K-A

I recommend this for you guys to do. Especially on White. I had NO idea how many off-color contaminants it pulled out of the paint. There is a bronze/brown dirt color that my car was covered in. I don't know if it's in my head, but I feel like I could see the paint becoming whiter, while I was doing it.

That said, it took WAY too long for me to do. So I think if I do it again (I'd say once a year is all I can stand), I'll just pay a pro to Clay it, then take it home and Wax/Seal it myself.

I also used Sealant for the first time, as the last step, in place of Wax, and I'm hoping that the much better lasting/durability of it comes through. Car looks absolutely glorious, as if it couldn't get any sexier to me.

Sorry, no pics, but know that it's CLEAN!!

hyperion667

pix or it didn't happen, lol

LaicepsYdobon

+1 to that. And no photochop either !

MiamiAMG

Yeah i don't believe you! lol

Kevwood

I've got to clay my car one of these days as well, lots of little bumps. Interesting that you mention that you thought you noticed it getting whiter, I could swear that my car looks like it has a very slight off colored 'haze' look to it.

fromthebeginnin

KA how long did it take to clay the car?

220S

Just think, all that "bronze/brown dirt color" is going into your lungs everyday, too.

Doing the cellophane wrapper test along the paint will tell you when you need to clay bar again.

K-A you don't even own the car! Just drive it and forget about it. I would never pressure wash and paint a house I was only renting. You're never going to get all this effort you're putting into the car to ever come back to you.

clmulli

I'm sure K-A is a man of his words. I'm afraid to try the clay myself. I'll let the dealer do it.

Eaosdad

I did that yesterday. It took me 5 hours from wash, clay and wax. My wife said I'm crazy!

hyperion667

lol, have not done mine yet, not sure if it's something I could undergo...
and yes, props to KA for treating his car with such respect...

is that something the dealer would do? I'm not sure if mine would go that far......

K-A

Lol. Thanks guys. I'll go snap a pic right now, and post it up ASAP. They aren't lying when they say that Sealant needs to "CURE", as DAMN, the car fees like BUTTER today, much smoother than last night.

At least I know I have it at a clean slate, so I can monitor the next time I should clay it better (which I'll pay the $50 or so for someone else to do, lol).

You're probably very right! There was like a brown and yellow color hazing mine up, and my car looked pristine! Always gets compliments about how clean it looks, etc., but damn, I had no idea that the paint was "mudded up" a bit.

A LONG A$$ TIME!! Lol. Seriously, the rear deck and bumper (first area I went for, and being a first time clayer) took me probably an hour on its own.... Or more. I'd say the whole clay process was a few hours, then Seal, etc. I was on it all day yesterday, literally.

Never again will I dedicate that much time though. Wax/Seal is as far as I'll go. My next Clay will be done by someone else. Good thing is, I know that the car is damn well done by the care of its handler.

That is extremely unfortunate. What's the cellophane wrapper test btw?

Yeahh, I know about not owning the car. But I'm an OCD freak when it comes to the very few materialistic things that I really love. I either need my car to be "perfect", or I flip a switch and don't care about it at all. I try and treat it like I'm gonna keep it for a while, or like a family member will buy it and reap the benefits of a well cared for car, which both may be true if I decide to work a deal on it after the Lease. All I know is I'm probably not gonna Lease again. Just doesn't make sense for me, unless I can figure out a way to write it off.

steelgrey

In the cellophane wrapper test you run your hand over the paint with a piece of cellophane between your hand and the paint. If you can feel gritty bumps it's time to clay again. I'm not sure how MB's are shipped to the west coast but one of the reasons for red/brown specks comes from cars being shipped by rail. Dust kicked up by wheels on the rail tracks. Specks are basically rail rust. It becomes imbeded in the paint and clay bar is needed to remove it.

220S

Just be sure to let the world know the VIN of your car when it comes time to turn it in. Somebody will be able to pick up a car off lease that was treated as though it was privately owned. It'll be a rare find among all the lease return CPO cars for sale out there.

K-A, that's the cellophane wrapper test to which I was referring.

fwiw, in the West Coast all the MBs come into the Port of Los Angeles and then moved nearby to the Carson VPC on Wilmington Ave. From there they go on trucks to the dealers in 18 western states.

The specks are more likely from smog in Southern CA. The Port of LA is incredibly polluted (although getting better lately with reduction and control of diesel particulates.) But there are trains around there, too. During the economic meltdown of 2008, there were thousands of MBs sitting outdoors everywhere.

btw, BMWs come into Port Hueneme (north of Malibu) and the cars are driven off the boat over to the VPC about 1.5 miles away. Go over to E. Hueneme Road and you'll see BMWs with wrappers on them driving down the road. BMWs don't get smog dirt, just seagull crap.

K-A

Lol. I wonder what I'd rather take, smog & dirt, or Seagull crap.

Yes, if I don't buy it, or have someone close to me buy it, I will post the Vin, and assume all immense blood sweat and tears put into it will be for a good gesture: Second owner. Just know that if you're careless with it, hooptie it out, and/or put on a big cheesy star grille and 21" rims I WILL FIND YOU!!!!

Who knows, I remember hearing about how people will negotiate with the Dealers they return the car to, for a lesser price than what the Lease Buyout was (with a CPO maybe, on top of that). Also, all it takes is some big rock chips or damage to make me go into pissed off "f*** it" mode. Let's hope that doesn't happen (although it'll surely free up some time, hah).

