Paint and paint colors?

[Dawg379]

Hey y'all, do not want to sound silly when I ask these questions, but I hope I can get some answers. I just got my FIRST Benz last week, a 1981 300SD, bought it from my mechanic who was VERY tired of working on my 84 Eldorado. (he usually works exclusively on Mercedes and BMW's) So far I LOVE IT! 1st question....The color is dark gray. All of the paint looks really good and shiney on the whole car except for the bumpers and the lower mouldings. Is the normal color of these basically the color of my car? A dark gray color? 2nd question, on the wheels, the paint seems to be fading, kinda like a godd old silver car would here in texas, where can I find paint to repaint them or I had thought of getting them chromed. Is this a good idea? Any help would be awesome!

Christopher

[MTI]

The bumpers and lower trim pieces are not body color, but were a generic dark gray/black.

As for refinishing wheels, if they're in decent shape, they can be media blasted then repainted and clearcoated by a paintshop. . or can be powder coated for a tougher finish, using a low temp powder coat. Mercedes issued an advisory against chroming OEM light alloy wheels for safety reasons, however chromed replicas are available for about $250 each.

[Veloce300DT]

Considering the amount of brake dust that tends to accumulate on these cars, and how hard it is to completely clean the style of wheels I am assuming you have on your 300SD - 14" "bundt" wheels, Id be hesitant to have them chromed, or to buy chrome replicas. I will say a set of chrome bundts can look reallly quite gorgeous, but in terms of maintenance and not to mention longevity (chrome plating tends to flake and tarnish over time) id think it through and weigh the options before chroming.

A re-paint by a body shop will give you factory quality results in terms of looks, but will inevitbaly age and need to be re-painted again in some time.

Powder coating will last very well, and hold up against the elements forcefully. However, the finish wont be quite as glossy and factory like in terms of aesthetics... but only the most observant and educated eye will be able to tell the difference between a powder coat finish and a paint finish on these wheels.

In sum-
Chroming looks great, finish is hard to maintain, and will weather and age the quickest.
Powder coating tends to be more expensive than a traditional re-paint, and deosnt look as glossy as a painted finish. However, its finish is very durable, and still looks good.
Re-painting is most often the cheapest rout to go of thhese 3 choices, offers great gloss, shine, and color, and will look great for a while as long as the finish is properly maintained. But alas, the finish will wear out sooner than a powder coat finish.

For myself, a local MB restoration specialist quoted me $150.00 to strip, re-finish, and clearcoat all 4 of my wheels in the OE finish. They can powder coat for $375.00.
I figure I'll have them repaint them, and when they start looking shoddy again in a few years I'll just go back and have em re-done once again.

naturally, chroming wiill add weight to the wheels, whhich i have heard can make the car handle heavier.. and feel less controlled simply from this increased weight. But I will say chrome bundts sure are gorgeous.

Whatever finish you choose, Im sure it will look great.

[janepabst]

I had a pretty bad scrape on the right side of my mb. I read an article in the local paper about painting small areas of your car that nnede help. First, you sand the area. Then you add bondo which is a plastic that hardens and dies to fill in the dent. A primer can then bee used. I went to Auto Zone and after a couple of tries got the closest paint color. MY car is that burnt silver (but it has a lot of gold in it ) Then you can apply a clear coat. All of these I got at Wal- Mart. If you have light cratches, It said to lightly rub a cloth over the area after spraying the paint it so the paint will just stay in the cracks. My car looks much better and I didn't spend a fortune on it. So that's my 2 cents worth!I have a 1989 420 sel.

I went to the art car parade here in Houston. They do all kinds of crazy decorations to their cars. I asked what kind of paint they used. One perrson said she had used fabric decoration paint . Her car looked good.

[60Special]

I had an '84 Seville that frustrated my mechanic and bankrupted me...but I loved that car!
I think if you do a search for wheel paint and prep you'll find plenty of info on how to restore the factory look... there are plenty of chromes for sale so you might want to consider just getting another set... the lower body/bumper cladding was sometimes painted to match the car, but that wasn't for all years/all models... my '87 300e is white with gray plastic and black plastic inserts on the bumper - later years were painted body color with black inserts...

Best of luck and farewell to the Caddy

[MTI]

Originally Posted by 60Special

the lower body/bumper cladding was sometimes painted to match the car, but that wasn't for all years/all models... my '87 300e is white with gray plastic and black plastic inserts on the bumper - later years were painted body color with black inserts...

His '81 wouldnt have the lower body cladding ("Sacco Panels") that were used to update the exteriors in the late '80's. The older cars had a grey/black trim section below the door sill lines.

[TX76513]

Couple of extra thoughts: Make sure you prime the surface - this will give you some longevity to your work. - and make sure you get a paint that has "flex" in it. e.g. bumper and trim paint.

[janepabst]

My car was hit. The grey plastic bottom part of the door ( for lack of a better term) was bent. A friend of mine suggested that I heat it and it would go back in shape. It worked!