NJS430

I wash my car once a week by hand and machine polish and wax with nano formula menzerna products twice a year. Before nano paint I would polish and wax monthly. A week later it wouldn't look as good as the nano does 5 months later. There is nobody who knows me who wouldn't say my car looks perfect all of the time.

I don't like black on the inside, but on the outside I've never seen anything that looks better than black.

Jan AMG

What machine do you use? How do you prepare the car for polishing? Can you share a bit? I'm a total beginner in detailing. Although it is easier to give the car to detailers, I'd love to learn and do it myself.

K-A

Funny thing is I don't think he's joking. I think most of us here aren't "pissed" (at least I'm not), as much as having fun reading his garb and making fun of it.

BTW I agree with you on the Chauffeur thing, every time I see a Black S-Class I think it's Chauffeur/Fancy Cab, too many of those on the streets all of a sudden, starting to ruin my perception of the car a bit (but not too much )

NJS430

Here is everything you need to know -

I use a Porter Cable 7424 orbital polisher. It's pretty much the standard machine used here in the US. It's best to use an orbital polisher because it is highly unlikely that you will do any damage to the paint with it. There are two Menzerna polishes especially formulated for Mercedes nano paint. PO87mc (aka Final Polish II) and P106FA (aka Super Finish). The PO87mc has a stronger cut than the P0106FA. But the shine and depth you will see after using the P0106FA can't be beat. It's easy to forget which one is which so just remember that the white polish is the coarse and the grey polish is the fine. These are the polishes they use in the Mercedes factory. Use the PO87mc followed by the P0106FA. I apply them using green "German" (Green) pad on my orbital polisher. You can use a white one if you can't find the green. The colors denote the cutting power of the pad. The polish dissolves itself as you apply it leaving very little residue. Follow the polishing with an application of Menzerna FMJ or Klasse. I like FMJ because it goes on real easy and it only takes me 30 minutes to apply it to the whole car. The Klasse always seemed a bit more difficult to work with to me.

I've been polishing my cars for a long time and there a few tricks I learned along the way -

Masking Tape - I use the Blue 3M masking tape and some paper to mask off the vents in the hood, the chrome strip at the top and bottom of the doors, the door handles, side marker lights, etc. If you don't, the polish will get into the cracks and you'll spend hours getting it out.

Using the machine - Place the machine on the surface and then turn it on, and turn it off before you lift it off. If you don't, the polish will spray all over and make a mess wherever it lands.

Damp Cloth - Use a damp cloth (Not Wet) to remove the residue after polishing.

Clay - clay works really well to take out anything that has lodged itself into the paint. Although I don't use it much simply because my car is kept so clean most of the time it isn't necessary. If you have a stain or spot from tree sap or a bird you should use clay before you polish.

Boar's Hair Brush - If you don't put the scratches in then you won't need to polish them out. If you use a natural boars hair brush when you wash the car it won't scratch the paint.

Micro fiber towels - Same reason as above. Use these to dry after washing. I have a large super absorbent one that I bought from Griots Garage which I really like.

It doesn't take long to get comfortable using the machine. You'll be a little uneasy at first from the fear of damaging the paint but after a while you'll realize the machine can't "burn" the paint because it's not spinning like a sanding wheel but moving in a very fine orbital motion.

Red Marko

I use Flex buffer, I think it's German made. Very powerful and easy to use. No chance of burning the paint.

There is very good writeup on this thread, post #4

https://mbworld.org/forums/detailing...-pinnacle.html

Purchase the products this guy recommends.

I, like you, almost never before did it myself.
Now, I find it very soothing and relaxing to go thru the steps, mind you, glass of red wine does help

NJS430

I've heard the Flex is a really good machine. Which model do you have - the L3401, L3403 or the LK603?

Red Marko

What I have is Flex XC3401 VRG Orbital Polisher (had to check it).
I don't have direct comparison between Flex and Porter Cable, but I watched lots of youtube videos and write ups, then made my choice.
I live in PA, you live in New Jersey, drive a lot to NY, pm me your location, maybe I can lend it to you for a weekend or so for comparison?

trumpet1

Looks like the poll is taking a shift as BLACK seems to be taking on a commanding lead.

mbnj

I would guess that black, as the safest color, would win. My favorites are the silver and greys. White is shocking to me as a winner. Maybe it's a regional thing, I could see white in Florida and SoCal and with women but I'm quite surprised at its overall score. If you want one in the NE you will have no problem finding one, there are tons of them on the lots.

MB_Owner

See my post #2 above...somehow I don't think Europe's largest auto show would be considered "regional."

absent

No one has picked the Green?

usctrojans1

LOL!

mbnj

Sorry. I actually didn't know what the factual ranking of S class color sales were, so if the MB folks at the auto show told you white I will accept it. My info was based on comments from 2 different dealers in the US NorthEast region who both said the easiest 2 colors to find on lots are black, because it is very popular and they ship so many, and white because they just happen to have lots of them still in inventory.

It will be interesting to see how the final poll compares with the real answer you provided, thanks!

NJS430

No need to lend me yours. I'm sure the Flex has the edge on the Porter Cable which has been around for years. I had planned on purchasing one. My only apprehension was that 8 lbs seems a little heavy to me vs. the 5.5 lbs for the porter cable, and I still have a hefty supply of new 7 1/2" pads that won't work on the Flex machine. I believe it can only take up to 6.5".

Red Marko

I DO have a vivid/wild imagination,
regardless, still can not picture S/CL MB in green color.
Can you?






BTW, I DO recycle, is that enough (for green)?

RobertM

I agree and found a white one with black interior and fully loaded. We bought it 30 days ago and love it. Just added wheels (Check out looking for 20" wheels for wifey)

tomd

Obviously not.

They should up his meds

RajwanyS550

trumpet1

Congrats. Be sure to post pix of it in the picture thread. Your color combo will be a refreshing change.

nick 55

I am kind of excited to see one of the Designo matte finishes on a 2010 model! I think that they will look pretty interesting.

Nick

Jan AMG

A year later, I finally got into it

Thank you for the write-up - it helped me a lot! I have bought European alternative to the Porter Cable - wasn't quite sure about the 110V vs 220V standard and went for original MB and Sonax stuff.

Now there are several friends waiting to have their cars detailed.. seems like I got a new job

NH_Clark

I voted: other

Andorite Grey.. and the reason 'cuz it's mine