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Thanks for the feedback, Dino. I'm going to purchase and install a set of rear camber adjustment arms myself. I will probably have the front adjustment bolts installed when I take it in for the alignment. Unlike you, I don't think I will have any issues with rubbing since my rear wheels aren't very aggressive.
Interested in your findings.
So what is your verdict after a few weeks with the springs?
I did this the first time almost 2 years ago when I purchased the car. The degradation is so slow, I really didn't realize how bad they were until I looked at a pic I took about 3 weeks ago compared to a pic from when I had worked on them initially.
It was really easy and quick to do this time. The first time, I used a power ball attached to my cordless drill. So I was limited as far as area and rpm's. This time I used a 6" palm polisher that worked perfectly. I first hit the four lights with a rubbing compound formulated for cleaning and scratch removal. I then applied a headlight cleaner and sealant, hoping to slow down the degradation. BTW, just using the headlight product, which I tried firstly 2 years ago, didn't do much. The compound does the heavy lifting.
So what is your verdict after a few weeks with the springs?
I love them! The look is so much better than the OE ride height, IMO. The ride is very good as well. It is minimally harsher than the OE ride, but nothing that would make me change my mind about the springs. My guess is a lot of passengers in the car would never know the difference. I still haven't pushed the car too hard handling wise, but hard enough to tell that body roll is less. I would recommend this to anyone thinking about it.
I will resolve the camber/alignment issues and be totally satisfied!
It's just a clear 3M film (but somewhat thicker then the norm) I love as it gives me confidence that my new fog lamps won't get cracked like my last two sets. The E55 fog lamps aren't cheap They also cover my Depo headlights plus the day lights.
I also have FX projectors in my Depo's which is a nice treat to drive at night. I HIGHLY recommend FX projectors w/ Depo highlight for a nice newer look.
Where did you find this 3M product? Is it a covering or just a coating? After finding out that I have the Euro version lamps, I need something so this doesn't repeat itself. The vinyl is easy to work with, but I am afraid it may be too noticeable and draw some weird looks from people who know.
Yes, I did the left outer tie rod only. The right outer did not need it. The inner tie rods were fine so did not replace them either. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
I used was the "GearWrench 3916D Universal Ball Joint Separator" from Amazon for $21.97 and free shipping
Great tool -- worked like a charm. I also got a fork tool but decided not to use it. The fork tool is destructive if you want to reuse the tie rod. Although in this case I replaced the tie rod so that was not a concern.
The Lemfoerder tie rod is identical to the oem part, so I was able to put the alignment back where it was. The car tracks beautifully with neutral steering as before so it did not need an alignment. Bottom line is I don't trust anyone working on my cars -- too many overpriced and bad alignment stories.
Originally Posted by armaniE55
Did you end up tackling the tie rods? Good move going with Lemfoerder. I purchased the same with inner & outer. Did you buy a ball joint separator? Need to do this job next weekend along with rotors/brake flush.
Thanks to TG, I opened a huge can of worms. I got tired of the rattling and was really determined to remove the rear deck tonight and here I am at 1:30am. I still don't know where the rattling was coming from, but everything loose will be glued back together and I will be lining the entire bottom of the rear deck with foam or felt. Rear deck will definitely be redyed also.
Thanks to TG, I opened a huge can of worms. I got tired of the rattling and was really determined to remove the rear deck tonight and here I am at 1:30am. I still don't know where the rattling was coming from, but everything loose will be glued back together and I will be lining the entire bottom of the rear deck with foam or felt. Rear deck will definitely be redyed also.
Godspeed!!
Your rear panel is in much better condition than mine was! I have read about the rattle but never had one myself. Maybe a simple reassembly will solve the problem alone.
Here is where I got my dye from if you have not ordered yet. Remember its 7315 Anthracite.
~$25 shipped. You will have excess I guarantee especially if you dampened the deck with water. I still have some left over.
I used 3M headliner adhesive to glue the sound dampening to the deck using clamps for curing and lubricated the metal clips to secure the panel in between the headliner and rear deck. I cant imagine why that will not work? I must admit the fit of the deck and on top of plastic wafer discs was not as tight after the project. The deck moves around the sunshade ever so slightly more but no rattling for me.
