AMGAffalterbach

Hey everyone!

As I've posted in a few other threads before, I've become more interested in the art of detailing cars and learning to handle my paint in a way that will keep in excellent condition for years to come. I am a very amateur car owner and novice detailer but I want to share some of my trial and error findings over the past few months in getting my car looking showroom quality again. I don't claim to be an expert on this and I am sure many of you (including Pinebarron - this guy is insanely good at getting his black W211 looking flawless) know what I am about to state but if it can help somebody then that's a good thing. My paint is not perfect but miles better than what it was so here is what I have to say on the topic!

After a comment by OliverK about the finish on my car after a long winter, I decided to get the car machine polished at a detailing center, and I was very happy with the results - until I washed the car a few times thereafter. Despite my thread regarding how great I thought the paint correction was on the car, I found out that they did little to CORRECT any damage (swirl marks, scratches, scuffing, etc) but all they did was take the edge off existing marks and fill in the rest. Obviously, they didn't use any compound and most of the marks returned once I washed the car.

Two weeks ago I decided to use some techniques I learned from AMMO NYC and without having the resources to compound and polish the car with a variable speed buffing wheel I did the following that achieved pretty brilliant results:

• Full wash with detergent to emulsify existing wax
• Clay bar followed by a rinse & proper drying
• Acrylic Polymer Sealant
• Carnuba Wax on top of the sealant
• Finishing Spray & Wax hardener

I used a combination of Mother's clay bar, Maguire's sealant (polymer wax), Turtle Wax Black Box liquid carnuba blent, and Maguire's spray wax detailer & hardener. The results were pretty astounding but admittedly temporary because the underlying damage was still there but just filled and covered up to give an artificial surface that would reflect light like perfect paint.




I ended up washing the car one more time after I took the car to Global Dance Festival and I loaded the car up with a few friends and some girls we knew from the night club scene. Well, that ended up being a great night but a horrible decision for my car because at the dirt parking lot one of the girls we brought along, some dancer my friend knows, ended up rubbing her *** all over the side of the car with dust from the dirt and gravel lot on the paint and it left swirl and hologram marks along the entire side. Finger prints & people leaning up against the car got the paint looking pretty horrible again in a short amount of time and while I wouldn't have traded it for the world I decided it was actually time to compound and polish the finite layer of clear coat, so this is what I did.

A friend of mine that worked for a few automotive groups detailing cars professionally at dealerships including Ferrari of Denver came over with his Porter Cable setup and three different pads. We setup a test area on one panel of the car that was the worst and found that backing out the paint through 4 steps got rid of most swirl marks and damage, leaving the deeper scratches that were there barely visible. I could have taken the time to get all of these out but since this is my daily driver I need to leave a good layer of clear coat for protection on Colorado roads. We used the following process:

• Dawn Detergent Wash & Drying
• Maguire's Compound (Abrasive) - Compound Buffing Pad
• Maguire's Polish (Less Abrasive) - Polish Buffing Pad followed by Finishing Pad
• Maguire's Acrylic Sealant (2 Layers)
• Turtle Wax Black Box Carnuba Blend
• Quite a bit of drying time
• Maguire's Spray Wax & Hardener

When doing paint correction on a car it is important to establish a test area and start with the least abrasive polish first. If you still can't remove the marks (do this indoors and use a construction light or something very bright to see your thrashed paint that has now been uncovered by a tough detergent wash) then go with a more aggressive compound. Then, reverse this process and progressively back out the paint with Compound/Abrasive Pad -> Polish/Less Abrasive Pad -> Polish / Finishing pad. As there is a finite amount of clear coat on the car you need to take proper care of not burning through it, letting the paint get too hot, or doing this too often. Now that I have done this process and corrected most of the previously thrashed paint (it's a black car, so it shows in certain light trust me) I won't have to do such an aggressive process in the future, and if I maintain proper washing & drying techniques then I hope I will only have to do a polishing and hydration regiment - to fight oxidation and natural wear on the paint. This is the result after all wax had been applied, it is important to note that even naked paint after compounding and polishing looked just as good as the above picture, the before from when the car had not been corrected:



(This is a raw, non-edited picture of the hood of my car reflecting my house and various objects/plants outside after it had gone through the entire process, post-correction. No filters or brightness sharpness adjustments. Not perfect but it looks excellent for being in very bright, reflective sunlight).

