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View Full Version : Mercedes CL 500 after sale clean up


Apollo_Auto
04-16-2009, 02:46 PM
Hi all! This is a car that the Ferrari dealership took in as a trade and the new owner requested that it be polished and cleaned up before delivery. I never really liked Mercs too much but this thing is awesome; comfort and luxury to the highest extent! Anyway, when I arrived in the morning I asked the shop manager where the car was and he replied, "They`re downstairs washing it." I sprinted downstairs like Michael Jackson with his hair on fire, but I was too late... they`d already "washed" it and then got nasty with it and a waterblade and a chamois. Now, I myself will use a waterblade if I`m about to polish the car (makes no sense to soil clean towels if you`re about to polish it), but I also know the damage that it`s capable of so I`m careful with it... they obviously don`t care if they damage cars or not with it (or in any other way for that matter). Anyhoo, the car was then taken upstairs and I clayed it then did a wipedown with some water and a MF.



Picking up the scratches and swirls on this car was almost impossible because I had to fight the fluorescent lamps above me and the sunlight on my side. The paint wasn`t in very bad condition, but it had several scuffs on it in different places that almost looked like it had been wet sanded. Other than that, it had the expected light swirls and some RIDS. The polishing was done with InstaFinish #15 and a cutting pad, followed by InstaFinish #30 and a finishing pad. I did a little experiment this time with wear and tear on my pads. I`ve been using my "altered" version of the Zenith method meaning that instead of progressively higher speeds and then trickling back down, I progressively use more pressure to achieve the same effect. I used the conventional method this time, spreading at 600, up to 900 then to 1,200 and then back down in the reverse order. I proved to have the same amount of wear and tear on the pads as my modified version of it, so I guess I`ll just continue using my version of it :). OK so here`s the pics!



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_1.jpg



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_2.jpg



Here`s one of the "wet sanding" looking scuffs I was talking about.



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_3.jpg



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_4.jpg



Hard to see, because of the car`s color and the lighting, but there`s scratches there :).



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_5.jpg



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_6.jpg



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_7.jpg



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_8.jpg



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_9.jpg



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_10.jpg



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_11.jpg



And I thought the finishes coming from Ferrari were terrible... the car had blotchy, dark spots in a few places where the paint wasn`t mixed correctly... pfft.



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_12.jpg



Mercedes must consider fish eyes a delicacy because this thing was packed with more of them than Sea World... I lost count of them... really.



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_13.jpg



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_14.jpg



The paint was very inconsistent also, with readings around the 230`s in some places, but then dropping down to the low hundreds in others.



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_15.jpg



Hmm, looks like the same "skin disease" that was on the Ferrari California I did... meaning, they forgot to spray that part with clear. The Skoda Fabia I polished today had a paint job on it that puts this to shame... and that`s a shame.



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_16.jpg



Lubed up with Migliore Primo. There was a bit of resistance when removing this wax the last time and then I figured out that I was spreading it way too thick... and "thick" was 3 very light pats on top of the wax for the entire hood of a 599 GTB... a little of this stuff goes a loooooooooong way. One light pat on top of the wax was enough to cover the entire hood of this boat and it came off much easier this time :)!



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_17.jpg



Tail lights before



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_18.jpg



After polished with InstaFinish #30 and a finishing pad. These weren`t as sensitive as most of the other lamps I`ve done.



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_19.jpg



Another after, but there were some deeper scuffs that remained. I didn`t see any point in removing the factory UV protection in its entirety just to take out a light scratch.



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_20.jpg



All done!



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_21.jpg



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_22.jpg



There`s a small scuff on the front wing here that I caught after taking this picture. Like I said, the light and the color of this car made it very difficult to remove the imperfections, but at least I caught it in the end.



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_23.jpg



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_24.jpg



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_25.jpg



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_26.jpg



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_27.jpg



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_28.jpg



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_29.jpg



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_30.jpg



Remember what I said about this car being luxurious and comfortable? There`s a friggin` refrigerator in the trunk!!



http://apolloauto.hu/images/cl500_31.jpg



Thanks for reading and for the Playboy subscribers thanks for "reading"!



- Jesse
mburns813
04-16-2009, 02:59 PM
Great write up.

So you really like the Migliore Primo? I need some new nice wax after I run out of Zymol Titanium and I was looking at Chemical Guys 5050 but I would like to know about it.
Apollo_Auto
04-16-2009, 03:04 PM
Great write up.

So you really like the Migliore Primo? I need some new nice wax after I run out of Zymol Titanium and I was looking at Chemical Guys 5050 but I would like to know about it.



