ZephyrAMG

Wow man VERY nice set up!!! Glad to see that you are prepared with the right supplies! IMO it looks great. You can probably fill it just a bit more but otherwise looks unbelievable. Good job!

_AMG_

Thanks for the kind words man, and thanks ALOT for your help!
Its doesn't look 100% but its better then before.

Sincity

Going to be pretty close. By the time you block sand and featheredge, you are almost right there needing that f'ing blend. It all depends on your painter's experience. I hate silvers and 3-stage whites. When I had my MCD rear spoiler sprayed, the painter came out with 10 spray-out panels that he has done with Iridium Silver. I really wanted to get Dad's hood, but it would be a tough job to butt match the fenders and I didn't want to blend on good OEM panels.

Awesome job! If you keep filling the ridge with more paint to bring it to a more level surface, it should almost be unoticeable. Plus, it is on the opposite side of where you get in. Just don't open the door for your girl/woman and you'll fuhget about it!

_AMG_

Thank you sir!
I'm gonna try to fill it up more till its nice and even.

enochroot

Looks much better!
Next time I get a bad scratch I'm going to PM you to come and fix it!

drawde

black-clk500

Nice work AMG!
Nice job manning up and doing it yourself too

+1 on building up the paint.
You'll lose the shadowing effect if you do this and it will be almost invisible.
I remember doing a similar gouge on my wife's old e92 TiAg paint.
I use Langa too when doing touch up.
Once you get a little dirt/dust on it, it will disappear anyway

*****, now you're making me want to fix that stone chip on my hood!

_AMG_

Thanks Paul!
Ill be more then happy to do it for you but I'm sure its best left up to the pros. lol


Thanks man!
I tried to built up the paint as much as I could and its flush with the rest of the paint.
I don't wanna get too crazy into sanding it down though, don't wanna go through the clear coat and hit the primer.

Personally, I found the best way for rock chips on the hood is to use Dr. Colorchip. I've used it on a few spots on my hood and it came out great.

techt0nix

Good job! HUGE difference in before and after pictures

_AMG_

Thank you.

Nicholi2007

What if the scratch is in the middle of the door and 4 to 5 inches?

Critter

Do not get it resprayed, for sure you can tell in certain light and angle of vision that the doors would be different from the rest of the car. Besides MB paint is a certain thickness that the body shop will never duplicate. When selling the car you might as well say both doors were replaced because no one will believe that you sanded off factory paint for that small scratch.

Nicholi2007

They are an MB USA approved shop. I had them repaint the hood due to an accident and I could not tell. It looked perfect.

Color is paladium silver mettalic. It took them about 2 weeks to do the front end. They said that due to the metallic paint and the air quality here it makes it difficult to work with. Even laying the clear had been known to throw a curve when it lays down.

As for the scratch they said painting one door would be too diffiicult to guarantee a perfect match. I had someone rear end me so the bumper needs to be redone.

They are going to play with the numbers and see if they make it work.

Q. Even an MB approved shop can't get it right ?

Diabolis

I'm told by my body shop guy (45 years in the business, does complete restorations on very expensive exotic and antique cars) that silver metallic is one of the hardest colors to properly match. You give exactly the same paint to ten of his guys - all pros - and you end up with ten different paint jobs. The density of the of the metal flakes, the air pressure you use and thus how far you drive the flakes in, at what angle and in which direction you spray the paint, are all going to affect how the flakes reflect the light in bring sunlight.

An "MB approved shop" usually means that the owner is in bed with the dealer (or maybe he owns both). Sure, they need to meet a basic minimum set of requirements, but there is a huge difference between an "approved quality" paint job and a great one, especially when it comes to silver metallic colors. It may not be visible to the casual onlooker that your car has been re-sprayed but you'll know it's there if you know what to look for. If it was my car, I'd stay away form the body shop unless it was really bothering me. They will probably need to do the entire side of the car to properly blend it in so you won't see it.

Nicholi2007

My terminology was incorrect. They are a Mercedes-Benz Certified Collision center. When I visited the MB USA site and did a look up it said "sponsored by" with a Mercedes dealer depending on the shop.

Luckily the shop I used has an excellent reputation and no bad reviews which is almost unheard of in Los Angeles.

You raise some good points and I don't doubt anything you have said. I'm just trying to make an intelligent and informed decision.

Thanks for your input.

