Proper Hood Star Angle on a W124?
 

This might be a stupid question, but what is the right angle for our hood stars?

I thought it was vertical but lately I've seen late model MB's with their stars canted back.

Then I found this picture of a 124...

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3.../StarAngle.jpg

That picture is the correct position.

I like to push mine down every once in a while =]

They look kinda funny when they are canted. Like a spring is broken.

Since the late 60s or so, I believe the emblems have been slightly canted. I find that my emblem will rest in a certain spot with little tension, but if I try to push it vertical or lean it back more, the increase in tension is noticeable. If you think it looks better when vertical, though, go with it. It's your car.:)

Find the sweet spot when you move the star around. The photo is correct.

Looking at factory photos, it seems that the vertical stars ended with the w114, w115, w108 & w109 era.

Which is the same vintage as the W100 which is why I still put mine in the vertical position :D

Mine, slightly tilted :D

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4049/...c570cd8f5d.jpg

It's more aerodynamic in the swept back position.

Mine's centered and slightly tilted back.

the proper position for the star to sit in, is where it fits on the car. smooth is correct.

your star should have a semi-lock posisition, atleast mine does and it's the slight slant back, that way you can use it as a Crosshair if you want to.

I dunno about 124's, but on 123's the original hood star was vertical or very close to it. That part number went NLA years ago, replaced by a 201 part number, which is swept back about 15 degrees or so.

Original W123 star P/N is 123 880 00 86.

Before it fell apart in my hand one day while adjusting it, our 1981 300SD had the vertical hood star. Perhaps it was taken out of the W123 parts bin?