New car... polish or not?

I have a new Mercedes on order that will be finished in obsidian black. Will I benefit using aat 502 finishing polish after taking delivery or better just using a high quality wax from the start? Can a da polisher be used with this product? All recommendations considered and appreciated... thanks in advance.

tell the dealer not to touch it
leave the protective film on it

take it to a good detailer
let him do it
a little touch up polishing may be required
imo a coating is the way to go

I have an AMG c63s in basic black
hard to take care of
but looks great
yours being metallic will be a little easier

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Originally Posted by whytlotus

I have a new Mercedes on order that will be finished in obsidian black. Will I benefit using aat 502 finishing polish after taking delivery or better just using a high quality wax from the start? Can a da polisher be used with this product? All recommendations considered and appreciated... thanks in advance.

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Welcome to the Forum, whytlotus !

Congrats on such a beautiful car - what model ?

To answer your question, tell us what your experience level is with that 3D AAT502 Finishing Polish and the Random Orbital model you are going to use..
Do you have lots of pads? What brand, color, and size ?

In my experiences with lots of Black Mercedes vehicles, their paint is pretty darn hard ..

I use only Rotary Power with correct compounds and polishes actually made by Menzerna and other German manufacturers, for Mercedes paint and never have an issue..
There are probably a lot of other products that work well and some of the guys here will chime in on them..

I have never used 3D AAT 502 finishing polish, so cannot comment on that, but will do research and see what I can find out about it..

Hopefully, the people who sold you the Mercedes have people who know how to deliver it to you in Flawless Condition, so all you have to do then is think about what to put on it to help keep it protected..

It is black and coming from decades of many personal black vehicles, and Detailed hundreds more, the most important thing you can do to it is to not touch it as much as possible, and then when you have to , it needs to be a really good car wash soap that is very slippery and maybe leaves a little protection on there..

Drying it is where a lot of defects can also be put into the paint that will show up, so I only use a Metro Master Blaster to get as much water as possible off the car with the air, and then use a good QD like Optimum Opti-Seal sprayed on a very soft, clean microfiber to gently get whatever little tiny droplets are left..
Opti-Seal at Store here --- https://www.autopia-carcare.com/opti...l#.WpoKFmpzb3g

Good luck with the Delivery of your new car !!!
Hope it all goes well !
Dan F

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Originally Posted by Stokdgs

Welcome to the Forum, whytlotus !

Congrats on such a beautiful car - what model ?

To answer your question, tell us what your experience level is with that 3D AAT502 Finishing Polish and the Random Orbital model you are going to use..
Do you have lots of pads? What brand, color, and size ?

In my experiences with lots of Black Mercedes vehicles, their paint is pretty darn hard ..

I use only Rotary Power with correct compounds and polishes actually made by Menzerna and other German manufacturers, for Mercedes paint and never have an issue..
There are probably a lot of other products that work well and some of the guys here will chime in on them..

I have never used 3D AAT 502 finishing polish, so cannot comment on that, but will do research and see what I can find out about it..

Hopefully, the people who sold you the Mercedes have people who know how to deliver it to you in Flawless Condition, so all you have to do then is think about what to put on it to help keep it protected..

It is black and coming from decades of many personal black vehicles, and Detailed hundreds more, the most important thing you can do to it is to not touch it as much as possible, and then when you have to , it needs to be a really good car wash soap that is very slippery and maybe leaves a little protection on there..

Drying it is where a lot of defects can also be put into the paint that will show up, so I only use a Metro Master Blaster to get as much water as possible off the car with the air, and then use a good QD like Optimum Opti-Seal sprayed on a very soft, clean microfiber to gently get whatever little tiny droplets are left..
Opti-Seal at Store here --- https://www.autopia-carcare.com/opti...l#.WpoKFmpzb3g

Good luck with the Delivery of your new car !!!
Hope it all goes well !
Dan F

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It`s an AMG C63S coupe. Goes into production next week. No experience with 3D ATT Finishing polish and I use a Porter Cable 7424 polisher. Used it on a car I had to get rid of scratches. Very pleased with the results. I haven`t discussed with them about their pre-delivery prep, but plan to do so very soon. I doubt I would meet my approve.

