New car! what do I do?

[David CLK500]

Hey,



I`m the new kid. First post. I just bought a new Benz, brilliant silver. The dealer said he put clear coat protection (wax) on it. The car is a week old. Is that to soon to be waxing it? What to Y`all recomend I use? I don`t think I`m ready for an orbital buffer or anything like that. I would like to apply (possibly layer) a good protective finish.



Thanks for your help,

David







:scared

[JasonC8301]

Search the forum and archives.



Invest in the E-book. www.autopia-carcare.com



I believe your car is ready to be waxed, look at the build date, should be a few months old.



Jason



BTW, CLK500 are sweet! too bad I don`t have 100K+ to spend on a car.

[imported_Smoker]

A quick wipe over with a polish/paint cleaner then the topper of your choice would protect your investment and make it sparkle!



I would reccommend something like SEPC or AIO as the cleaner/polish topped with Ultimate Platinum Protection Sealant.



Simpler (and faster) options are S100 or Souveran paste waxes.

Both super easy to apply and look awesome.



(S100 will actually go on top of UPP as a `sacrificial layer` if you want to put that much work in.)

[Magellan498]

You let the dealer touch the paint? :scared



Well I am guessing they put minor swirls in along with the wax :( but maybe not, check it out. If so, do a search on swirl removal (you`ll get ALOT of info there).



You want to get the finish as perfect as possible now so it`ll be a breeze keeping up later.



Oh yea and :welcome to Autopia David CLK500! :D

[shaf]

Welcome to Autopia! :welcome



If the dealer (ugh! ;))already put something on the paint then there should be no need to hurry and wax it immediately. It should be good for a couple weeks at least I imagine. In the meantime you`ll want to read up on some basic car care techniques here at Autopia. The eBook is a great source and there should be interesting reading in the Member Articles forum and the Learn! link at the top. I suggest paying extra attention to WASHING you car properly since this is how people usually end up messing up their pristine paint.



And in the future I would recommend telling the dealership to never, ever wash the car during routine maintenance appointments.

[Accumulator]

David CLK500- Welcome to Autopia! I second all of 4DSC`s suggestions. WASHING AND DRYING a car really is the single most important process and it`s not quite as simple as one might think. As far as dealer-inflicted swirls, look the car over at night under artificial lighting, such as at gas stations and in parking lots. If anything untoward has happened, you`ll probably see it under those conditions.

[David CLK500]

Y`all are wonderful! Man, my wife thought I was bad. Y`all had me worried about swirl marks. Upon close inspection I see none. There is a slight film on it like maybe they did not get 100% of the wax off. I`m thinking about the Blackfire new car kit, and maybe a good brush and towels to get me off on the right foot. What do you think?



Thanks again,

David

(trying to get a real world education over the weekend!)

:bow

[rleven]

David,

I just pm`ed you. I just bought a CLK500 Cab due in Sept.

Bob

[David CLK500]

Never received PM. Your going to love your new CLK. I have had a few Beemers and a few Benz, but the CLK is my fav. by far. What do recomend for brilliant silver in the south?



David

[Accumulator]

David CLK500- I had a silver SEC back in the day and have silver Audis now. The BF would be a good choice, but you might want to look into the Platinum line. I`m about to switch to the PUPP next time I do the S8. Not that you`d go wrong with the BF, but it can leave a slight, smeary film and since you`ve already noticed such a thing, well....maybe consider the Platinum. Either product will look good on silver and hold up well down there (my wife`s from Memphis).



Opinions vary on the wash brush vs. wash mitt. I use a brush (make sure it`s 100% boar`s hair) on everything EXCEPT the S8 (it`s REALLY pampered). I DO use small boar`s hair brushes on EVERY car`s nooks and crannies- they`re available from Griot`s. Griot`s boar`s hair wheel brushes work well too (also great for the undercarriage).



Definitely get some waffle-weave MF`s to dry with (more than one).