Swapping out W205 Grills

[pmcronin]

All

Having enviously admired the “diamond” style grill in the newer W205 models, decided to bite the bullet on the swap over…
Bought the grill online , and went for the option with the camera cutout ( had to make a minor trim to make it fit into the existing bumper)



Removing the bumper went exactly as per all the YouTube videos suggest… roughly 45 mins, being ultra cautious…





Carefully undoing all the clips ends up being a bit of a faff… you are afraid to push too hard in case you break one. I found that starting from the top made it easier.

Reassembly is straightforward enough… a second pair of hands hugely helpful . Also take the time to ensure the panel gap at the bonnet join is consistent.

Anyway - here is the before and after:

 

[OldskoolRS]

I fancy doing this with my 2016 C200 at some point. It's a pain that the whole bumper has to come off, but I'm considering respraying mine while it's off due to stone chips and some previous SMART repair (with sanding marks under the paint).

Is yours a copy part? I found out that the copy parts have one less 'row' of Diamonds than the original ones, but to be honest unless you're a complete nerd and count them who would know? Yours looks great either way. I figured I'd sell my old one afterwards, so it would recoup some of the cost.

Thanks for the photos; I've watched some videos too, but always good to see and hear from someone who has actually done it.

 

[pmcronin]

To be honest, taking the bumper off is straightforward… I was super careful and slow doing it, 30 mins will easily cover taking off. Just make sure you have the space etc.

The grille I bought is definitely a pattern part - genuine MB one is circa 400 euro! When I ordered it, I was trying to future proof myself by buying the camera option. But that was a minor mistake - I had to cut a little piece ( completely unseen after fitting) from above the camera holder. It seems the bumper for the camera model has the cutout built into itself, rather than the grille.

As for the grille itself - you are right, it would be Nerd Level 17 to spot the difference. I’m not going to bother selling the old grille - I’ll bundle it in with the car when I sell it.

Next project is to replace the gloss finish centre console with a wood effect one, and will try to get the one with the analog clock just below the CD insert….

 

[OldskoolRS]

Good to know about the camera options...I'll buy one without then as I'm never likely to try to fit a camera in future.

Next project is to replace the gloss finish centre console with a wood effect one, and will try to get the one with the analog clock just below the CD insert….

I had a 65 plate C220d Estate for work as my first Mercedes and it had the gloss black trim on the dash. It does mark quite easily, but I found that using a very mild polish (might have been Autoglym SRP even) on a foam pad I was able to polish out the fine marks that appeared on it over time. My 68 plate C220d saloon came with the black wood effect and by some fluke my own 16 plate C200 has this trim option:




I had kept the floor mats from the 65 plate car for winter use when I got the 68 plate (it came with lease company branded ones as well), but never used them, so I found them in the back of my garage after I bought my C200. Almost like new after a wash, with only a small wear mark where my right heal rests. I gather they cost about £140 a set!!

 

[Scooby_Doo]

As for the grille itself - you are right, it would be Nerd Level 17 to spot the difference

Nerd level 17 will help when you need to sort the chaff from the wheat on places like E-bay .