t-bone's 2004 W211 E55 mods (56k beware)
 

I saw MJ50's thread about his mods so it has inspired me to do the same.

I'll try to post the mods I did in chronological order. Not all mods are OEM, but most are. Some of the things I may post were options I ordered with the car.

So let it begin....

http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~taisont/E55/pic008.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...8/IMG_9563.jpg
Two-tone charcoal/merlot interior factory option
Since I ordered my car I wanted it to be more unique and opted for the charcoal/merlot interior.


http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~ttant/E55/pic001.jpg
SL pedals (accelerator, brake, parking brake). t-bone installed
I installed these because I liked the oval look of the rubber pads on the SL pedals more than the round rubber pads. This still shows my old steering wheel. I upgraded to the leather wood perforated ergonomic one.


http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~ttant/E55/pic006.jpg
Rear sunshades integrated into the door factory ordered option
These are really nice since they cleanly hid away when not in use.


http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...8/IMG_9514.jpg
Mario AMG hood badge. t-bone installed
I think mine's starting to crack so I may need to order a new one. But I've always felt these were the best. You can buy them from a guy named Mario. mdonati@interserv.com


Attachment 407838
AMG windshield sticker t-bone installed
I bought this from someone who sold them for a very short period of time. Unfortunately, I don't know where you can get it anymore so please don't ask me.


http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~taisont/E55/doorsills.jpg
http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~taisont/E55/doorsill.jpg
AMG illuminated door sills dealership installed
I bought them from someone who had bought them from MBenzNL. They are actual AMG parts.


http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~taisont/E55/rear.jpg
Renntech spoiler dealership installed
I bought this almost immediately after I bought the car.


http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...8/IMG_9560.jpg
Euro bumper inserts to remove the light MBenzNL ordered
I like this clean look much better than painting or using clear ones.


Attachment 407839
leather AMG airbag MBenzNL ordered
Compliments the leather of the interior and steering wheel very well.


Attachment 407840
small shelf for the glovebox t-bone installed Part number: 211 680 03 30
This is a part that can be ordered from the dealership. The iPod nano is laying on the shelf.


Attachment 407841
http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~taisont/E55/040318.jpg
automatic folding side view mirrors MBenzNL installed
A great mod for the car. The side mirrors automatically fold in when the car locks.


http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...8/IMG_9550.jpg
trunk drawer t-bone installed Part number: 6 6 47 2104
This is a factory part that can be ordered. It attaches to the inside top of the trunk and is easily removed. Great for storing small items such as the kit for my trunk rail system shown below.


Attachment 407842
Attachment 407843
trunk rail system MBenzNL installed
A super trunk organization system that is an OEM part. MJ50 has more detailed photos of his kit.


Attachment 407844
CLS63 instrument cluster MBenzNL installed
I had MBenzNL install my cluster with the black faceplate so that I would not have the two-tone look. I think it makes the cluster have a better fit with the car to maintain the all-black interior. The only large silver piece in my car is now the shifter surround. This will probably be changed to the birdseye maple after I decide to install distronic.
This photo also shows one of the new features of the cluster and that is the oil temperature. It will flash the temperature until it reaches 80 Celsius.

Attachment 407845
One of the other new features it has is the laptimer. The other added one is the battery voltage.


Attachment 407846
Radio preset search via steering wheel
I remember a while back when the W211 first came out you could not search through your preset radio stations. You were able to activate it before with the STAR, but it still would not work. Well, Mercedes has finally solved it with this newer cluster. Now I can cycle through my radio presets with the CLS63 cluster. This was an discovered benefit of the mod.


Continued...

Attachment 407847
Emergency trunk triangle MBenzNL installed
A nifty little OEM part that attaches to your trunk lid.

Attachment 407848
Attachment 407849
iPhone cradle with UHI kit MBenzNL installed
Works great in the car. Full integration except for SMS. You can see how it distinguishes between the different phone numbers for people by adding the /M /H or /W.
MBenzNL would be the one to contact for more info regarding the UHI kit. I don't know if you need the UHI kit to have this iPhone cradle work. It may also work if you have the MHI kit. But as you can see, it does charge the phone. It does not hook up to the iPod cable in the glovebox though. That's something that doesn't work for our W211's at this time. I need to find a way to connect the iPod cable in the glovebox to the iPhone cradle.
I'm probably going to sell my iPhone cradle soon though because the iPhone is getting old for me. I may switch back to a Nokia again. I've always liked them.

