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Garage => Interiors & Exteriors => Topic started by: floyd111 on 17 July 2017, 06:45 PM

Title: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: floyd111 on 17 July 2017, 06:45 PM
https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/mercedes-450se-w116-rostfrei-tuev-h-gutachten-leder-schiebedach/680734150-216-629
Title: Re: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: karmann_20v on 17 July 2017, 09:04 PM
Judging by those seat covers, what do you think?
Title: Re: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: Squiggle Dog on 17 July 2017, 09:52 PM
I must have started a trend.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-asJ7W6o8B5H-zowSdpn5Gnnn_SANzu2esrZpXtCDtlHCRKwFLadhrc768LH1UTy1E4FoR063DV7d4tx_dVXOjCKTo1fvNh1C4OitDdWE9H2g58OcfB6gXLAjtIsnaLF1xr09aSFTYAWv4eQSSPsrmy3uc4CXT-3jYNh2CafjzAMHsTrsGOWk-vJJDS7-QLzJQVdiGkoDs91JTDreLrAXe747YKXEEbEmeXbbKpwwRQngQFKxnMlPAdADV00KB-ptPJawVKk9j9BjQT2peJcjAx0QBfMUfgKhJw5YOSb0QASsWv5bDZUOiVjdHxR96vQZDiQ7hQd9lRn8LEH3TayFCHNrKKJddR_TDP1X4IbQUVb58w6Bbhjo6-4LUcRAPkax9BBOV-ODcYaFdcha8tk-yerS8QDmlK0hbswHsqLJir0e-SVqpIajpZJ5PUxUAiw0acxVcs3rvBju5Mg9KJB4E_mmhaZJGY23_VZ5ZUzhW7cijzgbB0vzWYbBOF9Dg2u3jaKs1S2mnUaHxVWNNC46s8paZMkCsxNVt43emMxYpNnO5m6aT68vu8ahe1Bb5YkOzRnbRLYEOYzCOCM2nHWCaOos_z61fjkxn2y4TD5svd7qoPIgMn2C_Eo=w800-h600-no)

But, I think that when door panels are two toned, the seats really should be as well. If I ever have the money for new seat skins, topsonline.com said they can make me a complete set of two tone seat skins in MB tex for $900.
Title: Re: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: nathan on 17 July 2017, 10:13 PM
not factory.
the closest thing to two tone interiors you see are the early cloth interiors that had the tartan insets, but these were the same colour, just with pattern.
Title: Re: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: UTn_boy on 18 July 2017, 02:06 AM
Someone tried extremely hard to make the seat coverings look so horrible, and they succeeded.  I had no idea such debauchery was possible when making seat coverings. 
Title: Re: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: s class on 18 July 2017, 10:00 AM
I have to agree, those are something special-bad, high gloss thick, stiff white vinyl.  Wow.  Admittedly, I've also seen some pretty amazingly bad retrim jobs done here in South Africa too. 
Title: Re: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: Squiggle Dog on 18 July 2017, 01:33 PM
Quote from: UTn_boy on 18 July 2017, 02:06 AM
Someone tried extremely hard to make the seat coverings look so horrible, and they succeeded.  I had no idea such debauchery was possible when making seat coverings.

What about these "absolutely beautiful" marine vinyl seat skins a previous owner put in his 1965 W111 220S to replace the worn original parchment ones?
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/F6r3XhLrSTT4zsmGGoA1ys-J8jYsHmsKt47xgfl63Spt1IUiosxZ1-6tR_kffh92pd_GOdMNw7l8ZAFUNLv3Ts65Px8LyvhjrC_ZPEFR5rZKcb2y2GhSIyyL7GsrLNvpmVFB3uafreVCCO6-QD_P3BeEZn481bKrGoFriKlAZdp7CITSqqn60W-G1ZhlfrGRmxO4LXZWdI7yr_bkG7KjTIjMKDYByjQpbqHwQY4-8yv3TFZ-sRQn-n6vN3PPA6LsHBEWCnD5qfhYpArIEY0qkH_CALpZNso3vd07btIbwNNobWN30PjIp8oEY-74FWEAxxONJcodEPiw7ozOdUIhMX_9wGJffHxfFqxQ45pgm818XrB8fsfoozJr_6hTmMOKvgQoEW4qD5RCEQdNH-t8nMQIPgqPX7nV8TbT2PUb76tAEXrHLVoG0EKkj-ki696O0HbsbBqIOrYIMxzmd1vlzPnzjfKk3bVXIwtPqQEv7Z5vcRAQV5mHxsee8a9jbnysn_t4lkMWJU8iDcYnSVcKgBNT4yaTvYIYlJ1TUbujt8uvMFYYsrkf8VceoRsX5OOzOkBXpqyuTXD-hwTiYtsOpqQ2sJajleNfHcZLrhZlu70hpVDfB1FjqSXR=w800-h600-no)

