E420 (rough interior), G37s, Sienna

Scottwax · 05-12-09, 05:10

1997 Mercedes E420. Somehow has become the family beater of sorts. The son has a pretty heavily built Camaro which gets horrible mileage, so the parents let him drive the E420. Their daughter drives it too, plus whenever they take their dogs anywhere, they pile into it as well.

The main focus was the interior. I used Woolite/water to clean the leather and vinyl and BioKleen Traffic Lane Cleaner for the carpets and mats. The color variations between some of the before and afters had to do with the combination of hazy sunshine and passing clouds.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Halfway clean:

All clean:

Before:

After (black dot is a cigarette burn):

The car had been in a few minor fender benders and other than the roof, had mostly new paint. The hood had some holograms that took Meguiars #105 via G110 using a yellow Meguiars polishing pad to remove, then the whole car was polished with Meguiars D151 and a yellow Meguiars polishing pad. The paint was sealed with Optimum Opti-Seal.

Scottwax · 05-12-09, 05:21

2008 Infiniti G37s. Overall it was in excellent condition, minimal cobwebbing, mostly on the hood. I used Meguiars #205 via G110 and a yellow Meguiars polishing pad after giving the car an ONR wash and claying with Opti-Clay. I went over the hood twice. Sealed the paint with Opti-Seal. The interior was cleaned the same way as the above E420, vinyl dressed with Optimum Protectant Plus and the leather with Leather Master's Leather Vital.

By the time I finished the G37s and their '06 Sienna, there wasn't anywhere to put the car in the driveway where it would be in the full sun unless I put it half in and half out of the garage, so you get shade pics...

I also detailed their 2006 Toyota Sienna (as mentioned above), good thing they were both basic (one polishing step) details, took 9 hours as it was! Same polish/sealant as the G37s. Suprisingly swirl free too, usually minivans are trashed.

maxepr1 · 05-12-09, 05:30

Nice work Scott , I think you sold me on Opti-seal!! Any LSP on or is that it?

ajnavo61490 · 05-12-09, 05:37

wow that interior pic of the G37 blew me away!!!

awesome as always Scott!!

bufferbarry · 05-12-09, 06:53

very nice work scott, i really liked that g35 shot of the hood with the reflection! always outstanding!

Scottwax · 05-12-09, 08:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxepr1

Nice work Scott , I think you sold me on Opti-seal!! Any LSP on or is that it?

Opti-Seal is the LSP. Not big on topping. If you have to top a product to get the best look, you might want to use something else.

OS looks great on its own, has good durability and the wipe on and done application is a huge time saver when doing large or multiple vehicles.

craigdt · 05-12-09, 08:36

Nice work Scott.

Particularly on the G37. Id love to get my hands on one of those...

artikxscout · 05-12-09, 10:22

looks great Scott. Keep up the good work.

AppliedColors · 05-14-09, 10:03

Great work.

A note on the cigarette burn. Use a razor to shave off a wad of carpet from under one of the seats (any inconspicuous place will do). Drop some Elmer's glue into the burn hole, then drop in the carpet shavings. Looks 80% improved.

charlesaferg · 05-14-09, 10:12

Great turnaround!

I've got to say, though, that E420 isn't that rough inside. You're just spoiled.

toyotaguy · 05-14-09, 10:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppliedColors

Great work.

A note on the cigarette burn. Use a razor to shave off a wad of carpet from under one of the seats (any inconspicuous place will do). Drop some Elmer's glue into the burn hole, then drop in the carpet shavings. Looks 80% improved.

Nice tip!!! Ill have to try that one out next time

Scottwax · 05-14-09, 05:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by charlesaferg

Great turnaround!

I've got to say, though, that E420 isn't that rough inside. You're just spoiled.

Too bad I didn't have time to take pictures of the Exploder I did yesterday (had a little over 5 hours to detail it inside and out!). Makes that E420 look showroom new!

AppliedColors-I've heard about that method. The only problem is the carpet in the car and the carpet used for the mats is different. Not only in color but in density. Not sure if there is any way around that.