I posted a link to this before, but I thought I would attach a few direct images here. I don't know how many of you guys are detailing buffs, but here's what I did:

Clayed with Pinnacle's Polyclay
Swirl removal with PC and 3M's SMR
Mild polish by hand with P21s's GEPC
One coat of Pinnacle's Souveran wax (best for black IMO)


First pic:

2

3 (99.9% swirl free )

4 (I love the reflections on the hood right by the headlights)

5 (I love how the roof reflections are as clear as the sunroof)

Last pic 6 (You get a sense of how really deep and wet the black looks here, as well as a nice reflection on the trunk. Souveran is really great stuff for dark colors!)

OK one more

That is a spectacular job !!!!!!

I have a solid black CLK320 209, i need to do something about my swirls. Mine swirls aren't too bad, but i sometimes get irritated.

Is yours solid black too or the metallic black.

I have never detailed a car apart from normal waxing.
In what you did, what is the most important step to remove the swirls ?

Is the PC one of these orbital buffers. I'm thinking of buying one as a feel you need machine help to do something about the swirls, and I heard the rotary ones whilst being more effective can do damage of you're not 100% on top of what you're doing.

Great looking car.

Cheers

Thank you for the compliments.

My car is solid black. The only real swirl removing step was the PC w/ SMR. The clay is used to remove imbedded contaminents, so you paint feels smooth as glass again. The PC is a random-orbital buffer (PC = Porter Cable). AlBoston has a wonderful thread in the detailing section explaining its use. It would be very hard to do damage with a PC (versus a rotary, which can cause damage very quickly in the wrong hands). The PC is VERY user-friendly and is very easy to learn.

Regarding by hand, it is very doable if you're built like a tank . You are actually removing a bit of clearcoat when removing swirls (the damaged portion), so you can imagine how much work it would be to do the whole car by hand. The machine just makes it easier and faster (and because the PC is virtually fool-proof, it makes it the obvious choice). The harder to reach places you usually still have to do by hand though.

After removing swirls, the key is not to put them back. I use only microfiber towels for wax removal and such, and a cotton-chenille wash mitt for washing. For drying, I use a waffle-weave MF towel and only blot the water. Again, AlBoston has some really good threads in the detailing section regarding this.

If you are really interested, visit www.autopia.org You'll meet some great people who are much more knowledgable than me.

HTH!

That is such a beautiful site to see. Nice work on the detail.

looks great! id like to give souveran a try one of these days... that 75 dollar price tag keeps pulling me back though.

I didn't want to spend that much either...but I jumped on in when they had that 25% of sale a little while back. I've yet to try S100/P21s though. I'm going to get some and see if Souveran looks better or not on black.

Dude,

The black looks really really good. I'm sure it was a lot of work, but it looks as if it's well worth the time. I had to get away from black for a while (my 208 was black, and so was a 95 Viper RT/10 I owned) and go w/ silver on my new 320. You should start a deatailing business, you'd do really well!

Nice car man....

Hey, I must've missed your post. Thanks for the compliments! I agree, black is a real PIA to keep perfect, but when it is it looks soooo good!

Gosh, this is the shinnest car I have ever seen. I dont think I have seen cars in such good condition even at car shows. People say black is the hardest color to maintain,but seems like you are doing a wonderful job. If my car looks like that, I probably would be scared to drive it out.

BTW,it is a nice house in the back ground too man

Hey Fisherman. Thanks for the kind words. On black you can't help but get a few light marks here and there, but I try to minimize it by washing/drying it carefully with the proper towels. I figure I'll have to buff it out once a year or so.

great detailing job on your 500. . .

i have a 500 myself and have a couple questions about detailing...
I am in the market to buy a PC from Griot's Garage--I was wondering if you have heard of them, most likely you have, and if they're polishing/waxing accessories are any good?
If not, can you recommend a place/online shop where I can get the best stuff...(for claying/waxing)
My 500 is brilliant silver...swirl removal isn't much of an issue. I'm looking to clay it then put a cover of wax over...
But if you could offer any suggestions that would be great.

Also...do you recommend removing the wax via the PC (with special pad) or by hand?

thanks,

mjh731