I have a faded roof on a 1988 300e... It is dark gray.

I have someone who will spray it, if I supply the paint.

After I get the color code, where do I get a quart of paint?

Lee, it sounds like the person willing to paint your 1988 300E roof doesn't want to be responsible for a color mismatch. I recommend taking your car to a bodyshop that works on MB cars regularly. They should have a computerized system that can match the existing weathered/faded color perfectly.

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Fred Hoelzle

Yeah exactly. If you supplied them with the original paint color....it wouldnt match your whole car because your car is an '88 and the paint has faded within the years. But a good bodyshop can mix up some paint to match the whole car.

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1985 Mercedes 190E 2.3(Sold)

I was thinking of getting my whole car repainted, as there are several very small areas where the paint has come off.
If I can go to the factory color I would like to.

the faded part is inbetween the roof rails only..... I am going to wetsand this area, prime it, and wet sand it some more....

bought some paint from Tower Paints...and will spray it myself.... it will have to look better cleaned up..than what I have now.... I will probably spray the roof rails as well... then possibly go over them with Forever Black.

I need fresh paint just to protect the roof... it's pretty thin up there...

i'll keep people posted...there's a guy with a 190e who's used these people before for paint and recommended them... he has his own site...I just don't have it bookmarked.... he's done one heckuva job with his 190e, making it monotone...

If I have success I may paint my bumpers and have more of a monotone look...my car is very dark gray now.. so there wouldn't be a signifigant differeence....

I'll probably take before and after pictures....

there is no way I would do this if it was on a quarter panel...but in between the roof rails, it should work..

The paint you got isn't in cans, is it? Please don't say you're going to paint a large area with aerosol - get a quart or a gallon that can be properly thinned or reduced, then spray it with a proper gun. You'll find an aerosol will leave a gritty, uneven finish unless you're doing a small area (like a bumper).

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08 W251 R350
97 W210 E320
91 W124 300E
86 W126 560SEL
85 W126 380SE Silver
85 W126 380SE Cranberry
79 W123 250
78 W123 280E
75 W114 280

i'll let you know how it goes..... if this minor investment doesn't work out...I can always have it sprayed by a pro....

another 190e guy did this and had not problems... plus I can do 1200-1500 wet sand inbetween.

Use only Glasurit!! (made by BASF Germany) it is the best OE paint with the clearest clearcoat. But you must be trained in how to apply it! Most jack-leg body shops do not have a clue.

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1993 Mercedes Benz 300D 2.5 205K (ex wife's)
1984 Mercedes Benz 300SD 320K (SOLD)
2004 Mercedes Benz C240 75K
1995 GMC Sierra 2WD 5.7L 188K
1983 Mercedes Benz 300SD 239K (SOLD)
1987 BMW 325i 220K (SOLD FOR SALVAGE)

609 Certification

house of Kolor

I've seen the car you're talking about. He only painted the bumper impact strips to match the rest of the bumper. Those strips are small and are somewhat textured, so using an aerosol can is fine. If he was painting sheet metal or a larger area, aerosol would not work. Here is the link:

http://www.2phast.com/190E/

Trust me, though not a professional I've painted 3 whole vehicles and have done numerous body repairs. You don't want to use aerosol unless you're painting a very small area or an area that is textured. The outer edges of the spray pattern from the can's nozzle tend to dry out before they hit the car, resulting in a gritty or textured outline of the area you painted. You can sand, but because the paint dried and did not "flow" properly, there will be swirls. It's much worse if you're dealing with metallic - it will be very obvious. The mixture they put in the can is designed for long shelf life and ability to be delivered through a small pinhole while still maintaining enough body to develop a spray pattern. No concern is given to viscosity, ambient temperature, or humidity. Not to mention durability of the final product. Aerosols are best left for small trim pieces, etc.

With that said, if you are going to spray with aerosol you should make the most of it. Wash the area with scalding hot water and a little dish liquid (to remove wax, grease, etc. so as to avoid fisheyes). If there are stubborn bug stains or tar, use a chemical bug/tar remover and then rewash with hot soapy water. Claybar the surface, then wash it again with the hot soapy water. Then follow up with a quick run of alcohol or a good wax remover. Wet sand with 400 very very thoroughly (to ensure proper adhesion). Then you're ready to mask and paint. Since you're using an aerosol, be sure the ambient temp is a little on the cool side, perhaps 65 to 70 degrees. Be sure the car has been sitting at that temp for several hours - it should be the same temp as the surrounding air. Then spray away!

