Door Handle Color Change

[dallas_sl500]

I want to make the black door handles on my silver 1997 SL500 the same color as the car like the 99+ models.

Questions:

1. If the stock 1997 black door handles are painted to match the car will the paint last?

2. Are the door handles on the 99+ SLs the same door handles as the ones on my car now? Same shape, material, etc?

3. From every picture that I can find it seems that the rubber gaskets that surround the door handles are always black regardless of the color of the car. Is this correct?

4. Is there anything else that I need to know?

Your help is greatly appreciated!

[jjrodger]

The door handles on the 1999 appear to be the same shape &c as those on earlier models. The gasket is black. I don't know much about the paint's durability. I would have thought that well-prepared and primed handles should paint OK.

The 1999 also has "SLK-style" wing mirrors, another straight forward swap. These are less book-like and more rounded in form. You can probably see them on my car in my signature.

Also, 1999 cars have an exposed single exhaust pipe which sticks straight out of a cut out in the rear bumper. This is one mod you can probably do without!

All 1999 models came with 17" wheels as standard. There were two styles, one was five-hole, the other five-spoke. My car has the five-spoke option but I have previously posted pics of the five-hole wheel. These accommodated larged brakes at the front.

Hope this helps!

[G-Benz]

A professional would probably mix a bit of "flex agent" into the paint to make the paint a bit more elastic.

After all, repeated pulls of the door handle produces a slight distortion of the handle. That would eventually produce cracks in the paint.