Found a set of trunk trim. Now what?

[linjam]

I have been searching far and wide for a set of trunk trim, as years ago my audio installer decided summarily to throw out the OEM stuff in favor of his own creation. Yes, I know -- incredible.

On June 3 or 4, I searched the inventory for every LKQ "Pick and Pull" yard in the country looking for replacement trunk trim panels. There were no E500Es, and there was only one E300 Diesel, and it was in St Petersburg, FL and had arrived June 1, just a couple of days prior. (the 1995 E300 diesel is the only other 124 with a 90 Liter gas tank, and thus the only other 124 with trunk trim that fits the E500E (the E300 right side trim is too deep, as the E300 does not place the battery in the trunk in that location, but I presume the trim can be carefully cut to fit).

I happen to have a buddy in Florida nearby, who agreed to go to the junk yard and grab the trunk trim panels for me straight away. I have now received them, and there is one issue. They are covered in a black carpeting, as opposed to the gray on the 500 panels, and feel thinner and less sturdy. I don't know how this can be, as the left side is, I believe, the same part number!

Does anyone know if a trim shop can find the OEM gray carpeting and replace the black or add it on top?

This search for trunk trim has been a real PITA, I must tell you.

Thanks much for any thoughts.

Any help is GREATLY appreciated.

Jamie

 

[gerryvz]

I think you can have a competent interior shop DYE the carpeting to the correct color. You'd have to supply a piece of the correct color. Would that be a possibility?

 

[gsxr]

The E300 and 500E panels should be the same color and thickness. The driver side and rear/vertical panels are identical. If either one is thicker, someone may have modified it, possibly by gluing carpet on top of the shell. If the color is different, either the black one was dyed, or had a second layer glued on.

Have any photos of the two side by side?

 

[8899]

I think you can have a competent interior shop DYE the carpeting to the correct color. You'd have to supply a piece of the correct color. Would that be a possibility?

Try Doug Pollet at Pollet Automotive in Fairfax.

 

[linjam]

I think you can have a competent interior shop DYE the carpeting to the correct color. You'd have to supply a piece of the correct color. Would that be a possibility?

The E300 and 500E panels should be the same color and thickness. The driver side and rear/vertical panels are identical. If either one is thicker, someone may have modified it, possibly by gluing carpet on top of the shell. If the color is different, either the black one was dyed, or had a second layer glued on.

Have any photos of the two side by side?

My car is in Richmond having the dynamat removed. When I get it back, I’ll let you know. I still have the right side carpet (though it’s quite beaten up) and will take comparison photos. Perhaps I’m just imagining it, but I’m quite sure I’m not.

Jamie

 

[gerryvz]

Richmond, VA? As in 3 hours down south? If so, then perhaps @vatc5637 (who lives in the Richmond Metroplex) can help you out with a competent interior shop in that area who could do the work whilst it's there.

 

[vatc5637]

Richmond, VA? As in 3 hours down south? If so, then perhaps @vatc5637 (who lives in the Richmond Metroplex) can help you out with a competent interior shop in that area who could do the work whilst it's there.

In 2013, I had Richmond Auto Upholstery at 1004 N Sheppard St (804) 358-9621, re-do my headliner. Got their name from the local MB dealer. No website (couple reviews on Yelp FWIW). Cluttered small building in an old commercial part of town. The proprietor at that time was an older European gentleman, couldn't quite figure out his accent, perhaps Polish or eastern European. Just my kind of place. Proprietor hardly said anything except that he had done lots of Benzes over the years and that the W124 wouldn't be a problem. Did a terrific job on the headliner (on time and for a very reasonable price) and it's still holding up well today, but the most impressive part was that all the clips and interior trim pieces were removed and replaced without incident (as far as I can tell). Didn't use the MB material since I wanted to change color to black and substituted some fabric (some type of woven material) that he recommended. I would imagine that he would be able to help you with trunk trim. I would definitely recommend him if he's still there.

 

[linjam]

Richmond, VA? As in 3 hours down south? If so, then perhaps @vatc5637 (who lives in the Richmond Metroplex) can help you out with a competent interior shop in that area who could do the work whilst it's there.