Attachment 407850
EURO COMAND with updated software MBenzNL installed
I bought the EURO COMAND to have DVD playback capability. I also wanted MBenzNL to update my EURO COMAND because it added the ETA reading during navigation. I also didn't want to have the dealership try to update it since that may have disabled the video-in-motion benefit of the EURO COMAND.

Attachment 407851
Fire extinguishier underneath driver seat MBenzNL installed
Just another neat little toy installed that is not a US option. I hope I never have to use it in any situation.

Attachment 407852
Euro door pins t-bone installed Part number: A 123 766 00 22
Just one dollar each. Quick install: screw off the golf tees and push these in.

https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...ber1.jpg?stc=1
Custom carbon fiber diffuser one-off piece
I got this part custom made a long time ago. The guy that made it didn't make many more if any. I'm probably going to get the Euroteck one when it becomes available though.

And also Renntech stage 1 (pulley & ECU)


That's all for now. But as everyone knows... the modding never ends. :naughty:

Very nice. Thanks for sharing! A nice way to start the new year...

I want to do the iPhone integration right away! What is involved in that? How much did it run you?

Oh gawd another mod thread that goes on and on like the energizer bunny :rolf::rolf:

Just kidding, what up Taison, long time no see. Hows the 55 treating you?

In order for me to do it, I had the UHI kit installed. However, I am not sure how it would be done if you do not have the UHI kit. Please contact MBenzNL or search the audio forum for more information.

haha... thanks Vic. You know I'll always keep adding stuff. The 55's been good. I'll have it for quite some time still. I see you're keeping everyone in line still. :)

great post along with a great list of mods! I too would like some more information about the iphone integration... my car has the hands free system installed... i was thinking of buying the bluetooth dongle to plug in, but will this work any better?

Please tell me where you got the iPhone integration and how much it cost.

Does it ONLY work with the iPhone? or will it function with other phones as well?

Very cool mods BTW

Lookin great Taison! :y

nice car where can i buy the amg badge for the front of the car

Nice instrument cluster !

I updated my post with the info.

Thanks Sun. You know I'm just tryin' to keep up with your baller ways. I've just got cosmetic mods.

I really love the interior! Great mods! Didn't know about the glove box divider...

Dayam, Tbone... :bow: That 2 tone interior is nice... I'd like to do something similar to my E500 to add Black Leather to the stock Ash Interior on the seats and door panels... Nice work on the other mods too... :bow:

Thanks for the comments.

I've always liked the two-tone interior so when I found out that the E55 had it as an available option, I made sure to order one with this combo.

The modding with MBenzNL never ends though.:v:

By the way, I'm selling my iPhone cradle. I think I'm gonna go back to Nokias.

Check this thread:

FOR SALE: iPhone cradle

PM me if interested.

Pictures of the diffuser aren't showing up??

B

Its the same one I have on my car!!

Where is the Info on the Remote trunk system?:D

Nice!! Love the cluster upgrade!

That's odd because I still see it.

Here it is hosted on photobucket:

Attachment 407854

I can't believe I forgot to put that one. :confused:

Here's a picture of just the buttons I have on my automatic trunk closer.

Attachment 407855
Automatic trunk closer MBenzNL installed

The button on the left just closes it and the button to the right will also lock the vehicle after the trunk closes.

I also had an extra module installed that allows me to remotely close the trunk by pushing the lock or unlock button a few times consecutively. Very convenient feature to have when your arms are full. :y

Attachment 407856
iPhone 3G cradle with adapter cable to iPod module t-bone installed

Took some time this past weekend to install a new adapter cable that connects the iPod to the iPhone 3G cradle. The 3G cradle seems much better than the previous generation one since the phone does not need to be docked in the cradle to pair with the car's phone system. If it is docked though, I get the benefit of charging as well as being able to play the songs in my phone and stream music from programs such as Pandora.

Attachment 407857
Attachment 407858
Fire extinguisher door handle and First aid kit door handle t-bone installed
I just replaced the door handles for the compartments underneath the front seats to indicate what was inside. Just a small detail, but it makes things more complete.

Attachment 407859
Birdseye wood shifter surround MBenzNL installed

This piece made the interior more complete since I now no longer have any large silver pieces.

Attachment 407860
Distronic also installed MBenzNL installed

I had distronic installed at the same time too so that I would be able to get the correct wood piece.