One of the rotten wings on my W124 finally gave way leaving me with a big hole which was just unacceptable. So I brought myself a wing and some paint and though I would have a go at replacing it myself!
Once the wing arrived I popped into Halfords with a loaded credit card and came out with some primer, some Mercedes 441 which they mixed up for me, some clear coat and some sanding pads.
At this point I’m sure some of you are shaking your head that I am using Halfords primer rather than a more expensive brand but I have always found that it is fine enough and it is good value for money. I’ve used it on all my slot cars and plenty of other projects too without a problem!
The 441 came out well as well. Halfords made a good colour match!
Removing a W124 wing can be a bit of a mission if you don’t know how to do it. First thing to do is open the bonnet and remove the wheel under the wing (with the car safely on jack stands of course).
The evident fixings are the 6 10mm bolts at the top. Pop them off. Most you can use a socket on but the one next to the bonnet lifter and the hydraulic fluid reservoir I had to use a spanner on.
Now pop the indicator out. To remove it there is a plastic tab behind the indicator that you have to pull towards the light. Give the lense a quick pull and the whole unit should pop straight out! You will also have to remove the trim piece under the light. One 8mm bolt holds that on and you should be able to slide it out. 
There are two 8mm bolts that hold the light to the wing, one 8mm bolt under the indicator that holds the wing to the bumper and one 10mm that holds the wing to the frame of the car. I read somewhere else that you have to remove the headlight to get to the 10mm although I could get to it with a spanner without any issue.
Now to remove the plastic trim piece behind the wheel arch. Firstly you will want to remove mudflap. Two philips head screws hold it to the arch lining and two metal clips hold it to the wing itself. Now to remove the chrome strip slide it forward. It’s on a rail thing. Now it’s simply a case of pulling it and it will unclip from the wing.
A tonne of rot came away with it! Yuck!
Two 10mm bolts hold the bottom of the wing to the car and the final three are found in the door shut. Getting those out is a bit of a pain as you will have to loosen the door to move it back so you can get a deep socket to the bolts.
Once they are out the wing will drop off and putting the new one on is simply the reverse of the process 🙂
Here is the finished article:
I know it’s not a super professional finish but I’m quite proud of it considering it’s my first time taking on a body work project this big and it was done with aerosol cans and not a paint gun.
Thanks for reading!
