R129 4/5yr old news front wings. Rust spots appearing already

[R129mine]

I replaced my front wings in 2015/16 with brand new ones (they “only” cost £300 at the time from mb)

the bodyshop protected the inside of the wing with some kind of coating but I noticed that the lips started to rust last year. It seems it is still surface rust. I removed the wing today and overall it is not too bad but pretty much the entire underside had rust spots on

so am in process of using grinder to remove most of the rust and the dinitrol wax I applied last year without taking the wing off. Will go at it with the dremmel for the smaller corners

am not sure whether to go down the bilt Hamber route (deox gel, hydrate 80, epoxy mastic) or the dinitrol route (rc900 followed by 4941 underbody wax) I have plenty of both product lines for this job.

may do the exposed arch and lip with dinitrol and the hidden underside (above bumper and side panel with Bilt hamber products)

my previous front wings were in a bad state when I purchased the car when it was 10yrs old but rust did not star to appear properly 5 years later and 3-4 years later I replaced the wings as they were literally falling apart.

Seems like only option is to not drive in the rain / wet anymore unless my new protective layer will finally stop the rust in its track. The flat bit of the lip which you can see from the side will be covered in dinitrol underbody wax and may be slightly visible but the standard paint seems to give very little rust protection.


after 20 minutes without grinder

 

[Doodle]

It's hard to see from these pictures, but it looks like the paint on the inside of the wing is fairly minimal, and thus any protection provided. Ideally you want a proper layer of paint all over to start with. The dinitrol coating will help but needs to be reapplied periodically especially in a high wear area such as arches.

I'd be thinking about something like UPol's Raptor or similar on the inside surfaces and edges.

 

[chrisk2010]

Maybe think applying some stone chip to the inside like Soudals Anti Gravel after you have treated the rust.

 

[ChipChop]

Not familiar with R129's but it looks like there is an arch liner in there just like my s210.

These arch liners seem to be a disaster for the area left uncovered.

Personally i would get rid of all rust and repaint inner wing area in white/ a light colour (like they do on rally cars).

No/ minimal stone chip/ underseal and then you can identify and sort out any developing rust easily in the future.

Also pressure wash the inner wings regularly in winter.

 

[R129mine]

It's hard to see from these pictures, but it looks like the paint on the inside of the wing is fairly minimal, and thus any protection provided. Ideally you want a proper layer of paint all over to start with. The dinitrol coating will help but needs to be reapplied periodically especially in a high wear area such as arches.

I'd be thinking about something like UPol's Raptor or similar on the inside surfaces and edges.

That is great advice, will order some Upol raptor and apply that.

Looks like I will have a few more days of removing the old protective coat & rust ahead of me, the grinder makes a lot of noise and need to keep my family and the neighbours sweet and not go at it for more than 20-30 mins per day.

 

[R129mine]

Not familiar with R129's but it looks like there is an arch liner in there just like my s210.

These arch liners seem to be a disaster for the area left uncovered.

Personally i would get rid of all rust and repaint inner wing area in white/ a light colour (like they do on rally cars).

No/ minimal stone chip/ underseal and then you can identify and sort out any developing rust easily in the future.

Also pressure wash the inner wings regularly in winter.

yes there is and arch liner and only a small portion of the metal is exposed

rust also appears where the wing connects to the bumper and side sill. I clean the wheel arches every week and remove any dirt/mud sand but it does not keep the rust away.

will apply the more heavy duty stone chips stuff to the exposed bits of metal and properly rust proof the bottom edges sitting above the bumper and side sill covers.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

We use Epoxy from Rustbuster for things like inside wings etc.

Then when this has cured we finish off with some stone chip.

 

[Tattmaylor]

I'm looking to source a new passenger side front wing for my R129, as rust is now appearing after being repaired by the previous owner 2 years ago. Are MB the best place to get these from or does anyone know of any specialists who can help? I've had a quote from a local body repair shop of about £550 to repair the current wing and blend with bonnet, bumper, lower wing and A Pillar, or about £1000 for them to source a new wing and carry out the same blending - seemed a bit pricey??

 

[Tattmaylor]

Update: Local Mercedes dealership/service dept have quoted £717 inc VAT for a new wing excluding fitting and painting.....any ideas on if a genuine new part can be found cheaper?

 

[MrGreedy]

Update: Local Mercedes dealership/service dept have quoted £717 inc VAT for a new wing excluding fitting and painting.....

Have you tried Mercedes Grangemouth who are usually very competitive anyway, and try providing you forum username for possible discount?
That seems, well, a ridiculous price.

 

[Tattmaylor]

Thanks, I'll give them a try! It's proving to be quite difficult to even locate a new/nearly new wing! I'm starting to lean towards the repair and respray option before it gets any worse, but as there's no guarantees it won't return, it's not the *best* option.

