my bumper; to rechrome or buy new

[wildatheart]

At some point I intend to rechrome my front bumper; it is in good shape and there is no rust, it's just there is a section that no longer has a 'mirror' finish to the chrome, it has become a dull silver.

I just noticed this guy on eBay selling new front bumpers;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-Mercedes-Front-Bumper-Set-W113-230SL-250SL-280SL_W0QQitemZ280206193426QQihZ018QQcategoryZ33640QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Does the forum recommend I rechrome my (possibly original) bumper, or should I consider replacing them with an item such as the above..?

Thanks

Jaap

1970 280SL
1971 BMW 2000 Touring
1965 Volvo 122S
1986 Ford Capri 280 Brooklands

[Mark280SL]

I'm guessing you may hear different things from different people on weather to rechrome or buy reproductions. I just happened to investigate rechroming my rear bumpers and given the rechroming price and comments from some on the forum I decided to buy the reproductions. I happend to buy from the vendor you found your front ones for, he has a very good price, free shipping, and good ebay ratings. They should arrive this week, if you like I'll let you know how they appear as far as fit, finish and quality once I get them and look them over.

You may also want to review the forum on body-interior-paint, and chrome for additional info.


Mark
1970 280 SL Ivory/Congac

[wildatheart]

Hi Mark, that would be really helpful, many thanks.

(I am in the UK so wouldn't benefit from free shipping, unfortunately.)

Jaap

1970 280SL
1971 BMW 2000 Touring
1965 Volvo 122S
1986 Ford Capri 280 Brooklands

[Paddy_Crow]

I bought a set of bumpers from that vendor, they would not fit on my brackets without a lot of bending and shimming. So I sent them back. They looked good from a distance, but as soon as you got up close the quality wasn't there. On the plus side, the guy was great to deal with. He refunded the purchase price and my shipping expenses right away.

[Mark280SL]

Hi Paddy Crow, Did you buy the front or the rear bumpers from that vendor?  once you sent them back did you end up buying them again from a different vendor? who? others on the forum have said repro's should not be expected to look as good as oem but if they did not fit properly you were certainly right to send them back. I'll see what I'm sent and report the details, thanks for the info.

quote:Originally posted by Paddy_Crow

I bought a set of bumpers from that vendor, they would not fit on my brackets without a lot of bending and shimming. So I sent them back. They looked good from a distance, but as soon as you got up close the quality wasn't there. On the plus side, the guy was great to deal with. He refunded the purchase price and my shipping expenses right away.

[Paddy_Crow]

quote:Originally posted by Mark280SL

Hi Paddy Crow, Did you buy the front or the rear bumpers from that vendor?  once you sent them back did you end up buying them again from a different vendor? who? others on the forum have said repro's should not be expected to look as good as oem but if they did not fit properly you were certainly right to send them back. I'll see what I'm sent and report the details, thanks for the info.

I bought the rears. I have not located another set, I'm going to check with Dan Caron when the weather improves so I can drive up to his place on the other side of Lake St Clair.

[paulr]

I bought a front bumper set and they are OK, not as good as originals, sort of thin looking and the reflections aren't pure but Ok. I have kept my originals and will get them expensively rechromed one day. You really do get what you pay for.

Like as much as I like my GAHH hood, next time I will buy the merc one.

paulr
lovely 1970 280 SL

[Mark280SL]

Hi Jaap,

My rear bumpers have arrived and what the others have said I would agree with in general. The chrome quality is not like show quality when you get up close to it but it is definitely not bad, the average person would never notice it and it has a respectable shine to it. Again not the best, but Ok for sure.

The fit was not perfect and I had to do a little shimming in the form of adding some flat washers. They were also not pre drilled for the bumper guards.

All things considered in my experience with them in this case is I will keep them. I would not buy more Reproductions for the front too but for the rear and given the fact I am spending a lot on other improvements right now they are fine. At some point I will probably want the original equipment chromed and reinstalled but again these reproductions fit the overall need right now.

One thing I did notice is that they were extremely similar in construction and weight, (about 3.5 lb each) to the ones that were on the car when I purchased it so now I'm wondering if the ones I started with are reproductions also or these new ones are very good copies except for the chrome quality.

Does anyone know how I can tell an original rear bumper from a reproduction? are there any distinctive markings or ID I could expect to find on the original parts to know? does anybody happen to know how much an original weighs? these are 3.5lb each with no guards attached.

quote:Originally posted by wildatheart

Hi Mark, that would be really helpful, many thanks.

(I am in the UK so wouldn't benefit from free shipping, unfortunately.)

Jaap

1970 280SL
1971 BMW 2000 Touring
1965 Volvo 122S
1986 Ford Capri 280 Brooklands

Mark
1970 280 SL Ivory/Cognac

[paulr]

one more thing, I sprayed the interior of the bumpers with a beige primer and then sprayed wax into them. Given the rather thin quality of the metal it's a good move.

paulr
lovely 1970 280 SL

[Bob G]

The factoy bumper are painted inside the bumper 158 white grey. The edges are more rounded and smooth  not  sharp like these after market bumper. I do not know of any stamping of a part number, prehaps some one of our restorers could answer that  question.

Bob Geco
1968 280SL
1130440012001906
European delivery April 1968
158. 040 hardtop 040 MB tex jump seat

[Richard Madison]

To me it's a no brainer given the price of repros and rechroming.

Ebay rear repros are about US $350. These are for new bumpers with holes for the Bumper Guards. (If you can find rears w/o holes, they go for a bit more.)

My rechromer (he's "my" rechromer because I've used the same place for two rechrome jobs on two cars,) charges $185 for each half bumper if no repair work is needed.

