[Boris_Balkan]

Just wanted to share a few pics of my slowly evolving GLA project. Black plasti-dipped the grill and chrome strip under the side windows, and Mercedes Benz Roof rack.
I'll post some side-shots with the new wheels and my other parts that are coming next week.

 

[Boris_Balkan]

Photo edit:

 

[Boris_Balkan]

245/45/19's fit great! The wheels and tires are much lighter than stock, so handling and acceleration has improved.

 

[Antares]

Very, very Nice! I like the look!

 

[Boris_Balkan]

Very, very Nice! I like the look!

Thanks! it's coming along nicely The wheels are flow-formed, so they are only 20lbs a piece and the DWS's are also lighter, so the handling, braking and acceleration have all improved with this setup, even though I went 'up' in tire size. Very pleased so far.

Keep watching my posts, next thursday I will have hopefully have some cool new parts to show off for everyone with 250's.

 

[4-matic]

First time i'm seeing a GLA black on black and it looks great to me.
did you always have you vehicles like this or did different things in the past?

 

[Boris_Balkan]

First time i'm seeing a GLA black on black and it looks great to me.
did you always have you vehicles like this or did different things in the past?

I only buy black cars, and I only only mod them with black components The upkeep can be arduous, but the reward continues indefinitely.

Oh and 'thank you' for the kind compliments! I'm rude for not first addressing that!

One thing I did differently this time, is keeping the silver trim on the bottom of the car. I usually go for full blackout, but I rather like the contrast at the bottom where she'll get dirty. If you noticed, I did plasti-dip the window trim because I loathe chrome. Just don't like it. I'm going to experiment with plasti-dipping the rear emblems and other parts on the rear this weekend and see what precipitates to my liking.

 

[Axdj45AMG]

Your GLA looks so much OFF Road than mine. Very good Job. Im also modding mine slowly. I will post some pics later this afternoon.

 

[Boris_Balkan]

Your GLA looks so much OFF Road than mine. Very good Job. Im also modding mine slowly. I will post some pics later this afternoon.

Thanks!
Looking forward to seeing your GLA!

Feeling lonely here on the GLA forum

 

[4-matic]

I only buy black cars, and I only only mod them with black components The upkeep can be arduous, but the reward continues indefinitely.

Oh and 'thank you' for the kind compliments! I'm rude for not first addressing that!

One thing I did differently this time, is keeping the silver trim on the bottom of the car. I usually go for full blackout, but I rather like the contrast at the bottom where she'll get dirty. If you noticed, I did plasti-dip the window trim because I loathe chrome. Just don't like it. I'm going to experiment with plasti-dipping the rear emblems and other parts on the rear this weekend and see what precipitates to my liking.

I can understand that, I used to go crazy with the murdered out look but now I'm more easy going with it, just a black car with dark tints... no more dark tinted tails for me

 

[butterfield]

Good looking Boris, any plans for the Mountain Grey GLA or did missus no bueno that?

My only issue with Plasti dip is it disappears over time, not really an issue just can be inconvenient...

 

[Boris_Balkan]

Good looking Boris, any plans for the Mountain Grey GLA or did missus no bueno that?

My only issue with Plasti dip is it disappears over time, not really an issue just can be inconvenient...

Yeah, my wife likes her GLA the way it is, however, she's not opposed to adding an ECU tune and an intake down the road. I have not run into any problems with the plasti-dip coming off yet, however, I have heard of that. My S6 had plasti-dip on it for 2 years without having to touch up, so maybe I got lucky LOL! Prep is the absolute most-important step, I tend to spend MANY more hours just prepping for the spray and then making sure I have a LOT of coats built up. Plus, the more coats you put on, the easier it is to pull it off when you want to change.

I love the LED DRL's on my wife's GLA, but I can live with these until an aftermarket set rolls out. There's a heck of a market out there for people who are going to want the LED's later on, either for the GLA, CLA or the A250, so I'd put my money on SPYDER rolling some out eventually. I have their aftermarket black headlights with LED DRL's on my SLK55, and they are fantastic in every way.

 

[parker]

whats the most important part of prep?

 

[Boris_Balkan]

whats the most important part of prep?

The most important aspect is simply 'take your time.' It is is crucial (especially when spraying over chrome) that each coat is applied lightly and allowed plenty of time to dry before layering the next coat. I do a minimum of 6+ coats for every project so that it lasts longer, and so it is easier to remove later.

Masking and covering the paint is important as well. Even though plasti-dip does not harm the paint, the overspray can be a real PAIN to remove.

 

[nightscar]

Just curious but did you remove the double wing from the grill when you painted it?

I might go ahead and do it this weekend but I think I read somewhere that the wing part can be detached, just remove the star an then reach inside to detach the tab or something.

Just wanted a confirmation.

 

[Boris_Balkan]

Just curious but did you remove the double wing from the grill when you painted it?

I might go ahead and do it this weekend but I think I read somewhere that the wing part can be detached, just remove the star an then reach inside to detach the tab or something.

Just wanted a confirmation.

LOL I admittedly did not even think of that... Definitely worth looking into, and it's a pretty likely scenario...

No, I did not remove the double wing, just masked off a large section of the front end for overspray,
Most important part is masking off the radiator and intercooler. You absolutely do not want to spray those parts.

You can spray the star, then just peel the plasti-dip off of only the star if you do not like the look.

 

[nightscar]

Oh ok gotcha. I am bad at masking off stuff and every time I plasti-dip, for some reason when I peel it it just doesn't peel cleanly especially by the masked off places. Some pieces of the plasti-dip kind of rips and goes with the tape and that is why I want to remove it completely and just spray the whole thing because I know I am going to mess it up.

Any strategy in peeling? If it wasn't a car I would use a scalpel or razor blade but I am afraid to use either of those near a car. lol

 

[Boris_Balkan]

Any strategy in peeling? If it wasn't a car I would use a scalpel or razor blade but I am afraid to use either of those near a car. lol

Yes, the more coats you put on, the easier it is to peel off. The biggest mistake most people make is not doing enough coats.
There's a lot of great tutorials on plasti-dipping on youtube, i highly recommend reviewing them

 

[nightscar]

I'll check it out when I have the time, thanks.

I'll definitely try and remove it completely though, I may need to go stray to CLA forums to find a guide on how to remove them though.

Thanks again and when are we going to see a photoshoot of your car? It's probably the most modded in this forum.

 

[nightscar]

I tried removing the wing on the grill and it is easy enough to unlatch the tabs but sadly my arms aren't small enough to reach the ones on the very end of each side so I was unable to remove it completely.

Might just have to the taping method.