sure you keep keys away while doing it so you don't accidentally turn on the car while the airbag is unplugged and then get an airbag code that needs to be cleared with a dealer level tool)
Current-2011 E550 4MATIC, 2007 SL55, past 2013 C300 4MATIC, 2005 CTSV, 2004 Audi TT, 1998 Volvo S70
Thanks for all the advice- decided not to go for the CF mirrors. Here are some pics of the tinting I got today, and Steering wheel will be a must but probably wait for another pay period ...the wife is getting growingly suspicious of the "deal" I got on the car becasue it seems the checkbook is not yet closed on it
Your car is looking perfect IMO. I have always thought white R230s are stunning. The tint makes it just right. the only thing you might consider is a tasteful drop. I have always been a lowering module fan (ELM), others like lowering links for convenience and cost.
Here are a couple shots of my 03 with the Programa ELM.