Or, even better, check out the back seat that used to be in my 300SD (but it's better than the blue W123 seat that was in the car when I got it).
(http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/attachments/diesel-discussion/84594d1283826984-my-custom-1980-w116-300sd-project-1980300sd25.jpg)

I have seen people really proud after spending about $1,200 having their vintage Mercedes seats reupholstered in really bad vinyl with overstuffed cushions and wavy piping. I think to myself, "You DO know that you can get brand new PROPER skins for less money, right?"
Title: Re: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: s class on 19 July 2017, 02:32 AM
Quote from: Squiggle Dog on 18 July 2017, 01:33 PM
Or, even better, check out the back seat that used to be in my 300SD (but it's better than the blue W123 seat that was in the car when I got it).
(http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/attachments/diesel-discussion/84594d1283826984-my-custom-1980-w116-300sd-project-1980300sd25.jpg)

And I think we have a winner!.  What amazes me about things like this, is that some shop was happy to turn out work like this, satisfied to put their name on it and charge for it, and perhaps even more amazing, the customer was sufficiently satisfied that he paid for it. 
Title: Re: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: Squiggle Dog on 19 July 2017, 09:30 AM
Quote from: s class on 19 July 2017, 02:32 AM
And I think we have a winner!.  What amazes me about things like this, is that some shop was happy to turn out work like this, satisfied to put their name on it and charge for it, and perhaps even more amazing, the customer was sufficiently satisfied that he paid for it.

...and it probably cost him about $600! When it comes to restoring Mercedes, it pays to know about what resources are out there, as from experience, it often costs less to do things the right way. Why spend $1,200 to have an upholstery shop use their creative liberty to reupholster your seats how they think it should look using the cheapest materials when you can have the correct MB-Tex skins for less money and easily install them yourself?

I forgot to mention that the center armrest section was still the original leather while the rest of it was vinyl of a similar color. The best part? The material was held onto the back and pan by NAILS HAMMERED INTO THE METAL!
Title: Re: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: ptashek on 19 July 2017, 11:52 AM
Shoddy craftsmanship aside, you guys are forgetting one crucial thing: it's down to individual tastes.

I'd like to think nobody's daft enough to pay for something they don't like at all :)
Title: Re: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: Harv on 19 July 2017, 03:49 PM
Quote from: s class on 19 July 2017, 02:32 AM
And I think we have a winner!.  What amazes me about things like this, is that some shop was happy to turn out work like this, satisfied to put their name on it and charge for it, and perhaps even more amazing, the customer was sufficiently satisfied that he paid for it.

I've ridden in Soviet buses with the same style material.
Title: Re: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: Squiggle Dog on 19 July 2017, 03:58 PM
Quote from: ptashek on 19 July 2017, 11:52 AM
I'd like to think nobody's daft enough to pay for something they don't like at all :)

Sadly, sometimes it's a situation where the shop will hold a part (seats) hostage unless you pay for the work. So, in that case you either pay for what they did or leave your (seats, what-have-you) with them and never return and look for different ones to replace them. I've been in this situation a few times (actually, it seems like every time I take in something to have a shop work on it) where I wasn't at all happy with the results but had to pay or lose the part.

Perfect example--I took my W116's radiator to a radiator shop because the overflow tube keeps breaking off and JB Weld and silicone aren't cutting it. It was also leaking around the transmission fittings. The shop wanted $135 to repair those. The tanks had dents in them and I figured why not have the tanks removed and the dents pounded out and the core roded out. The shop said they would do it, but the price nearly doubled to $250. I decided to have it done because I wanted it to look like new.

Today I picked up the radiator and when I lifted it, the paint at the bottom of the radiator stuck to the floor and peeled off. It had already started peeling off on the sides of the tank and had a rough, dull finish. The tanks still had the dents in them. The shop explained that they don't remove dents. Then why didn't they say that when I told them that's what I wanted done and was the main reason I paid the extra money to have the tanks come off?

Oh, well. It's not a total loss because it should in theory not leak anymore. I'll have to repaint it, though, and live with the dents which is going to bother me.

