Spent a few hours washing the SLK today, which is always an opportunity for a few pics. I bought a new dish cleaning, spongy thing for doing the wheels. It took about two hours to clean the inside of the rims without dismounting them. I really liked the results...but man was that a lot of work. I think I have a system now that will shave about 30 minutes off the next attempt.
I have installed the following since my last pics:
-Eurolight clear side markers (with stock clear bulbs)
-AMG valve stem caps
-R170 stubby antenna (with signal boost mod)
The signal boost mod on the antenna was kindly performed by another SLK World member. He did a great job. He will go nameless unless he wishes to identify himself. I now have excellent reception of SmartKey for SmartTop operation. Not fully tested, but well over 100' in all directions. I checked FM signal and all is good. I rarely listen to anything other than Sirius (please Lord...give us XM stations after the merger).
The valve caps were not that expensive after my Mercedes Benz Club of America discount. If they get ripped off...so be it. My car is rather secure most places I take her.
As previously mentioned, I cracked a small part of the lower outer lens of the drivers side Eurolight upon install. After pouring a ton of water on the car today, no moisture formed on the inside. I think it will be OK.
Here are some new pics, and there are others in my new album.
EDIT: Posted in wrong section...Should have been in the R171 General Mods section. My bad.
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"Like a Cold Shot, baby" - Stevie Ray Vaughan __________________________________________________ _______________________________________ 2007 BLACK/BLACK SLK55 AMG Green Filters, SmartTop V1, EuroLight Clear Side Markers, R170 Modded Antenna, Chromed AMG Door Pins & Valve Stems, Huber-Optiks Drei Tint, S&W .40 M&P, LoJack EWS
Last edited by Cold Shot; 06-05-2008 at 08:43 PM.
Reason: Cause I'm an idiot and can't pay attention.
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Very nice, your SLK 55 looks great. Two hours on the wheels, sound like torture, but I admire your dedication. Remember, a job worth doing is worth doing well. I have the same three mods on my SLK.
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-----------------1----------------- ---------SLK 55 ///AMG--------- ---THE MONSTER ON THE BLOCK---
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That black SLK looks really sharp The clear side markers and mod R170 Euro Spec antenna looks real smart on the black 55.
Here's what I do/use to clean the wheels (takes about 20-30 minutes for 4 wheels) each time before washing the car body:
Materials:
1. Old cellulose sponge (hand-me-downs from the kitchen). This way the sponge is well-worn but still useful and has less chance of scratching the wheels.
2. Modified long brush tool used to clean the coils from underneath the refrigerator (available at WalMart, Home Depot, Sears, etc for about USD $6). This tool comes originally with a tapered end that's about 1/2" wide and 4" long, the main body has bristles that are 1.5" wide and are soft enough to not cause any scratches. To modify: remove the black rubber end cap by twisting it off, cut at the junction between the 1.5-inch-wide main body and the narrow 0.5-inch-wide tapered end with pair of pliers (easily done as the twisted wire is on the soft side), reinsert the black rubber end cap by twisting. It's important to reinsert the black end cap or you'll have a sharp edge that can damage paintwork. This also prevents the remaining bristles from unraveling and coming off. The modified brush is about 8.5 inches long on the bristle part, not counting the wooden handle (which is another 8 inches long) and should work ok for wheels that are 9" deep.
3. Meguair's Wheel Brightener wheel cleaner D-140 (safe for clear coats, factory painted and chrome wheels, non-acid), diluted 1:4 (as recommended by manufacturer) in a spray bottle that has graduations on its side. I bought a gallon from a car detailer supply place for USD $24. This was 20 Jan 2007. Pix below show that I still have 2/3 left today (17 months). I generally use this every 1-2 weeks before each car wash.
Method:
1. Rinse wheels with gentle spray from garden hose to remove most of the accumulated brake dust.
2. Spray the diluted wheel brightener solution from Meguairs unto the wheel including the inner surface (usually one squirt between each spoke aiming from the center and outward towards the inner horizontal surface). This stuff works great on removing brake dust.
3. Gently agitate with the wet but worn (but still usable) cellulose sponge. I start at the hub and lug nuts, and then on each spoke at the vertical surface, then on the innner horizontal surface (the sponge only cleans the outer 2 or 3 inches of the inner horizontal surface of the wheel). I also use a dripping garden hose (noozle is opened very slightly) on one hand to continuously keep the sponge wet (much like lubricant being slowly poured over something that's being worked on in industrial applications) while doing the agitation.
4. Use the modified brush to clean the rest of the inner horizontal wheel surface by inserting in-between spokes and clean with a gentle to-and-fro and sideways motion, dripping garden hose on one hand and the brush on the other.
5. Rinse the entire wheel with a gentle spray from garden hose once the whole wheel is done.
Each 16-spoke OEM wheel takes about 5-6 minutes.
I also sometimes spray Z-6 gloss enancer (other products will also work) unto a clean cloth and treat the wheels (after they've been dried with compressed air and towel).
Hope the above saves you some time in cleaning the wheels. I think it works well to keep the wheels relatively clean without having to remove the wheels to clean the inner surface. My apologies for the long post.
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Pewter(cubanite silber)/Beige, PIII package, Airscarf, Hands-Free Communication System, Lighting package Designo Black Leather Cover on e-brake handle, ( To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Bill T), SmartTop v1.0, Kleyman 3BFM (NoRegret Custom), Green Air Filters, Modified R170 ant., Clear sidemarkers & parking lamps w/error-free LEDs, chromed front & rear turn indicator lamps, bilateral rear fog lamps enabled, steel mesh at battery bay cover & cabin air intake.
Last edited by etyu; 02-21-2010 at 01:19 AM.
Reason: reformatted for easier reading
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Cleaning the wheels is my least favorite part when washing my cars. I've learned several things, the bigger the wheel, and less spokes, the better. A good brush for reaching tough areas is a must. Dripping water from the rusted rotors makes a mess.
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-----------------1----------------- ---------SLK 55 ///AMG--------- ---THE MONSTER ON THE BLOCK---
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Car looks great, did you look at a pair of black side marker lights before getting the clear one's???
No, I pretty much knew I wanted clear\silver to compliment the headlights and mirror housings. Maybe if I had black wheels it would have been a consideration for me.
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"Like a Cold Shot, baby" - Stevie Ray Vaughan __________________________________________________ _______________________________________ 2007 BLACK/BLACK SLK55 AMG Green Filters, SmartTop V1, EuroLight Clear Side Markers, R170 Modded Antenna, Chromed AMG Door Pins & Valve Stems, Huber-Optiks Drei Tint, S&W .40 M&P, LoJack EWS
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the stubby antenna and clear lenses (lensi?) look great... probably the best bang for the buck in appearance mods. your car has that tough, but classy look that i really like.
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A few new (minor) mods... 
Very nice, your SLK 55 looks great. Two hours on the wheels, sound like torture, but I admire your dedication. Remember, a job worth doing is worth doing well. I have the same three mods on my SLK. 
2008 Mercedes Benz SLK 55 AMG (R171.473)
My apologies for the long post. 
Cleaning the wheels is my least favorite part when washing my cars. I've learned several things, the bigger the wheel, and less spokes, the better. A good brush for reaching tough areas is a must. Dripping water from the rusted rotors makes a mess. 
.