Thanks! I still love my CG 50/50, but I prefer Primo over that... it`s like wearing a Breitling, you KNOW it`s there. CG is much easier to apply and remove but the extra little effort Migliore needs is well worth it. Go for it!
RaskyR1
04-16-2009, 03:15 PM
Nice work! That`s a pretty cool looking car! I dig the exhaust tips! :bigups
maesal
04-16-2009, 03:23 PM
Great work mate !!
mburns813
04-16-2009, 03:45 PM
Thanks! I still love my CG 50/50, but I prefer Primo over that... it`s like wearing a Breitling, you KNOW it`s there. CG is much easier to apply and remove but the extra little effort Migliore needs is well worth it. Go for it!



OK thanks, I`m glad you`ve used both. What are the differences? How hard or easy are Primo and 5050 to apply and remove. In comparison to JetSeal 109 if you`ve used that, or say Zymol Cleaner Wax.



Thanks
Barry Theal
04-16-2009, 04:22 PM
very nice jesse!! good job as always man
autoconcierge
04-16-2009, 06:32 PM
Jesse, me thinks with the Lorinser body parts added that the flaws you pointed out was not factory induced, I have never seen fisheyes and mottling on a factory benz finish to this point, the flaws were aftermarket had to be with the crazy readings on PDG.



Great correction on the desert silver color which to me is very similar to Ferrari "grigio ingrid".:bigups
757motoring
04-16-2009, 08:59 PM
Jesse, me thinks with the Lorinser body parts added that the flaws you pointed out was not factory induced, I have never seen fisheyes and mottling on a factory benz finish to this point, the flaws were aftermarket had to be with the crazy readings on PDG.



Great correction on the desert silver color which to me is very similar to Ferrari "grigio ingrid".:bigups



Was thinking the same thing I seen these cars sprayed down both sides by the time they put on the full body kit with fenders.



Very good detail
Vintage
04-16-2009, 09:10 PM
"Here`s one of the "wet sanding" looking scuffs I was talking about. "





Not sure if this is how it got those but here`s how my friend`s car got his . . . he saw me claying my car and one day decides he wants to try a section of his car while I did mine. He grabbed a more aggressive clay bar (Sonus Block) and did the whole rear deck lid of his Camry. After a wipedown and wash, he got exactly what you described.



Great job on the car!:goodjob
Apollo_Auto
04-20-2009, 12:16 PM
OK thanks, I`m glad you`ve used both. What are the differences? How hard or easy are Primo and 5050 to apply and remove. In comparison to JetSeal 109 if you`ve used that, or say Zymol Cleaner Wax.



Thanks



The Primo has much more resistance to it when removing, but when applied thinly (and I mean very THINLY) it`s really not an issue. I wouldn`t even compare these 2 waxes though. I love 50/50, but it`s mostly synthetic and leaves a really "slick" feel to it, while the Primo (as far as I know) is all (or at least the greater part of it) is natural. I also wouldn`t put JetSeal or any other liquid wax/sealant in the same category as Primo... no comparison.




Jesse, me thinks with the Lorinser body parts added that the flaws you pointed out was not factory induced, I have never seen fisheyes and mottling on a factory benz finish to this point, the flaws were aftermarket had to be with the crazy readings on PDG.



Great correction on the desert silver color which to me is very similar to Ferrari "grigio ingrid".:bigups



Thanks Bob! Do they respray the entire car?? The fish eyes that I saw were EVERYWHERE, not just around the body kits... Dunno, I think this paint job was right up there with the F cars I`ve seen...




"Here`s one of the "wet sanding" looking scuffs I was talking about. "





Not sure if this is how it got those but here`s how my friend`s car got his . . . he saw me claying my car and one day decides he wants to try a section of his car while I did mine. He grabbed a more aggressive clay bar (Sonus Block) and did the whole rear deck lid of his Camry. After a wipedown and wash, he got exactly what you described.



Great job on the car!:goodjob



Thanks Vintage! I could see a clay bar doing that to a soft Camry paint, but on a ceramic... that would have to be some pretty hard grinding to achieve that... also, it`s a Hungarian car and besides Bence, I`m about the only person in the country that uses clay... good for me :).
backwoods_lex
04-20-2009, 10:24 PM
I sprinted downstairs like Michael Jackson with his hair on fire, but I was too late...



Mercedes must consider fish eyes a delicacy because this thing was packed with more of them than Sea World... I lost count of them... really.



Thanks for reading and for the Playboy subscribers thanks for "reading"!



Funny stuff there.



Sweet car and good work as always!