Teego
MB Enthusiast
You could do Hell Green with a silver bonnet. Or wrap the bonnet with an aluminium look.
C63 507 Edition Wide arch project
- Thread starter LeeJV
- Start date
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OP
OP
Hey guys Me again>>> right, things are now moving on at steady pace, and quite a lot is happening too.
My car has been at MB Maidstone for some warranty work after complaining that I had the odd top end rattle on cold start after the car had been sitting for a few weeks, I had a phone call yesterday with an update... after stripping the car down, they found some wear on the camshafts, so are replacing all 4 cams, cam chain, adjusters, lifters, cups, valves, sensors, belts, pulleys, rocker covers etc etc etc all being done under warranty, and all the work will be done before it goes in for the bodywork Mid Jan.
I went down to the bodyshop on Tuesday to discuss about paint colours, and have decided that I'll definitely be going with the Legacy edition Viper Green, but in a Gloss finish, they have the colour code so are able to mix it on site rather than buying it in. We then got onto what clearcoat I wanted, I had concerns about soft clearcoat so wanted to know what products they could offer to help reduce fine scratches and swirls. The answer.... BASF IGLOSS... its nicknamed ceramic clearcoat due to its extreme hard wearing finish and is in fact used by Mercedes on a limited number of models.
Now Wheels......
Well I ordered these on the 1st November and was told ETA end of Jan... and yet to my surprise they have arrived today!!! Concave Christmas..
So Next up is Tyres.. just need to get these fitted and then get the wheels Ceramic coated.. Not sure on what product yet, but will probably opt to have these done by a pro, I've used C5 wheel armour before, but not 100% sure I did it right as the results weren't what I expected, most likely down to personal error not the product.
so if any of you can point me in the right direction of good company near Maidstone that would be great. I'll add more to the thread as things progress, Thanks again for reading
Lee
My car has been at MB Maidstone for some warranty work after complaining that I had the odd top end rattle on cold start after the car had been sitting for a few weeks, I had a phone call yesterday with an update... after stripping the car down, they found some wear on the camshafts, so are replacing all 4 cams, cam chain, adjusters, lifters, cups, valves, sensors, belts, pulleys, rocker covers etc etc etc all being done under warranty, and all the work will be done before it goes in for the bodywork Mid Jan.
I went down to the bodyshop on Tuesday to discuss about paint colours, and have decided that I'll definitely be going with the Legacy edition Viper Green, but in a Gloss finish, they have the colour code so are able to mix it on site rather than buying it in. We then got onto what clearcoat I wanted, I had concerns about soft clearcoat so wanted to know what products they could offer to help reduce fine scratches and swirls. The answer.... BASF IGLOSS... its nicknamed ceramic clearcoat due to its extreme hard wearing finish and is in fact used by Mercedes on a limited number of models.
Now Wheels......
Well I ordered these on the 1st November and was told ETA end of Jan... and yet to my surprise they have arrived today!!! Concave Christmas..
So Next up is Tyres.. just need to get these fitted and then get the wheels Ceramic coated.. Not sure on what product yet, but will probably opt to have these done by a pro, I've used C5 wheel armour before, but not 100% sure I did it right as the results weren't what I expected, most likely down to personal error not the product.
so if any of you can point me in the right direction of good company near Maidstone that would be great. I'll add more to the thread as things progress, Thanks again for reading
Lee
OP
OP
I hadn't thought of that,,, But that's too far outside the box for me Teego
Teego
MB Enthusiast
Just Photoshop it and see.
OP
OP
Some good news..
The car is now ready for collection from MB after having all the warranty work done..I must admit its a huge relief knowing that all the engine work is now complete ahead of schedule.
Picking the car up on Monday and going for a long overdue blast
The KKD R evolve wheel coating arrived today so I'll be coating the wheels tomorrow and leaving them in the spare room to cure. so i'll post up a detailed write up on application of the product with some pics.... everybody loves pics
The car is now ready for collection from MB after having all the warranty work done..I must admit its a huge relief knowing that all the engine work is now complete ahead of schedule.
Picking the car up on Monday and going for a long overdue blast
The KKD R evolve wheel coating arrived today so I'll be coating the wheels tomorrow and leaving them in the spare room to cure. so i'll post up a detailed write up on application of the product with some pics.... everybody loves pics
OP
OP
FFS!!, 2 steps forward, and 3 back again... the coating of the wheels hasn't gone to plan..
My plan was to start coating them today, 1 wheel at a time, set up my work area, got my inspection torch out to use while applying the coating, upon doing so I checked the wheels before doing anything and found loads of micro scratches on all the wheel faces!! Not Good, so I've had to send some pics and an email to the supplier asking them for some compo or part refund so I can have them re finished by a local powder coaters.... View attachment 91109
View attachment 91109 View attachment 91109 View attachment 91109 
My plan was to start coating them today, 1 wheel at a time, set up my work area, got my inspection torch out to use while applying the coating, upon doing so I checked the wheels before doing anything and found loads of micro scratches on all the wheel faces!! Not Good, so I've had to send some pics and an email to the supplier asking them for some compo or part refund so I can have them re finished by a local powder coaters.... View attachment 91109
View attachment 91109 View attachment 91109 View attachment 91109
OP
OP
Ok so wheels are going off to be powder coated tomorrow, so should have them back in a couple of days giving me time to get the tyres fitted before dropping the car off next Saturday.