This brings me to my next sub-topic of washing & drying your car properly and caring for it's paint in general. First of all, use common sense. For instance, don't let attractive girls near your car without the proper microfiber apparel and supervision. But here is what I've found through a long time of doing this improperly:

• !!!NEVER!!! Take your car to a mechanical car wash, as with my experience they will either end up scuffing up your car and leave you to fix it yourself, or they will just degrade your paint after a while, because, frankly, these car washes are built for volume and the same strength that they use for the dirty truck in front of you might not be the same level of abrasive cleaning you need for your Mercedes.

• Many people clean their cars at home with a 2-bucket system, when I do I prefer the 3 bucket system with the third bucket for wheels and non-body components only. However, 99% of the time I go to a manual car wash that is no-touch at all and I don't even use a wash mitt to minimize contact with the surface of the car with dirt present. I cringe when I see people use the dirt brushes there on their paint so definitely !!!NEVER!!! do that.

• !!!NEVER!!! use shammys or cotton drying cloths that ensure scratching will occur if there is any dirt present during the drying process. Instead of absorbing dirt, the dirt and grit particles will sit on the surface of these materials and create an abrasive contact that will scuff up your paint even if you don't see it doing so with the naked eye.

• Make microfiber your new go-to material for interacting with your car. I use two microfiber drying towels when I dry my car after a wash, one I pass over the surface by dragging it to absorb most of the water. Then, I take a spray wax and remove the remaining water and streaks with a second pass. ALWAYS use some sort of lubrication whether it be wax or a paint-friendly liquid when interacting with your paint.

• Don't do stupid things like burn through your clear coat, remember there is a finite layer on there measured in microns. You can buy meters as Pinebarron has told me to find out how much you have left but I don't find it necessary if you are using the proper techniques.

• Using multiple layers of sealant and wax help perfect any remaining imperfections you can't get out with paint-correcting processes. Use quality products and build up carnuba wax on top of an existing acrylic sealant for maximum protection.

• Especially if you have a dark-colored car, once your paint is clean DON'T TOUCH IT. What I mean by this is if you get bird droppings on it, or some type of road debris don't do what I did and go inside, get a paper-towel and try to get it off the car. You'll end up doing more damage than good in the long term. If you absolutely have to remove something from the surface of the car between washes, I recommend a spray wax and microfiber cloth to protect, harden, and build up layers of wax on your car.

• Yes you can pay a detailing center or another person to do these things for you, but as I learned it's only done right when you do it yourself and you save a lot of money while getting to a more intimate level with every scratch and imperfection on your car that you love. Also, don't panic that your paint isn't perfect paint by definition, if you drive a car you will end up getting swirl marks and have have rock chips here and there. Only show cars are free of these problems but even the very expensive Ferraris I see on the weekends have these same issues - but I notice them more on my car, partly because while black is the most beautiful color there is for a Mercedes in my opinion, it is also the absolute hardest to maintain.

• I'm absolutely insane for going through all of this on a car that isn't a Ferrari or something amazingly expensive anymore, but my car is my baby and I consider this training for future cars I own. I know I'm still .

Please feel free to ask any questions that this noob will try to answer or add anything as I am still learning but I wanted to share my observations and processes with you. My future plans are to get some Swissvax as recommended by Pinebarron, local Ferrari owner I'm friends with, and every detailer I've talked to. Thanks!

apl175

This is a great post - especially on a black car which takes brutal punishment from the sun's heat and UV....four things I'll add generically

- If you have a doubt as to whether you need to clay bar or polish - put a plastic bag over your hand and run it gently over the body work. The plastic allows you to feel the roughness and spot missed areas. Compare it with an area that you've already treated and you'll feel the difference.

- No metal belt buckles - especially when you're doing the hood and roof ;-)

- If you live in the NE salt area, and your W211 lives outside, I highly recommend using a product a Collinite Paste fleetwax (available online and at West Marine). It's basically a marine boat wax, but it goes on very easily, and protects for an entire Winter. In the spring you can do your once a year clay bar, and use a higher gloss wax.

- the side trim pieces that run the lengths of the doors and fender come off really easily. The front fender piece snaps off by using a plastic wedge or trim tool, and the door ones are held on by a single screw which you remove and slide the piece to release it from the tabs. Once off, you can clean the body work underneath and about and below - and also the trim piece itself. If you have a light colored car, cleaning the areas of the body where the trim pieces meet the body work which you can not normally get to makes a big difference.

