skrontz

After taking delivery of my 2010 S550 last week, I haven't had a chance to drive it much. After finally getting it out on a sunny day and examining the paint closely, I noticed how crappy the dealer's detail job was (swirl marks all over, hazing, light scratches, you name it). Now I'm looking for a good detail shop in San Jose, CA area that has experience with the W221's nano paint. So far, Thorpe Auto Detail was my pick from Yelp. However, I would like to hear your guys' and gals' feedback on where you take your beloved W221s to be detailed and de-swirled in San Jose area. Has anybody tried Thorpe? Thanks!

RajwanyS550

U R Rite. $100K cars and they got amateurs detailing their cars.

WSH

Have heard good things about AutoConcierge: believe it's based out of Fremont but does mobile detailing for many custs on SF Peninsula...and I believe their specialty is paint deswirling, etc (as F/P have far crappier-quality paint and prep than MBs; new $400K F's usu are more shabbily painted and prepped than $100K (or $60K) MBs)

If that doesn't work, there is an excellent shop in SF's FinancialDt that handles many of new AMGs/F, etc of car nuts who live/work up in SF

BTW, AMG for MY10 introduced a special AMG prep at port w/some super-duper polish and treatment; special micro-balancing/alignment of tires/wheels; and car is trucked to dealer in a new car cover (so no cosmetic prep needed at dealer). A colleague took deliv of a '10 CL65 (in graphite) at Autobahn a couple mths ago, and paintwork and prep finish was absolutely superb...better quality than any AMG or any other new car I've seen live and close-up at deliv

Kar don

Autoconcierge seems to be good, never used them however. AJ's autodetail is OK, I don't think they are good for de-swirling nano paint. I've seen some black benzes they have worked on and didn't come out that great. Good for a hand wash in a pinch however.

skrontz

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions!

I'm not sure if they prep AMG CLs separately, but I just saw a 2010 ML63 in our parking lot that made me appreciate how well my car was treated. It literally looked like someone buffed it with sandpaper. It truly made my heart ache to see a beautiful car treated like that. Of course, the owner probably doesn't even care seeing how it wasn't even garaged overnight.

amarzano

+ 1 for Dave at Thorpe!

These guys do all my cars. Not only does he do Quality work - he is just a nice guy as well. He also offers loaners - which makes it easier to drop off and pick up..

Alex

skrontz

So, I'm now torn between Thorpe and AutoConcierge. Both offered similar quotes, but Thorpe's is located more conveniently. My only concern is whether Thorpe's shop has just as much experience de-swirling the nano paint (they did some W221s before).

amarzano, what's your experience with that? Were you pretty happy with the de-swirling job Dave did?

On a related note, the dealer keeps trying to sell me on the Perma Plate exterior and interior protection as well as the paintless ding repair package. Have any of you guys find these useful? I'm not sure how W221 handles dings; I've been lucky so far with the 750 (the "ridge" along the side usually takes the hit). Any feedback?

Thanks!

amarzano

Dave will do a great job for you on the swirls. If that is your main concern - you should tell him up front. I was on a quarterly plan (which is discounted from a one time visit) with him and he would also work in different types of waxes for different seasons. It was pretty interesting and the car would always come back pristine.

As an aside - I saw him work on a dark colored F430 that took an unfortunate turn at a track event. He managed to get all the scrapes out and it looked like new.

IMHO - you really want to go to a shop vs. a mobile detailer. They have all the resources there and that really makes a difference. I would also mention that Dave can take care of the door dings, bumper scrapes and curbed wheels. He has a group of folks that he uses and they are all top notch. One think I always felt about owning a high end car is that if you know the right people - you don't worry about driving it.

You will get door dings, rock chips and other things - that is just part of driving the car. These are the guys that will make it all ok again.. :-)

Alex

Ps - tell Dave I said hi..

CL55_Serge

What's the ballpark figure for the job? I'm gonna see Dave Thorpe w/ my CL55 & the S550...

CL55_Serge

Maybe it's time for the MBworld group deal here - what's the quarterly plan look like cost wise?

skrontz

Yup, I was absolutely not going for a mobile detailer; that's why I said that Dave's shop is more convenient -- I would have to go all the way to Fremont for AutoConcierge, which is not something I want to do.

I just have a thing for my cars looking perfect; every blemish (even a fixable one) stresses me like no tomorrow. While I have no problem paying the dealer for the protection package, I want to make sure that it's actually worth it (i.e. other people used it successfully). So far, the bimmer (silver) was largely ding-proof; my old Seville STS (black) was a ding magnet though, thanks to the concaved door panels and no ridge to protect them.

amarzano

Then Dave is your guy. Drop it off and let him fix the issues.

In the last 2 months I bought a new GL450 and an F150. I got the Paint / Interior protection on both. The GL ran about $750 and the F150 was $350. I strongly suspect both were the exact same product and offered the same warranty. I got them because the it was thrown into the deal. I do not think they would be a substitute for a good detail in any way shape or form. There is just no way to take bird poop, tree sap and other crud off the car without polishing / waxing.

That said - if they are throwing it in - it certainly can't hurt.. :-)

Good Luck and let me know what you think of Dave's work..

Alex

amarzano

I don't want to quote prices out of turn - but it seemed to be about 25% less than a one time deal.

Alex