[harybristow]

Hello All,

So I have a 2006 ML and over Christmas I got bored of the color so had it professionally wrapped in Matt White. I also had the tail lights tinted so that they appear black rather than the OEM red lights on all ML's. I had all the walnut interior wrapped in Carbon Fibre and also had my front grill blacked out entirely and the rear boot badge. I have upgraded the headlights and fog's to Xenon's as well as the side lights and all interior lights have been changed to Ice White. I have also had my windows tinted very dark to give a stark contrast to the white of the car.

I am now looking to change the Command Unit and Install a Kenwood 2 DIN DVD player however due to the fact the car is fitted with Harman Kardon I am having problems finding an adaptor to connect the stereo up as apparently the Harman Kardon is wired fibre optically and my car audio specialist is suggesting re-wiring the whole car which I do not want to do.

I am also looking to get some running boards installed but I want to get them powder coated black rather than have them in Silver so as a result I am happy to get some used ones that are lightly marked as I will be having them painted anyway...

If anyone has any other ideas as to what I could do to the car next then let me know.... (Bigger wheels are out of the question due to funds unfortunately)....

 

[audimotion]

I understand you don't have the funds right now, but yes defin. get some bigger wheels. That will add so much to the look and overall stance of the vehicle. Also, but just my opinion...I have never understood black wheels. I am also an Audi fan and many people who modify their audi's go with black wheels. I much prefer gun mental or hyper silver type finishes. That way the wheel design doesn't get lost in the blackness of the tire/wheel combo. Keep us posted on the modding...always interesting to see what others have done.

 

[icerabbit]

Interesting idea.

Maybe I could/should get our hood wrapped as a protective layer against flying road salt and what not?

I don't think the black wheels do the white vehicle justice. It just looks like a black void, in the pictures. Maybe I'm too used to looking at our white ML?

For safety and visibility reasons, I am personally not a fan of tinting lights ... or worse ... placing aftermarkets covers over them. Doesn't mean your rear visibility is reduced. You could have 100% legal equivalent that passes inspection, but it is something that would greatly concern me. I see plenty of pickup trucks and some fast & furious type cars with black or near-black headlight & taillight " protectors ". It greatly reduces visible light transmission by 50-75% or more ... causing them to be like ghost-riders. In the dark you simply can't spot them from a safe distance. I've driven behind some where it is like there's a burning candle instead of a taillight bulb?! At night or in adverse weather conditions they should be liable for anybody running into them.

Just my 2c.

 

[Yazovets!]

I completely agree with the ice rabbit on the tail and headlight tinting/covering. It's plainly a bad idea.

For your headlights, it severely reduces what YOU see. For the tail-lights, it severely reduces everyone else from seeing you at night and it just looks odd.

Also be weary about doing a HID conversion on your fog lights. You must remember that the foglights use a reflector and NOT a projector like the main lights. Therefore, the light would scatter EVERYWHERE (especially upwards) and blind oncoming traffic. You'll be like all those punk kids with old Honda Civics and incorrect reflector HID conversions. It's plain dangerous.

 

[MB-SV]

That's pretty wild.

 

[Deutsch100]

Yeah, I have to agree- the all black wheels do not add to the look of your white ML at all. Personally, I have never seen all black wheels look good on any car (I have seem some with a bright, chrome ring on the black...and that can look hot).

Also, the taillights are a BIG NO NO!! Not only does it look, sorry, really cheap...it is SO dangerous. IMO, you ruined the entire look of the ML. Sorry!!!

 

[dragonrpc]

to each there own...

But I'd have to say the Stance & Rims are the first fix needed.

As others stated, the current rims, need some contrast. an accent color or polished lip might do the trick. matte black + matte white = dull without some contrast.

and honestly the current stance makes it look like an old w163 or G wagon look.

rims/adjust gap/lower if needed, etc will be on the road to improved.

front looks good imo, back is ok, US has laws for the brake tint, UK should be ok, as long as when illuminated visibility of brake/turn signals is good.

needs running boards if you are keeping it this hieght with/without rims.

just suggestions, enjoy driving it

 

[BigKutta]

The only thing missing is the blacked-out headlights. They look odd now in OEM form

 

[icerabbit]

... UK should be ok, as long as when illuminated visibility of brake/turn signals is good.

Isn't the UK part of the UNECE? And therefor any head or tail light should conform with the Uniform / Global Technical Prescription ... or be ECE certiffed?

The minimum and maximum brightness of every lamp/light - as well as its color, position, direction, ... - is regulated in the EU. The US should have the same thing with Federal Motor Safety or National Highway Safety or ... whichever is the regulating body.

I recall for instance some regulation about swapping rectangular OEM headlights to single or double circular ones, where the surface area has to match the original within a certain %.

An easy one was that you can only have white or yellow lights in the front; and only red in the back, exception being reverse light & tag illumination. Plus all lights in pairs must have matching brightness. The police in Europe had it really easy to write warnings & tickets when years ago there was a rash of front light mods with colored caps in green, blue, ... and even red.

I know that at least in some parts of Europe the police can send you direct to one of the government technical inspection stations to have your lights tested at the driver/owner's expense and/or can keep your vehicle off the road until it is conform again!

From an enforcement standpoint I'd be very cautious.
From a safety standpoint ... I would never modify a light.
But that's just me.

Back to modding the wrapped ML

 

[Mike's ML]

When I first read this post I thought "Matt White" was your name.
Mike

 

[dimask]

Nice work, how much was the wrapping ?? How much feet of vinyl they used? and what is the manufacturer? Can you pls post some interior pictures? Thanks,
DK

 

[MB-SV]

I like the black-out treatment the most. It would look good even with standard gloss white.