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It's possible to wet sand the vehicle to remove the orange peel and most vehicles come with a thick layer of clear coat from factory, just keep in mind that by wet sanding, you are removing from that layer of clear coat. Don't wet sand too much as not to burn through the clear coat and you should be fine.
Orange peel is rampant among all manufacturers today. I wish you good luck with this; not something I would ever consider doing in fear of ending up in a much worse paint situation. I hope you have very good hands-on experience doing other cars.
Just because you have a piece of paper that says they have no record of an accident, it doesn't mean the car hasn't been repainted. The paint on my '14 is very uniform with the exception of the fuel door, which I assume at some point was replaced.
The paint on newer mercedes is also very thin. I would not wet sand mine, and I've done a couple of cars completely as well as lots of spot touchups. I also have a paint guage that tells me how much I'm cutting. A pro or competent DIY can do a good job at reducing orange peel with some Denim pads and a good compound. I'd head over to the Autogeek detailing forum and ask for more advice on your situation.
Thanks for your responses! I figured perhaps PPG would be the paint MB went with but not sure. I hear PPG is pretty durable vs other clear coats. The denim pads seem to be the way to go to reduce (bit not eliminate) orange peel without sanding.
You're right about the history of the car. From some angles the rear doors look different so they very well could have been repainted. I just cant imagine a scenario where the rear doors on both sides of a vehicle are the only places where any damage occurs. Who knows.
Perhaps I'll go with the denim pads instead of wet sanding. I didn't think 1500 followed by 3000 would be too aggressive with the 3M perfect it series. Again...who knows.
I've seen cars that cost three times what ours do, on the show room floor, with orange peel.
I have never seen any Mercedes-Benz with orange peel in it's factory applied paint and finish. None. Orange peel is a sure sign of a repaint.
On a 19 year old car, you can't harm anything playing with the finish. My faultlessly painted 2001 is worth mere penneys. That said, if you mess it up, another repaint will cost twice what the car is worth.
I have never seen any Mercedes-Benz with orange peel in it's factory applied paint and finish. None. Orange peel is a sure sign of a repaint.
On a 19 year old car, you can't harm anything playing with the finish. My faultlessly painted 2001 is worth mere penneys. That u mess it up, another repaint will cost twice what the car is worth.
My 2000 E430 had zero orange peel.
I think some kind of environmental standards took place between then and now that effect the way these manufacturers are painting.
Showroom floor vehicles over 6 figures = orange peel.
I have never seen any Mercedes-Benz with orange peel in it's factory applied paint and finish. None. Orange peel is a sure sign of a repaint.
On a 19 year old car, you can't harm anything playing with the finish. My faultlessly painted 2001 is worth mere penneys. That said, if you mess it up, another repaint will cost twice what the car is worth.
And I see orange peel on every single mercedes I've ever looked at. It's relative. But I've seen what really flat, wet sanded and buffed out paint looks like, reflections are as crisp, literally, as a mirror.
But the fact that he sees more on two doors than the rest of the car is the real issue, inconsistent paint means something was done. First thing to do is feel around the edges of the door for a paint line. Also check the vin stickers on the doors. Next up, paint gauge.
ok I used to air brush bikes and cars.... and every bike I did got wet sanded and buffed out to a mirror/show shine. I knew exactly how much clear was on the part so knew how far to go with wet sanding. I absolutely would NOT wet sand a new car unless you are prepared to repaint and reclear the piece If you go thru the clear. You can't just buff it out and you can't just reclear it, if you try there will always be a line where the clear meets the paint... you may not see it initially but it WILL show up in time. The only fix is to repaint and reclear.
So you have been warned, your choice
Last edited by mrmotoguzzi00; May 22, 2019 at 04:55 PM.
2019 Dune Silver Metallic E-450 Mercedes Cabriolet NEW Mercedes 2020 GLC300 graphite gray SUV
Unless you're experienced, I would recommend having a detail shop do a stage 1, 2 or 3 prep polishing which would take care of orange peel and/or swirls.
My understanding of "orange peel" is a paint surface that looks like the surface texture of an actual o-r-a-n-g-e. I've seen this on several domestic brands, including $70K black, Cadillac Escalades in dealer showrooms. But I've never seen such on a Mercedes (or BMW for that matter).
Sorry, but as a one-time accomplished airbrush artist, I think I know a bit about orange peel....
2019 Dune Silver Metallic E-450 Mercedes Cabriolet NEW Mercedes 2020 GLC300 graphite gray SUV
Well, DFWdude it can be more subtle than that. The following is an example of smooth versus orange peel paint jobs. Wet sanding is pretty extreme, in that you are removing the clear coat. That's why I recommend a professional detail shop handled polishing (prep) followed by a possible nano coating. This will essentially camouflage the blemishes, making them harder to notice.
Yes, rustybear3, I'm very familiar with the example you show.