Agree with the microfiber cloths - go to Costco/SAMS/BJs and pickup a catering-size bag of them. Agree with the detail spray or spray finish wax for touch ups and minor cleanup.

Lastly, many people remark about how clean I keep the inside of my car. My two cents, is that if you spend 15 minutes every weekend cleaning some part of the inside......doesn't matter what part you focus on...you'll be able to keep a clean car inside. Outside obviously requires a lot more attention on a daily basis.

AMGAffalterbach

Thank you! I definitely agree with everything above. Two things I can elaborate on as well:

-With the microfiber cloths a lot of professional detailers will throw them away when they are done, this is the safest way to detail. However, I just wash my cloths on gentle and by themselves in a washing machine. I do NOT dry them though in a mechanical dryer I hang them to dry otherwise they pick of lint and other contaminants that can lead to scratching.

-Many detailers don't recommend using dusters, but I have found if you use them properly (lightly lightly drag them across the surface) then you don't risk much damage. The best process is spray wax and a microfiber cloth.

Keep adding your tips and tricks everyone! Thanks for the contribution thusfar!

beejAMG

Not as detailed as what you did AMG, (kudos on that btw. very great job!)
But this is what I do to my cars at least twice a year. Takes me about 8 hours each car. I know it sounds crazy but I'd rather do it than pay somebody else to.

AMGAffalterbach

Looks great man, thanks for the more concise and comprehensive list. For the inside I pretty much steam clean twice a year, vacuum often, use leather cleaner and conditioner from Lexol and use a microfiber cloth to get rid of dust.

An important note ***never*** use products that leave a greasy shine like Armor All - the car didn't come with a shiny dash from the factory, you don't want a shiny dash. Why? It acts like a greenhouse trapping heat and UV rays and will ultimately dry out whatever surfaces you apply it to and crack them. Plus you have all of the nasty greasiness that traps more dirt and dust.

Keep the tips coming

Barry45RPM

...also, the very shiny dash will aways reflect itself on the windshield... which is very distracting!

beejAMG

Thats true mate! Never used them in my cars since i was a teenager. Which was a loooong time ago!

Gersh320

Well done sir!!

Limen

Great pointers.

And wow, the paint looks great!

smokin_buddha

Nice list, you have any recommendations on how to clean up tree sap that a normal compound wax cannot take out?
Thanks.

AMGAffalterbach

Thanks for all the comments above. Buddha, use some bug & tar remover that should be able to get it off without any abrasive at all (obviously don't go overboard when applying). If that doesn't work a claybar might do the trick. If those don't and the problem is fairly large, I would take it to a professional detailing shop to have them work on it.

pinebaron

Research indicates hand sanitizer is an effective tree sap remover; tar and bug removers were less than effective, clay bars had moderate results. Rubbing alcohol produced mixed results.

I park my car in the furthest spot in any parking lot, even under the blazing sun

Kestreljr

Guys, hugely helpful post, but this sort of assures me that I don't want to do this myself nor do I have the time.

How do I go about finding a detailer that will do this right, and what questions do I ask to make sure it's done correctly. There are a number of mobile auto detailing businesses that will come by my work too. Are those no-nos?

LemonSqueezy

Might not be able to answer your question but some of those mobile businesses are actually pretty good. They can do it for a lot cheaper too because they have less bills to pay (no rent, no employees, etc.)

kurtismayfield

Great info, thank you AMG and all who contributed. Just what I wasn't looking for but exactly what I was looking for on another day!! Funny how that often works out...

AMGAffalterbach

Haha good to hear my friend, glad you ran across it!

RichM

You will not find a detail shop that will do the in depth type of paint correction that AMG did. They do not use compounds or abrasives, but products that "fill" in swirls and light scratches. Although the paint may look good, the results do not last. If you want a finish like AMG achieved, find a body shop that works on high end makes, and ask them to do a "cut & buff". This should run between $250 -$300. Once done you can use the sealant or wax of your choice. If you don't want to do it yourself, this is by far the best option for true paint correction.

BTW, very nice job on the paint finish. Looks spectacular.

AMGAffalterbach

^+1 - Thank you very much Rich! I experienced exactly what you described with a $120 "polish" at Bear's Car Wash down in Denver. Looks great until you wash it a few times... as the fillers they use deteriorate to reveal only sightly smoothed out swirls and imperfections. Winter here is almost over and I need to do another round of cutting and polishing again as the paint is starting to look mediocre as the snow, ice, and puked up gravel/mag from the roads make maintaining a (black) car properly a very hard thing to do. You can take steps to reduce scratches and swirls in washing, drying, and dusting but they always seem to re-appear slowly.

