mrjoe

Hi all,

Getting close to pulling the trigger on a E550c. I am between 2 colors - Palladium silver & Mars Red. The Palladium is metallic, the Mars is not.
Does anybody have a experience with Benz paints as far as durability and scratch resistance. I have found with Porsche and Toyota that minor surface scratches wax/buff out of metallic fairly easy, but non-metallic is not so easy. Important issue for me - if Benz metallic is easier to detail, I'll go with the Palladium.

Thanks

1 MB

I have a (solid) black '12 E550 so I can't comment on the metallic paint, but let me say that the paint on my car is absolutely FLAWLESS. I swear it looks like a black mirror under the correct lighting. Very good quality paint from Mercedes.

BenzMan369

I could not agree more! Best quality black finish car I've owned to date. I too have the standard black, not the metallic, so I apologize for briefly taking the thread in a different direction.

One thing that has helped: I thought I knew everything there was to know about everything in the universe. Then one day I read a post over in the W212 forum regarding the difficulties of dealing with black cars and cleaning materials. The poster suggested instead of using microfiber towels, soft cloths, etc., etc., to dry off the car, try using your handy old leaf blower. Well, I tried it last week for the first time and I am speechless. Actually, I'm never speechless, but I was pleasantly stunned at how great my black car looked. Had the same almost mirror-like appearance as when I drove it out of the dealership.

The only trick is staying ahead of the sun or washing the car in the shade (like you're supposed to!) at all times, to avoid waterspots. I didn't have that luxury on the day I had to clean the car. But some ancient MB Quick-Wipe spray cleaner and a soft rag made quick work of the few sun-caused water spots on one side of the car with no scratching.

BenzMan369

My last Benz was Brilliant Silver Metallic. The car never looked dirty, period! It hid scratches amazingly well. Waxing/polishing were a breeze. Brilliant Silver is a lighter shade than Palladium, so I can't say for sure if performance will be the same.

In general though, in my limited experience MB metallics are more forgiving than solid colors when it comes to masking imperfections and cleaning them up.

BenzMan369

Totally forgot about this forum:

https://mbworld.org/forums/detailing...otive-care-37/

May be of some help to you.

4MaticCoupe

If you like the idea of a leaf blower, you'll love using the AirForce MasterBlaster. 8 hp, 2 toggle switches giving you 3 options (air, heat or both). Been using one for the past 4 years and will never go back to my leaf blower.

BenzMan369

My god, is the motorcycle still in the same county after aiming that thing at it?

I bet it really is effective though.

Thanks.

mrjoe

Thanks guys.
Benzman369- appreciate the info, exactly what I was looking for.

sinape62

I agree with Benzman369, I have a 2102 e coupe standard black, and a 2005 C230K with standard black but during that model year they used ceramic in the paint. I polish both cars by hand and know every inch of the paint on the C class. I can tell it does have some what may appear to the naked eye as metallic, and it just looks deeper than my 2012 E350 class. Most importantly the C class looks practically new (16,000 miles since new). I've got a few minor chips on the crown on my hood only after 6,000 miles, but some roads in Georgia just sick, to put it bluntly. You can get away with minor paint wear with Silver. I've had 3 Silver cars in the past. Great color and looks great if you start to add modifications. Mars Red? My opinion on red is that red should be used on two types of vehicles: Fire Trucks and Ferraris.

BenzMan369

Mars Red? My opinion on red is that red should be used on two types of vehicles: Fire Trucks and Ferraris.

I was actually thinking the same thing, but was trying to be my usual polite, non-confrontational, user-friendly self.

The only time I can remember thinking a red Benz really looked good was seeing a tall, thin, statuesque young blond emerging from behind the wheel of a red SLK convertible. Had the driver been a guy, I don't think my appreciation for that red Benz would have been quite the same. II.

mrjoe

Think I agree with you guys. No Mars red. Do wish they offered a nice burgundy like in the CLS. But I just read today major refresh to the E class for 2013- so I'm going to wait a bit.

guzutis

I think that, iridium silver is one of the best color in e coupe. It is better than palladium.