desired_speeds

At least I have to...

I can't believe that a car that costs almost $80k when new could have come with such crappy paint. I live about a mile away from the beach and this car sits outside most of the time so I really have be on top of filling in every single chip before it starts to rust.

I'm in the process of detailing it inside out before winter and went over the entire body with a light and marked every chip with blue tape. There are a few chips here and there that the paint is starting to lift under so I scrape the rust off with the edge of a micro screwdriver very carefully, then fill them in with a paint pen. I can see that the very front edge of the sunroof is starting to form a bubble also. I have to figure out what to do about that soon.


end rant.

JamE55

Looks like it's been hit with blue measles. lol j/k

Strigoi

My front bumper is absolutely covered in rock chips and looks horrible. The whole car was repainted at some point so I don't know how good of a job they did. I've also got a small rust spot on the top arch of the right front fender (paint is just starting to bubble).

Attachment 449342

beachjustice

Check out Dr. Colorchip and langka. Mine had a ton of road rash on the front bumper from the previous owner, and the Dr. Colorchip kit worked pretty well. From my understanding, the Lankga kit is better for the bigger chips because its oem paint and thicker, whereas the dr. colorchip paint is really thin and works great for very small chips. My bumper looked just like that Strigoi, but but after doing my whole front end with dr. colorchip, it looks 90% better from 3 feet away or more, not perfect by any means, but it costs $50 versus a respray.

Wile E. Coyote

The following is an excerpt from Wikipedia's "Mercedes-Benz W210" that doesn't bode well for your situation:

Body corrosion - Most model year versions of the W210 displayed body rust, notably on European-sold cars. Rust would sometimes appear spontaneously on panels such as doors and roofs on cars less than a year old. In response to this problem, the manufacturer would normally change or repair the affected panels under warranty.[19] Mercedes-Benz has been criticized in the European press for not officially acknowledging this problem. This was due to problems introducing water based paint technology.

It's probably too late for a class action suit. Your best bet may be to bite the bullet and get it repainted. 'Tis a bummer!
Wile E. Coyote

allenjdmb

entire car looks like that, then you're really on the verge of it not being worthwhile. Just too much.
I didn't check to see where you live, but if you're in a metro area, you may want to ask around at your better dealers. Find out who their touch up guy is and see if he will work on your car. These guys are quite skilled and can make much better progress than you.
Sorry. I've been telling you guys for a good while that the finish on these cars, particularly as it regards rust, is just not good. Either you have it or you are waiting on it.

fintail

The front bumper on my just-turned-54K miles 02 E55, tectite, has aged poorly. I've used Dr. Colorchip a few years ago - it is aging a little and I should probably do it again. Sides of the car seem to have fared better, but that front bumper chips at the thought of a grain of sand. My W126 was much better - at almost 200K miles.

CharlyE500

Mine is black and only got few chips in the front and nothing in the side. I do wax it every 3 months.......

SleepersRock

1st thing i Installed was a clear bra. Thats helped so much over the last 5 years. I wax the car 1-2x a month on top of that so I actually haven't had any chips in the front. I have had larger stones bite into the clear bra. I can't imagine the paint damage they would have done had I not had the clear bra.

Wile E. Coyote

An auto bra here in the Southwest sounds like a great investment to me. Small particulates windswept off the mesas and desert floor will slowly "sand blast" a vehicle, particularly at those WAY illegal "autobahn" speeds some drivers (I refuse to name names) sometimes enjoy when Smokey aint around! Another way to give the Pox to your paint is to habitually tailgate other vehicles. Tailgating is not only really dumb, it's murder on that front end paint! It will particularly do a job on your fog lamps and the entire bumper cover. The frequent waxing SleepersRock advocates is a damn good idea as well! Wax on, wax off! BTW, the master at the detail house that gos Zen on my E55 once a month uses a wax that contains some sort of a UV blocker. This UV protector is just another absolute must if you plan on keeping your ride for the long haul whilst living in the desert. If anyone is interested in the brand of wax the detailer uses, I'll ask.
Wile E. Coyote