In 2013, I had Richmond Auto Upholstery at 1004 N Sheppard St (804) 358-9621, re-do my headliner. Got their name from the local MB dealer. No website (couple reviews on Yelp FWIW). Cluttered small building in an old commercial part of town. The proprietor at that time was an older European gentleman, couldn't quite figure out his accent, perhaps Polish or eastern European. Just my kind of place. Proprietor hardly said anything except that he had done lots of Benzes over the years and that the W124 wouldn't be a problem. Did a terrific job on the headliner (on time and for a very reasonable price) and it's still holding up well today, but the most impressive part was that all the clips and interior trim pieces were removed and replaced without incident (as far as I can tell). Didn't use the MB material since I wanted to change color to black and substituted some fabric (some type of woven material) that he recommended. I would imagine that he would be able to help you with trunk trim. I would definitely recommend him if he's still there.

The E300 and 500E panels should be the same color and thickness. The driver side and rear/vertical panels are identical. If either one is thicker, someone may have modified it, possibly by gluing carpet on top of the shell. If the color is different, either the black one was dyed, or had a second layer glued on.

Have any photos of the two side by side?

Thanks, guys. I'll check him out. But first I must now make sure these are the correct parts:

1) I have a set of interior trunk trim I sourced from Japan by way of Vladivostok a couple of years ago, thinking it would work. It was not from an E500E or a 1995 E300 Diesel, but at that time I did not know those cars had a larger tank and therefore different trim. I believe the trim I bought was from a 300E, but am not positive. I purchased the two side panels, the vertical gas tank panel, and the carpeting.

One of the side panels had the part number 124 693 5433 stamped on it. The other had no part number stamped on it. When I looked in the EPC, that part number is associated with 124 chassis numbers 019, 020, 021, 022, 023, 026, 028, 030, 031, 032, 120, 125, 126, 128, 130, 131, 133, 226, 230, and 233

I don't know the chassis number for the 1995 E300 diesel, but I don't see 036 on the list.

All of the pieces were darker and flimsier than the E500E pieces I have seen, and the trunk lid trim was definitely more thin and black than the trunk lid trim in my 500E, which is thick, firm, and gray.

Only later did I realize I had made a mistake, once Dave told me about the 90 liter gas tank in our cars and the trunk trim issues resulting from that. So.....

2) as mentioned up top in my initial post, I found an E300 Diesel in Florida and had my friend grab the trim from it. He grabbed and sent me the right and left panels and the trunk lid panel. They are all more of a black than our cars, which have a thicker gray material to them. Unfortunately, none of them have part numbers stamped on them, if you can believe it. When I lay the right and left side panels respectively on the right and left side panels I sourced from Japan, they seem to be the same size. Is it possible the Florida junk yard mislabeled the 1995 E300? My friend was positive he went to the the correct "white" car. The LKQ pick and pull yard has no phone number on which I can reach them, of course.

The Japan parts are more flimsy than but the same color as the Florida parts, and the Florida parts are more flimsy and darker (black) than the E500E parts I am searching for (I have my original trunk lid and passenger side trunk trim to compare) (my side trim is not in great shape, thanks to installers and repair techs over the years).

3) When I search in the EPC for the correct part number for the left side (1246904930), I get matches for multiple 124 chassis numbers -- 019, 020, 021, 022, 023, 026, 028, 030, 031, 032, 034, 036, 120, 125, 126, 128, 130, 131, 133, 226, 230, 330, 333.

Again, since only two 124s have the 90 liter gas tank, how is this possible? Is this another confusing method the EPC uses to categorize parts?

This simple search has now consumed more time and involved more frustration than one might ever have thought these simple cheap parts would demand.

Extremely frustrating.

Anyone have any thoughts on all this?

Jamie

 

[gerryvz]

 

[linjam]

I'll get photos up tomorrow. See my last post, which I've amended to add a part 3.

Jamie

 

[gsxr]

Jaime, as mentioned in some of our private conversations, the EPC has some misleading info related to part numbers. And 90L fuel tanks were optional equipment outside USA, which is partly why you are seeing them on other chassis.

Again, for USA models, the 1995 E300 Diesel is the only 124 chassis with a 90L tank besides the E500E. And yes, it's VERY possible the Florida person removed trunk panels from something besides a 1995 E300... or, the E300 they pulled the pieces from, were not original carpets.