Another issue I noticed since I wrote this way back in the late summer is wax melting. They will start to deteriorate and turn a foggy white when the paint reaches temperatures of over 100 degrees in direct sunlight. Most times I have no choice but to park in direct sunlight. Haven't found a way to combat this other than 1) not taking the car out when it's too hot, 2) parking in shade, 3) wiping the haziness away with spray wax and a microfiber cloth and re-applying. Not sure if anyone knows how to combat this other than switching products...

If only the E550 turned into an F12 Berlinetta I could keep garaged 95% of the year

beemer guy

A few thoughts:

a) I've never had wax "melt" or cloud up on paint, and I live in the South where the ambient temperature is well over 100 in the summer, so the body of the car is so hot that you can't touch it. And that's with several different brands over the years. I think whatever it is you are using is the problem. Turtle wax, really?
b) It's spelled Meguiar's
c) when drying microfiber, as long as you keep it away from everything else, wash it and dry it separately and clean your lint filter, you shouldn't have any problems with lint. Remember, never use a fabric softener sheet.

Also, your car may not be a Ferrari, but I'll bet it cost more (as a percentage of your income) than that Ferrari did to the unfortunate soul who bought it. Don't make any apologies.

AMGAffalterbach

1. Wax can break down under extreme heat, I've talked to several professional detailers about this and they do admit it is a problem with certain treatments. Maybe it also has to do with the fact that I'm at 6000 feet of elevation and there's less atmosphere here to protect us from UV rays? I don't like Turtle Wax but I do use their Black Box because it is an excellent product for black cars and a very unique one. I've transitioned into using Swissvax from time to time but don't step to me and tell me what I should and shouldn't use on my car, I've tried and used plenty of products and I really do like the results this one gives.

2. Whatever, I think most people know what product I'm referring to, I apologize greatly to you for this misspelling.

3. Microfiber still has the ability to etch paint at a very fine level even if you think it's completely clean. The wet drying process is the safest way to do this and those are not my words, check out some videos from AMMO NYC because Larry Kosilla is arguably one of the best detailers in the business right now. Not machine drying them and using lubrication when using them on paint is the safest.

Also, and I really really really don't want to come across as a jerk more than I already have, but I just want to say this because you only have one post: NEVER make a conjectures about other people's incomes or material wealth. I can tell you that almost every Ferrari or exotic car owner I know has earned their own money and put a lot of what they have into it. I sensed a lot of resentment towards people with money in your response, and frankly it's none of your business what percentage of income my car was or what the Ferrari owner at a car show paid for his relative to how much he makes. I'm not wealthy by any extent of the imagination, but I would definitely say a 2007 E-Class usually entails different paint care steps than a $200,000 work of art out of Maranello. As a car enthusiast you should learn that sooner than later, and learn to appreciate each car for how special it really is on it's own - regardless of the owner.

LemonSqueezy

With all that aside, Larry @ AMMO NYC is the freaking man! I would highly encourage everyone to check out his videos. You will definitely pick up a thing or two about detailing and car care.

boardboy330

Quite a bit of good info. I just invested a few hundred (I think about $400) in tools and equipment to correct the paint on our CDI DD. I chose Menzerna compound and polish as well as a handful of hexlogic pads and a new wash system (foam gun, new soap, and boars hair brush). If you take the time to care for the paint now - it will save you a $5000 paint job down the line. I spent 8 hours doing a single pass with compound and sealing over it. Took out 90% of the scratches and swirls. Once we get out of winter, I will hit it again. BTW, sealant works very well for a long lasting shine over normal waxes.

AMGAffalterbach

Absolutely, Larry is the man and such an OCD dude it's amazing the lengths he goes through to keep cars looking perfect.

Definitely agree Boardboy, what did sealant did you use? I've been using just a sticky acrylic wax to take the place of a sealant but I've been looking for something a little more purpose-made. That's good to hear! Also on the polisher did you already have one or did you go with something like a flex?

beemer guy

Apology accepted. Hey, he spells his name weird; I had to look it up.

I think you missed my point entirely. Sorry if I upset you, that certainly wasn't my intent.

LemonSqueezy

Lol this guy..