Shardul's Wheels - Restoration (w/ PICS!)
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From: The Granite State
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Shardul's Wheels - Restoration (w/ PICS!)
Several months ago, I worked out a deal with Shardul to buy his old CLS500 wheels. At the time, I was looking for a cheap set of factory AMG wheels to use for snow tires. Getting an even wider set of AMG wheels wasn't quite what I had envisioned, but the price was right and I knew that with a little extra work I'd have my winter wheel/tire setup and a killer summer configuration too.
Here are a few BEFORE shots of the wheels:
The wheel with the discolored clear coat...
I guess this is what you get after hammering the brakes at 180MPH at the Texas Mile!!
Other than a lot of brake dust, some rim chips and scrapes and some clearcoat issues, it was a nice straight set of wheels that could be restored and made to look new again.
A local shop did the work. They cross-referenced the original MB part numbers in their system and were able to decode the paint color as "Hypersilver", which is basically a black base coat followed by a semi-tranparent silver to give it a slightly dark, almost titanium appearance. I like the fact that they took the time to make sure that the wheels would be accurate in every way to the original color as Mercedes Benz originally did it.
The wheels were media blasted down to bare metal and all of the small defects were repaired and smoothed out. The shop was working on a small backlog of orders, but was still able to turn these around in just a couple of weeks. It ultimately didn't matter much, since these won't actually get used until next spring but I thought I'd just get them done now so that the paint would be fully cured before mounting the tires.
Here are some "AFTER" shots:
Overall, I'm really pleased with the outcome....and even though the "Hypersilver" paint process was a more expensive restoration than traditional silver, the whole thing was still very affordable.
-G
Here are a few BEFORE shots of the wheels:
The wheel with the discolored clear coat...
I guess this is what you get after hammering the brakes at 180MPH at the Texas Mile!!
Other than a lot of brake dust, some rim chips and scrapes and some clearcoat issues, it was a nice straight set of wheels that could be restored and made to look new again.
A local shop did the work. They cross-referenced the original MB part numbers in their system and were able to decode the paint color as "Hypersilver", which is basically a black base coat followed by a semi-tranparent silver to give it a slightly dark, almost titanium appearance. I like the fact that they took the time to make sure that the wheels would be accurate in every way to the original color as Mercedes Benz originally did it.
The wheels were media blasted down to bare metal and all of the small defects were repaired and smoothed out. The shop was working on a small backlog of orders, but was still able to turn these around in just a couple of weeks. It ultimately didn't matter much, since these won't actually get used until next spring but I thought I'd just get them done now so that the paint would be fully cured before mounting the tires.
Here are some "AFTER" shots:
Overall, I'm really pleased with the outcome....and even though the "Hypersilver" paint process was a more expensive restoration than traditional silver, the whole thing was still very affordable.
-G
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,835
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From: The Granite State
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Thanks!
Can't wait to get them installed next spring. The slightly wider wheel and increased offset of the CLS wheel seems to really improve the look of the car overall.....
May need to also invest in an ELM at that point to get the new look "just right".
-G
Can't wait to get them installed next spring. The slightly wider wheel and increased offset of the CLS wheel seems to really improve the look of the car overall.....
May need to also invest in an ELM at that point to get the new look "just right".
-G
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3-five-five/ TUNDRA/ 07 997 cab
I think the CLS offsets suit the E class perfect. Both the 18s and the 19s look great on our cars. I remember Shars car from the rear corner looked awsome with those. An ELM would top it off nicely!
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2012 C63 BS & 2014 E63 Estate & 2008 CLK63 BS
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Maybe I should go black!
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3-five-five/ TUNDRA/ 07 997 cab
Here T! These would look sick on your white! https://mbworld.org/forums/wheels-ti...e-5-cls63.html
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Joined: Jul 2003
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From: SoCal
W221
Looks fantastic!!! 
I personally had to run a 245/40/18F in the front with these wheels because I would still rub pretty hard on very steep driveways. The 275/35/18R is absolutely PERFECT.
I personally had to run a 245/40/18F in the front with these wheels because I would still rub pretty hard on very steep driveways. The 275/35/18R is absolutely PERFECT.
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From: The Granite State
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Standard wheel restoration with plain silver paint was around $150/ wheel. The hypersilver (including clear coat) was closer to $200/ wheel... Considering that I've now got a flawless set of factory AMG wheels, the price seemed very reasonable to me.
-G
-G
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From: Puerto Rico
2005 E55 AMG
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From: Atlanta, GA
2007 E63 AMG, 1991 NSX, 2007 Corvette
Nice enough to where they get a seat right there at the dining room table , plus the persian rug treatment as well !!! Giving the AMG wheels the respect that they deserve.
They did a great job in making the wheels look like new. Now the challenge will be to make sure no one steals them which seems to be the new thing going on.
Enjoy.
They did a great job in making the wheels look like new. Now the challenge will be to make sure no one steals them which seems to be the new thing going on.
Enjoy.
