I recently installed the ML500 front & rear stainless steel "skid plates" on my 350. The parts are sold as accessory retrofit kits by M-B. The price is fairly ridiculous, but I bit the bullet anyway. My wife drives this car most the time and I didn't want to go to the trouble and expense of a Brabus kit, for instance.
The front is #6-6-88-0162, $530 list. It includes only the stainless plate and four stainless torx head fasteners. The guage of the metal is much thinner than the W163 piece with the bumper guard bar. The rear is #6-6-88-0163, $630 list. It includes the plate, a new lower rear bumper valance and hardware. The parts guy gave me $80 off on the rear.
I tackled the rear first. Removing the lower (black & silver plastic) valance was not too hard, but it took the better part of an hour, being careful. There are bolts at the bottom, and the top snaps into the bumper cover. You need to insert a flat screwdriver to release the tabs while pulling out on the valance. There are also two plastic pop out fasteners on each side underneath.
I discovered my lower valance was different because I have the factory-installed trailer hitch. I had to cut out the lower center of the new one with a sabre saw, using the old one as a guide. The new one installed quickly, then I fastened on the stainless plate using the supplied torx head bolts top and bottom. I used a little blue Loctite for good measure. A perfect fit.
The front, I disocovered, also required removing the lower valance because the new fasteners at the top go in a locaction where the back is not accessible, otherwise. I first removed the bottom undertray panel and all the (many) bolts and fasteners at the bottom edge of the lower valance. Try as I might using the same techniques I did at the rear, I could not get the valance to release from the bumper cover. I ended up taking it to the dealer. They found out the whole bumper cover needs to be removed. As long as it was there, I had them complete the installation. 1 1/2 hours labor was charged (they told me 2 hours originally).
All in all, I am pleased with the result. I have not included any installed photos, because it looks just like an ML500.
__________________
<HTML>
<B>Greg</B> Lake Oswego, Oregon, USA
<HR>
<B>2006 ML350</b> - Pewter/Charcoal Alcantara/Aluminum; Packages: Comfort, Lighting, Entertainment, Appearance, Airmatic, Sunroof; Options: Nav, Sirius, hitch, heated seats, power liftgate, roof rack; Mods: ML500 skid plates, ML63 20" wheels.
<B>2001 BMW M3 Coupe</B> (5/01 prod.) - Titanium/Cinnamon w/ many mods.
I had these installed as well, but had the dealer do the install. The front was on at delivery but the back was on B/O. I got the back installed while my snows were going on. Dealer charged $60 for the install on the rear. Unlike Greg, I am not that adventuress, changing lights is one thing but bumpers is something else.
__________________
Packages: Appearance (Pewter/Charcoal), Lighting, Entertainment, Comfort and Sunroof:
Options: Hitch, Heated Seats, Rear Airbags, Parktronic, Power Liftgate, Frt & Rr Stainless Steel Skid Plates, DVD Nav Sys, IPod Kit and Craddled Phone Kit
Mods: Hoen Titanium H-7 High Beams, All Weather H-11 Fogs, 5000k W5W Standing Lamps, Chrome Door Lock Pins & Hood Fins, Brabus Monoblock IV 20" Wheels with Hankook Ventus ST RH06 275/45 Tires, Brabus Custom Suspension 164-016-00 and SS Side Bars
However, the price you paid for retrofitting makes me very happy I got mine ex-works for 280 EUR net - and imagine I thought THAT was a little steep for two pieces of thin-gauge stainless steel [:)][:)][:)]
Cheers,
Birger
__________________
2007 Lexus RX400h, Navajo Beige, Ivory Leather, Birds-Eye Maple
Thanks for the detailed write-up, Greg. What made you decide to add these on? Just wanted to get rid of the plastic pieces?
The painted plastic looks really cheap to me, like most Toyotas, etc. The stainless, though not functionally better, looks classier and gives a bit of flash without being pretentious.
Thanks for the detailed write-up, Greg. What made you decide to add these on? Just wanted to get rid of the plastic pieces?
The painted plastic looks really cheap to me, like most Toyotas, etc. The stainless, though not functionally better, looks classier and gives a bit of flash without being pretentious.
So with Appearnace Package and Skid Plates installation, ML350 can exactly look like ML500, correct?
__________________
Thanks, D.
________________________________________________
2006 ML 350 - Black, Appearance Package, Navigation System, Entertainment Package, Sunroof Package, Heated Seats, IPod Integration
On the front do you need to remove the center silver painted pastic?
Best Regards.
No, it goes over the plastic part, but you must remove the whole bumper cover to do the job as you must have access to install fasteners on the rear of it. Birger is right that it's fragile--pretty thin stainless steel. My first one was dented by a careless parker.
Linear Mode
