Front collision repair '07 E320 Bluetec
 

I bought an'07 E320 that was involved in a collision from a friend of mine. I bought a parts car in Texas, only to fin out it was the wrong color of white. I have since found a hood and bumper the correct color. Unfortunately, the bumper is too scratched up to use, so I am having it painted, as well as the driver side fender (it also needed some repair). I was able to fix the passenger side fender. The flange had pulled away from the lip of the fender, but the outside was undamaged. A friend of mine (Tony) used to own a body shop, and he agreed to help pull the fender support out using a borrowed pulling clamp, and a tractor. I have to say this guy really knows what he is doing! I anchored the rear of the car to a lift. Tony coordinated each pull with the tractor, hammering the metal with expertise. We got it all pulled and straight in about a half hour. I will post some photos later....Rich

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Good stuff, always good to have someone who knows what they're doing on hand to blame when it goes wrong. :D

I'm always amazed at how much force it takes to straighten body panels. Have to remind myself that it took a lot of force to change it from a flat sheet to the compound curve or whatever, and took a lot of force to booger up that compound curve. Yeah, it's going to take a lot of force to put it back again.

Looking forward to seeing it when it's done.

Love it! Did something similar years ago on a VW Jetta, using a Chevy Suburban and a large oak tree. It's a satisfying feeling indeed getting stuff to line up just right.

More work done today
 

I got the radiator, condenser, and cooling fan installed today. I am repairing the charge air cooler so I don't have to spend the big bucks buying a new one (a few small leaks in the header). I got the right side fender installed. The other fender and bumper are at the paint shop, I should have them by the weekend.

Progress
 

The other day I completed the repair on the charge air cooler and installed it. I got the fender and bumper from the paint shop yesterday. Before having the fender painted, I had to have a friend weld (aluminum) the flange where it was torn. He put more material on, so I had to grind out some of the weld. I made a pattern from another fender. I installed the fender, and temporarily placed the headlights and bumper on for a photo. I am waiting for a radiator hose and the two air baffles. I hope to have the car back on the road next week. When the collision occurred, all the trans fluid was pumped out. I figured I would change it anyway, so I just added enough to get the car on my trailer. Fast forward to yesterday, I got the car on the lift so I could drain the fluid from the pan and converter. Fortunately there was a drain plug in the converter. For the pan, the plug is removed and a screwdriver gets inserted in the hole and moved sideways, causing a tube inside to open and allow the fluid to drain. Once the pan is removed, the tube gets put back in the upright position thereby sealing the drain. The fluid is then pumped onto the hole and filled up until fluid stops running out. The fluid level is set by the top of the tube. I used a garden sprayer as a pump. It worked great. I had to start the car and go through the gears to pump the first gallon throughout the system. I added another three quarts before it was full. I may have to add a little more once I get the car able to drive. It had no coolant in it now, so I only start it to move it between the different bays in the building (my friend needs the bay that the lift is in).

The car with the headlights and assembled bumper. Question: the license plate holder is shaped the same as the bumper (V) and not flat. How does one put a plate on the V shaped surface? Could I be missing another part? This is how I bought the bumper......Rich
EDIT: The bumper is just sitting on the car, and not bolted on yet.

The front plate holders are like that. You just screw one side and gently bow it to the other side. Mercedes seems to want to keep that aerodynamic nose.:rolleyes:

That means I will need to bend my plate and frame! I can't imagine that they come from the factory like that. Admittedly I have not seen another '07+ to know what it should look like. I do know that other states don't have front plates, but CA requires them.....Rich

I had an '08 Bluetec. The front plate holder does indeed bend them like that.

Our W164 originally from NJ (front plate state) has the factory holder. It too is bent.

SC is a rear plate only state. Unfortunately you cannot remove the front plate holder without leaving scars in the front bumper cover. So it has a Clemson 2016 National Champions plate on it...

The friend that I bought the car from (Shirley) never had the front plate (personalized) on the car since purchased. The collision would have destroyed it. The bent front plate holder might have been one of the reasons the plate was never put on. She got a replacement car (nearly a carbon copy of the original) several months ago, and it still has the paper plate on it. Her personalized plate is still on my car! When I get the car back on the road, I imagine that will be when the plate gets moved over to the other car.

On another note, I am a little bummed that my car will get a salvage title. The car only has 79,XXX miles on it, and with a very few exceptions (dirty floor mats, small spot with paint peeling on the rear bumper from previous repair) looks like new in and out. She had a nice leather steering wheel cover stitched on soon after purchasing the car, so I imagine the Designo steering wheel is still pristine underneath. The car was always garaged at home, and at her work. I think I will be enjoying this car for years to come.....Rich

The finished product
 

I got the car all back together. I had a few issues with the headlights (bad connections, burned out bulbs), but all is good with them now, no more "Lamp" messages. However, I am having a constant code being activated, and have not been able to figure it out. The code is #P0238 Turbo Boost Sensor A Circuit High, and causes the car to have a lack of power. There were no codes before the accident, so I imagine that something is amiss with a wire to that sensor. Part of the problem is that I can't find any information as to the location of this sensor. I can't even find a part number for this sensor on my favorite MB parts website (they only sell GenuineMercedesParts). Other than that, the car is ready to go.

x2, here is our '08 bluetec. Plate and frame bent to fit the contour:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...125_132229.jpg

I found it under the plastic cover on the front of the engine. Something must have hit the cover just enough to break the wire connection off the sensor. Once I removed the cover, I immediately saw the problem. I was able to read the part number, and ordered one up from the auction site. It should be here by Friday-YAY!