Advice Please On Cutting w210 Advante Grille to Fit w202

[xvvvz]

So, I picked up a basically pristine w210 avant-garde grille today for $15. It is the 210 888 0123 part number mentioned in these two threads:

http://www.club202.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5423&highlight=A+210+888+0123

http://www.club202.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1083&highlight=A+210+888+0123

Is there anyone still lurking in the forum who has actually modified and installed this grille who can give me advice on what I need to do and what (if any) parts I will need to buy for the installation?

I received both the insert bar/grille assembly plus the chrome frame/surround. At first look, it seemed like each of the bars would need to be shortened a bit on each end. Did you find a jigsaw to be good for cutting this? Dremel tool? Hacksaw? It was getting dark by the time I could go out and take a look at the current grille for comparison but I am worried the attachment points won't match up and wondered if other installers had to do a modification.

Thanks!

[Denlasoul]

I know that the W202 "Avangarde" grill are cut down versions of the W210. Most ones you see on the net are in this manner. It is likely not OEM W210 grill cut down because it would cost too much.

You can take apart your grill and separate the two pieces, the grill frame and the insert. It is slightly difficult to take apart, so be careful not to scratch it. To cut down, I would use some type of bench saw, to get even cuts. Once you take out the original insert, you can measure that up to the W210 insert and cut it to size. Also, I would remove the chrome strips of the insert and cut the "plastic fins" first, then cut down the chrome.

Hope that kinda helps.

[xvvvz]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, my plan was to take the grille apart and try to do some careful comparison measurements and then do some surgery. As I looked at the w210 grille a bit more tonight, getting the bars cut at a nice/correct angle could be tough. Also, I will apparently lose the sides (hidden by the chrome frame) of the grille insert due to the reduction process, so that could be interesting.

Obviously people have done this, so there has to be a way to do it well. I just hope I figure it out before I mess something up. The w210 chrome insert is a nice solid piece of trim and I would like to make it work versus getting one of the ebay knock-offs. The thing is that I might be able to sell the w210 grille and frame for enough to pay for most of an ebay knock-off. If I screw it up cutting it, then it will be too late ;)

[lamf]

band saw it

[PhilfromPA]

I did a w210 advant from bekkers to fit about 2 years ago, lots of time and patience. Yes you'll lose a bit from the sides & top. Top is more of a pain depending on the tools you use. I used metal shears/file since I wanted to do it little by little to avoid a big problem later but I'd imagine some kind of dremel would be a bit cleaner.

Just as a note be careful when cutting/refitting the insert to the frame as sometimes the plastic holding the slants on the ends will want to snap.

[xvvvz]

Glad to hear it worked, Phil. Did you use the crease along the top as the starting line? From what I have seen, it looks like that top crease was the starting guideline.

Did you get the little adapter piece go right in the center along the bottom so that you could screw your grille to the outside chrome frame or were you able to just screw it using the original screw hole/receptacle on the grille?

Thanks.

[PhilfromPA]

Yes I used the center crease as a guideline. I didn't receive any adapter piece, and as I recall the stock screw wouldn't work with my insert. So I wound up just using the stock brackets and it held just fine, no shifting.

I didn't have a paypal account at the time otherwise I might have saved the hassle and just went with the ebay version. Although the insert I received from Bekkers did have a better finish imo than the ebay one I had picked up 5 years ago for my w124 e320. Although I can't say I have inspected the stock w210 avant. up close so I don't know which might be a nicer overall product. just some food for thought

[xvvvz]

Ok, thanks for sharing your insights!

[xvvvz]

Just an update for any others that try this. In the end, it was not too difficult but just took time and patience. Thanks to everyone who provided advice, especially for the following tutorial (download it now if you ever think you might do this because I am not sure how long it will stay available):

http://rs554.rapidshare.com/files/210944387/W202grille.pdf

The best thing about this .pdf is to see how the factory cut down this exact same part (part number given earlier in this thread) which they then sell for $400 (only if you can find a dealer still able to get it from Germany).

My tips (to add to the great information others have shared) that aren't apparent in the .pdf. Warning: This information will only make sense for a person who is into the project:

A jigsaw works great as long as you use a LONG and fine-toothed blade. If your jigsaw has a laser-line function, turn it on to guide you. A hacksaw will work but it will take a long time and not provide a nice clean edge. You better be good with a circular saw or a band saw if you are going to try those for this project!

Paint your clips black while you have them off. Probably overkill, but I would do it for all of the clips if I were doing this again. Spray them before you start cutting and they will be dry by the time you are done cutting.

When cutting, I think it is easier to cut from the front side of the grille. I measured/marked the sides by placing the w202 grille on top of the w210 grille and then marked the sides with a fine tipped permanent marker. In the end, I was glad I had traced down into the strips/blades of the grille and did not just only draw across the tops of the strips. By following very tightly to the pattern of the w202 grille, I got lucky and only had to do one cut per side.

In the end, I used the lowest crease line across the top of the grille for my final cut line. If in doubt, cut off less and recut as needed.

The cut for the two lower clips along the side were probably the most tedious. You have to remove part of the back side of a few strips but you do not want to cut completely through to the front of the strips. Cut so the clips can slide in AND still have something to push against/hold.

If I were doing this again, I would not have tried doing complicated cuts to adapt the topmost clips along each side. Just put these two clips onto the chrome surround before installing the grill insert and be done with it (they have to be there to screw the frame to the body). Between the four clips along the top, the two lower ones on each side, the center screw along the bottom and the lip on the chrome frame itself, the grill is going to be super solidly secured already.

Keep the bottom center screw from the 210 frame if you buy this part used because it is a different size from the one you will take out of the w202. With this screw, you will not need the adapter shown in the .pdf.

For the many fitment checks, I found it easiest to insert the bottom first, then the left side, slide the insert all the way to the left so that the right side will just fit down in, and then push the top down in. Reverse for removal. (You will do this a lot for fitment checks as you cut). Watch for pinching/bending of strips as you try to maneuver the insert into the frame. I came close to snapping one off.

I used as piece of 1.5 mm black acrylic sheet that I custom cut to replicate the water spray guard and attached with both liquid nails and WeldOn 16. The W210's is smaller than the w202's but it is easy to recreate the w202 shape and the acrylic sheet matches the w210 section perfectly. I am not sure how necessary this is, but since the MB engineers thought it was necessary, I thought I would copy it.

Thanks again for everyone's advice. I hope the additional tips help out others who tackle this project.