As the mercucry rises ever closer to 100 and the days get longer im reminded to give the car detail. Before 11 hours a day of UV level 10 sun bombards my car for 4 months straight I need a steady regiment for this type of punishment.
I have a few questions.
First all the important info.
The car is a black 99 E55. Yeah I know, arizona, dust, black on black, what was i thinking?
Normally I wash with blue coral soap and a sheepskin mitt, dry with a synthetic shamois and then after its all dry I used Meguiars NXT spray detailer/microfiber cloth to get all of the runs and water spots out, AZ water is terrible. Then every saturday for upkeep (depending on the amount of dust accumulated) I use the nxt spray detailer/ mf cloth, then I clean the brake dust off the wheels.
Questions.
1. I have pitting all over the front of my W210 as im sure alot of 1999 Es do. I want to do touch up paint with the best results and want to have a method that blends the paint in if that is possible. The bad area is the front bumper so its a bit inconspicuous. Who do you recommend to get the touch up paint from, the dealer i assume? Can you point me to a thread about how to best apply the touch up paint.
2. I have swirl marks, and they are pretty bad, very annoying. What is the difference between paint cleaner and polish, which one should I use for a good once over. They almost seem to do the same thing. I have a craftsman random orbital buffer with microfiber bonnets, is this a good thing to use with the cleaner/polish. i assume i apply it with a foam applicator just like wax and then buff it off after a few minutes?
3. Is polishing and claying redundant? which one should I choose? I was thinking clay is not good for a black car?
4. What order should I do everything in? Im sure there will be varying opinions.
I was going to get a pro detailer to do my car but the 3 i called seemed pretty overpriced and added on for every little thing. Honestly they didn't seem like they were that knowledgeable. Im going to document before and after. Here is a pic i took today of the bumper.
1. You can pick up touch-up paint for your Mercedes from the dealer, or just from a local Auto Parts store. If you're paint is just black (non-metalic) I would suggest just picking up some Black Touch Up Paint from a Pep-Boys.
2. The difference between a paint cleaner and a polish is the paint cleaner has the ability to remove swirls and scratches better than polish. Polish is used primarely to replenish the lost oils in the paint and give the paint that "pop" of deep color and shine. Meguiar's makes a paint cleaner called Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner. Deep Crystal® System Paint Cleaner A3016 Product Information However, if your paint is like mine, (I think it is, I have a '98 C class), Deep Crystal won't cut it. For that you'll need Meguiar's ScratchX. ScratchX® G10307 Product Information I found that after multiple appilications by hand, it effectively removed the swirls. A faster way would be to use an electric Duel Action Polisher Buffer, but it can be costly, but it saves time.
The only problem using the Random Orbital with the paint cleaner, is that it doesn't turn fast enough to remove swirls. For that you'll need a Duel Action Polisher, or do it by hand with multiple applications of ScratchX.
3. Clay is a whole different product than Polish. Clay removes above surface contaminants, that cannot be removed by washing. It leaves the finish as smooth as glass and is an important step in achieving a brilliant shine. Meguiar's makes a great kit that I have used many times. Smooth Surfaceâ„¢ Clay Kit G1016 Product Information
2. I have swirl marks, and they are pretty bad, very annoying. What is the difference between paint cleaner and polish, which one should I use for a good once over. They almost seem to do the same thing. I have a craftsman random orbital buffer with microfiber bonnets, is this a good thing to use with the cleaner/polish. i assume i apply it with a foam applicator just like wax and then buff it off after a few minutes?
3. Is polishing and claying redundant? which one should I choose? I was thinking clay is not good for a black car?
4. What order should I do everything in? Im sure there will be varying opinions.
I was going to get a pro detailer to do my car but the 3 i called seemed pretty overpriced and added on for every little thing. Honestly they didn't seem like they were that knowledgeable. Im going to document before and after. Here is a pic i took today of the bumper.
thanks, andy
How much did those pros charge? You'll want to find an enthusiast like myself, we lurk around the net, but you'll find guys like me on
detailersclub.com
&
autopia.org
We're usually a bit cheaper, because we do it for fun, and not for business as much. It's also safer, because there's no motivation for us to rush, or hide imperfections for a quick buck. You're smart to do it yourself, especially if you got the wrong vibes. That's how I started, and I guess I just fell headfirst into this hobby.
One thing that I differ from the previous user is regarding the cleaner/vs/polish. honestly, these terms have been used and misused so it really is impossible to distinguish by just the name. For example, meguiars has both products, a cleaner and a polish. They are, indeed, both abrasive, but the cleaner contains the most mild abrasive, and what sets it apart are the detergents to remove the LSP(last step product - sealant/wax protectant, etc..) and generally prep the car for true polish with the rejuvinating oils, or LSP application. Basically you use it to remove the old while removing minor swirls, or just improve the gloss with some oils it provides, which also aid in carbauba application.
The polish from meguiars is a lighter swirl remover, and contains mild abrasives, but these are slightly more aggresive than the cleaner, because these are truly meant to remove paint imperfections, not just slightly improve the gloss as the cleaner would.
