I ordered one of those S600-like, Avant-garde grille inserts for my 1995 E320. I read that the connection points may not be as numerous or as sturdy as the OEM grille. Does any one have any suggestions about how the insert is removed and how the new insert will attach? Do I have to remove the entire grille to then remove the insert, or can I just exchange the insert? I am no kind of mechanic, so any assistance you can provide would be appreciated. Thanks.

By the way, I ordered the grille from

http://www.tiendalatina.us/

The grille is one of the easier items to remove on your car. There are about 8 or 10 nuts on the back of it you have to remove. After the grille assembly is out, you can separate the two.

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95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

Hey, I forgot to ask about that little tongue that releases the hood. The stock part is integrated in the grille. I wonder if I need a new part from the newer cars that have grilles similar to my avant-garde grille, if I can just paint the current part black, or if it really doesn’t matter because you can’t see the piece until you release the hood. Any tips would be appreciated.

The tongue does only show when the inside release is pulled, so the old one is fine. I just did this on my 94 E420. The screws are evident from the back side when the hood is open, but you have to pull the rubber seal back a little to see all the screws. There are some clips that will pull back out as well, (after the whole assembly is removed. They are a little tight to get back in. It took me about 30 -40 minutes to do it. The replacement grille that I bought fit a little tight, so it took some fiddling.

Good luck- should look great!
Bob

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Bob Johnston
03 E55
Comand/Nav/Bluetooth/Ipod added
Black/black
(Oh man, this car is sooooo fast.)