Orange peel can even be excusable on lower fender panels behind wheel wells to ward off paint dings from gravel. I've owned more than a couple domestic cars with this "feature." Some manufacturers today have even replaced these panels with plastic, purposely molded in textured body color for this purpose. I've owned two Chrysler minivans with this "feature."
Can't say I've ever seen this on the hood or trunk of a Mercedes, though. (Or even behind wheel wells). I will look more closely in future.
It's more obvious on darker colored cars. The "orange" colored panel above is appropriate. Black, red, blue, green, can show orange peel pretty badly. White and lighter cars, not so much unless you really get in the right light.
Still, not something I would freak out about.
The more research I do, the more the risk seems to outweigh the reward.
Its not the fear factor so much as the end result not being worthy of the risk.
I'm just getting into detailing and was looking at doing my first 2 stage.
I've already purchased a Griots DA, pads, and their BOSS system.
My paint is in pretty bad shape.
When I saw that orange peel could be removed with denim / wet sanding pads it piqued my interest but in doing more research it seems the best I could hope for is a slight reduction at the risk of burning through the clear coat with a denim or velvet pad or compete orange peel removal - along with complete clear coat removal with a 1500 sanding disk.
Actually figured 2000 / 3000 would be a good starting point which is equal to the denim / velvet pads.
I'll try the fast correcting cream and go from there.
At least the swirls should be gone at the very least.
The more research I do, the more the risk seems to outweigh the reward.
Its not the fear factor so much as the end result not being worthy of the risk.
I'm just getting into detailing and was looking at doing my first 2 stage.
I've already purchased a Griots DA, pads, and their BOSS system.
My paint is in pretty bad shape.
When I saw that orange peel could be removed with denim / wet sanding pads it piqued my interest but in doing more research it seems the best I could hope for is a slight reduction at the risk of burning through the clear coat with a denim or velvet pad or compete orange peel removal - along with complete clear coat removal with a 1500 sanding disk.
Actually figured 2000 / 3000 would be a good starting point which is equal to the denim / velvet pads.
I'll try the fast correcting cream and go from there.
At least the swirls should be gone at the very least.
Thanks All!
2000 grit is pretty safe if you go lightly and very wet....
3000 grit is for when 2000 has been done and it all looks matted.... won't really take much off...
If you have never seen orange peel in a Mercedes, you have either not been to a new dealer showroom in the last 5 years or you are blind!
The only Mercedes paint that does not have orange peel are the flat dull colors. I am sick with my 2021 GLC Coupe 63S. It has absolutely the worst
paint job I have ever seen. I am jealous of Ford F-150's with their glass-smooth paint jobs. Heck even look at a Kia or Mazda they make a
Mercedes look like it was painted in high school shop class. It is high time that we owners and future buyers of Mercedes in the future
stand up and demand better classier paint jobs. I just wish Mercedes would stop tempting me with these engineering marvels. I like to get
out of my car and take a glance at it as I walk away, now I try to not look back. How can they build such a great car and not be able to paint it?
Last edited by Kat Krazy; Jun 14, 2021 at 09:53 PM.
Reason: left out a few words
I bought my 2016 used from an independent used car dealer who purchased it at auction. I had no history on the car ,but it had 2 1/2 years left on the factory 4 year warranty ,so not having the history did not matter to me.
As soon as I got the car I too it to the local MB dealer to have it serviced. The service advisor took one look at the car and said "this car had the hood repainted" . I asked how he could tell and he said "no orange peel".
Good news was that repaint was not a result of an accident but rather a sandstorm or hail. I did later on replace the windshield. Same reason.
So I guess looking for original orang peel is a way to access prior damage. Maybe a good thing. Just sayin
Last edited by Alandf; Jun 17, 2021 at 05:26 PM.
Reason: spelling
That service advisor knew what he was talking about. How do we let Mercedes get away with this year after year? I bought my 2021 GLC AMG 63s simply because it will be the last
V-8 in a "C" class Mercedes. I thought that a good detail shop would be able to wet sand and buff the orange peel to a smooth shiny finish. But 2 different shops said that the paint
was too thin! So I am stuck with a shiny ceramic coated orange. I don't know what will happen in the next 4 years but the paint job on my next car will have a mirror shine even if I
can't hear the electric motor roar!
Keep in mind as we continue to progress with environmentally friendly chemicals, companies are forced to use things that might be better for the environment but also not as good of a product (even though they might say it's comparable). This reminds me of when a manufacture switched chemicals on the wiring for their vehicles and what ended up happening was now animals were attracted to the wires and would chew through them, costing the owner several thousands of dollars.
I think on most cars that I have seen orange peel was there. If you are into detailing you can take quite a bit off. Make sure you have the proper polisher (dual orbiting or rotary) and the correct polishes. If you have NEVER wet sanded a car before I would highly not recommend starting on something good... Not to say you will, but you more than likely will sand too much even though you aren't trying to. Then you'll be left off worse than you were when you started.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
