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thinking of applying x pel stealth to front of car / front half of car. on magno platinum matte 2018 g 550 and potentially adding ceramic coating , after on top of. I am worried it will make car color look different? any ideas?
Mine’s a designo magno night black. In terms of looks, it’s killer. It’s also nice how the color seems to change to gray or matte silver depending on the sun’s reflection.
Maintenance doesn’t seem to be as much issue for me. I feel it doesn’t absorb dust and dirt as much as glossier paint. Like the photo I posted shows three months of no wash or wiping inclusive of about two days of rain. But then I live in Los Angeles where it barely rains so I’m not sure how the maintenance will hold up if say, I live in Seattle.
The hard part with matte finish though is fixes for inevitable tiny scratches. Easy fixes like buffing, waxing, and polishing with compound is not an option which leaves me to have it done professionally by Mercedes Benz. Other than this issue, going matte is life changing. It has this badass factor especially with the g wagon.
Awesome truck ? You do have the x pel stealth on here or ? And did you did ceramic coating as well ? Thinking of either partial front or full front with potential ceramic coating ? Just don’t want color to be off of I do this
Originally Posted by brightrider
Mine’s a designo magno night black. In terms of looks, it’s killer. It’s also nice how the color seems to change to gray or matte silver depending on the sun’s reflection.
Maintenance doesn’t seem to be as much issue for me. I feel it doesn’t absorb dust and dirt as much as glossier paint. Like the photo I posted shows three months of no wash or wiping inclusive of about two days of rain. But then I live in Los Angeles where it barely rains so I’m not sure how the maintenance will hold up if say, I live in Seattle.
The hard part with matte finish though is fixes for inevitable tiny scratches. Easy fixes like buffing, waxing, and polishing with compound is not an option which leaves me to have it done professionally by Mercedes Benz. Other than this issue, going matte is life changing. It has this badass factor especially with the g wagon.
I have matte on both the C & G....... love it and how easy it is to care for...... the C was rear ended last summer and we used that as an excuse to tub the rear and do HMS flares to fit a 325 into the rear end.... the shop did a great job at blending it in, but it took 2 tries....
for sure be careful of any drive thru car wash.... I use Dr Beasely's products and they really work well.
I have matte on both the C & G....... love it and how easy it is to care for...... the C was rear ended last summer and we used that as an excuse to tub the rear and do HMS flares to fit a 325 into the rear end.... the shop did a great job at blending it in, but it took 2 tries.... for sure be careful of any drive thru car wash .... I use Dr Beasely's products and they really work well.
do you go into drive through touchless/water jet style car washes? Or are those bad on matte too?
Owned 2 Designo magno black Gs 2011 and 2019 edition 1. Drove the 2011 75,000 miles in 4 years, went to regular car wash with brushes and just asked them to turn off the wax. No issues and no swirl marks after 4 years of heavy use in snow and salt in NE Ohio. The paint is made to endure the acid rain and road salt and chemicals. Doing the same with my edition 1 and 9000 miles and more than 30 car washes since February with no issues. The main issue with the matte colors is the difficulty with matching the color if body work is needed but never seen a matte color lose it's matte from car washes!
Owned 2 Designo magno black Gs 2011 and 2019 edition 1. Drove the 2011 75,000 miles in 4 years, went to regular car wash with brushes and just asked them to turn off the wax. No issues and no swirl marks after 4 years of heavy use in snow and salt in NE Ohio. The paint is made to endure the acid rain and road salt and chemicals. Doing the same with my edition 1 and 9000 miles and more than 30 car washes since February with no issues. The main issue with the matte colors is the difficulty with matching the color if body work is needed but never seen a matte color lose it's matte from car washes!
Interesting...so NO signs of rust at all, anywhere, on the matte 2011 being driven in snow and salt for 4 years?
Mine’s a designo magno night black. In terms of looks, it’s killer. It’s also nice how the color seems to change to gray or matte silver depending on the sun’s reflection.
Maintenance doesn’t seem to be as much issue for me. I feel it doesn’t absorb dust and dirt as much as glossier paint. Like the photo I posted shows three months of no wash or wiping inclusive of about two days of rain. But then I live in Los Angeles where it barely rains so I’m not sure how the maintenance will hold up if say, I live in Seattle.
The hard part with matte finish though is fixes for inevitable tiny scratches. Easy fixes like buffing, waxing, and polishing with compound is not an option which leaves me to have it done professionally by Mercedes Benz. Other than this issue, going matte is life changing. It has this badass factor especially with the g wagon.
Good luck choosing your matte finish, cheers!
Well, I live in Seattle and I pick up my Matte Black Gwag this week, so I'll let you know how it does in the rain
Well, I live in Seattle and I pick up my Matte Black Gwag this week, so I'll let you know how it does in the rain
Nice!! In the few times I’ve driven mine in rain, I noticed it doesn’t dirty as much as glossier paints do. Sometimes, it’s as if you didn’t drive it in the rain when it dries.
Interesting...so NO signs of rust at all, anywhere, on the matte 2011 being driven in snow and salt for 4 years?