Ill snap a pic of my rear deck, dyed installed, for final results in a bit.
Teaser: working on C32 brakes in the next weeks. Thinking powder coated gunmetal with reflective AMG sticker!
Last edited by Tall Giraffe; Mar 30, 2015 at 09:53 AM.
Put a wide band meter in,boxed in the front heat exchanger,adjusted some values with Xentry,installed a better blower pulley scatter shield.Now if it would just stop snowing!!!
After seeing Snoozie's first post I bought a Mityvac and did a little DIY myself which included engine degrease, Pro Dry filter cleaning including inside the airbox, MAF cleaning, Oil change, fleece filter and Marine Stabil blue. Had my AC recharged and had the Indie reset the ECU!
After seeing Snoozie's first post I bought a Mityvac and did a little DIY myself which included engine degrease, Pro Dry filter cleaning including inside the airbox, MAF cleaning, Oil change, fleece filter and Marine Stabil blue. Had my AC recharged and had the Indie reset the ECU!
She runs beautifully!
Nice job with the degreasing - looks clean in there. What brand and weight of oil did you use? Do you know if the indie ECU reset is more comprehensive than disconnecting the battery or doing the soft reset?
Nice job with the degreasing - looks clean in there. What brand and weight of oil did you use? Do you know if the indie ECU reset is more comprehensive than disconnecting the battery or doing the soft reset?
Thanks! Used Simple Green.
Stuck to the religiously advised oil here- 0W 40 Mobil 1 European Formula. $27/5 Quart jug at WallyWorld. Amazon is not bad either if you have Prime.
It is more comprehensive. The indie uses the Starr or Xentry, what ever he uses and resets it back to stock. I have also unplugged the battery but seem to get the best results from an overnight disconnect- which results is the same effect I believe as a system reset. If I am in his shop I always ask and he obliges. I tried to get the courtesy lights to stop coming on but it did not work out. Ill try again next time. Afterwards it has a different sound (imo) and touchy acceleration.
Stuck to the religiously advised oil here- 0W 40 Mobil 1 European Formula. $27/5 Quart jug at WallyWorld. Amazon is not bad either if you have Prime.
It is more comprehensive. The indie uses the Starr or Xentry, what ever he uses and resets it back to stock. I have also unplugged the battery but seem to get the best results from an overnight disconnect- which results is the same effect I believe as a system reset. If I am in his shop I always ask and he obliges. I tried to get the courtesy lights to stop coming on but it did not work out. Ill try again next time. Afterwards it has a different sound (imo) and touchy acceleration.
to keep the courtesy lights from coming on when you stop the car open the door and turn the key to the number 2 position (just before start) then turn it back and take it out. When you close the door the fogs should not come on.
I read about this technique on a thread someone posted on the other forum. With HID fogs I don't want to burn out the ballasts more quickly by turning on the fogs every time I get out the car.
to keep the courtesy lights from coming on when you stop the car open the door and turn the key to the number 2 position (just before start) then turn it back and take it out. When you close the door the fogs should not come on.
I read about this technique on a thread someone posted on the other forum. With HID fogs I don't want to burn out the ballasts more quickly by turning on the fogs every time I get out the car.
Yes, I did read about that too before I asked the Indie to change it. I just wanted to try and skip that step. I think what happened is that he reduced the time they stay on because they stay on about 15 sec now vs 30 sec before.
Love the Mityvac I recommend everyone own one of these babd boys . As of matter of fact this how the dealer removes the oil. I also do my girls Lex 250 as well.
Armani
Originally Posted by Tall Giraffe
Late night maintenance.
After seeing Snoozie's first post I bought a Mityvac and did a little DIY myself which included engine degrease, Pro Dry filter cleaning including inside the airbox, MAF cleaning, Oil change, fleece filter and Marine Stabil blue. Had my AC recharged and had the Indie reset the ECU!
~$25 shipped. You will have excess I guarantee especially if you dampened the deck with water. I still have some left over.
Thanks for the link, I'm definitely ordering from there. So it's definitely anthracite and not charcoal? I thought our cars come with charcoal interiors.
Thanks for the link, I'm definitely ordering from there. So it's definitely anthracite and not charcoal? I thought our cars come with charcoal interiors.