Personally, I find that meguiars polishes will "fill" imperfections, even while working udner a halogen with rotary or random orbital - this is due to the caolin clay which they put into their products. For yourself, this is just great and you won't notice, but for me during paintwork correction under a halogen, it can be decieving, as ugly & annoying hologram swirls will appear a few weeks after detailing. That's why I don't use those products.
With regards to clay and polishing being redundant, it is not for the most part. You'll know when it's time to clay, you'll feel the paint getting almost rough, little embedded contaminants will catch when you run your fingers across. Personally, I don't clay as much as I should, but I keep my car very, very well protected with my favorite carnauba - this helps reduce contaminants sticking into the paint, but I still have to clay.
Make sure you flip the clay often, if you have never clayed before, you may find yourself accidentally rubbing a something you 'clayed' from the car into your paint, because the clay become loaded or you didn't provide enough lubrication. Simple mistakes, you really just have to try it on your own, it's not bad.
Polishing, eh - I find that when I polish my own DD, I do everything else to help prevent swirls and get a lot more done than I expect, so the vehicle will stay swirl free for longer. Similar to how you see newer cars that look good for a long while, and suddenly they look terrible, and it's a spiral downward from there. I have found that the most severe the scratches and swirls become, the easier it is for contaminants to stick. making it more dangerous to wash the car without swirling the paint even more, even if there is a fresh coat of carnauba or other LSP applied to the finish.
Also, watch out for QDing too often, you'll notice swirling - I find that QDing just makes swirls worse, but if you polish often enough with very light abrasives, you won't have to worry - I just don't want to prep my car to polish all the time, so I stay away from QDs except for cleaning door jambs.
Well, the order would be fairly straightforward-
wash, dry
clay
wash clay residue, dry
depending on what you're looking to remove, you may use your paint cleaner, whether it be P21s paintwork cleansing lotion (which I love) or meguiars, you will polish afterwards.
When you are done polishing, always apply LSP, but personally I will perform a 50/50 IPA(isopropyl alcohol/water) wipe down to remove the excess polish carrier oils(mineral oil in my menzerna polishes) on the paintwork after polishing, but it's not necessary with a cleaner like P21s paintwork cleansing lotion, and I'm really not sure about meguiars. Honestly, I would, considering the detergents it contains. I guess I'm not a meguiars fan when it comes to my clients, or even my own vehicle.
Don't use scratch-x - if you must, stick to meguiars swirl remover, in your shoes I'd say this is the best match. If you're planning on buying a Flex polisher (which would be a good investment) buy some Menzerna "Super Intensive Polish" aka PO83Q, and some "Nano Polish" PO106FF, both of which have almost zero dusting, and have very good working times. With those two polishes, and some orange and while CCS pads, you'll be quite content.
Lastly, ditch the random orbital that you have if it's what I'm thinking of. You will nto get the results you would like. At the very least, purchase a porter cable 7424 or equivalent, with actual foam pads. I would be surprised if the polishes are effective at all on one of those. Post a photo or a link, because I'm fairly sure I know what this machine is that you have, and they are much weaker than even the notoriously gentle, yet effective porter cable. They are cheap, much cheaper than what you would expect, and they get the job done. Otherwise, if you want to shell out some cash for an excellent, German built machine - buy a "FLEX XC3401VRG" polisher.
__________________
EuroLux:. Private Auto Detail
Portland, OR
Last edited by CharlesAFerg : 04-27-2008 at 04:45 PM.
I first spent an hour and a half with a 040 ($16 at MB Tucson) paint pen filling it every little nick and scratch over the entire car. I can still tell that its touch up paint, but from 3 feet its not noticible at all.
Then I washed using the 2 bucket method. and dried with a real sheep skin chamois.
I used the Meguairs deep crystal clay bar/ lube. man did it look bad when i was done, but I wahed it off and the paint had a nice cleanlyness to it i hadnt seen before.
Then I washed using the 2 bucket method. and dried with a real sheep skin chamois.
AGAIN!
i took the car for a low speed drive around the block becuase if you dont water settles in all the cracks and joints then when you go to wax it there is water dripping everywhere.
When that was finally done i started with the deep crystal cleaner wax. I applied it waited 5 mins and then used my buffer to get the cleaner wax off and man did it look pretty good right off the bat! but i could still see a few small scratches. So i did it again and that made me some money! Only a few larger scratches remained and I was pretty excited.
So at 15 mins ber body panel X12 it was time consuming to say the least, and i was getting really tired of being on my knees for the bottom portion but to see my reflection in the lowest body panel was worth it. After that was all done I used a microfiber cloth to get off any remaining cleaner wax in places the buffer didn't reach.
Then i used the same method, but this time I used Meguiars NXT Tech Wax 2.0. wow! it was really like glass for the first time in my ownership. once again 3 hours worth of work, whiped the residual wax off with a microfiber towel.
Not bad at all for one of those random orbitals, I admire your patience! You should take some photos of direct light reflecting off the panels to really show it off.
Quite a gorgeous car you've got there.
Just wait, soon enough you'll be neck-deep in detailing knowlege seeking.
It's astonishing how fast this hobby grows on you.
Linear Mode