To rechrome the pair is $370 compared to $350 plus shipping for the repros. When the rechrome is finished, I have a set of MB bumpers with the excellent material and perfect fit of an original MB set.

This dollar compararison can be modified if you intend to sell the original bumpers. (To me, the quality is more important than the dollars and cents.)

I'd be nervous with repros. They might look good for a year or two but if inferior materials or plating was done, they'll begin to age in a relatively short time. I'd rather know I have the originals.

Richard M

[Mark280SL]

It would be a no brainer indeed but I've gotten prices for rechroming rear bumpers on a 113 from what I've been told are the well known "quality" chrome shops recommended here by others and they are double and more the prices you mention. The last quote I got for the rears with guards was $900.00 so perhaps you can share who you are paying 185.00 ?

[Benz Dr.]

Look at it this way:
compare the price to rechrome parts and then the price of a new piece. I had chrome trim rings and hub caps plated last year and the cost was about the same for new ones. The new part would have been a much better deal as I see it. Although they did a pretty good job it still wouldn't match the quality of a new part.
Body side mouldings are a good example of something you can replate. They're too exdpensive new and since they're made of brass they don't pit up like pot metal.
The other pieces on the doors are best replaced with new parts but smaller inside door chrome and be plated.

A lot depends on the size and shape of a part. The more bends or curves it has the more time it takes to polish and get it right. Just try having a sedan grill shell done. It looks simple but all those compound curves add up to a hefty price tag before you're done.

So, my advise is to check the price for new pieces, compare that to plating and then look at the condition of your part. Rusty, dented or bent parts will often cost more than replacements. Only send the best parts you can find to the plater. If you have a sand blasting cabnet remove some of the rust inside of the bumper to see if there's anything left to work with. Some places will go ahead and fix a complete mess ( making a bigger mess ) and hand you the bill later on.
Keeping in mind that pricing can be all over the map shop around if you have the time. After you've been dealing with the same place for a long time they'll tend to not give you a quote ( if you don't ask ) figuring that you'll pay like always.

Dan Caron's
 SL Barn
benzbarn@ebtech.net
 slbarn.mbz.org
  1 877 661 6061

[wildatheart]

Just updating this ole' thread of mine. My 3 yr old daughter forced the issue; I let her play in the car for a few seconds (I know, I know), she went for the gear shift, moved it to Neutral and the car merrily rolled a yard or so into a signpost. Result: a perfectly shaped tennis ball-sized round dent in the front bumper. The only consolation is that it's the side that was most in need of re-chroming. (albeit still fine by many people's standards I suspect).

Re-reading this thread I have decided to buy a new Mercedes (half)bumper; someone here might tell me I got ripped off, but my credit card got hemorrhaged by a sweet £ 820 (inc VAT).

kids..! (and foolish parents)

[JamesL]

Jaap

Last summer I left a 4 year old in the car while I went to pay for the parking

Same thing happened, except I lost the grille and star, a pointy bit of which punctured the radiator.

The bumper, the only bit of my car that could have done with a rechrome, was fine....

Handbrakes are your friend!!!

[waqas]

quote:Originally posted by Tosh

Jaap

Last summer I left a 4 year old in the car while I went to pay for the parking

Same thing happened, except I lost the grille and star, a pointy bit of which punctured the radiator.

The bumper, the only bit of my car that could have done with a rechrome, was fine....

Handbrakes are your friend!!!

Few years ago I was rushing out, but realized I'd forgotten something in the house. I pulled the handbrake but forgot to place manual gear in neutral and darted out of the car (whilst car kept running). In another car, this would have simply resulted in a stall. But nooooooo, my pagoda had other plans. The jolt was apparently strong enough to snap the universal coupling within the differential (the car kept idling afterwards). New rear axle = six months and $$$$$$.  :?  

SO, moral of the story: handbrakes AND neutral gear are your friends!!!  :oops:  

[Mark280SL]

Hi Jaap,

Well..... the important thing is your car suffered the damage and not your daughter.

In my case the reproduction rear bumpers I bought from the vendor in question (FCP) that were involved in this discussion initally are fine and look very nice on the car, I can't complain. I have kept the originals in the event I decide to rechrome them. The reproductions are so close in appearance and even weight per part though I'm wondering if the originals I had are not original at all but also Reproductions, I will have to look at another Pagoda with confirmed originals at some point to make a better determination.

So far in my adventure of caring for my car I have spent thousands of dollars and all the other parts I've purchased with the exception of the rear bumpers are original MB parts which we all prefer of course.... but I must admit that some of the prices MB is now charging and continue to increase do not seem justified against the cost to manufacture them or from any reasonable business pricing perspective other then to gain a huge profit from people they know are willing to spend what it takes to make there cars original.

I'm sure some may respond and argue that it's a "Mercedes" and you should expect to pay more but please don't tell me that it is reasonable to charge $1000.00 for a short strip of chrome on the roof or some or the other wacky prices you can come across, that is not paying more for a reason of a quality automobile part that is someting altogether different and disappointing.

Ok I'll get off my soapbox and keep spending lol.

quote:Originally posted by wildatheart

Just updating this ole' thread of mine. My 3 yr old daughter forced the issue; I let her play in the car for a few seconds (I know, I know), she went for the gear shift, moved it to Neutral and the car merrily rolled a yard or so into a signpost. Result: a perfectly shaped tennis ball-sized round dent in the front bumper. The only consolation is that it's the side that was most in need of re-chroming. (albeit still fine by many people's standards I suspect).

Re-reading this thread I have decided to buy a new Mercedes (half)bumper; someone hear might tell me I got ripped off, but my credit card got hemorrhaged by a sweet £ 820 (inc VAT).

kids..! (and foolish parents)

[wildatheart]

Thanks for the consoling words guys! Much appreciated.