 

[R129mine]

Update: Local Mercedes dealership/service dept have quoted £717 inc VAT for a new wing excluding fitting and painting.....any ideas on if a genuine new part can be found cheaper?

I thought they were no longer available, but I have not found any "good" used wings apart from the one I just purchased from

£1000 inc VAT seems a lot to be honest but only because of the cost of the wing. 4 years ago they were £275 ex vat. I would pay the extra £500 and get a new wing but make sure they add additional protection on the inside and along the bottom. And especially the lip. Otherwise you will have the same problem I am facing right now. Is the other side okay? Usually this problem appears on both wings at the same time.

I am just doing it dyi at the moment to stop the worst but am thinking of having both wings repainted fully by a body shop next summer as i have just noticed some bubbling of paint on the outside facing (just above the indicator and just above the bumper

removed old paint and rust with grinder

applied deox gel and left it to soak for about 5 days

sand down again and washed and white spirit and washed again and dried off. It is clear from rust apart from black pitting which I cannot get rid off. Because the wing is curved there is some shading/different colours on the picture b



applied hydrate 80


will leave it overnight and cover all the inside and underside with epoxy mastic (all bilt hamber products)

and will then apply stone chip on the inside and the underside of the lip (it won't look pretty but hopefully that will keep all the rust at bay

and will deal with the bubbling

car is currently outside in torrential rain and luckily my plastic heavy duty sheeting is keeping it dry with all these body panels having been taken off for cleaning up and derusting etc.
Hopefully I can start putting it all back together again next week.

 

[Doodle]

That seems, well, a ridiculous price.

Welcome to Mercedes price gouging. Certain parts for the 129 have gone stratospheric in the last few years. £400+ per side for brake disc guards. £110 for a set of pins and spring plates for rear calipers.

 

[Tattmaylor]

I cant find a good used wing anywhere, but I've only been searching the last couple of days. The driver's side is fine (for now), and in the history book the passenger side was repaired and resprayed only a couple of years ago, which is why I would prefer to just have it replaced to be honest. I've emailed a few more places to see if a new wing can be found - I'm just keeping my fingers crossed at the moment. I've covered the car up as well, as I don't have a garage.

 

[Doodle]

After a comparative drought for some time, there's a few popped up on German eBay recently that might be suitable. Search for "mercedes 129 kotflugel"

 

[Tattmaylor]

Ok so I think I may have located a rust-free wing, BUT, it's from a pre-facelift model, so although it has a side indicator, I believe they are a different shape to the later models (straight edged rectangular rather than a sort of tapered rectangle on my SL). I'm wondering whether this matters, and if the indicator lens from my later model will still fit the space provided on the pre-facelift panel? Anyone have any advice on this?
Thanks.

 

[RichardF]

I'm in a similar quandary, both mine have had past repairs. I'd really like to replace, although if I could find an old school place, I had confidence in to repair I'd consider it.

Perhaps I should try a restorer, rather than a body shop.

 

[alabbasi]

It looks like they did not apply an etch primer or something similar that cause the top coat to fail. I would strip them and have them down completely and have them dipped. What you're fixing right now is what you see.

 

[219]

Welcome to Mercedes price gouging. Certain parts for the 129 have gone stratospheric in the last few years. £400+ per side for brake disc guards. £110 for a set of pins and spring plates for rear calipers.

Then do not buy these items from Mercedes .

I just last year completely rebuilt the brakes on my W140 ( substantially the same parts ; did my R129 brake rebuild 5 or 6 years before ; the two models share many parts ) .

I always buy only ATE brake components, as fitted by the factory : a set of ATE spring clips and pins is something like £20 for the front ones and a bit less for the rears .

All these items can be sourced from German suppliers on eBay.de

 

[Doodle]

Then do not buy these items from Mercedes .

Then you're sh*t out of luck, Derek, because you can't buy them from anyone else. Not ATE, or any of the myriad of other OEM and 3rd party suppliers. I've had my 129 for nearly 2 decades, so I'm well versed in sourcing parts for them. Even my trade contacts came up blank.

The pin and spring sets for the earlier solid and later 300mm vented discs are available from other suppliers, for the £15 mark that you have suggested. (Mercedes ask about £40). I have a 300mm set here, looking at the possibilites for modification to suit.
But the 278x24 setup was only used for about an 18-24 month period, it uses the earlier solid caliper with a spacer to widen it. None of those suppliers stock those parts, the ONLY source is MB and they know this. The calipers are the same (earlier/later refurbs off the shelf, none available for these) as are the discs, fortunately discs are inexpensive from MB.

As for the front disc shields - if you want the smaller shields they're available from any number of sources for £20 or so. But the 320mm ones are not - it's another part that only Mercedes can supply at the moment having recently brought them back from NLA.

I'm in talks with a pressings company to see if we can get something more competitive made, but that takes time and money and they're both in short supply currently.