S211 wood trim swap?

[flying banana]

Is there anyone out there interested in swapping the wood trim in their facelift 211 e class for a perfect set of black birds eye maple trim pieces? I am looking for the golden brown walnut equivalent trim pieces as I prefer the colour.

Ideally, you trim will be in a RHD 08 E class estate (although I think the wooden trim is identical on saloons also), that does not have memory seats/full electric seats, distronic, airmatic or aux heating/ventilation, but does have a CD changer. It will probably be an elegance model, and the wooden trim will be in perfect condition.

My trim is unmarked and is in black Birdseye maple, standard on avantgarde and sport models.

Pictures of my trim are attached below. I am after:

1 x LH dashboard trim piece
1 x RH dashboard trim piece
1 x CD cover/switch panel
1 x Ashtray cover
1 x gearshift panel
1 x cup holder/storage cover
1 x LH armrest catch cover
1 x RH armrest catch cover
1 x Drivers side front door card wood trim
1 x Passenger side front door card wood trim
1 x Drivers side rear door card wood trim
1 x Passenger side rear door card wood trim

Thanks for looking

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[Druk]

I did this to mine for the same reason. All fairly straightforward except the CD cover. You're going to have fun with that.

 

[flying banana]

I did this to mine for the same reason. All fairly straightforward except the CD cover. You're going to have fun with that.

Is there a Jedi method to getting it off, or should I plan to just swap the whole changer with it?

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[Druk]

Is there a Jedi method to getting it off, or should I plan to just swap the whole changer with it?

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That would be the easy way. It's been a few years but I seem to remember it's a strip-down job even with the thing out to get at the screws holding the trim on. Mine was an 03 car but the changer looks the same from your pic.




.

 

[Alex]

Is there a Jedi method to getting it off, or should I plan to just swap the whole changer with it?

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Tiny torx driver. You'll figure it out.

 

[flying banana]

Tiny torx driver. You'll figure it out.

Those I have

 

[Druk]

Just to whet your whistle

.

 

[flying banana]

Just to whet your whistle .

That's just cruel!

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[GAV105N]

Keep the birds eye maple trim mate looks miles better , that other fake wood is horrific !

 

[Gareth]

Agreed, can't believe someone would change that way around! Love the maple myself. (each to their own though)

 

[flying banana]

Keep the birds eye maple trim mate looks miles better , that other fake wood is horrific !

I thought all the wood in E's was real?

To my eyes (and it could well be that I'm in a minority of 2 here with DRUK) it doesn't look like "anthracite birds eye maple", it looks "Meconium green"

One alternative would be to buy a damaged set off ebay, prise off all wood from the backplates/chrome bits, get it hydro-dipped in carbon fibre pattern, reassembled and then swap and sell my pristine trim set. Sounds like a lot of hard work to replace a real wood finish with a fake CF finish (which offends the engineer in me, even if the finished product is pretty convincing these days).

The other would be even more grief - basically use an old set of trim to make up a set of moulds and then laminate replacements in real glassfibre with a CF skin, or indeed full CF. There would be a weight saving for sure but getting the CF weave consistent and even on intricate parts is a bugger.

I suppose I could remove mine and sand it down to see how far the stain has penetrated into the wood - tricky because the veneer is probably around 1/3 of a millimetre thick - or indeed get it re-veneered at a cabinet-maker. Sounds expensive.

On top of all this, actually I like the golden brown burr walnut veneer. It has a real old-school gentleman's club feel to it that I think really suits the slightly retro feel of the 211 interior, which I also prefer over more modern designs. It would, in my opinion looks totally out of place in a 212 or contemporary Beemer/Audi because their interiors are intentionally more modern in concept.

Anyway, each to his own - it would a boring world if everyone liked exactly the same stuff

 

[Deleted member 11979]

Another way is to get the maple "wrapped" by a company such as Garnish in Exeter

You could then choose your finish, but I guess it would be pricey