 

[linjam]

Jaime, as mentioned in some of our private conversations, the EPC has some misleading info related to part numbers. And 90L fuel tanks were optional equipment outside USA, which is partly why you are seeing them on other chassis.

Again, for USA models, the 1995 E300 Diesel is the only 124 chassis with a 90L tank besides the E500E. And yes, it's VERY possible the Florida person removed trunk panels from something besides a 1995 E300... or, the E300 they pulled the pieces from, were not original carpets.

Forgive me, Dave, but I am doing my best to rely on the EPC for accurate info. Are you saying there is a chance the trunk trim I am looking for might exist in foreign junk yards on other chassis whose original owners opted for the 90 liter tank? If so, without the part numbers stamped on the trim pieces, I suppose it is difficult online or on the phone to know if I have found one. Anyway, I'll post some photos tomorrow.

Thanks again, as always.

Jamie

 

[gsxr]

Forgive me, Dave, but I am doing my best to rely on the EPC for accurate info. Are you saying there is a chance the trunk trim I am looking for might exist in foreign junk yards on other chassis whose original owners opted for the 90 liter tank?

Absolutely, yes. But this will be difficult to confirm before spending $$$ to ship a large, bulky item overseas.

If so, without the part numbers stamped on the trim pieces, I suppose it is difficult online or on the phone to know if I have found one.

Part numbers are typically not stamped on these pieces. They normally have labels applied, and the adhesive fails after 20+ years, so the label falls off. Finding a carpet piece with the label + part number would be fantastic, but not common. The difference between side pieces is several inches, so good photos and/or measurements would help confirm if a side piece is 70L or 90L.


Copy/paste from our previous discussion in early May, regarding the trunk carpets:

OMG this is insane. So, further research indicates the EPC has incomplete descriptions!! And it also has part numbers showing for USA models which are NOT correct. If you look at enough variations via reverse lookup, some p/n's have German descriptions which solve a bit of the mystery. Note that only 2 digits are different between all of them so for shorthand I'll refer to them via 2 digits, not 10.​

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First, the critical part is 70L vs 90L items, as the dimensions are totally different. Second, some are for "hitching mechanism", which just means the carpet has a space which allows a metal reinforcing tube to be installed as part of the factory trailer hitch. All USA-spec 036's appeared to come with the "hitch mechanism" carpet, despite the trailer hitch being verboten in USA. Why do you care? You don't, unless you want factory-original stuff, in which case you want the carpet with hump. I cannot tell if there are part numbers for 90L *without* hitch mechanism - they may exist, they might not. All 1995 E300 diesels also had the "hitch mechanism" carpets with hump.​

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With that out of the way - #'s 09 and 10 are not correct. Those are both for 70L tanks. #56 is also for 70L tank.​

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Best I can tell, there are only 3 confirmed part numbers you would want:​

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Left/driver side: #49 only​

Right/passenger: #58 is original for 036. #62 MAY WORK if cut/modified, I don't know.​

​

Keep in mind the part numbers are useless unless either (1) you can buy new parts, or (2) you can buy a used piece that still has the sticker stuck on the back side - which is highly unlikely. Assuming you are hunting for used pieces, it's much more important to know the year/model of the donor, better yet the VIN. And then on top of that get photos, AND measurements confirming the depth of the side pieces so you know they are for 90L, not 70L. The year/model/VIN lets you know what likely came from the factory, but photos+measurements tell you what's in the car now... people can change things.​

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[mercepor]

i should have 2 sets of E500E trunk carpet sets in my garage....
ready to sell/check pn, made pics, etc, but only in mid August (when back to home)
if this helps

 

[linjam]

i should have 2 sets of E500E trunk carpet sets in my garage....
ready to sell/check pn, made pics, etc, but only in mid August (when back to home)
if this helps

That would be fantastic, @mercepor -- Very much appreciated. I'll PM you.

Jamie

Copy/paste from our previous discussion in early May, regarding the trunk carpets:

Yes, thanks Dave. I remember all that, and I have been only looking for those part numbers you advise above for trunk trim from the E500E or 1995 E300 diesel, per your instructions.

