Refinishing wood

With the W126 this was a non-starter. The veneer is too thin. Also, I would be highly surprised if it's finished with just "varnish". IIRC on the 126 it was a bit more complex and that was at least 20 years before your car was made. You're better off buying new trim.

What's the history on your car? I saw some rough 220s when I was looking for the Teutonic Plague and the wood trim in all of them was perfect. She must have taken some abuse to cause that. If water and exposure to elements were the cause of the cracking there may be more serious problems laying in wait.

All of the cars I looked at were in South Florida, so it has to be something else. Not trying to be pessimistic, but IME it's better to be prepared. From what I understand the electrical gremlins can be killer if there has been serious water intrusion. How long have you had her?

oooh. I just looked at the prices for cl500 trim on ebay. ouch. after seeing that the don't refinish advice might have been misguided. if it's possible it might be more cost effective. is it all of the trim or just certain pieces?

Do you have any before and after pics or pics of the process with the heat gun? That's a pretty interesting method.