That could be a possibility. I guess check your VIN against EPC to be sure. Anthracite has a slight green hue as charcoal doesn't. You might not be able to tell a difference but I wanted to be oem.
yea definitely want to be as close to OEM as possible too! Otherwise I would've went to autozone and picked up a can of duplicolor fabric/vinyl spray paint. I jut ordered it. The kit was $25 but shipping was $11 :S
Do you happen to have the part numbers for those little clips you broke? I figured out how to take them apart but didn't know how to catch the little center tabs that fall out until after I took it apart, so now I need to get new ones.
Last edited by desired_speeds; Apr 2, 2015 at 02:23 PM.
yea definitely want to be as close to OEM as possible too! Otherwise I would've went to autozone and picked up a can of duplicolor fabric/vinyl spray paint. I jut ordered it. The kit was $25 but shipping was $11 :S
Do you happen to have the part numbers for those little clips you broke? I figured out how to take them apart but didn't know how to catch the little center tabs that fall out until after I took it apart, so now I need to get new ones.
Mine came apart but luckily it did not go down the black hole in the trunk. I have my WIS and EPC on a USB drive unfortunately I am out of town till Monday. You might be able to do the online EPC to discover the parts number. My free subscription expired in Feb. Its free but you'll need cc info. You could also get the data card for your car and any part number etc.
2002 F-350, 1999 E55 AMG, AMG Orphans Club International Member #118
Still working on trying to get the car cleaned up. It's taking forever, mainly weather and social obligations. I have been claying, polishing, and waxing various surfaces over the last five days. There is a lot of surface area on a car. It took two days just to get the trunk lid cleaned up, some kind of tar/gunk that I have never seen before. What has been done looks really nice and shined up very well. The window trim is giving me a bit of trouble. It looks like water or mineral spots, but will not clean off. I've tried the usual assortment of cleaners, polishes but nothing seems to work. I even tried jewelers rouge on a test spot, didn't make a difference. Nobody would notice galloping by on a horse, but I see it every time I walk by. Going to try to get the roof done today.
Do you happen to have the part numbers for those little clips you broke? I figured out how to take them apart but didn't know how to catch the little center tabs that fall out until after I took it apart, so now I need to get new ones.
86 190D (Exported to the Nerderlands), 87 300TD (Sold), 82 Ford F150 3spd, 99 E300D (RIP), 02 E55
Carbon Grille
C
Originally Posted by ddb
I did this the first time almost 2 years ago when I purchased the car. The degradation is so slow, I really didn't realize how bad they were until I looked at a pic I took about 3 weeks ago compared to a pic from when I had worked on them initially.
It was really easy and quick to do this time. The first time, I used a power ball attached to my cordless drill. So I was limited as far as area and rpm's. This time I used a 6" palm polisher that worked perfectly. I first hit the four lights with a rubbing compound formulated for cleaning and scratch removal. I then applied a headlight cleaner and sealant, hoping to slow down the degradation. BTW, just using the headlight product, which I tried firstly 2 years ago, didn't do much. The compound does the heavy lifting.
Hey, I notice your grille...is that carbon fiber....looks good
86 190D (Exported to the Nerderlands), 87 300TD (Sold), 82 Ford F150 3spd, 99 E300D (RIP), 02 E55
MityVac
Originally Posted by Tall Giraffe
Late night maintenance.
After seeing Snoozie's first post I bought a Mityvac and did a little DIY myself which included engine degrease, Pro Dry filter cleaning including inside the airbox, MAF cleaning, Oil change, fleece filter and Marine Stabil blue. Had my AC recharged and had the Indie reset the ECU!
She runs beautifully today!
Looks like the same one I have Best oil change canister ever hadNow you can change oil at 3:00am in the morning if you can't sleep!! While watching the market open in London like me....lol jk
Hey, I notice your grille...is that carbon fiber....looks good
It started as an all black, aftermarket grill that I had hydrographics applied on. You actually gave me the idea, so thanks! You even offered to buy it if I ever wanted to sell it a couple of years ago.
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.
They also cover my Depo headlights plus the day lights. 
which is a nice treat to drive at night. I HIGHLY recommend FX projectors w/ Depo highlight for a nice newer look.
jk
