Mercedes GL450, Porsche Carrera

Scottwax · 10-24-08, 08:56

I've been taking care of both cars since new, detail the Porsche 6-7 times a year, the GL about half that. Haven't seen the Porsche in a few months though. He leased a Lexus for his wife and started driving the GL and put the Porsche in storage.

I was suprised how clean the interior of the GL was since he does pick up his kids in it pretty regularly (he and his wife have a law office and one of them picks up the kids each day) and he drives it out to his deer lease too. The outside wasn't bad other than bug guts all over the front end and the typical black Mercedes wheels from the brake dust. I had deep polished it in May after he got it back from the body shop (typical swirls) and the paint was still 90-95% swirl free. After an ONR wash and spot claying, I put on 2 coats of Optimum Opti-Seal. Pretty easy detail overall, no need to go nuts with eleventy billion pictures.

Scottwax · 10-24-08, 09:10

The Porsche was even cleaner. He may have driven it 3-4 times total since I detailed it earlier this summer. The barrels of the wheels were still clean and I know the place he has it washed at doesn't clean them, neither does the dealer so it was obvious the car has seen little use since the last detail. Unfortunately, while it was in storage, a box either fell on the hood or was dragged across it, leaving a plethora of scratches I had the worst time trying to pick up on camera. This is the only picture I took that even remotely shows them. In person they were significantly more obvious. The thin sun line you see with the horizontal marks is what the scratches were like, only several inches long, horizontally across the hood in several areas.

I started off with the new Optimum Polish using a yellow Meguiars polishing pad and while it was doing a great job on the light spider swirls, it was slow go on the actual scratches. I bumped it up to Meguiars #105 using yellow Meguiars polishing pad at 1200 rpm, finishing at 1000 rpm. Took 4-5 passes (cleaning the pad and adding more #105 each pass) to get the scratches out. What amazed me is how nearly utterly free of holograms this left in the hood. The only faint ones I could even see where when I buffed across the front of the hood. I then followed with Optimum Polish v2 using a yellow Meguiars polishing pad at 1400 rpm, finishing at 1000 rpm. I then switched to a blue Propel finishing pad (again with OP v2) at 1000 rpms. Took out about 98% of the scratches.

He just wanted a basic detail otherwise but after seeing how the hood turned out, next time I detail it he wants me to get the paint as perfect as possible. Now that it isn't a daily driver, once fully deep polished out, the car should stay in that condition for quite a while.

After taking care of the hood, I then went over the whole car with Wolfgang Fuzion. Interior just needed light cleaning (mats with BioKleen Traffic Lane Cleaner) and protection (Optimum Protectant Plus on the vinyl, Leather Master Leather Vital on the leather).

gtpaul · 10-24-08, 09:20

Well done Scott, the Porsche looks great.

Kmhawaiidh · 10-24-08, 09:27

Nice! Looks good.

Denzil · 10-25-08, 12:34

Looking great there Scott!

tdekany · 10-25-08, 10:38

I love seeing your results. Both look very glossy.

I saw the exact same GL just like this one earlier today. What a beautiful truck.

Cleaning Fool · 10-25-08, 12:06

I really like how Opti-Seal looks on white paint..Nice work

BuffMe · 10-25-08, 12:38

Both look great. I'm not really digging the leather conditioner used, though. It looks a bit greasy. Obviously it could be pictures, but you're pretty good about capturing everything exactly how it is.

Scottwax · 10-25-08, 03:04

Trust me, Leather Vital is anything but greasy. I had a hard time getting good interior shots with the way the light was coming in through the windshield, the whole interior looks a lot darker that that IRL.

Frito Bandito · 10-25-08, 03:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scottwax

Pretty easy detail overall, no need to go nuts with eleventy billion pictures.

Thank you! I can't even read some C&Bs anymore because of all the pictures I have to scroll through.

Great work!

Scottwax · 10-25-08, 05:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frito Bandito

Thank you! I can't even read some C&Bs anymore because of all the pictures I have to scroll through.

Great work!

I hear ya! How many before shots of the same panel do you really need? I get it, the paint is hammered!

lt1_man · 10-26-08, 08:00

Nice job, those seats on the Porsche don't even look like they have been sat in.

Brandon