S580 Customization Project. Presenting “The Boss”!

Sports car owners shouldn’t have ALL of the fun when it comes to vehicle customization. Luxury car owners of vehicles like this 2024 Mercedes-Benz S580 want to customize and accessorize as well. And with the S580, it’s not just a luxury sedan. Utilizing a 4.0L V8 bi-turbo engine producing 496hp, even though it weighs as much as a ship, it’s still capable of 0-60 in just 4.3 seconds. So what all can you do to a brand new, fully loaded S-Class, the pinnacle of luxury sedans? Let’s find out. For our S580 customization project, we first sat down to look over all of the areas of the car that we could either improve upon, or add protection. From there we looked at new items that could be added for functionality, looks, and performance. Looking at the brand new car, you can see that it’s beautifully designed, if not a little understated.

Phase I: Chrome Delete

Before getting into any paint correction or PPF services, we decided to work on the chrome delete aspect of the project. We didn’t want this to be a complete black-out package, as we felt that at least some of the brightwork needed to stay to keep that executive look that the S-Class is well known for. So the plan was to paint the chrome on the lower front bumper, the rear lower bumper, and to simply remove the lower chrome trim on the sides of the car. For this, we used our trusted partners from K-Ceps Auto Body here in the Columbus area. We have been working with them on projects big and small over the years, and we were confident that they would finish everything off in a classy way.

Body Shop Unveiling:

Phase 2: Paint Correction

Sometimes when we speak with people about paint correction services on a brand new vehicle, they get a bit confused because it’s a brand new car…how much work could it possibly need? In all of our years in this business, we have never found a single car that we couldn’t improve upon the finish of the paint. Between being handled at the factory, transport, shipping yards, transport again, then handled again at the dealership, there are a lot of opportunities for the paint to incur issues. It’s not uncommon to find swirls, light scratching, and scuffing. And if a new car either sat out on a lot for a while, or was in port for an extended period of time, then organic deposits can sit on the surface and cause damage as well. On our S580 customization project car, we found a little bit of everything in the paint, so we had the opportunity to make some significant changes. We are one of just a handful of detailers in the USA who utilize a DOI meter (Distinctness of Image) to quantify both the level of defects, and the level of improvement that can be made. This helps guide us, without subjectivity, on the best method to extract the best looks out of the finish. In the end, we were able to extract just under 7% of an improvement in clarity of the finish, which is actually quite a lot for a brand new car. While we look at all finish parameters (gloss, haze, DOI, reflective image quality, and specular reflectance), it’s the specular reflectance (Rspec) that the eye picks up on most. It’s what we perceive as gloss or clarity. If you want a deep-dive on this tool, and how it is used, please check out our video on the subject.

Paint Correction Process:

While we were at it, we also removed 2 of the 3 badges on the rear trunk lid for a cleaner look.

Phase 3: Paint Protection Film

Let’s face it…black is the most difficult color to maintain, and you will get swirls and scratches just by looking at it! Given this, the only option on this car was a full wrap with XPEL. With all painted surfaced being wrapped in PPF, we don’t have to worry about our project car getting scratches or scuffs throughout the driving season and all of the shows that this car will attend. You can have 10 signs on your car at a car show that clearly say “Don’t Touch!”, but people will still touch it. When you have it fully wrapped, you simply don’t care because it’s not going to hurt anything. Since our team won the 2024 XPEL USA Dealer of the Year award, we knew that the S580 Customization Project car would be in great hands! In the process, we fully protected all painted surfaces on the outside of the car, the b-pillars, and all of the beautiful flowing lines interior trim. For interiors, anything with the piano-black finish scratches like crazy, so it’s highly recommended to keep it looking good!

Exterior & Interior PPF Installation:

Phase 4: Window Tint and Windshield Protection Film

Want to make a black car look even better? The simple solution is to add a high quality window tint. For our S580 customization project, we went with XPEL’s Prime XR Plus. This ceramic tint provides the ultimate in UV and heat rejection, and won’t fade or change colors over time. We went with 35% on the sides and rear, 50% on the windshield, and 70% on the sunroof. For the exterior of the windshield, we installed XPEL’s new Windshield Protection Film. This will significantly protect against chips which can lead to very expensive replacement glass that will also require recalibration given all of the electronics in today’s cars.

XPEL Tint and Windshield Protection Installation:

Phase 5: Ceramic Coating

Paint Protection Film AND Ceramic Coating? Yes, absolutely. Just think of it this way…PPF protects the paint, and ceramic coating helps to protect the PPF. It will provide even greater looks, and more importantly, it adds a bit of a self-cleaning aspect to the finish because dirt and debris just doesn’t want to stick to ceramic coating. Clean up and preparation for shows will be easier, and quicker.

Ceramic Coating Application:

Phase 6: Vossen Wheels

When we were looking at wheels, we knew that we wanted to jump up to a 22″ size as the proportions would be great for such a large sedan. We also knew we wanted a bright finish to tie in with the rest of the chrome and bright trim that remained on the upper surfaces of the car. Looking through Vossen’s catalog, we had 2 different wheel designs that we liked. After polling most of the staff, it was decided that we were going to use their HF-4T design. It has a classy look that goes well with the executive styling of the car, but at the same time adds a sporty element as well. We mounted a brand new set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, ceramic coated the wheels and brake calipers, and were all ready to go. We also installed a 5mm set of wheel spacers (and extended bolts) on the front wheels just to bring them out a little further to match the rears.

Vossen Wheel & Tire Mounting:

Phase 7: Cete Automotive Lowering Module

One of the big benefits of having the air suspension on our S580 is that you get the adjustability that comes along with it. Lowering springs or lowering links are fine, but you’re fixed with one ride height. With the Cete Automotive lowering module, it is app-based, and you can dial it in to the exact level you wish. Not only that, but you can also set different heights for each drive mode. We found that for Comfort mode, a -20mm setting was perfect, whereas -22mm on the Sport+ worked best. And for a bonus, the app allows you to push a “Show Mode” button to really slam it down when it is parked. The top of the wheels tuck in nicely in the wheel well with a -35 to -40mm Show Mode setting.

Lowering Module Installation:

Phase 8: RENNtech Blow-Off Valve Adapters

Whoosh! We’ve installed the RENNtech Blow-Off Valve Adapters in several of our other MB project cars, and we simply can’t get enough of that “whoosh” sound. It doesn’t really do anything else…no extra horsepower, no more torque, or no better throttle control. When you step hard on the gas, a lot of pressure builds up in the turbochargers. When you then let off the gas, you get that blow-off sound, or whoosh. So when we pull up to a car event, we’ll be sure to confuse people because they’ll think that they are hearing a sports car, but instead it’s a luxury cruiser! Fortunately with the S580, you’re normally not hammering on the gas pedal like you would a sports car, so you don’t hear it all of the time.

Finished!

The Mercedes-Benz S580 customization project has been a lot of fun, and we look forward to showing it all summer long at Columbus Cars & Coffee and other events we’ll be attending. Our S580 still rides very plush, even with it lowered on 22″ wheels, and it looks so much better than it did before. The combination of wheels, lowering, de-badging, and chrome delete really transformed this somewhat stodgy S580 into an exciting, and muscular looking luxury sedan. When customizing cars, you can stay somewhat conservative and simple, or you can let your imagination run wild to create something truly one of a kind. Here at ESOTERIC, we do both ends of the spectrum, and everything in between. Let us know how we can help you to create something even more special.

ESOTERIC Fine Auto Finishing 9801 Karmar Ct. New Albany, OH 43054 esotericdetail.com