Another example--I took an injection pump into a shop which claimed to be the only shop around that still uses the old Bosch test equipment for vintage pumps. They advertised that they would test the pump for free. So I brought it in for the free service. When I came back to pick up the pump, they told me it was bad. I said, "Oh, what are the details?" The answer was, "I dunno, it failed, though." So then they brought me the pump completely dismantled and said, "That will be $100." I asked, "Why did you take it apart? All I wanted done was for it to be tested on the machine." The answer was, "We got rid of the old test equipment a long time ago." So at that point it's either leave the junk with them or suck it up and pay the bill. It was little consolation that they informed me it was rebuildable and would "only" cost about $1,800.
Title: Re: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: ptashek on 19 July 2017, 06:33 PM
I'm sorry to hear that. Unfortunately "cowboys" are not uncommon in these parts of the world either, as it were I'm dealing with one myself right now on a completely unrelated subject.

But I still think nobody would willingly order a cow hide interior, or that ghastly vinyl job above if they didn't like it, or had a choice.

Do you guys have something like a "bad business register" in the US, where you could report them?
Title: Re: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: UTn_boy on 19 July 2017, 07:01 PM
Lucas, we have the BBB, (Better Business Bureau), but in order to report the business, they have to be a registered member of BBB, so it's essentially of no use in cases of small, privately owned upholstery shops. 

Squiggledog, radiator shops are no longer allowed to use anything for paint except water based paints, which are horrible.  So I always tell a radiator shop to NOT paint anything I bring them, and then paint it myself with a solvent bases paint.  Still, I hate that you have been tricked so many times. There has to be a way to thwart this mess.  It's so dishonest.
Title: Re: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: karmann_20v on 19 July 2017, 08:48 PM
Quote from: Squiggle Dog on 18 July 2017, 01:33 PM

(http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/attachments/diesel-discussion/84594d1283826984-my-custom-1980-w116-300sd-project-1980300sd25.jpg)


I thought that looked somewhat familiar. Now I remember what it is. The early/mid 2000's North American taxis (Crown Vics and Impalas come to mind), with the rear bench upholstered with that awful vinyl - it probably is very resistant to wear which in a cab would matter and is most likely cheap to do at a specialized cab shop. As they don't expect much (if anything at all) in terms of resale value on these taxis, installation details and quality is most likely never a concern, as long as they don't wear out.

Title: Re: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: thegreg92 on 20 July 2017, 12:22 AM
Squiggle, care to name the offending shops? I'm also in the Phoenix area and have had a good experience with Hayes radiator for the 450SEL. I was also considering taking the injection pump from my 240d to be tested at a shop downtown. Can't recall the name tho
Title: Re: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: floyd111 on 20 July 2017, 09:39 AM
eeeh.. what happened to the 2-tone door panel thread? :P
Title: Re: 2-tone door panels.. OEM or modified?
Post by: Squiggle Dog on 20 July 2017, 11:58 AM
Quote from: thegreg92 on 20 July 2017, 12:22 AM
Squiggle, care to name the offending shops? I'm also in the Phoenix area and have had a good experience with Hayes radiator for the 450SEL. I was also considering taking the injection pump from my 240d to be tested at a shop downtown. Can't recall the name tho

Hays is where I went. The guy there is nice but I don't know where these shops are where people report getting dents removed from tanks and a nice paint job for the same price range. As I was stripping the paint off my radiator, I noticed that he missed an area about an inch long around the lower radiator hose tube, so I'm going to have to drive my rommate's car an hour back into town and have him put a bead of solder around it. It's always something!

Southwest Diesel & Electrical is where I went for the injection pump. I also brought them my injectors and when I installed them on my car, about 3 leaked where they fit the upper half into the lower body. So I took the leaking ones back and then one still leaked after that so it went back in. They told me that it was my return hoses leaking. I told them that they were new. Then they told me that it was my hard lines leaking. Then they told me I wasn't tightening them correctly. Then they said it's user error and they are not messing with them anymore. I told them YES they are and we took it into the repair room and I watched the technician take it apart. There was a lot of carbon on the mating surfaces that had not been fully cleaned. So he blasted the carbon off, threw it back together while making a comment about pop pressures not really mattering on these old injectors, and then sure enough, the leak stopped. This is the same shop that wanted something crazy like $80 per injector heat shield. They said that I can only get them through Bosch. I told them "No thanks, I already bought some at AutoHaus for less than $2 each."

I think the thread ran its course because the original question was answered.