jett_ricketts

Hey guys so i bought another c300 but this time it's a 2008 used. I think the last owner put wax on the car or something because every time i wash it and dry it leaves really noticeable swirls and smudges. It's really annoying because it doesn't really look nice. Is there like a way to fix it and have the paint back to normal? It really just annoys me how my paint looks against the sun and do you guys know where to buy the chrome trims or how much it is to replace it because parts of it are chipped off. thank you guys in advance!

acr2001

It's probably webbing in the paint. Especially noticeable on black paint. You'd have to get the car polished to fix it, unless it is actually a wax or other substance on the paint.

If you can't tell for sure, you might try applying a cleaner-wax type product to see what results you get. I like Klasse All in One for a good synthetic wax with mild polishing ability.

xXHotelCrazyXx

Thats what happens when you own a black car. Throw another coat of wax on it.

95_993

It is likely the previous owner/seller used "glaze" which is full of oils to hide swirls and give a shine. It's essentially a cover-up that will build-up and smear. It offers no protection.

Use a heavy duty high quality auto wash to remove glaze (auto safe citrus degreaser....test on a small spot first). This will remove all the junk that's smearing around. After washing, if there are no swirls...just re apply a good carnuba wax. If there are swirls, then do a paint correction of clay, 2-step polish, sealant, wax.

jett_ricketts

thank you! do you think if i go to a drive in car wash it would remove the glaze?

acr2001

You stated that you've washed it numerous times and it doesn't come off, so there is no way a car-wash would remove that.
It's either webbing or old wax / glaze like the previous poster said. I would take his advice on that. You could apply a cleaner wax to a test spot and see if that removes it. If it doesn't come off, it's webbing, which is my best guess. At that point, take it to a professional to be compounded / polished. That's what happens when black cars aren't washed and dried very carefully over the years.

This could also happen, especially on a black car, if you're using a soap that has some kind of wax/glaze in it, or if you're drying it with towels that might be contaminated with oils or something similar.

95_993

Not likely. It's got a lot of oils in it which is why you may need a citrus based degreaser to remove it. It's also what is "filling in" and covering a lot of webbing or micro-scratches. Dealers are notorious for doing a quickie-detail and sing glaze to cover up lots of sins. Good news is that Mercedes paint is very hard and once polished out, will hold up well. My other car is a black porsche and the paint is very soft making very easy get the micro-scratches. Wait until spring when the bad wether has passed and get a paint correction from a good quality detailer....your black paint will look amazing. where r you located?

jett_ricketts

Thanks everyone for the replies! and yeah i will get it detailed and have them take off whatever glaze/oil/wax on the paint. I really cant stand it haha! i'm actually going to get the car airbrushed next week i'll probably ask them if they know a good place to get it detailed. I'm located at San Diego, California!

Ron Jr

Take the car to a good detailer and get it sorted.