1300 Miles: Mercedes S430

**Holden_C04** · 01-09-2009, 03:15 AM

As many of you know (those who read the Teaser of the Year! thread), I have recently traveled over 1300 miles to work on a few exotic and luxury vehicles. One of them has nearly 80 hrs invested into it. The owner of that vehicle referred the owner of this Mercedes S430 to me.

The Mercedes S-Class has been the Gold standard for the luxury automobile for decades. It is also the worldÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s best selling luxury flagship sedan. As the pre-eminent model in the range, Mercedes has introduced itsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ most advanced technology in its body. This particular model, the 2003 S430 (launched in 1999 as the W220 generation), debuted technology such as the Airmatic air suspension and Active Ventilated Seats. The W220 body also included a system which allowed the engine to turn off cylinders to conserve fuel Ã¢â‚¬â€œ far ahead of any other manufacturer (to my knowledge). The 2003 model also introduced an All Wheel Drive technology known as 4Matic.

This particular example was owned by a wonderful woman from New York who took great pride in owning such a wonderful machine. Since she was without a garage, the S430 would wear a car cover each night Ã¢â‚¬â€œ recently, she even bought an OEM cover from Mercedes and she showed me the stitching to be safe. Despite this, the finish of the paintwork was rough, almost like sandpaper. In fact, IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve probably spent more time claying this car than any other Ã¢â‚¬â€œ despite the fact it was merely a one-step correction.

The finish may look good from a distanceÃ¢â‚¬¦

but it`s needs some tender loving care!

I started with a pre-rinse to reduce the amount of debris, dirt, and contaminants abrading the surface during the washing process.

I started off washing with two pristine, five-gallon buckets, both with grit guards. Both were filled with clean water and the wash bucket received 5 oz of Optimum No Rinse - the recommended amount for optimal cleaning and lubricity.

For wash media, a Grout Sponge was chosen for its ability to release grit and wash solution. Only one picture is shown for the wash process. This is due to wet hands. :p

To clay, a fresh bar of Riccardo clay was removed from its box.

The plastic which protects it inside the box is removed and ready for use.

Here I am using Optimum No Rinse at clay lubricant dilution with a high quality, chemical-resistant sprayer.

It`s difficult to see but the following pictures show the level of contaminants removed from just the hood. In fact, the clay had to be re-molded at least 1/2 dozen times because of severe contaminant removal throughout the detail.

The next few shots show the quality of the finish after claying. It was substantially improved!

The paint was corrected using a Dewalt rotary, Black LC pads, and Menzerna PO85RD.

This photo shows a quirk about the house. There were some electrical "issues" and very few of the outlets worked. I had to go inside (passing the laundry room plugs which weren`t functional) and draw power basically from the front hall.

It should be fixed soon (at least I hope for their sake).

An upside-down bucket formed a great polishing seat for doing the doors, fenders, bumpers, and sideskirts. You can also see the great new microfibres I purchased from George @ DI. :up

It was a bit of an issue getting after-shots. There was virtually zero lighting (a wooded area which prevented moonlight) outside and the DSLR would not even attempt a shot. The lighting indoors yellowed the resulting photographs but I did my best to recover the original colours. They`re also a little out of focus as you can tell. Perhaps because it was too glossy? :chuckle:

**Holden_C04** · 01-09-2009, 03:23 AM

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. :heelclick

**Holden_C04** · 01-09-2009, 03:30 AM

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. :heelclick

**tom p.** · 01-09-2009, 06:29 AM

Nothing like a clean, stately Benz...I don`t care what model year it is.

Very nice, thanks for sharing. (BTW, this is a luv/hate color...I really like it. Benz has offered it in Europe for years in subtle variations. It seems to make an occassional appearance here in NAmerica.)

**tnforever** · 01-09-2009, 06:48 AM

Great work, fantastic outcome, but you need a steadier camera hand!

If you don`t mind me asking, what ar eyou using for a camera right now?

**tom p.** · 01-09-2009, 07:19 AM

...looks like the Canon Rebel XT.

Shutter speeds too low, some fotos underexposed, etc. Could use a faster lense. However, I`d focus on the job at hand, not how "correct" the pictures are. The pictures are a bonus.

**Holden_C04** · 01-09-2009, 05:52 PM

Originally Posted by tom p.

Nothing like a clean, stately Benz...I don`t care what model year it is.

