W116.org

You can go directly to the Classic Centre in the US. Contact Tom Hanson at thomas.hanson@mbusa.com

If a member of one of their affiliated clubs, such as the M100 or MBUSA, you get a 15% discount.

M100 is affiliated?  Didn't know that.  I know that macatron picked up part/s at the classic centre in person so I assumed that they dealt direct with the public but wasn't sure about mail order, internet order.  I shall follow that link up eventually, thanks Craig. 

I was referring to Classic Centre in Germany.

koan

Classic Centre in Germany you can collect from, but with the Euro the way it is, there is no point in buying from Germany, If there is no stock in the US, they will get it from Germany if available. There is however a problem with their computers - they don't talk to each other, so it can take a while to find out if Germany has it.

Just as an aside, I am currently in Hamburg and bought 2 small screws and 2 small rivets from a dealer. They were approx. EUR 0.67c each. I then went to my favourite screw supplier and bought the same things for EUR 0.03c each.

The rear upper bumpers are $220 per side to rechrome, assuming they aren't gutted with rust or bent to hell, fortunately mine were neither. Will have pictures whence i pick up - once again, forgot to take before photos - but i assure you, their shithouse. 

These people are also one of the very few people around that can bright anodise aluminium strips. As a merc enthusiast, I'm ecstatic.

PB, I would be VERY interested to see some samples of their bright adonising.  I had some done here, and they prepared the pieces so badly - buffed (or more like scuffed) them with a coarse wire wheel - I had to bin them afterwards.  They came back far worse than they started. 

They sound like a bunch of turkeys.

He showed me a sample of their work and while it is not quite as awe inspiring as brand new, its atleast 90% of the way there. It comes up bright, shiney and liquid silver like chrome - but deep scratches and surface imperfections such as pitting are virtually impossible to remove - in such a case, new is the only option.

the samples you saw were the kind of thing I was looking for.  What I got was more scratches and pitting than I started with. 

I'll be giving them a go when i finish with my bumpers - will probably start with the grill the window wipers sit in. If it looks decent ill pull the rest of it off and get it all done. The harsh Aussie sun has baked away any resemblance to shininess on my anodised aluminium.

PS - they do work from around the world, even from the USA, which i thought was strange, usually the Americans are bloody good at just about everything they do.

I am under the impression, most of the anodised aluminium isnt that expensive new on the w116, postage would be the killer to and from perth for anyone considering it.

I priced up a full set of aluminium (window surrounds all round, drip rails, A and C pillar trims etc) for trusty rusty and its in excess of ZAR25000 or about $3500.  Ouch. 

yeah thats a bit rich, re anodising would make alot of sense.

I wonder if vacuum metallising would work ? Might talk to someone at some stage and find out.

Following this with interest as resurfacing aluminium trim will be a major issue for all of us.

Bill

Vacuum metallising should not be used for exterior applications, so I guess that option is off the table.

my brand new genuine boot lid handle and star have arrived in perth, I shall have pictures tomorow.

If the chrome is rubbish compared to whats been done on the rechromed peices, I'll be having it rechromed too! I have a feeling the new MB chrome isnt quite as spectacular as what can be done in perth.