E55Florida

Good Afternoon AMG Family,

I recently bought a 2005 E55 AMG and am taking all of the usual steps to prepare the car with preventative maintenance, paint correction, ceramic coating, window tint, front sunshade etc. I have noticed many W211 E55's have badly clouded headlamps, even lower mileage examples.

Mine are relatively clear looking and I want to keep them that way. Do you all have a trick or recommendation to keep our headlamps from clouding? I assume it is due to the UV exposure penetrating whatever clearcoat was on them from the factory. Have any of you applied a light ceramic coating to your headlamps/foglamps, and even rear tailamps? Any other ideas or recommendations regarding our vehicle's trim/things I should be aware of as a new owner?

The car, unfortunately, for the time being is exposed to the hot south Florida sun while we find an awning or shade to extend over our single-car garage. I'm crazy worried about the plastic trim along with the lights.

Thanks for your input,

Eric

bobgodd

My original light lenses went to hell, i wet sanded and polished and they looked great, but then started to get messed up on the inside as well. Took the route of Amazon replacement lenses, then had a local tint shop do ppf on them. A year later they still look pretty much new.

black06c230

If still in good shape simply have pain protection film (PPF) installed I them. If crap replace lenses and then add PPF

Yuille36

PPF is the way to go, I had mine done years ago, and they still look great. The last photos was when I had new PPF installed on fog lights, headlights and the whole front clip. I even have my carbon fiber lip covered as well.

E55Florida

Thank you for the reply! I considered PPF but was wondering if the heat generated with lights on for hours/along with 100 degree weather would have some sort of impact on the film condition/lamps becoming more discolored etc. But it sounds like this is a non-issue?

E55Florida

Thank you! You haven't noticed any "side effects" like the ppf film yellowing etc.? In my head I am hesitant about the film causing overheating issues. My Audi had PPF all over the front and lights and after about 15 years, the plastic lamps almost look warped from what I assume is the heat.

Great looking E-class by the way. She looks to be in perfect condition!

bbirdwell

The lenses can be a problem but, in my opinion, the lights on as long as the car is running is a bigger problem. The lamps' heat break down the reflective coating on the reflectors. Once that is gone, you're screwed. I installed new headlamps and disabled the "always on" feature. Ask me in a few years and I'll let you know.
FWIW and YMMV.

E55Florida

I didn't think of the daytime-running lamps, that's a good point. They are on 100% of the time when the light switch is in the "AUTO" position, correct? Turning the switch left once to the 0 position would turn everything off I would assume (including the drl's?

Yuille36

No, can't say that I have seen any yellowing, and I have used PPF for many years. The film is only a sacrificial layer to protect your lenses from road debris i.e., bugs, rocks, sand, road salt, etc.).
I personally haven't seen any overheating issues caused by the film. Now if you're using some new headlight bulb that is putting out more heat than OEM, than it's possible.
If your headlights started to look warped, then you obviously had the film on way too long.
PPF isn't made so stay on your vehicle forever, it does need to be replaced after some years, when it starts to yellow, develop cracks, etc. The longest period of time that I got out of my PPF was 7 years.
That is why it is imperative that you go with a good quality film, that has UV protection. Then apply multiple layers of ceramic coating that also has some UV protection in it, this will extend the life of PPF.
But the choice is yours and yours alone.

bbirdwell

The lights are on all the time, period; The "always on" feature can be disabled in the instrument cluster settings. When I pulled my old lenses, the reflectors weren't reflecting and looked pretty bad. I still have the old lights with the intention of opening them up for evaluation.

For grins and giggles, I disabled the "always on" headlight feature associated with all key fobs. I also modified the "time and mileage since engine start" display to show road speed rather than temperature. And one key fob is associated with the display language in German. When you modify the features using the instrument cluster the modifications will be associated with the key fob that was in the ignition switch at the time.

E55Florida

I learned the hard way about letting the PPF sit for so long...The prior owner had it on from factory (2007) until about 2019. I should have had it removed immediately but had no idea the problems it causes from staying on so long.

Do you Ceramic coat the lights before the PPF is placed or after? Is any of the body of your car PPF'd as well? I had mine fully ceramic coated, but the bug splatter, bid poop, and rock chips didn't cross my mind and I'd think the PPF film would protect more than the ceramic coating?

E55Florida

Thanks for all the insight! I have a lot of reading to do in the owner's manual to get to know all the features. The different key fob settings for the car is a great idea.

Yuille36

Applying the ceramic coating prior can be problematic as the PPF would have a hard time sticking to the headlights. Yes, the entire front of my car is PPF to include the headlights, fog lights, door edges, entire front bumper and partial hood and mirror covers. PPF was designed to protect your vehicle from impacts to the paint, ceramic coating doesn’t allow anything stick to your car. But ceramic coating only last for maybe two years, where PPF lasts for 4-6 years maybe longer.