Yes lots of rust spots around the windshield and inside the window sills and at the top of the rear door but that’s a problem with all Gs and not related to Matte paint or washing in a car wash
Yes lots of rust spots around the windshield and inside the window sills and at the top of the rear door but that’s a problem with all Gs and not related to Matte paint or washing in a car wash
Man...I want to pick up one of these....but the amount of rust talk being so normal on these puts me off. The scale tips more to a new range every time I hear about rust.
Yes lots of rust spots around the windshield and inside the window sills and at the top of the rear door but that’s a problem with all Gs and not related to Matte paint or washing in a car wash
Rusts on all G’s ?
Are you referring to only vehicles that are exposed to snow and salt ?
Rusts on all G’s ?
Are you referring to only vehicles that are exposed to snow and salt ?
More when exposed to salt and snow but in general the steel used in the G is the same steel since 1979 so they rust around the windshield seal because rain/carwash water traps under the seal and if you lift the seal the water drains out. They rust under the door side mouldings due to the perforations in the sheet metal to hold the mouldings in place, the side window guides rust inside the doors, any scratch or nick in the paint will rust and they rust just above the rear door where the rain water tends to get sucked in at high speed. It's the 1979 metallurgy.
Man...I want to pick up one of these....but the amount of rust talk being so normal on these puts me off. The scale tips more to a new range every time I hear about rust.
It is an amazing car, people love the G because it is still made with 1979 manufacturing techniques. Unfortunately that means more rust but nothing that can't be remedied with a paint job every 10 years or so.
It is an amazing car, people love the G because it is still made with 1979 manufacturing techniques. Unfortunately that means more rust but nothing that can't be remedied with a paint job every 10 years or so.
I can appreciate the heritage but making a better process to "galvanize" the steel so it doesn't turn to trash in a handful of years would be nice given the price (heck Ford's rust less). They update parts of it (electronics, comfort features, etc to bring it up to date but still use a 1979 techniques on the steel that is known to be poor? Yikes. I saw a vid where it looked like the body was dipped/treated in multiple solutions to treat the bare metal. Does this not take place or is useless?
does it hold better value compared to traditional glossy paint.
Thanks
I was about to order my g wagon with matte paint until I asked the sales person about the future trade in value. He said the trade in value is a little less than a glossy finish. He went on to say the reason behind this is because the matte finish is a niche market and satisfies a specific buyer. They end up having the matte finishes on their lots longer.
I was about to order my g wagon with matte paint until I asked the sales person about the future trade in value. He said the trade in value is a little less than a glossy finish. He went on to say the reason behind this is because the matte finish is a niche market and satisfies a specific buyer. They end up having the matte finishes on their lots longer.
I've had the opposite experience searching on the used market. Dealers and private parties inflate the price so much more because they know the people that want the matte finishes are willing to pay the premium. If not, they end up having to spend close to 5k for a wrap to have the same look.
I've had the opposite experience searching on the used market. Dealers and private parties inflate the price so much more because they know the people that want the matte finishes are willing to pay the premium. If not, they end up having to spend close to 5k for a wrap to have the same look.
It’s a niche market. All I can say is when I asked my dealer when ordering MY2019 and it came down to the designo matte black vs. obsidian black he said the trade in value would be higher for the obsidian black because they would be able to sell it faster than the other finish. Could be the dealer, who knows...
Personally I like the matte finish, but afraid of the upkeep.
Mine’s a designo magno night black. In terms of looks, it’s killer. It’s also nice how the color seems to change to gray or matte silver depending on the sun’s reflection.
Maintenance doesn’t seem to be as much issue for me. I feel it doesn’t absorb dust and dirt as much as glossier paint. Like the photo I posted shows three months of no wash or wiping inclusive of about two days of rain. But then I live in Los Angeles where it barely rains so I’m not sure how the maintenance will hold up if say, I live in Seattle.
The hard part with matte finish though is fixes for inevitable tiny scratches. Easy fixes like buffing, waxing, and polishing with compound is not an option which leaves me to have it done professionally by Mercedes Benz. Other than this issue, going matte is life changing. It has this badass factor especially with the g wagon.
I would say drop into a Vinyl Wrap Shop, and ask to see his 3m wrap swatches, or whatever he has available (3M is industry standard). And Look at the Matte Black, you will see that the Matte is much more dry and void of any Gloss. (You will see what I mean). You may have some kind of Quartz finish or it may have been Polished which is why it has a sheen to it. Matte generally doesn't have a sheen unless someone polished it, which defeats the Purpose.
I'd Love to see the eyes of the installer when you drive in with your GWeeezy watch his eyes light up and start counting the money. Lol
I will try and post a picture of some swatches next to my Satin Finish, it looks just like yours.
2012 C63 black series, 2015 C63 507 coupe, 2012 Porsche Cayman R 4.2L 404hp
Owned a designo grey black series that I bought used. Easy paint to care for, wash and go. Scratches and chips do not show up very well so you can ignore them. Impossible to touch up-respray the whole panel. Tough the match.
Not sure if I would do another one but the G wagon looks so good with matte.
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