MinnBobber

Hi,
what's been your experience with the paint condtiion on brand new E's??
Has the paint needed much prep before doing a quality sealant or wax?
Has a careful and thorough carwash and wipedown with IPA (isopropyl alcohol and water mix) been enough to have a perfect clearcoat (no imbedded or stuck on top crud)? Or also add a polishing of the clearcoat with a non-abrasive polish for a jewel finish B/4 wax or sealant?

I had assumed (incorrectly) that any new car would have paint in excellent condition, minus any swirls that a sloppy dealer may have inflicted. Many new vehicles arrive with rail dust, iron particles, sap, pollen, water etchings etc etc imbedded in the clearcoat.

Have new Es needed claybar treatment?
Have they needed IronX treatment to get out minute iron particles?

My dealer estimates Es have a 4-6 week journey out in the elements before
arriving.

Thanks for sharing your experience regarding new E's paint condition.

BenzMan369

My car was delivered with a finish so totally flawless, inside and out, that I actually hugged my salesman. Well, I hugged him for that and for taking more than 2 hours going over the car's COMAND and other systems with me, programming my phone for me, etc.

I was very concerned how it was going to look, as I've seen some new
Benz's sitting in inventory at other dealers with the non-metallic black paint not looking so great. Grit, swirls, you name it.

Mine was so perfect that I couldn't bring myself to do my usual hand-washing for 12 days, knowing it would never look the same again without considerable effort!

So, I guess a little luck in the manufacturing and delivery process and a whole lot of careful attention and effort by your dealer in prepping the car
and you will have an equally thrilling experience when you see the car for the first time.

thekurgan

I clayed mine as soon as it was in the garage with 22 miles on it. I found just a little deposits on the hood and trunk. Iron-X spray around the wheel wells saw some iron deposits, but nothing like my BMW.

dfordham

Aren't the flat surfaces covered with plastic film during shipment? It seems that should prevent most contamination.

Of course, if the car sits at your dealer for any length of time that could cause problems. Dealers probably dry wipe the cars daily, for example.

Regards,
Don

CEB

you'll have rail dust and other contaminants all over the paint. The best bet is to do a full detail, then seal the paint prior to waxing.

steelgrey

It also depends on how the car is cleaned before you pick it up. Most people on this site will agree that dealer washes are to be avoided.

petee1997

My dealer delivers new cars from the showroom floor. My cars have always been delivered in flawless condition. They usually do the tutorial in the showroom sitting in your car and when you understand how everything works, the salesman drives the car out of the showroom and then hands you the keys. As you drive away, he waves your sorry *** goodbye.

CEB

Part of the problem is the definition of poor, good, great and flawless. There are also the differing expectations and past experiences. Additionally, much depends on the color of the car.

You can see defects easier on darker cars while swirls and holograms may be nearly invisible on lighter cars - but they do affect the shine and luster.

Dealers do a very poor job of prepping cars for delivery and most are OK. I've seen the "detailers" that the local Mercedes dealer uses. They are young (i.e. inexperienced) wear dirty uniforms and have a rag stuck in their pocket. All of them wear rings or watches and I have yet to see a clean microfiber cloth.

I can spend an hour washing and glazing a new car and you'll think it looks flawless. Compare it to a car that a decent detailer spent a half day on using Iron-X, a claybar and quality polishes, sealants and waxes and that dealership prepped car will look like a two year old abused car by comparison.

A good detail won't make a car look new, it'll make it look better than new.

It is all about expectations.

A new car from Germany comes with many of the panels covered in plastic. Any exposed parts will have been exposed to salt water air, rail dust, acid rain and a host of other contaminants.

Stripping off the plastic leaves residue that can only be removed using 3M adhesive remover or similar products - most shops don't use that and I'd bet that most of you will find bits of glue residue in the corners of the drip rails and other nooks and crannies - no matter how old your car is.

