Hey all, well after numerous times and debates between a r170 SLK and a w203 C, I decided to go with the SLK. Im only 19, got my whole life to drive a four door when i get a wife and kids [;)] in the meantime, figured get a droptop and cruise the streets.
anyway, its time to search for one, and im not sure if i wanna take the time to upgrade a pre-facelift model with the body kit. the biggest turn off for me is the door handles being black, just kinda turns off everything else. if i found one with the right price, miles, etc. I was wondering how hard it was to either paint the door handles, or upgrade them to the 01+ handles. I searched the forum so save your breathes telling me to search lol. if its something that the dealer or a shop can do for a nominal charge, i wouldnt mind it, itd be worth it just to feel better about it. If anyone has some pics before and after, i would appreciate it as well.
should be a remove and replace.. pre and post 2000 door handles have exactly the samde mechanism. but from what i have read in this forum they are an ass to take out and even harder to put back.. so i decided to paint them.
does the paint hold up well with weather and wear, just curious. i found an earlier thread from a long time ago saying that painting the handles wouldnt be a good idea as it would chip or fade
1. sand the black plastic (Primer and paint wont stick that good on a smooth surface)2. spray with primer,sand,spray,sand til even 3. Spray evenly, gently with paint , let dry 4. Spray with clear coat
fading would depend on what kind of paint you use.
Best solution to conceal door handles and other parts that are not black - buy a black SLK.
Well your 320 has body matched handles anyways[:)] but with a black car there's always the problem of those unsightly orange side markers and mirror signals[:D]
slkpwr: for those considering the mod, did you take the handles off before painting or did you just tape off the surroundings?
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2003 SLK320 Magma Red "DA SURG"
2002 Subaru Forester
2002 Dacia Solenza
1999 Mitsubishi Montero
1998 Toyota Corolla
1988 Yugo
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"The end justifies the means"
Vehicle: 2002 SLK 32 AMG, bone stock. 1987 190E 2.3-16 Valve, NOT bone stock...
Location: Near Washington, DC
Posts: 7,861
You have a couple of options :
Although I have never removed the door handles from the SLK, I have from my 16 valve, and I doubt that there is much of a difference. It's not that hard, and only requires a allen key.
Options:
(1) You could paint your own, easy to do, hard to get right unless you have a body shop do it, then it gets expensive. [:)]
(2) Get a set prepainted from a wrecking yard. Done the right way in the right color, but you don't know the condition until you see them in your hand. (e-bay might work for this). [;)]
"If God didnt want us to eat animals.....why did he make them out of meat?" Unknown
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i didnt take them out, yeah, i'm a lazy son of a gun... but they turn out to be good.. the color matching, i would say it's an 8 out of 10.. i will post pics..
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