J

 

[linjam]

Jaime, as mentioned in some of our private conversations, the EPC has some misleading info related to part numbers. And 90L fuel tanks were optional equipment outside USA, which is partly why you are seeing them on other chassis.

Again, for USA models, the 1995 E300 Diesel is the only 124 chassis with a 90L tank besides the E500E. And yes, it's VERY possible the Florida person removed trunk panels from something besides a 1995 E300... or, the E300 they pulled the pieces from, were not original carpets.

Ok, guys. Here is the sad news from my friend today. Because the size of the pieces seemed too large, I asked him to go back and double check it was the correct car.

He called me this morning from the yard, and it turns out he pulled the trunk carpets from the wrong car. Even though I messaged three times saying 1995 E300 Diesel, between him and the guys at the LKQ Pick 'n Pull, he went to the wrong car and pulled the trunk trim from a 300E. Don't ask me how this can happen (Quick lazy assumptions? Bad directions from the yard attendant?).

He then this morning went to the correct car (E300 Diesel), and it was already pretty heavily stripped, including the trunk trim carpeting. This is very upsetting especially as the car had arrived at the yard June 1, and I had told my friend about the car on June 3, and he had visited the yard June 5 to pull the trim. Rather than mailing the carpets to me, he wanted to wait until early July, when he would be driving through Washington and deliver them to me personally. By the time I noticed the carpets were the same size as the 300E carpets I had mistakenly acquired last year when I did not know they were a different size and by the time he was back in the vicinity and able to go to the yard and double check he had pulled from the correct car, seven weeks have passed, and the E300 Diesel has been stripped.

Given the amount of time I had spent finding the one E300 Diesel in the country at an LKQ Pick 'n Pull yard and the amount of time I spent coordinating with my friend to get the parts and to get them to me, I am fairly shocked.

Anyway, there is your update. Sorry to have wasted your time on this thread, given the discovery of what actually happened.

Jamie

 

[gerryvz]

Generally, I see about 1-2 E300 Diesel W124s in the Baltimore LKQ yards, per year. I'll keep my eyes peeled. There was one probably 4-5 months ago, just before COVID.

 

[gsxr]

Generally, I see about 1-2 E300 Diesel W124s in the Baltimore LKQ yards, per year. I'll keep my eyes peeled. There was one probably 4-5 months ago, just before COVID.

Gerry, if you EVER find a 1995 E300 diesel, grab all 4 of the trunk carpets (left, right, rear, floor). And if they don't puncture the fuel tanks at that yard, get the tank too - it a 90L tank which will work in the .036 and is an upgrade for other 124 chassis.

Jamie, sorry to hear about your experience - I've run into issues not entirely unlike what you describe, over the years, when dealing with salvage yards.

 

[gerryvz]

I can remember 3-4 of them in the yards here since I've moved to Maryland. They are about as common (perhaps a little less so) than .034s in the yards. Pretty much all of the tanks I see tend to be punctured. Seems that in most yards, it's the SOP.

By the way, I'm talking about the LATE W124 diesels, not the early W124 diesels (1987s).

 

[linjam]

Generally, I see about 1-2 E300 Diesel W124s in the Baltimore LKQ yards, per year. I'll keep my eyes peeled. There was one probably 4-5 months ago, just before COVID.

Thanks, Gerry. Very much appreciated.

Gerry, if you EVER find a 1995 E300 diesel, grab all 4 of the trunk carpets (left, right, rear, floor). And if they don't puncture the fuel tanks at that yard, get the tank too - it a 90L tank which will work in the .036 and is an upgrade for other 124 chassis.

Jamie, sorry to hear about your experience - I've run into issues not entirely unlike what you describe, over the years, when dealing with salvage yards.

Thanks Dave. Much appreciated.

I can remember 3-4 of them in the yards here since I've moved to Maryland. They are about as common (perhaps a little less so) than .034s in the yards. Pretty much all of the tanks I see tend to be punctured. Seems that in most yards, it's the SOP.

By the way, I'm talking about the LATE W124 diesels, not the early W124 diesels (1987s).

Perhaps a punctured tank can be welded/repaired?

Jamie