[infected]

Hey everyone,

My first post on the forums after my girlfriend just picked up a 2008 SL over the summer. It wasn't in the best shape so at the bare minimum it runs fairly well now, has all the maintenance brought back up to date, and is ready for winter.



Some new mats from the dealership. Was shocked at the price from weathertech so I am really glad I knew someone to talk to at Nissan before making my purchase decision.

I swapped over to Blizzak WS70's on the stock rims. Also spent a good portion of the day pulling out the hail damage. I did about 150 and it is definitely an improvement but still not enough to be perfect. I'm going to wait until next spring to decide if it is worth the time to continue working on the rest of the damage.

I'm not sure what happened with the paint but it was in pretty rough shape. I decided to give it a good cleaning. Starting with a visit to the car wash...

And it begins...

Finished polishing.

Did a clean up of the interior and engine bay while waiting for the wax to sit.

Touched up some of the chips while I was at it.

It was dark by the time I finished and I couldn't get a good picture but the difference is night and day.

Also swapped the interior lights to LEDs. 12 SMD for the map lights and the trunk area, 36 SMD for the dome. Still trying to look for a replacement for the glove box if anyone has suggestions.

Plans for spring is to replace the cracked windshield with OEM, get a light tint on all the windows, and pick up a roof spoiler.

I've also already placed an order for a Tanabe front strut bar, Whiteline adjustable rear sway bar, and Fujita CAI.

Still on the fence about whether to do more with the suspension. The gf is against lowering it but I'll see if I can change her mind.

The summer wheels are just 15" Sport Editions on Sumitomo A/S. Might swap the setup to something different if I do end up lowering the car.

To date, the list of mods is pretty simple, excluding all the maintenance work:

DDM 5000K Bi-X HID
LED eyebrows
LED license plate lamps
LED interior lights

That is all for now. Thanks for reading!

 

[iluvmyVersa08]

Welcome! The car looks great from the pictures.
Keep us posted on your progress & updates !!!!!

 

[08versailles]

Looks excellent! 150 hail dents! It's a million bux now!
The Benz looks niiice too. imo only German cars look good in white lol. Welcome infected!

 

[BluV3R18]

Good job! looks super clean. makes me want to go outside and detail mine!!

where did you get the touch up paint?

and how did you pull some of the hail dents? looks brand new :thumb2:

 

[JoshG]

Welcome to the forums. V looks good.

 

[hemifan87]

Welcome to nvf car looks great and yes how did you pull the hail dents?

 

[iluvmyVersa08]

BluV3R18 You can buy the touch up paint pens at the dealer. I got one and it has the paint on one side and clear on the other side.

 

[RedAlertV]

Awesome, great walk through also. Keep us posted on those ordered parts. =)

 

[infected]

Thank you everyone!

Yes, the touch up pen is available at the dealership. Just give them your VIN and they should have a pen for you off the shelf. I think I paid around $17 CDN for mine.

I used a PDR kit to pull the dents from the outside. It was probably under $10 after shipping on ebay... :woot:

It doesn't compare to a professional kit but is enough for small dents. You basically hot glue a stem to the dent and attach a bridge over to slowly unwind until the stem releases. All it takes is some patience to make sure the pull is enough to actually make a difference while at the same time trying not to pull out too much of the dent.

 

[RedAlertV]

Nice Benz by the way :thumb2:

 

[iluvmyVersa08]

Thank you everyone!

Yes, the touch up pen is available at the dealership. Just give them your VIN and they should have a pen for you off the shelf. I think I paid around $17 CDN for mine.

I used a PDR kit to pull the dents from the outside. It was probably under $10 after shipping on ebay... :woot:

It doesn't compare to a professional kit but is enough for small dents. You basically hot glue a stem to the dent and attach a bridge over to slowly unwind until the stem releases. All it takes is some patience to make sure the pull is enough to actually make a difference while at the same time trying not to pull out too much of the dent.

Do u think this kit would work to remove small dents on the doors? I have two dings on each front door. Would this work?

 

[infected]

Do u think this kit would work to remove small dents on the doors? I have two dings on each front door. Would this work?

Ya for sure. The kit should come with 3 different sizes of stems to fit over the dent (the larger the stem, the more pulling force). I would even say it is best for small dents than a big one. For $10 it's hard to say no, especially when you see it work flawlessly if done right. :thumb2:

 

[beemer.aric]

Nice job. Is it easier to get those LED lights online, or can I get this at Oreilly Auto?

 

[infected]

It is probably worth a shot to see if anyone local carries CMD LEDs first. Then I would start to look online. The 36 LED dome light is worth the wait by ordering online though. :thumb2:

 

[BluV3R18]

wow great info, thank you! and thank you Ash I need that pen

 

[athikerguy4life]

How much were the floor mats? I want to get these for my V instead of "trusting" the internet descriptions for "custom fit" floormats.

 

[iluvmyVersa08]

How much were the floor mats? I want to get these for my V instead of "trusting" the internet descriptions for "custom fit" floormats.

If you order weathertech mats, they are made to fit. I ordered a set of the 'digital fit' ones and they are awesome; even ordered a set for my parents when they bought a new vehicle. Very pricey though; but they cover every aspect of the carpet, and have huge 'sidewalls' to keep salt/snow from slipping under the mat and ruining the carpet.

 

[infected]

How much were the floor mats? I want to get these for my V instead of "trusting" the internet descriptions for "custom fit" floormats.

I believe I paid $60 CDN for the mats. Pretty impressive in my opinion. However I am not too familiar with the pricing of Nissan parts. It was a definitely a surprise for me as I was expecting upwards of $120/set.

 

[infected]

If you order weathertech mats, they are made to fit. I ordered a set of the 'digital fit' ones and they are awesome; even ordered a set for my parents when they bought a new vehicle. Very pricey though; but they cover every aspect of the carpet, and have huge 'sidewalls' to keep salt/snow from slipping under the mat and ruining the carpet.

I noticed that in weathertech's description about the perfect fitment and huge sidewalls. Still couldn't justify the price almost being x4 as much as what I paid for the OEM all-season mats. Maybe in time I'll give the weathertech mats a shot.

 

[infected]

Been getting a lot of questions about the dent kit so here is a link:

Hot Brand New Ding King Dent Repair easy removal Kit | eBay

Just be careful with the amount of glue you use. Start small and work your way up to where you are comfortable. Too much glue or too hot of glue will stick to the paint very strongly and could cause damage. This may also damage the stems. It takes some patience to get comfortable with the kit so try in hidden areas first.

The gun is also not the best so make sure the tip is nice and hot before applying pressure to the trigger.