Have I Gone Too Far???

M

MBZ 500E

New member
For those that don't know I recently decided to show my car at concours events. Since this decision I've found that my car has had much more garage time which makes it easier to keep clean.;)



Well this weekend I'm going on a 800 mile round trip to meet with other MB 500E enthusiasts and this is what I've done to the car.



Think I'll get laughed at?:o
 
Redcarguy,



Your comment will be my official excuse for the weekend!:D





BlackRegal,



Thanks for the complement. We'll be doing some enthusiastic driving over the weekend and I've found the highways in CA are littered with debris. :eek: I considered a clearbra but have heard from many that points are deducted if it's used.:confused: This was my only alternative.:(



SK2003TypeS,



It's called low adhesion painters masking tape, bought mine at Home Depot for $6.89 a roll.
 
I wouldn't worry about what other people think. You can console yourself with the knowledge that you're gonna blow them away at the shows. Take that thing to StarFest and they won't be laughing when they see your scores.



ON THE OTHER HAND :p I myself am of the "real cars have stonechips" school of thought. Some of the most valuable (original paint) cars in the world have chips and other flaws. It's all about what YOU want for YOUR car. FWIW, whenever I've pampered a car beyond all reason, I've ended up looking back later and wishing I'd JUST DRIVEN the thing more. But I get the feeling you have some serious plans for your Benz, so *I* sure won't knock you for taking every precaution you can. The next step is making it a trailer-queen, and driving it with tape beats that, IMO. At least until you get REALLY serious about the shows.



Do keep in mind that things DO happen regardless of the preventive measures you can take. I got a pair of pretty bad chips right in the middle of my pampered S8's hood and at the bottom of its windshield (rock tossed up by a school bus two lanes away). Just gonna live with them, as I have with similar ones on the hood of the XJS (I STILL remember the moment in August '86 when THOSE happened, after all these years they don't bother me- but AT THE TIME :angry ).
 
Accumulator,



I'd love to show at Starfest and hopefully someday I will.



When I decided to show the car I limited myself to street class only, I can't handle show class. I'll never go the trailer queen route with any car I buy, they're meant to be driven and enjoyed IMO. I love to drive my car and it usually gets about 5K Miles/Year to keep the juices flowing (car and me;) ) If you can keep them looking good in the process then you have the best of both worlds.



There's no doubt I'll end up with a few minor chips in the hood and possibly trunk (Don't ask) but I figure the areas hardest hit are protected which makes me feel better.:)



BTW Love The S8! Can you email me a pic?
 
Driving my brand new truck home from the dealership ( a total of 20 miles on the odometer) a truck tossed a stone which hit the windshield right smack in line with my eyes. Maybe if had taped the w indshield I would have avoided the chip.
 
MBZ 500E- Heh heh, here I'm worrying about YOU driving your car like a "real one" and you put on 5K/year! My XJS has about 17K on it so who am I to talk :p I really, really, really promise to drive it this year :D



I'd LOVE to email a pic of the S8, IF I EVER TAKE ONE! For some reason I've yet to take a single decent pic of ANY of my current cars! Have some of the XJS from the '80's somewhere... Yeah, I've gotta get in gear and start posting some pictures. I'm sorta into photography and don't go casually into taking snapshots (a questionable practice to be sure as I have no pics).



The S8 is silver and I've debadged it (except for the Audi rings embossed/molded into/on the grill, beltline trim and wheel hub covers). I wanted a certain, very specific look and I got it. My wife's silver A8 is similarly "decked" (most trim off trunk lid) except that she wanted to keep the rings on the trunk lid. Her way probably looks "better" to most people, but the pair of subtly different Audis make for a very nice set. Last of the classic, "square Audis", too, by the looks of it :(
 
CHScholl,



ROTFLMAO! Luckily it's easy to replace a windshield and not screw things up. Your insurance should cover replacement if it's in the field of view (I think 15 Degrees to left and right of your steering wheel)





Accumulator,



17K Miles! :nono BTW the years half over so you better get started!:D Last year I managed 6K miles, this was before Autopia and the whole concours idea.;)



I agree with the "square look" comment, seems every manufacturer has jumped on the "round" bandwagon. The new E-Class MB looks like a Taurus from behind (no offense to the Taurus folks) but you would think a car that costs 3X's and much would have an original appearance.:confused: Just my opinnion by the way, no flames please.



When you get around to some pics definitely post or send them.
 
MBZ 500E said:
Accumulator,



17K Miles! :nono BTW the years half over so you better get started!:D Last year I managed 6K miles, this was before Autopia and the whole concours idea.;)
Click to expand...



Yeah, you sound like my mechanic! But I AM doing better, there were times when it was in DEEP storage for a few YEARS. Much harder on the car than driving it in many ways, even though I stored it right.



Too many cars, too many interests, too little time. Gotta exercise the S8 more, too.



Yeah, they keep making changes ("changes" as opposed to "progress") to cars and most of those changes aren't to my taste. This whole i-drive style business for sound/HVAC/etc. controls is gonna result in our keeping our current Audis for a LOOONG time, I think. With the miles *I* put on them, the S8 will last forever :o but Accumulatorette can really rack up the miles on hers, what with family in Tennessee.
 
I have a black A8, also debadged, but I, like your wife, kept the rings on back and front. I may have to remove the back rings now, since someone else has.



S8, you are a lucky man! How much different than the A8?



Sam
 
You are going to drive the car on the highway with tape on it???



What if it rains, disolves the tape and leaves the glue residue behind?
 
2hotford,



No rain here in CA, at least not this coming weekend. To be honest, if rain was predicted the GTG would have been cancelled. SoCal is pretty predictable by the time summer arrives (knock on wood), it usually doesn't rain until September/October. I guess if it did rain I would still be better of removing tape residue than a respray.;)



rleven,



Never knew this existed, will definitely give this a try next time. Thanks for the heads up.:xyxthumbs
 
wow that benz looks good I love those rims. The car could be mistaken for a 2001-2003 if it wasnt for the body. Rims,Clear Corners,The Paint Job :)
 
Frozen,



Believe it or not that's 99.9% original paint. (I've touched up a few chips)



I love thewheels too, they were actually used on the 94 version of my car so they've been around for a while yet they still look almost modern......not bad for an 11 year old car.:)
 
Do you have any more pics of the Interior or anywhere. How is the 5.0 litre Engine thats a hefty size for a small car like that.
 
Here's a recent shot of the interior. Spartan but nice IMO.



Definitely lacks the smooth curves of the newer cars. I really love the the newer dashes on the new S & CL, they look like the underside of a bird if you really look at the shape. I just wish they spent more money on materials and less on the gimmicks.:nixweiss



I love the engine, that is what makes this car special! Nothing like a big engine in a smaller car:D , great way to get the adrenaline pumping. It's amazing how fast you can get to 125 in this car, almost scary!
 
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