Low key this weekend, as I have to sit for a GIAC certification test on Monday so I need some study time…more alphabet soup!
I was going to drain and refill the transmission as well as replace the filter, but my FLAPS is only carrying the high mileage Valvoline MaxLife ATF, which is not what I wanted. Wally World has the regular kind but not in my store, so I ordered two gallons of it for $17/each ($8 less than what FLAPS wants for it) but it won’t be here until Thursday. Second thing on the list was to polish the headlights, which were getting a little cloudy. From what I’ve seen during my search for a W210, the first gen cars seem to have a lot worse headlight lens clouding than the second gen models. Maybe it’s just due to the age, but I rarely saw a second gen car with cloudy headlights like I did first gen. Anyway, mine weren’t bad, but I could see where they were starting to cloud around the edges so I figured I would be proactive. Got this kit from 3M via Amazonia: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AIZ5HY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 They make about four different versions of this kit ranging from $12 up to over $30. The difference seems to be whether or not they include the masking tape and a sealant in the high end one. I’ve got all sorts of 3M blue painter’s tape around the house, so I didn’t need any of that. Masked the heck out of the headlights and raised the hood. Followed the instructions using a corded drill, as there’s no way a rechargeable would ever hold up through this. Pretty straightforward, took me about an hour from start to finish. Wasn’t difficult at all and they provide plenty of materials. When I was done I wiped the lenses down with IPA (not the beer kind) and put a couple of coats of Collinite #845 Insulator wax on them to protect the lenses. Some observations: Cover everything. The spatter from the compounding step will get all over everything. Careful around the edges. The sanding disks can easily cut through your masking tape if you’re not careful, gouging your paint. I was careful *and* I did a couple layers of tape around the edges, as tape is cheap. After I was done with the headlight lenses I tried programming the integrated remote in the rear view mirror. I wasn’t sure if it would do the rolling code stuff that my garage door opener does due to its age. It did! Huzzah! So now to clean up and hit the books. -D _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
