Got my new Motion detector sensor cover, and the panel is the wrong material?

[Submariner1]

OK my main dealer, checked very carefully and said he had the right colour code.
The outer sides are the same metal mesh, but the centre panel is definitely Alcantara Grey, whereas my roof headlining is a sort of heringbone cloth.
Hmmm not a big thing, but the different materials do have the very slightest colour difference. ( kinda the level of difference you would only notice, if you were deliberately looking for a difference)

Interested in your opinion, if they cant get the same grey cloth look, I was thinking of getting the Black version, that would match the black partktronic display in colour.

Or should I stick with grey but a different material.
http://s1153.photobucket.com/user/Submariner7D/media/CL500 2009/IMG_3846.jpg.html] [/URL]

 

[Submariner1]

Oh dear looks like pictures dont work with the new site.

You have to edit out burl etc.

 

[John Laidlaw]

I'd go black Sub...

 

[flowrider]

Is there any way you can swap the material over? I suspect it is only stuck on and may be possible to carefully remove and re-apply to the new part.

 

[Submariner1]

I'd go black Sub...

In daylight the grey is the same.
BTW the choice is now Black or Grey in Alcantara. No cloth or Exclusive leather covers anymore.
I will fit it and have a look, as apparrently it cant be exchanged for black, as its technically the right part for the car. :-/

MBs official view on the 10 year rule, is they only need to keep parts that "keep the car on the road!" So if at some time, they have only have 3 grey normal mock leather door cards, and you have exclusive black leather, and say the handle fails, and that means you need to replace the whole door card (as an example only) ; as far as MB are concerned, "that fine by them"!
Because you could drive the car, albeit with Black exclusive leather all over the interior, but with one fake leather grey door card! Look brilliant on your 6 year old ex £180,000 S Class 65 Coupe AMG! .... I think not

As I predicted, all these oodles of unrequired model variants ... are going to have a huge effect on the ability in getting parts in the future. Especially trim bits.
I forsee it will be "sorry thats more than 10 years old!" Period! "Go and scap it .. could we interedt Sir in a new AB SCL varient at £45,000.

Bring back the old limited range of C, E, S, S Coupe/CL, SL, ML, G and thats it! Of course with AMG varients on all of them

You know when Mercs were Mercs and held their value. And you could get a front wing for an R107 20'years later.

 

[Submariner1]

Is there any way you can swap the material over? I suspect it is only stuck on and may be possible to carefully remove and re-apply to the new part.

One could I suppose but the difference is very slight and its in the middle of silver mesh either side. It might be easier to fix the broken clips with a strong glue
If I cant live with it, I might try the black alcantara varient. But I have to pay for this one anyway as its classified as " the official right part"

 

[mercedes13156]

In daylight the grey is the same.
BTW the choice is now Black or Grey in Alcantara. No cloth or Exclusive leather covers anymore.
I will fit it and have a look, as apparrently it cant be exchanged for black, as its technically the right part for the car. :-/

MBs official view on the 10 year rule, is they only need to keep parts that "keep the car on the road!" So if at some time, they have only have 3 grey normal mock leather door cards, and you have exclusive black leather, and say the handle fails, and that means you need to replace the whole door card (as an example only) ; as far as MB are concerned, "that fine by them"!
Because you could drive the car, albeit with Black exclusive leather all over the interior, but with one fake leather grey door card! Look brilliant on your 6 year old ex £180,000 S Class 65 Coupe AMG! .... I think not

As I predicted, all these oodles of unrequired model variants ... are going to have a huge effect on the ability in getting parts in the future. Especially trim bits.
I forsee it will be "sorry thats more than 10 years old!" Period! "Go and scap it .. could we interedt Sir in a new AB SCL varient at £45,000.

Bring back the old limited range of C, E, S, S Coupe/CL, SL, ML, G and thats it! Of course with AMG varients on all of them

You know when Mercs were Mercs and held their value. And you could get a front wing for an R107 20'years later.

I had a very similar problem getting a steering angle sensor for a 2003 CLK. Mercedes at Newbridge in Edinburgh and Grangemouth both said they were no longer made and there were none in stock in Europe and Newbridge said they were searching the world for someone who had ordered it months previously. Worrying that we might have to scrap the car because it was generating an ABS fault and couldn't pass an MoT with the light on I had to resort to Ebay. Merc gave me the part number and I found one off a 2005 C Class with the same part number. Referring back to Merc, they said it might work but weren't allowed to say that it would. I bought in desperation and it worked fine. because of this, the car was off the road for six weeks just for an MoT. It turns out that this part works fine in about a dozen different models from various years. It would be good if that kind of information was openly offered by the dealers, but sadly "they are not allowed to comment on whether 'non-standard' parts will be compatible."

 

[Submariner1]

I had a very similar problem getting a steering angle sensor for a 2003 CLK. Mercedes at Newbridge in Edinburgh and Grangemouth both said they were no longer made and there were none in stock in Europe and Newbridge said they were searching the world for someone who had ordered it months previously. Worrying that we might have to scrap the car because it was generating an ABS fault and couldn't pass an MoT with the light on I had to resort to Ebay. Merc gave me the part number and I found one off a 2005 C Class with the same part number. Referring back to Merc, they said it might work but weren't allowed to say that it would. I bought in desperation and it worked fine. because of this, the car was off the road for six weeks just for an MoT. It turns out that this part works fine in about a dozen different models from various years. It would be good if that kind of information was openly offered by the dealers, but sadly "they are not allowed to comment on whether 'non-standard' parts will be compatible."

Yep, when we had a starter motor problem, there was a suspicion some relay was needed ( luckily not) same thing out of stock no plans to restock. MB Guildford said they knew if 4 A Classes that were written off! Unitil someone had a problem and pointed out a varient of that car that used the same part. And was for sale 9 years ago. So Mb commissioned some more to be made.

With so many models, mark my word this will be a FAR more serious problem than their quality dive between 2002 and 2008.
My prediction MB will walk away from any car over 10 years old.
Probably time to petition the EU Commission and ask them if they give **** about the ecology ... enforce car mfgs to make parts for 15 years.
Balance the difference in emmission improvement on a new car with scrapping and disposing and replacing of a whole vehicle.!