Very nice, thanks for sharing. (BTW, this is a luv/hate color...I really like it. Benz has offered it in Europe for years in subtle variations. It seems to make an occassional appearance here in NAmerica.)

Thank you. I don`t mind the colour, actually. I think it suits the S-Class quite well.

Originally Posted by tnforever

Great work, fantastic outcome, but you need a steadier camera hand!

If you don`t mind me asking, what ar eyou using for a camera right now?

It`s a Canon EOS 350D. Lighting was the issue in the after-shots, not the camera. I guess I should also mention the 70 hours of work before I started this job. No rest for the weary. :hmph:

Originally Posted by tom p.

...looks like the Canon Rebel XT.

Shutter speeds too low, some fotos underexposed, etc. Could use a faster lense. However, I`d focus on the job at hand, not how "correct" the pictures are. The pictures are a bonus.

A lot of people forget that a detailer is a detailer first and foremost. Pictures are great but my first priority is always my client. Usually, I wouldn`t even post a 1-step correction on Autopia.

**Envious Eric** · 01-09-2009, 06:07 PM

looks like you didnt want to use the riccardo clay in that picture...."man, do I really want to use this one on this car?" hahaha

**Lumadar** · 01-09-2009, 07:24 PM

It looks like you mastered the art of "no eyes" claying :laugh:

From what I can see, looks like a nice job. :woot2:

I feel you on the pictures...I am in the middle of detailing my own car right now (quick break) and I can not get pics of the light swirls for the life of me. Tried everything...oh well. :bawling:

**imported_slicknickis3** · 01-09-2009, 08:55 PM

Believe it or not, General Motors was the first to produce a variable displacement engine (Cylinder Shut Off) way back in 1981.

It was in a Cadillac I believe, was called the V8-6-4.

I`m not saying it was successful, but they were the first.

**Thomas Dekany** · 01-09-2009, 10:21 PM

Great work!!!!!

However you do need a tripod. You can put the camera on it before you start the detail and you will get so much better pictures.

**Holden_C04** · 01-09-2009, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by toyotaguy

looks like you didnt want to use the riccardo clay in that picture...."man, do I really want to use this one on this car?" hahaha

:lol

Originally Posted by Lumadar

It looks like you mastered the art of "no eyes" claying :laugh:

From what I can see, looks like a nice job. :woot2:

I feel you on the pictures...I am in the middle of detailing my own car right now (quick break) and I can not get pics of the light swirls for the life of me. Tried everything...oh well. :bawling:

Thanks. I wasn`t too worried about taking pictures of swirls as it was just a single step polish. I actually finished this job in less than five hours which is pretty good considering how big it is and how contaminated the paint was. The biggest difference was from the clay - I can`t post texture on the internet but if I could, the difference would be astounding.

Originally Posted by slicknickis3

Believe it or not, General Motors was the first to produce a variable displacement engine (Cylinder Shut Off) way back in 1981.

It was in a Cadillac I believe, was called the V8-6-4.

I`m not saying it was successful, but they were the first.

Never knew that. I actually rhymed it off the top of my head so I am not surprised at least one company made it before Mercedes. Perhaps it`s the first successful system of its kind?

Originally Posted by tdekany

Great work!!!!!

However you do need a tripod. You can put the camera on it before you start the detail and you will get so much better pictures.

Thanks. How do you think I took those pictures of myself?

**Lumadar** · 01-10-2009, 12:59 AM

Originally Posted by Holden_C04

Thanks. I wasn`t too worried about taking pictures of swirls as it was just a single step polish. I actually finished this job in less than five hours which is pretty good considering how big it is and how contaminated the paint was. The biggest difference was from the clay - I can`t post texture on the internet but if I could, the difference would be astounding.

)

Wow, that`s fast! :shocked I`m doing a 1 step with M205 on my own little hatchback Focus and it`s taking me about 10 hours for the whole deal...I need to work faster!

**jtford95** · 01-10-2009, 03:41 AM

Great job. I like that color when it is done right!!!

**whitejavaS500** · 01-10-2009, 10:45 PM

Originally Posted by slicknickis3

Believe it or not, General Motors was the first to produce a variable displacement engine (Cylinder Shut Off) way back in 1981.

It was in a Cadillac I believe, was called the V8-6-4.

I`m not saying it was successful, but they were the first.

In addition to that, the Active Displacement on the W220 was only on 00-02 S600 V12`s, it was never on the 8`s.

Great job!