What color should I paint my new SDL? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

shertex · #1 05-20-2012, 07:05 AM

I thought I would leverage to my advantage the desire of people on this forum to render opinions ....

What color should I paint my newly-acquired 300SDL?

It's currently grey (not the original anthracite grey...but a lighter grey from when it was repainted some time ago...discovered this when I applied some factory touch-up paint!

). Interior is palomino.

Right now it's not horrible....actually looks pretty good from 15 feet or so. But clearcoat is starting to delaminate pretty badly.

My other MBs are midnight blue and smoke silver.

I could see going with the original factory color....or maybe something else. I'm thinking both of my enjoyment of the car and eventual resale.

Thanks.

daw_two · #2 05-20-2012, 07:22 AM

Do you remember Chameleon?
"Cheap Wagon Club" --- new member

I would strongly encourage u to go with the original color.

shertex · #3 05-20-2012, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daw_two

I would strongly encourage u to go with the original color.

Why? What's the advantage?

JimFreeh · #4 05-20-2012, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shertex

Why? What's the advantage?

Because it's a pain to change the color AND do it well.

The engine compartment and door jambs are very laborious IF you want to do nice looking color change.

Besides, anthracite is one of the prettiest colors you can choose for a W126!

Jim

shertex · #5 05-20-2012, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimFreeh

Because it's a pain to change the color AND do it well.

The engine compartment and door jambs are very laborious IF you want to do nice looking color change.

Besides, anthracite is one of the prettiest colors you can choose for a W126!

Jim

Makes sense...thanks. And I do like the anthracite. I'm assuming that what I currently have is either faded anthracite or a slightly lighter shade of grey. I got the touch-up paint from a supplier that's always been dead on with MB factory colors, but it's CLEARLY darker than what's on the car.

daw_two · #6 05-20-2012, 07:50 AM

X2 what Jim said

besides...a different color wouldn't match the data card and it really messes up the car's history/lineage

shertex · #7 05-20-2012, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daw_two

X2 what Jim said

besides...a different color wouldn't match the data card and it really messes up the car's history/lineage

That's a good point....in terms of resale, that would clearly be important to some people.

daw_two · #8 05-20-2012, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shertex

That's a good point....in terms of resale, that would clearly be important to some people.

I would only ding you for about $4K on the purchase price of a nicely repainted 300SDL to the "wrong" color.

Brian Carlton · #9 05-20-2012, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimFreeh

Because it's a pain to change the color AND do it well.

The engine compartment and door jambs are very laborious IF you want to do nice looking color change.

Besides, anthracite is one of the prettiest colors you can choose for a W126!

Jim

X2.

The cost of changing the color isn't worth the effort.

I agree on the color............one of the principal reasons that I purchased it.

I'm not grasping the darker shade of anthracite from the factory touch up, however. This vehicle and my SD are nearly identical in color and they are two model years apart.

Zacharias · #10 05-20-2012, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shertex

That's a good point....in terms of resale, that would clearly be important to some people.

Original paint sells. Repaint to original brings questions (yes even on an older car people want to know if it was from an accident, to hide rust, etc.). If I had to do it again I would have decent photos of the car before on file, just to show it wasn't a bondo-bucket job you had done. Mercedes shoppers are generally very conservative.

Repaint to another colour? Plan on keeping it. Unless you luck out and find someone with the same taste as you, it will kill you on resale.

Plus shops hate doing colour changes nowadays (they never liked it but now I find it's nigh on impossible). A lot of extra work, extra charges to you and they still don't like having to spend the time on the detail work. Frankly I don't think a lot of their staff have the requisite skills these days.

sixto · #11 05-20-2012, 01:36 PM

How about painting the mirror backs (fronts?) body color while you're at it. After decades of chrome, it looks like MB went to production without deciding what to do.

Sixto
87 300D^2

Stretch · #12 05-20-2012, 01:36 PM

I'd paint it pink. In fact I might paint my car pink.

shertex · #13 05-20-2012, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Carlton

X2.

I'm not grasping the darker shade of anthracite from the factory touch up, however. This vehicle and my SD are nearly identical in color and they are two model years apart.

I always get my touch up paint from the same place and it's always been a perfect match. This time it is noticeably darker. I suppose it's possible that they mixed it wrong. But I wonder, when the car was repainted by the owner prior to you, could they have used a different grey? There's no evidence of fading, so that can't be it.

Brian Carlton · #14 05-20-2012, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shertex

I always get my touch up paint from the same place and it's always been a perfect match. This time it is noticeably darker. I suppose it's possible that they mixed it wrong. But I wonder, when the car was repainted by the owner prior to you, could they have used a different grey? There's no evidence of fading, so that can't be it.

I'm sure that's possible. It does appear to be ever so slightly lighter than the SD. The age of the paint is also a factor.

ottomatic · #15 05-20-2012, 03:28 PM

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