MY19 Launch Schedule




Dealer sent me pics, I knew it was going to be dirty, but I had to see her!
The Best of Mercedes & AMG




i was also quoted in my country at €7600 + taxes for full Xpel Stealth wrap and ceramic coating. pretty steep. here they seem to be taking advantage of being the only shop in hundreads of miles doing this...
there is no way to justify these prices. why? because so many shops are doing it for $4k to $6k. and they do it using plotter and templates, not manual cuts. so it's BS if they come saying that they do a very professional job, with minimal tucking behind panels, etc. many are doing it also and not charging so much.
also, the less they remove panels and stuff the better. everytime you remove stuff you risk breaking something or inducing rattles.
on an Xpeal Stealth over a glossy paint there will always be some parts that will not be covered but they'll only be spotted close to the car, if you don't want to have the PPF tuck under panels and subject to stretching.
I get the less is more view, but I spoke with 3-4 other people and they all indicated there would be panel gaps noticeable at 2-3 feet. Some even recommended scuffing the clear coat to get a better blend. I took the path of more work (remove parts, hand cut PPF when necessary), higher cost and maybe higher risk (cut paint) for hopefully a better, more seamless finished product. It better look freakin' fantastic though.
i was also quoted in my country at €7600 + taxes for full Xpel Stealth wrap and ceramic coating. pretty steep. here they seem to be taking advantage of being the only shop in hundreads of miles doing this...
there is no way to justify these prices. why? because so many shops are doing it for $4k to $6k. and they do it using plotter and templates, not manual cuts. so it's BS if they come saying that they do a very professional job, with minimal tucking behind panels, etc. many are doing it also and not charging so much.
also, the less they remove panels and stuff the better. everytime you remove stuff you risk breaking something or inducing rattles.
on an Xpeal Stealth over a glossy paint there will always be some parts that will not be covered but they'll only be spotted close to the car, if you don't want to have the PPF tuck under panels and subject to stretching.
Thanks
After waiting 8 months whats a few more days?
Cheers
Mine was delivered to Baltimore VPC @ first week of July and to the dealer this Sat.
Last edited by KarlG; Nov 26, 2018 at 08:39 PM.
can't see the difference. will need to take another picture of a obsidian black and compare to yours side by side
I'm waiting for confirmation whether or not it actually was touched. They're on red alert.




I'm waiting for confirmation whether or not it actually was touched. They're on red alert.
You are a crazy lunatic. And I too am a crazy lunatic. I have a full-page printed sheet instructing the dealer NOT to apppy any product, apply any tire shine, don’t do this, don’t do that upon vehicle purchase. I’ve got printed sheets for various different scenarios having to do with my cars.
BUT: at the end of the day, these Mercedes dealers know how to do things pretty much only one way. The way they know how. They don’t cater to “special” people like us. This isn’t a specialty brand. It’s a mass produced brand.
I get mad when the dealer doesn’t follow my instructions. It really makes me wonder, “How hard is it to NOT do the things I ask you not to do? It’s less work.”
But after reflection, the tire shine that was on my tires didn’t ruin my life. People have way worse problems. The fact that my instructions weren’t followed didn’t destroy my car or destroy my life. The car isn’t an actual baby. It’s not a human baby. It’s a disposable machine. Yes, people like us want the car to be virgin from the moment it arrives at the dealer. But even with the tire shine on it with 7 miles on the odometer, I decided the car was still extremely new and has a long life ahead of it under my crazy lunatic custody.
I hope you will be able to enjoy this car. You’ve waited way too long to allow somebody to steal your anticipation these past 10 months and your future enjoyment over a hand car wash. The car was washed by hand. So what. It’s not damaged. If there are swirl marks, then you should take a trip down to the port and see the things they do there! I would bet money your car is just fine; and any swirl marks which may upset you can be easily rectified.
I really hope you will be able to choose to take this car, and in no way do I diminish your wants, needs, preferences, or prerogative to do and think what’s best for you. I’m just trying to sway you with some reflection because the car you have waited for is one of the finest machines on earth, and I wouldn’t want to see you regret passing on the vehicle.
All the best and good luck with this situation.
Last edited by 348SStb; Nov 26, 2018 at 10:24 PM.
I'm waiting for confirmation whether or not it actually was touched. They're on red alert.
Here's why this is a big deal. Late last year I took delivery of a brand new SQ5. I had major plans for the car and tens of thousands in Euro parts lying around. The car spent two months in service due to various issues. The car was "hand washed" multiple times during their custody (despite "NO WASH" being stamped everywhere) and looked 10 years old by the time I picked it up. I negotiated with the dealer and Audi to cover multiple stage paint correction. It took almost 24 hours to undo what their incompetence introduced. So great! Paint looked good. Then it had to go back. And was re-delivered to me in the same swirly condition. After the second round of correction, the paint burned and the car needed a respray. Audi bought it back. (And likely only because I was a senior manager for them, previously, and had Scott Keogh on speed dial.)
I do not want to go through this again. That's why I was clear. I would collect the car, install the Euro goodies with my tech friend at the shop, and then truck it to detailing for Ceramic Pro and PPF. Done.
Let's see what they say.
I don’t want to start an altercation with my comments. I want to help and share some advice which you may find useful.
You are a crazy lunatic. And I too am a crazy lunatic. I have a full-page printed sheet instructing the dealer NOT to apppy any product, apply any tire shine, don’t do this, don’t do that upon vehicle purchase. I’ve got printed sheets for various different scenarios having to do with my cars.
BUT: at the end of the day, these Mercedes dealers know how to do things pretty much only one way. The way they know how. They don’t cater to “special” people like us. This isn’t a specialty brand. It’s a mass produced brand.
I get mad when the dealer doesn’t follow my instructions. It really makes me wonder, “How hard is it to NOT do the things I ask you not to do? It’s less work.”




Maybe you work at a smaller dealer. Maybe you don’t. But at large dealers that have multiple buildings, salespeople cannot easily control what goes on at the other buildings. They neither have the time nor the managerial clout to do so with 100% success. The best they can do is tell everybody they know verbally and also send and establish written notices and continue to do so before their message becomes ignored due to perception of being annoying. My salesperson *and* my delivery representative did their best to avoid some things that were requested by me. But these large dealers have 7-8 cooks in the same kitchen, and that’s the problem.
Thanks for being a conscientious salesperson, but I’m not very wrong.
Maybe you work at a smaller dealer. Maybe you don’t. But at large dealers that have multiple buildings, salespeople cannot easily control what goes on at the other buildings. They neither have the time nor the managerial clout to do so with 100% success. The best they can do is tell everybody they know verbally and also send and establish written notices and continue to do so before their message becomes ignored due to perception of being annoying. My salesperson *and* my delivery representative did their best to avoid some things that were requested by me. But these large dealers have 7-8 cooks in the same kitchen, and that’s the problem.
Worse, another tech already made a Facebook post using pics of my car as a kind of for sale advertisement. Dude. It’s mine. Not yours. I get to post it. Not you.