Some of the body guys on this forum might cringe at what I posted above. It may seem barbaric, but I have used this method many times and can say IT WORKS. Who knows - it might actually turn out nice. Please post pics and let us know how it went.

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08 W251 R350
97 W210 E320
91 W124 300E
86 W126 560SEL
85 W126 380SE Silver
85 W126 380SE Cranberry
79 W123 250
78 W123 280E
75 W114 280

I appreciate your input. I had planned to put down a primer coat and then wet sand that too, prior to painting..

I know it seems barbaric....but sometimes you have to live and learn...

The roof inbetween the rails looks just awful now.... if it doesn't work, it's 70 bucks ...well probably 80 bucks down the drain....

I am also going to paint the two new "hole-less" trim pieces that go underneath my new Bosch European headlights... no more headlight wipers...but bright headights...

If there is no exposed metal, you don't need to prime. Save a few bucks and skip the primer. The new paint will just adhere to the existing paint as long as it is 100% clean and has been wet sanded thoroughly with 400. The body shops don't even prime unless it's absolutely necessary. As long as you're not doing a complete color change, the only reason you would need to prime is if there is exposed metal or if there is an uneven surface that needs to be "filled" and feathered. I think Maaco puts down some sort of primer/sealer but that's just used to help offset the shoddy prep work they do.

Regarding the Euro lights, I've thought about putting them on my 300E but I really want to keep the headlight wipers. Do you happen to know if that's possible? The Euro cars seem to have wipers that wipe the other direction. Looks like it would be a big job to convert.

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08 W251 R350
97 W210 E320
91 W124 300E
86 W126 560SEL
85 W126 380SE Silver
85 W126 380SE Cranberry
79 W123 250
78 W123 280E
75 W114 280

Big job to convert.... you need new motors and blades.... I was told about another 300 dollars for the setup...

I was just having trouble seeing with the us DOT headlights... was running around on high beams all the time..

and it's not that I don't like gadgets..but the headlight wipers seem to have next to no practical purpose.... I don't run around on dirt roads..and wash my car once a week....

I think they were put on there for Americans....

Thanks for the tip on the primer.... i will sand thoroughly..you have made that point clear...

I did ask the company why they didnt' sell base coat/clear coat paint... they said clear coat was difficult to work with... I got it from Tower Paints. I over bought the paint so could correct potential screwups.

Let me know how the Tower Paint thing goes. Did they ship aerosols to you, and how long did it take? Where did you locate the paint code to send them? How much did it all cost?

The reason I ask is that I've been contemplating painting the lower plastic cladding on my 91 300E the same color as the rest of the car, for a monochrome look. In my opinion the 2 tone look is just totally 80's. But doing this will involve some time and $$$. So in the meantime, I was thinking of just spraying the black impact strips to match the current color of the bumpers. In pictures I have seen, this takes years off the car's appearance and makes it look much more modern. I can't seem to find anyone around Dallas that will put factory colored paint into an aerosol can, and I had heard of Tower Paint before. I was thinking of ordering 1 or 2 cans to paint my impact strips, so I'll be curious to know how your experience went.

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08 W251 R350
97 W210 E320
91 W124 300E
86 W126 560SEL
85 W126 380SE Silver
85 W126 380SE Cranberry
79 W123 250
78 W123 280E
75 W114 280

First of all they (tower) were great to work with... I ordered the paint Thursday February 24th after much internal deliberation. I expect it here by mid-week...but won't start my project until next weekend. I figure it will take me 5-6 hours to prep and paint.

If that is successful, I may mess with the bumpers...but probably not. My car is a very dark gray. It's code 199. You get the code off of an embossed plate near the radiator. It is on the lower left. I do have to paint the trim strips that will go below the headlights.

I double checked the code by going to my dealer and spitting out my VIN. They confirmed the paint code

They are shipping the paint to me.

I'll let you know how it works.