Somehow the raildust must be removed as it doesn't come off with washing either and looks like little tiny flecks of rust - visible primarily on very light cars. Then there is the fallour that must be mechanically removed (i.e. with a claybar)

Only when that is all removed can you rewash the car to actually leave a clean surface that you then need to polish and protect with a sealant and some sort of wax.

I can give a car a quick run through the carwash and pour glaze on it and it will look fantastic for a few weeks until the glaze comes off.

BenzMan369

Exactly the same delivery procedure here.

Since I had hugged him in thanks for all his efforts, I guess he didn't feel the need to wave bye-bye.

BTW, let me emphasize to one and all - it was a manly, manly hug! Hmmm, not sure why I felt the need to make that clear. II.

thekurgan

Iron-X and/or Iron-Cut works very well for this; hard to find, but it does work well before claying.

http://www.detailersdomain.com/Aquar...Cut_p_327.html

mbuster25

I've found the paint condition to be very good but not perfect. What I saw in mine was imperfections from clearcoat process? I saw few pecks of particles imbedded in the clearcoat. You could barely see them unless under the right angle and light. I've also seen this on brand new Acura, but not on Lexus.

I would give it the full treatment of Iron-x, clay, and ultra finish polish such as M205, before protection.

CEB

Upon re-reading my post I realized that I wasn't very clear. Rail dust should be removed chemically (i.e. iron-x/Iron Cut) and there will be fallout (environmental such as acid rain, bird dropping etc) that must be removed mechanically (i.e. claybar)

K-A

Same thing here, had some of these on my first W212. My current one might have one but I can't remember. A spec of dust of something on the car while they were spraying it.

My 2010 also had some paint "Melt" on the inner lip (not seeable from outside) of the trunk lid. I actually was able to peel some off accidentally. My 2011 I don't think has the same problem.

LABluebike

Have had my black 2014 E 350 for a month now and will be waxing it tomorrow by hand. (Meg Gold Class paste.) There are some definite holograms at the base of the C-pillar, even rotor marks are visible in the right light. I don't know how many more new cars I'll be buying, but I'll never have the dealer wax one again!

Curious: Would the M-B dealer prep use sealant or wax?

If the holograms don't get get covered up with the carnauba, I'll take it for a professional detail.

LABluebike

Success getting out the holograms! Not sure if they're really gone or just filled in with the carnauba, but I'm happy. I'm guessing the dealer would have used sealant, not wax. If so, then wax-over-sealant looks great!

mikeyle

id assume the dealers use glaze

LABluebike

I thought I got out the holograms, UNTIL I took the car out in direct sun. They're still there. So, I've started a new thread asking about Klasse All-in-One or Zaino Z5 (non-abrasives) or a very mild abrasive.

Munich77

Go to a detailing form like autopia or autogeek. Good news is that the MB paint is very hard so the scratches should be easy to take out. Bad news is that you might need a professional for it. My new car's paint was pretty good. I had a couple of swirls on the hood that I polished out. Then I clayed the car and applied a surface coating. Thus far it is holding up well.

boltonblue

holograms = swirls?

z06michael

When we get new cars a PDI is performed by technician,installs all fuses,sets tire pressures,checks all fluids,sets all interior clocks,radios,computers,car then goes to detailers for plastic removal,clay and apply perma plate or other form of wax,but car goes back outside and sits until sold when it is re-detaled again for sale,I work for Lexus dealer and we want that car to be perfect for cust.

xxGenericSNxx

@z06michael, is your E550 designo Mauritius Blue?! That's my favorite Benz color and I've only seen it on two W212s in person- super rare color!

woodlander

I've typically stripped with dawn dish detergent then Zaino Z2, Z8, Z5, Z8 when I have a new car. I know I really should clay, but I had a "rough" experience with clay many years back and have been gun shy since.
Do you all use bug and tar as well? I tried the einzeit this past weekend and thought it OK, not the best I've seen though. The front bumper cover of my W212 is a small rock/bug/tar magnet.