Hello,

I spent 7 hours yesterday RE-Detailing my vehicle. I had previously (3 months ago) clayed, cleaned, Klasse AIO then followed up with 4 coats of Klasse SG over the next 2 weeks. The last few weeks it was apparent that I was putting more and more fine scratches into the sealant and was not happy with what I would see especially when in direct sunlight...although everyone else thought it looked great and was telling me I would wear the paint off the car! Neighbors they just can't understand my Merc OCD. Oh by the way...yes I was using the perfect car wash and drying method but I guess not perfect enough.

Also, I know that I did not prepare the surface properly and all the swirls and scratches in the clear coat were beginning to stand out more clearly the more I washer her!

Here are the pictures when I used the Klasse under Grumbler( tried to reset my password several times without any response from the webmaster).

https://mbworld.org/forums/detailing-automotive-care/154604-she-finally-came-home-some-pampering.html

Well after spending all that time and money on Klasse and towels I decided to call Phil at Properauto. I purchased the PC 7424 Ultimate/Pad kit along with Menzerna Final Polish II, Menzerna Glaze and Menzerna FMJ. Phil was great answering my questions and suggested that I stay with the 3 white pads that came with the PC to polish and remove swirls and scratches in the clearcoat. I did use the black for glazing and the red for the FMJ.

Yesterday, I spent about 7 hours and I am happy with the ease of use, paint clarity as well as deepness of shine. We had rain last night I do notice that the water beading is not as intense as the Klasse but that may be attributed to only one coat of FMJ. I also must point out that it is not fair to compare Menzerna to Klasse by pictures because I did not use the PC when applying the Klasse and I did not use a polish.

It P*sses me off that the last owner never took care of the finish but instead probaly used Walmart bath towels to wash and dry the car!!

Being as **** as I am and wanting the perfect shine I do have some questions and your help will be gratefully appreciated:



I did work the FP II into the paint for quite a while in order to break it down and I found that the best setting to use the PC on was 6 when using the FP II. I used 3 when applying the glaze and FMJ. After using the Menzerna the clear coat scratches/swirls are now more noticable.


Althought the vehicles looks great the white pad and FP II did not take out all the FINE scratches in the clearcoat (not into the paint).

1.) What combination do you suggest since I want the least abrasive to get the job done. White pad, Orange cutting pad, FP II and/or Menzerna Intensive polish?

2.) Or, since I have the use of a Makita Rotary do you suggest I try the rotary? If so what pad and polish?

Where can I find directions for rotary use? If I do use it I will trial it on my 97 explorer.

Let me know what you think?

Thanks.




Anyways here are the pictures.

 

that looks awsome.

 

OK, Where are my detailers?

Looking for your professional suggestions so I hope to get some responses.

I did purchase the 7.5 in orange constant pressure pad, the green as well as Menzerna Intensive Polish and a bunch of other extras fom ProperAuto and I expect delivery tomorrow.

Kar-Don they can thank you for my purchase after reading your advertisements.

Anyways here is my problem from my original post.

Being as **** as I am and wanting the perfect shine I do have some questions and your help will be gratefully appreciated:

I did work the FP II into the paint for quite a while in order to break it down and I found that the best setting to use the PC on was 6 when using the FP II. I used 3 when applying the glaze and FMJ. After using the Menzerna FMJ the clear coat scratches/swirls are now more noticable.


Althought the vehicles looks great the white pad and FP II did not take out all the FINE scratches in the clearcoat (not into the paint).

1.) What combination do you suggest since I want the least abrasive to get the job done. White pad, Orange cutting pad, FP II and/or Menzerna Intensive polish?

2.) Or, since I have the use of a Makita Rotary do you suggest I try the rotary? If so what pad and polish?

Where can I find directions for rotary use? If I do use it I will trial it on my 97 explorer.

Let me know what you think?

Thanks.

 

FPII is argued to be one of the best finishing polishes on the market. With a PC and a white polishing pad, I would not expect a ton of swirl and scratch reduction, more of a clearing up the clearcoat, removing rotary haze, adding gloss and prepping the surface for the glaze, sealant and/or wax.

The reason you are noticing the scratches and swirls more after applying the FMJ is because sealants are more reflective in nature, like a mirror. As the sun or light hits the surface it is reflecting and refracting off of those imperfections making them more visible. Once you correct more of the imperfections you should grow to love the look of FMJ as I feel it gives a warmer look than most sealants instead of the "plastic" like look of some. The best part about Menzerna FMJ is its ease of use IMO.

Your next level of aggressiveness would be to use IP with a White Polishing Pad, test an area and assess the situation. If that does not do the trick, try the IP with an Orange Cutting Pad. If that doesn't work you can try a stronger polish such as Menzerna Power Gloss, first with a white polishing pad, then progress to the cutting pad if needed.

If you have yet to use the rotary, do not jump right into using it on your Mercades. Rotary use can take years to perfect and no matter how well someone tries to describe it online, nothing will compare to hands on experience. If you wish to learn quickly about using the rotary, try searching Autopia.org for a fellow member in your area to give you a hands on lesson.

Some quick tips w/ Rotary use:

• Keep the pad perferctly flat at all times
• Most working ranges for polishes should be between 1200 - 1500 RPMs
• Tape off ALL potential areas of the car that can get product build up or ruin trim, etc.
• Constantly move the buffer at ALL times
• If you experience "buffer hop", usually this means add more product or mist the pad with a quick detailer spray
• Around curves and other fragile areas of the paint reduce the speed of the rotary

What I would do with the rotary is (in order of least aggressive to most aggressive):
FPII w/ a Finishing Pad
FPII w/ a Polishing Pad
IP w/ a Polishing Pad
IP w/ a Cutting Pad
PG w/ a Polishing Pad
PG w/ a Cutting Pad

My guess is you'd get the results you are looking for with one of the first 3 combinations, if the PC was doing a good job.

Here's a quick picture of a car I did last week with Menzerna FPII and a Finishing Pad on my Makita Rotary followed by Menzerna FMJ on PC and topped with Pinnacle Souveran:



Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions you may have. Menzerna is a great line but can take a while to perfect, but the results can be stunning when finished.

For those looking to understand more about detailing and the steps taken, we encourage you to view our extensive How-To page which walks you through each step of the detailing process.

Sincerely,

George Dushensky
Detailed Image - Owner
www.detailedimage.com
george@detailedimage.com
518.429.8435

 

I am not sure that your car has the Ceramiclear paint or not. One of my MB's is also black (ceramicclear) and is a true PIA to maintain. I had previously used FPII and the results, while very nice, did not completely satisfy my **** compulsive personality. I switched to the PO106FF that supposedly has a more aggressive cut and a more brilliant shine. The results when using it with a PC on setting #6 were very good.

In the past I was a die hard advocate of following the Menzerna with Meguiars #16 wax. Recently I broke down and tried Zaino. I cannot believe the difference. The shine is deeper and the color much blacker than ever before. I did the whole 9 yards. I washed it with Dawn, polished it with PO106FF and the did several coats of Z5, used the Z6 spray in between coats, then the Z2. The results are terrific.

 

PO106FF is truely an amazing polish. We plan on adding it to our product line in the near future. Nice to hear about your results lkirchner.

George @ Detailed Image

 

I too have used this product in the past, and it is a great one to have in the arsonal. German clear in general is a tougher beast than their American domestic counterparts.

The pics above are beautiful!