Per the the MB site:

When you trust your repair work to a Mercedes-Benz Certified Collision Center, you´ll enjoy the confidence and peace of mind that your Mercedes-Benz will leave looking as close to its pre-accident condition as possible. That´s because the technicians working to restore your vehicle´s appearance and performance are the people who know it best.

http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/dealer...OLLISIONCENTER

Diabolis

I am not disagreeing with you at all and it's not a terminology misunderstanding. My point was that because a particular dealership gives all of its body work to a particular body shop, it doesn't mean that it's going to be the best paint job you can get. It means they will use OEM parts to replace whatever is damaged and the quality of the work will certainly be high enough for 95% of their customers, but we drive AMGs so we may have a higher standard that your average leased B-class Benz owner.

On the other had, if your vehicle is leased, then you need to make sure that you speak with the dealer and/or take it back to the dealer and have them send it off to whatever body shop they use. I've heard stories of dealers (not Mercedes) charging customers extravagant penalties for cosmetic defects that supposedly weren't repaired to the dealers "liking" when returning their vehicles from a lease. If you give it back to them to fix though, then the responsibility for the quality of the repairs is theirs so they can't give you any poo afterwards if it's not to their "liking".

Critter

There is a tool used to measure the thickness of the paint, get your door measured before the work is done and would bet the price of your car that it will be no where near factory thickness. Resale will be greatly affected as said before you might as well been side swiped and the doors replaced, it would be difficult to prove to the dealer when the car is sold. But its your car so paint away. If you were worried so much about it a professional could have touched it up with a brush and buffed it to near perfection. Just wait until a rock comes flying at the bumper or hood, perfection is only possible when the car sits in a garage under cover.

Nicholi2007

1. I got the car back from the shop after it was resprayed. They did a pretty good job but in retrospect, I realize now that I shouldn't have had it done. The shop convinced me that I would not be able to see it.

I can see it in direct sunlight looking straight at it from 15-20 feet standing directly across. Its a small lighter section that's a little off. Most of the time its not noticeable at all. It just depends on the angle and light as you said. I'd say they came in around 90-95%. Most people will not notice it but I wonder if I'll get use to it.

2. The scratch was really bothering me. It was deep; all the way down to the primer and I think in a small stretch right to metal.

What I realize now is that with deeper scratches, it's likely that it needs two separate treatments. The tricky part is to get the paint level again so that it blends in.

I am financing the car and I thought about trading it in for a newer car with the upgraded mirrors and daytime running lights but they will probably know its been resprayed. I'm probably better of keeping it and paying it off since I have a low APR.

Thanks for everyone's time and input. It will really appreciate it.

Critter

You now have learned an important life lesson. People in business will usually blow sunshine up your *** when it comes to making money. The statements a few have here come from experience in life, the rest are still learning and will always like the sunshine feel. Truthfully after your own touchup in the picture with all the products shown, the scratch was invisible. OCD will cost you plenty if you continue to fret over small issues that tomorrow could change. ie, a stone chip, perfection can only be kept if the car is stored in your living room, looked at and not driven.
Enjoy your car.

Nicholi2007

Insurance covered most. My out of pocket was $200. I don't feel I got duped per se because I do think its an extremely difficult job to do.

As for the scratch it was very visible if one was standing nearby. It was hard to capture in a pic. Either way, it probably was never going to be perfect no matter what.

You make a good point not to obsess too much. It's the first nice car I have owned so it's easy to do. It's a lesson and that's ok. The beat goes on.

Critter

Never meant to bust your *****, but you now have a better vision to follow. That is one nice car and for your first you should be proud to actually have purchased it. Most would get a Ford or Chev or some small gas saver, but you chose a Benz.
Enjoy the car and keep both eyes open.

Nicholi2007

1. I did not take it that way at all.

2. I did email the shop with pics as it looked even worse when I saw it early this morning. They have agreed to take a look at it on Thursday.

3. My concern now is this: did I overpay for the work?

I have attached pics. 1st is driver (resprayed); 2nd is passenger.

Stefj

Let me see yourwheel for sale

Gave the price also

Thank you

Roswell

Very well said Critter, I used to be obsessed to keep my car close to perfection.. But u are right, unless we store the car in our living room to look at & not drive it, there is always the wear & tear that is inevitable.

Merc-Skycap

Wow, that's pretty good _AMG_. You did a great job there!

Not to Hijack the thread - Before leaving for my trip I had the rocker moulding replaced and resprayed due to a metal piece causing serious damage to it. I finally found a good place to get paint and body work done in LA because I was super **** about the paint matching properly. Taking the car to a "Body Shop" is always a 50/50 chance of it getting fixed properly. However, the place I went to got the paint to match nearly perfectly (I'll post pics when I get back) home so you guys can see.

I'm not sure if I simply just got lucky but it was a lifesaver and I can't tell the difference on the paint thus far. So if anyone (Nicholi2007 or _AMG_) out there in the LA area needs a good contact for paint or body work, shoot me a PM and I'll introduce you.