Next on the list of things to sort is coilovers… looking like I'm probably going with KW DDC setup, to enable me to get the best setting for every road surface and driving style, I was thinking of just going with Springs but fear this will just make the ride too crashy without having any adjustment, and std coilovers may not be ideal for a road based car on a multiple of different road surfaces, fast road, cruising and possibly the odd track day. I'll keep you all posted
Cheers Guys
Next on the list of things to sort is coilovers… looking like I'm probably going with KW DDC setup, to enable me to get the best setting for every road surface and driving style, I was thinking of just going with Springs but fear this will just make the ride too crashy without having any adjustment, and std coilovers may not be ideal for a road based car on a multiple of different road surfaces, fast road, cruising and possibly the odd track day. I'll keep you all posted
Cheers Guys
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2005
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- 27,651
- Location
- Mittel England
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- Smart ForFour AMG Black Series Night Edition Premium Plus 125 Powered by Brabus
Only just seen this thread and will look forward to see how it develops.
The warranty repair bill will have been significant!
The warranty repair bill will have been significant!
OP
OP
It was Bobby.... I bought the car in May this year and have managed to get almost £18K worth of free parts and labour out of them.... Some have said that the car may have been a "Lemon" But although this may be the case, its shaping up to be a brand new car at this rate.. I've still got 18mths of warranty left and intend to ring it dry.
OP
OP
OK, so, 1 week to go until the car goes off for its Cosmetic surgery
I collected the car Friday eve after all the work had finally been completed, so I decided to take it out for a good long road test to double check all was working correctly.. The engine is silky smooth and the 2 hours of driving was an absolute joy.
Now some may think this was a waste of time but I decided to give the car a full chemical strip wash before dropping it off next week and I've done this for several reasons.
A' it shows the cars bodywork is free of any dents or problems before the work is done. I will keep this on file so if I decide to sell it in the future ( Although I seriously doubt it) any potential buyer can be re assured that it was a straight car before hand.
B' I've done a chemical strip wash to help the guys in the bodyshop as the paint was loaded with sealant and wax, despite the fact that is being painted and would have to be sanded down it could still have caused a problem for them.
C' I simply Love a clean car, In fact I get just as much joy from detailing as I do driving.
So Here She is.... A beauty.
I collected the car Friday eve after all the work had finally been completed, so I decided to take it out for a good long road test to double check all was working correctly.. The engine is silky smooth and the 2 hours of driving was an absolute joy.
Now some may think this was a waste of time but I decided to give the car a full chemical strip wash before dropping it off next week and I've done this for several reasons.
A' it shows the cars bodywork is free of any dents or problems before the work is done. I will keep this on file so if I decide to sell it in the future ( Although I seriously doubt it) any potential buyer can be re assured that it was a straight car before hand.
B' I've done a chemical strip wash to help the guys in the bodyshop as the paint was loaded with sealant and wax, despite the fact that is being painted and would have to be sanded down it could still have caused a problem for them.
C' I simply Love a clean car, In fact I get just as much joy from detailing as I do driving.
So Here She is.... A beauty.
OP
OP
finally got the wheels back from the powder coating and took them down to get the new tyres fitted, i had to take the OEM valves off the OEM wheels to fit on the new ones due to having TPS. So thought I'd get a cheeky pic of the size difference.
old rear vs new rear.... MAHOOSIVE!!!
old rear vs new rear.... MAHOOSIVE!!!
OP
OP
Hi guys, So another update for you.
The car wasn't dropped of at the weekend due to the garage doing the work have been delayed due to another customer, although very disappointed, Its actually a blessing in disguise as the suspension hasn't arrived and I wanted to get the wheels ceramic coated before they were fitted.
My First attempt at this went horribly wrong...
The KKD Evolve was an absolute pain!. I applied it as to instruction's, "Allow product to dry before buffing" so I did that, But to my Horror, it wouldn't buff off!!!!, so contacted KKD, and they told me that the product had to be buffed off Before it dries, NOT after!!
The only wat to het this off was to compound the polish the wheel to remove the coating, I also checked with my powder coater about the product, and he said that High solvent based products are really bad for freshly powdercoated wheels as it will make them porous.
So… Now switched to Carbon Collective platinum wheels
The 1st Job was to fully remove the KKD with a compound polish, I did this with a Polishing Cone in a drill, and some Scholl S20 Black.
The car wasn't dropped of at the weekend due to the garage doing the work have been delayed due to another customer, although very disappointed, Its actually a blessing in disguise as the suspension hasn't arrived and I wanted to get the wheels ceramic coated before they were fitted.
My First attempt at this went horribly wrong...
The KKD Evolve was an absolute pain!. I applied it as to instruction's, "Allow product to dry before buffing" so I did that, But to my Horror, it wouldn't buff off!!!!, so contacted KKD, and they told me that the product had to be buffed off Before it dries, NOT after!!
