Scottwax
07-28-2009, 10:16 PM
Got a call from a coworker of a customer of mine (the black C5 Corvette and black Porsche Cayenne S I posted last fall) who just bought a low mileage Mercedes E350 from CarMax. He said he wanted the buffer "lines" removed. Based on previous cars I have done after CarMax has got their hands on them and some I`ve seen posted here, I knew it would be a long day. He also wanted the interior cleaned, said they didn`t do a good job on that either.
Lovely weather, not a cloud in the sky and about 105 for the high, did all the polishing in the full sun.
As expected, it wasn`t pretty:
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_before1.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_before2.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_before3.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_before4.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_before5.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_before6.jpg
Since the paint was PPG Ceramiclear (C paint code), I thought I`d have to go pretty hard into the paint. However, I always like to start somewhere in the middle before I go right to a compound. Meguiars #205 using a yellow Meguiars polishing pad at 1400-1600 rpms (finishing under light pressure at 1000 rpms) really did a great job, not only on the holograms but the light to moderate spider swirls. In a few areas I had to use a compound, I tried a sample from a company that probably won`t release what I used (some dusting issues) but it did do a number on the deeper swirls. I then used 3M Ultrafina with the blue Ultrafina pad at 1000-1800-1000 rpms. I then went to grab lunch and let the sun bake out any oils that might have been left behind.
This was after using the test compound (mostly on the hood) and #205 only.
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_after1.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_after2.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_after3.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_after4.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_after5.jpg
I took these after polishing (compound, #205, UF) and letting the car sit in the sun and before I waxed it.
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_after6.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_after7.jpg
I then pulled the car into the shade to apply and remove Clearkote`s Carnauba Moose Wax and clean the glass with Quikshine.
Final shots:
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_front1.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_frontend1.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_backend1.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_rear1.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_side1.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_frontend2.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_hood1.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_frontend3.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_flake1.jpg
Lovely weather, not a cloud in the sky and about 105 for the high, did all the polishing in the full sun.
As expected, it wasn`t pretty:
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_before1.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_before2.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_before3.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_before4.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_before5.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_before6.jpg
Since the paint was PPG Ceramiclear (C paint code), I thought I`d have to go pretty hard into the paint. However, I always like to start somewhere in the middle before I go right to a compound. Meguiars #205 using a yellow Meguiars polishing pad at 1400-1600 rpms (finishing under light pressure at 1000 rpms) really did a great job, not only on the holograms but the light to moderate spider swirls. In a few areas I had to use a compound, I tried a sample from a company that probably won`t release what I used (some dusting issues) but it did do a number on the deeper swirls. I then used 3M Ultrafina with the blue Ultrafina pad at 1000-1800-1000 rpms. I then went to grab lunch and let the sun bake out any oils that might have been left behind.
This was after using the test compound (mostly on the hood) and #205 only.
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_after1.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_after2.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_after3.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_after4.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_after5.jpg
I took these after polishing (compound, #205, UF) and letting the car sit in the sun and before I waxed it.
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_after6.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_after7.jpg
I then pulled the car into the shade to apply and remove Clearkote`s Carnauba Moose Wax and clean the glass with Quikshine.
Final shots:
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_front1.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_frontend1.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_backend1.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_rear1.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_side1.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_frontend2.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_hood1.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_frontend3.jpg
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/data/500/34662008_Mercedes_E350_flake1.jpg