BTW, some of that red/brown crap, especially at the very top of the rear bumper I could NOT get off all the way, but I wasn't too bothered, since overall, the improvement was great.

t0ast

What did you use for the clay and sealant? I'm running low on Zaino, and I'm looking for more options.

ImInPA

I really like Griot's clay. Not a huge fan of their polishes but their clay is really great.

ImInPA

K-A, Next time, you should first wash the car with Dawn dish detergent (the original blue). This will remove prior finishes. It is highly likely that the yellowing you were seeing was not actually in the paint but in the sealant. I think you were using the clay to remove the original sealant. It should not take that long to clay a car the size of the E. I did mine a couple weekends ago and it too about an hour to do the entire car after washing with Dawn.

K-A

I used Meguire's Clay Kit (I like the company, as they're VERY helpful and available and informative, and put out a good product), and "T.F.P" Polymer Sealant (With Teflon) that I bought for a great price (came with some other stuff as well) at the Auto Show when some guy sold me with some great displays of how well it works.

Drove the car 280 Miles last night, lots of bugs, etc. attached to the front, wiped off with ease, and the whole process seems to have the paint feeling very good about itself.

Yeah, I was gonna, but I'm just so afraid to put that harsh stuff anywhere near my car. I know that they dry out the plastics, etc. as well, which is something else that put me off from it.

You could be (and hopefully are) very right though, as I used a Carnuba (Yellow) Wax before this.

I think a lot of the crap on my paint was from before I waxed it for the first time. I'd never felt a "never-waxed" car before it felt like, when I first felt mine, I mean that paint was WAY unprotected. Stupid Dealer didn't Wax my car because they said "You have to wait 6 months on a brand new Car". After doing some research, I found it to be bogus, but by that time, lots of "specks" and such had stuck to the paint.

steelgrey

You'll probably get a hundred different recommendations. Everyone has their own preferences. For me it's Pinnacle Poly-Clay and Pinnacle Clay Lubricant. As far as Compounding, Polishes, and Sealant I do not think you can beat Menzerna. German product for German car.

Clay Barring is just the first step in the detailing process. After claying the paint should be polished using a dual action buffer (i.e. Porter Cable 7424XP) then Jeweled, then Glazed and finally a Sealant applied. Shine comes from polishing the paint, the sealant deepens the shine and protects the paint. Because the cars are newer the paint should not need anything more aggressive. Yes, detailing is my hobby and even more importantly I'm retired and have the time to do all of the above.

hyperion667

wow........and I thought I was doing well just washing it, LOL....
I have a lot to learn!

K-A

I'm gonna examine the differences of shine between Sealant and my prior Carnuba Wax and let you guys know what I think. So far, they are RIGHT when they say that Sealant provides a hard candy, icey, almost plastic (not in a bad way necessarily), SUPER shine. I did notice a warmer, deeper hue from the Wax, but that could be in my head. White is one color that won't make as much a difference though, as it doesn't have much depth to begin with.

piper

Don't do the plastic bag test!!!! You will think you didn't accomplish anything. As hard as I've tried, I have never seemed to get all the roughness out of the paint.

I actually enjoy the whole process. I will pick a night when the wife is out of town, a 12 pack or a bottle of vodka and let the detailing begin.

ImInPA

After claying, a good polishing with something like Meguiar's #205 will really smooth out the paint and bring out the gloss. I use a DA polisher and it just comes out great. Then a good wax or sealant.

RNBRAD

I've always said the less you touch the surface of a car the better off it is. I know that is not an option for you guys that use your car as a DD cause you can't get it clean without touching it with something. Even towel drying a car will "spider web" the surface which is the very small lines you see in the sun. I generally only use polishes occasionally to remove the small surface defects from towel drying or small swirl scratch marks. Otherwise I don't need clays and waxes. I have another car for bad inclement weather to always keep the benz pristine.

Meguires does make some fine products for exterior car care. The show car glaze, polishes and tech wax are awesome. Their professional line is great for you high speed buffer guys.

If MB would ship their cars like Audi does and use a form fitted cover over the entire car we wouldn't have to worry about contaminates on the surface of our cars. Kudo's to Audi for stepping up in this area. I'd be willing to pay for the cover several times over if they would of used one for shipping my car.

K-A

This is how I feel to a "T"!!!!

I don't ever use soap on my car, until it's the day of a Wax/Protectant. I use a chamois, and carefully clean off the car (in between, I always analyze the car when I park it at home, to clean off abrasive stuff like Bird poo, etc.). It's garaged, and well kept, so I can get it spotless with just water and my trusty chamois. I've always done this, and my cars are always shinier than most, even though I might invest less time/money in treating it. I chalk a lot of that up to it being garaged, and having a work-horse for rough stuff, and not using soap. I also find that soaping wipes my wax off quicker.

The less product to use on the paint the better (speaking long term), although, of course, sometimes you have to. Lots of stuff can dull the paint, and diminish the clear coat in the long run.

My general rule has always been to soap/wax every 3-4 months. Using a Cleaner Wax ever other time. Now, with Sealant in the mix, and having a White car, I'll probably clay and Seal once a year, and either Seal by itself (might not work without claying), or Wax once the other times. I RARELY use Polishes, unless the paint would really need it. I figure, on a long term car, I'd do that once every 2+ years.

These are my "unique" processes, but hey, they're tried and true, and the outcome is always great!

I was thinking that! Lol. Perfection is about impossible, but yeah, as long as I did a good enough job and task, I'm happy. I agree, some people find gardening to be peaceful, etc. I enjoy taking care of my car, although I certainly don't look forward to the heavy tasks, the reward is worth it.