The only wat to het this off was to compound the polish the wheel to remove the coating, I also checked with my powder coater about the product, and he said that High solvent based products are really bad for freshly powdercoated wheels as it will make them porous.
So… Now switched to Carbon Collective platinum wheels
The 1st Job was to fully remove the KKD with a compound polish, I did this with a Polishing Cone in a drill, and some Scholl S20 Black.
OP
OP
Now that 1 wheel was completed with all the polishing, I was so Impressed by the finish that I decided to spend the next few hours doing the other 3 wheels... 
Next up
Now all the polishing is complete, A full paint prep is needed prior to coating, I did this using Carpro Eraser and some Edgeless 70/30 Microfibre cloths from In 2 Detailing and cleaned each wheel twice to make sure all the polish residue was removed.
Next Up.
The Fun part. The product comes in a 15ml bottle with 1 small finger sized applicator.
I then set about applying the product to the inside of the spokes only, and worked my way around the wheel, allowed 2 mins for the product to start curing and then gently levelled the product with another 70/30 Microfibre buffing cloth. Note Do Not Buff this product hard as it will remove too much, you simply need to level the product to remove any high spots or smearing.
Now that the inner spokes had been done, I did the faces of the wheels with the very same technique as before.
Then Left the wheels for 2 Hrs before applying a second coat to ensure full coverage and durability.
Overall my experience with this product has been fantastic. I have used C5 in the past but wasn't that impressed with, I have heard that both Carbon Collective and C5 are made by the same company, however, if this was the case the application process would be the same but in fact its not as C5 is only recommended to have 1 coat as a second coat wont bond to itself.
For those of you who have yet to use this product, its really simply to apply with plenty of working time, as for durability They claim 2/3yrs, however if I manage to get half that I will be extremely happy as the product is less than £20.
Now wheels are finished including the centre caps..
Thanks again for taking the time to read this, I'll update again as soon as I have more news.
Cheers
Lee
Next up
Now all the polishing is complete, A full paint prep is needed prior to coating, I did this using Carpro Eraser and some Edgeless 70/30 Microfibre cloths from In 2 Detailing and cleaned each wheel twice to make sure all the polish residue was removed.
Next Up.
The Fun part. The product comes in a 15ml bottle with 1 small finger sized applicator.
I then set about applying the product to the inside of the spokes only, and worked my way around the wheel, allowed 2 mins for the product to start curing and then gently levelled the product with another 70/30 Microfibre buffing cloth. Note Do Not Buff this product hard as it will remove too much, you simply need to level the product to remove any high spots or smearing.
Now that the inner spokes had been done, I did the faces of the wheels with the very same technique as before.
Then Left the wheels for 2 Hrs before applying a second coat to ensure full coverage and durability.
Overall my experience with this product has been fantastic. I have used C5 in the past but wasn't that impressed with, I have heard that both Carbon Collective and C5 are made by the same company, however, if this was the case the application process would be the same but in fact its not as C5 is only recommended to have 1 coat as a second coat wont bond to itself.
For those of you who have yet to use this product, its really simply to apply with plenty of working time, as for durability They claim 2/3yrs, however if I manage to get half that I will be extremely happy as the product is less than £20.
Now wheels are finished including the centre caps..
Thanks again for taking the time to read this, I'll update again as soon as I have more news.
Cheers
Lee
- Joined
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- 18,893
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- Bournemouth/Poole Dorset
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- W210 E280 x2, w211 E55, W212 E63 biturbo, S204 C180K
^ Thats what I like to see........a photo of your wheel on the dining table/worktop
The wheels are looking good
The wheels are looking good
OP
OP
Paint colour update!!!! So as most of you know my colour choice for the conversion was Viper Green or Hell Green... I've spoken to GBG today and because the legacy edition 507 was not released in the Uk and the colour is owned by BASF< They won't release the colour code. So Hell Green AMG it is!
Teego
MB Enthusiast
Chrissake don't put stick-on go-faster stripes like the GTR Pro.
What about a retro 1980s matt black rear panel like the Dolomit Sprint?
What about a retro 1980s matt black rear panel like the Dolomit Sprint?
OP
OP
Still a little delay in dropping the car off due to another car being done so its going in this weekend.
On the plus side
the car has gone in for a full service ahead of schedule so I don't end up losing the car again when I get it back, I've been looking at the wheels and felt that due to the whole wheel being black, the tyre looked lost on the rim and needed something to break it up, I managed to find some really good quality Metal AMG wheel logo's so took a punt.
They arrived today and was really impressed with the quality for such little money. I think the wheels look more factory now, esp as they deserved the AMG logo.
On the plus side
the car has gone in for a full service ahead of schedule so I don't end up losing the car again when I get it back, I've been looking at the wheels and felt that due to the whole wheel being black, the tyre looked lost on the rim and needed something to break it up, I managed to find some really good quality Metal AMG wheel logo's so took a punt.
They arrived today and was really impressed with the quality for such little money. I think the wheels look more factory now, esp as they deserved the AMG logo.
