kevinpuri

Just wondering if you owners wash or detail your Black yourself or if you pay someone to do it?

Im asking because from what I have seen a good percentage of well off high end car owners do not wash their cars themselfs.

However, you guys are not like most high end car owners, you seem to deeply appreciate your ride and are more hands on, this is why Im asking

I have had my S500 since I was 16 im now 19 and I only wash her myself, I feel no one will as much put the care into it as you, the owner will.

You all could afford to hire a dedicated PRO to do your Black but how many of you enjoy and prefer to do it yourself?

user z478747

I take care of mine and have only once or twice in my life ever paid someone else to detail my car. I even prefer to do the initial detail on a new car instead of having the dealer folks do it for the reason you mention.

I'm sure time restrictions on some necessitate the need to have a pro do it but that's not me.

DFW01E55

I'm with Chuck, I much prefer to do it myself, first one included.
When they service my car there's a big note on the work order, Do Not Wash.

Like most, I've had my car (CL55) scratched by the dealer.

user z478747

I do this too! It's all about volume for them........

SMP

Same here. But mine says: Do not wash AND do not drive! They even put it in a designated spot so I don't get door dings.

jrcart

I have one place and one guy I trust to wash/wax/detail my cars, when he is not available I do it myself at home. When I saw him apply hand wax/polish to my painted brake calipers I knew I found a guy that had the attention to detail I wanted. When I get my car back there is not so much as a water drip spot...then 3 miles later it needs to be washed again due to brake dust.

kevinpuri

Was it a single scratch? Or swirl marks?

Same boat as you guys, one time I forgot to mention not to wash her and she came back FULL of swirl marks, so bad that it almost looked like the car was not fully wet when they washed it. I complained but they ASSURED me it was like that b4 they washed it. My paint was flawless and I know that, I think because of my age they did not take me seriously. I have nothing done at the Stealership anymore. I have had to buy a random orbital polisher from griot's garage just remove the swirl marks.

So far everyone does it themselfs, or finds a person they have DEEP faith and trust in!
... to be honest I was not expecting this, I was thinking in the back of my head these guys must be too busy with their careers to spend time washing their Blacks.

You group of guys are not stuck up at all
Thanks for the replys!

DFW01E55

A scratch through the paint down to the primer.
They accepted responsibility and painted it.

MMC2488

I will not allow a dealer to touch a car from delivery to services. I have driven away after signing with the shipping plastic on the car many times. With the BS especially. If some Lot Tech finds his way into the seat, he will without a doubt kill the car or himself!

Jim Brady

I wash and detail my own car. I've taken the Meguiars detail classes they give to pro detailers. My final exam was color sanding a Honda hood! Do you know how thin Japanese paint is...!
Jimmy

user z478747

masters of cost cutting, how thin is it?

Jim Brady

Chuck,
That's the joke, you can't color sand Japanese paint.
Jimmy

user z478747

I know, I thought maybe to prove it you buffed through the paint......

AMGOODNESS

Damn i love that 928 chuck. i looked for an S4 a couple of years ago but got scared away when looking at the maintenace costs. still one of my very favorite porsches.

user z478747

Thanks!

I wouldn't let the fear of high maintenance costs scare you off, that's pretty much a myth anyway. Never truer than with a 928 but you get what you pay for. Buy one w/ a bad/no history you've probably just bought a problem. Buy one that's been taken care of and they're pretty much bullet proof. Many examples out there w/200k plus miles and the engine has never been opened up. I've had 8 of them over 15 years, always bought low mileage documented cars and NEVER had any serious problems. Don't let the dream die, they are fabulous hand built examples of Porsche's finest!

alexander stemer

Guys,
Just my opinion, but it's a CAR, not a neonate. I let the local hand wash people wash my cars. If it gets a scratch, what does it really matter? My cars get little pock marks from crap on the highway, nicks underneath when you "snick" the bottom over some rough surfaces, and the occasional screech when you scrape the chin. After it's washed, it's all good.
When you hope to drive 100,000+ miles, stuff happens. AS

mdre55amg

I wash and detail mine myself. People think it's a new car but it's 5 years old! I ALWAYS tell the dealer not to wash it. They sometimes have the habit of washing other customers' cars and not drying them. It hurts to see those cars with dried on water spots.

I use Zymol wash and wax. It smells great! The best chrome wheel cleaner is the Eagle 1 Chrome and Wire cleaner.

JDB

I do mine, myself. I find it relaxing . . .

JDB

AMGfan

I feel that way, too. I light a cigar, grab a beer, and turn on some NFL network or Golfchannel and I'm set. My wife thinks I'm crazy to detail my car after a couple of days after a wash from my detailer, but I hate brake dust and bug marks.

I told her it's mainly a guy thing like her penchant for walking 10 miles at an outlet store chasing a sale is girl thing.

My thing with car washes, whether it's a dealer or the one around the corner, is most folks there either aren't trained very well or just don't care about what they are doing. I've seen it too many times where they drop a drying towel then pick it back up and keep wiping down a car or spray either windex or armor all onto a car or on a detail towel not worrying about overspray.

I have regular detail guy who is meticulous, but he is about 30 miles away. I have a car wash around from where I live and I get the manager (who I made sure to get to know) to wipe down my car, blow out the crevices with a air hose, and do a final check with a quick detailer whenever I can't make it to my usual detail guy. I tip him but it's worth it to know the job is done right.

mdre55amg

Yes, it's very relaxing-nothing like grabbing a Blue Moon w/a wedge of orange (or a Vodka and Cranberry for that matter) and washing the ride. And like you said, brake dust and bugs are very annoying. My neighbors probably think I'm crazy but hey this is the way I relax. There's no better feeling than putting 100 or so miles on the car after a good detailing.

I started a thread about what the best products are to use for detailing.
https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...your-benz.html

Check it out and give your thoughts.....

Eitan1

I wash and hand wax my car myself, although I do have a guy that is amazing, who does it whenever I am being lazy.

GoFastKindaGuy

I do them all myself. "Fender therapy." There are some other rewards...

The buyer of my old Audi S6 came back to apologize for not keeping it as clean. Also, the buyer of my Honda S2000 would close the transaction only if I would spend a day teaching him how to clean it properly. I did.

user z478747

That's funny, I've had the same requests from folks I've sold cars too over the years. More than a couple were given tutoring on car care after the sale. I have found that often times those who have someone else take care of their cars that the care giver just doesn't care like the owner cares......

Frankster

I agree. It's therapy when you could spend a full weekend detailing your own car to your satisfaction. That's why I spent almost $1000 in detailing products. From machine polishers to leather cleaners, my garage shelves are now full of things to make my cars look good.

toddturbos

Nothing better than spending a couple of hours on a Sunday washing and detailing the beast (it's a labor of love) and putting the garage queen to bed for a week only to be driven on the next sunny weekend!

Todd