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The car was painted last night and picked everything up this morning . I'm going to let everything sit for a while, get nice and dry. Then I'm going to cover most of the paint with this white plastic protective film they use at a factory on new cars to protect the paint from scarfs and scratching.
Make sure you put the plastic on it does not pick up any iron particles from nearby railroad tracks, etc. It will get into the paint and eventually rust. It looks like little red spots in the paint.
It happened to my wife's GLK that was built in Bremen which is a rail hub but you can get it from brake dust on the paint. You clean it with Ironx outdoors. I wrote it up for one of the threads here and I have pictures I can send you.
After removing all the iron and detailing the car ee then covered the entire car with the professionally installed 3M film - I highly recommend it, especially after all the work you done. Then you won't have to use Dr. Color Chip to clean up the chips on the hood, the 3M film will prevent minor dents too.
Wish I had the time to go after my 2002 G. I use it ofrload for fishing and hunting but it seems to get more abuse on the crappy highways. No beaches though!
Thanks for the heads up, thats a good point )
I don't live near tracks or anything like that....
I haven't unpacked the roll of plastic, but ill make sure to clean the paint surface and apply the plastic right away before anything contaminates it.
There is a new ceramic coating process that I have seen advertised. The paint protection has a lifetime warranty but they apply it to interior surfaces, glass wheels and calipers. I haven't used it or seen it in person but it sounds interesting. I was never a big fan of the film protection although I have used it on many cars over the years. I think this ceramic process is worth some investigation. Seems to be popular with the Porsche crowd. ceramic pro.com. (No affiliation).
I did hear about it and I have seen videos about it, it's good paint surface protection but I'm more interested in rock chip protection. After the vehicle is assembled I'll probably get clear paint protection film apply to majority of the front of the vehicle.
The white plastic film I was referring to in the above comments was the plastic film that's used to protect the paint while the vehicle is assembled so nothing gets scratched or chipped while you're working on the vehicle.
I did hear about it and I have seen videos about it, it's good paint surface protection but I'm more interested in rock chip protection. After the vehicle is assembled I'll probably get clear paint protection film apply to majority of the front of the vehicle.
The white plastic film I was referring to in the above comments was the plastic film that's used to protect the paint while the vehicle is assembled so nothing gets scratched or chipped while you're working on the vehicle.
I did understand the protective process you had in mind during re-assembly. I was looking at the Ceramic Pro as protective coating once everything is completed. I thoroughly appreciate your concern for front end chipping in the future. I have been a Porsche owner for many years and they are prone to severe chipping and road rash because of their sloping front end design. I've tried everything to mitigate the problem. I'm doing further research on the ceramic coating for my G and for my Porsche. Good luck. You are doing a great job on this build. Thank you for sharing the pics and details.
Since you're about to get into the re-installation of all your stuff, I was wondering if you planned to re-use the existing fender flare molding or buy new. I don't mean the flares themselves, I'm talking about the rubber bit between the flare and the body. I don't know the actual name, apologies.
I am going to replace my existing fender flares with wider ones, and was thinking I could use the original molding.
There is a new ceramic coating process that I have seen advertised. The paint protection has a lifetime warranty but they apply it to interior surfaces, glass wheels and calipers. I haven't used it or seen it in person but it sounds interesting. I was never a big fan of the film protection although I have used it on many cars over the years. I think this ceramic process is worth some investigation. Seems to be popular with the Porsche crowd. ceramic pro.com. (No affiliation).
its amazing stuff. 4th car i have had it done on. he two staged polished the car first to remove some swirl marks and get the mystic white popping. then he applied the two coatings. $1,700, but well worth it. as it makes cleaning so much easier. had it on my c450 for a year and everytime it rained, it looked like it just came out of the detail shop.
I'm replacing the fender flare rubber seals. My original ones were dried up and faded. I don't think they are very expensive, it's worth replacing them with new ones if yours are aged.
on the 2014 door panels you're putting in, are the switches plug and play or did you have to locate the pigtails connectors and solder them to the cars harness? OR, did you have to send them out to have the internals swapped? LOL
I have 4 2016 G63 door panels coming in, front and rear, I'm certain I could figure out the electrical myself, but any help ahead of time would be great.
FWIW you can apply ceramic coatings over clear bra. Not sure on long term (5-10 year) effects, but usually clear bra starts to age poorly after that point anyways if it is in a high-UV spot on the car.
I have gtechniq crystal serum pro on my evora and love it. I won't do it to the G, but willl do it to any other high dollar cars I buy.
Hello I'm new to posting a response on your progress with your G500 restoration. I'm in a position that I have to have my right window washer linkage stem that attaches to the wiper arm replaced. I'm sorry I might not be correctly naming the part! But I noticed that you have removed the dash! One of the things a mechanic has quoted me $2,500 for replacing this part. Please look you linkage over before you replace your dashboard and rebuild your linkage and wiper motor. i JUST finish paying for my 2004 and water has damaged my right side floor area around the lower rocker molding. I can't replace the molding until I fix the wiper arm problem. I would tighten it and it would just come back a loose. Also Im in need of A/C heater actuator doors or arms attention also. I look forward to pictures of your baby's new birth!!! Man you are the BOOM DOT COM!!!
Oh I'm also replacing the headliner to newer suede look!
Peace!
Good thing you don't need anything done to your linkage. Do you know if the AC/Heater actuators and vent door opening problem can be serviced without having to take the dash out?
Painted hinges, parking sensors, blindspot sensors and rear quarter vents. Those are typically black but the plastic was fading so I painted them body color.
Last edited by Kobzarhomes; Jun 17, 2017 at 11:39 PM.
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