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Originally Posted by artm3

tell the dealer not to touch it
leave the protective film on it

take it to a good detailer
let him do it
a little touch up polishing may be required
imo a coating is the way to go

I have an AMG c63s in basic black
hard to take care of
but looks great
yours being metallic will be a little easier

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That`s what I ordered... a C63S coupe. I was also considering a coating/ sealant, but whatever I do, I plan on doing it myself.

The basic answer to your question is YES, you should polish it if it needs to be polished. If the level of defects doesn`t cross your personal threshold of what you consider ok, then don`t polish. Save the clear coat.

Most new cars sit in dealer inventory for a while, outside, with the birds and the rain and the lot boy with his red shop rag wiping off the morning dew. Those cars always need a polish.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by whytlotus

It`s an AMG C63S coupe. Goes into production next week. No experience with 3D ATT Finishing polish and I use a Porter Cable 7424 polisher. Used it on a car I had to get rid of scratches. Very pleased with the results. I haven`t discussed with them about their pre-delivery prep, but plan to do so very soon. I doubt I would meet my approve.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by whytlotus

It`s an AMG C63S coupe. Goes into production next week. No experience with 3D ATT Finishing polish and I use a Porter Cable 7424 polisher. Used it on a car I had to get rid of scratches. Very pleased with the results. I haven`t discussed with them about their pre-delivery prep, but plan to do so very soon. I doubt I would meet my approve.

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Whytlotus ---
Oh, that is a very beautiful Mercedes !! Love those AMG models -

I Detailed a Jet Black E63 AMG for a Doctor once, and it was so scratched up, he thought he was going to have to get a new one... :)
When I was finished, it looked so great, he was so thrilled that he didn`t have to go buy another one, he gave me a great tip...

Sounds like you are confident in your ability with the machine and have already removed defects, so go do it !

I read up on 3D AAT502 and looked at a friends website who uses 3D all the time and he makes paint look outstanding with 3D, so I would have to say that the product appears to be a good one and you should have similar results..

Mercedes will still have harder paint than most others, so look out for that if it becomes an issue..

Pad rotation is the name of the game, whatever machine or product is used; I would run that Porter Cable all the way up to 6, if I had to use one..

Enjoy that beautiful C63S Coupe !
Dan F

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Originally Posted by Stokdgs

Whytlotus ---
Oh, that is a very beautiful Mercedes !! Love those AMG models -

I Detailed a Jet Black E63 AMG for a Doctor once, and it was so scratched up, he thought he was going to have to get a new one... :)
When I was finished, it looked so great, he was so thrilled that he didn`t have to go buy another one, he gave me a great tip...

Sounds like you are confident in your ability with the machine and have already removed defects, so go do it !

I read up on 3D AAT502 and looked at a friends website who uses 3D all the time and he makes paint look outstanding with 3D, so I would have to say that the product appears to be a good one and you should have similar results..

Mercedes will still have harder paint than most others, so look out for that if it becomes an issue..

Pad rotation is the name of the game, whatever machine or product is used; I would run that Porter Cable all the way up to 6, if I had to use one..

Enjoy that beautiful C63S Coupe !
Dan F

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Thanks.. I`m also looking at another company that appears to supply Mercedes with products. Either way I know it will shine.

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Originally Posted by WaxAddict

The basic answer to your question is YES, you should polish it if it needs to be polished. If the level of defects doesn`t cross your personal threshold of what you consider ok, then don`t polish. Save the clear coat.

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This is my first thought too. It all depends on the caliber of the detailed at the dealer and your personal eye/threshold for defects. Most often it seems that even at high end dealers the detailers are focused on production work vs the level you see done by members here.

While your car is being made, I’d take that chance to go to the dealer and see other cars that are up front for delivery to the client (not just cars sitting on the lot getting pressure washed and wiped down). See what you think of the paint condition. You could also ask the staff what products they’re using - often it seems they’ll use a product focused on filling defects instead of providing long term protection. Your car will look great for a few washes, then the true state of the paint will be apparent. If you find out what they’re using, let us know! I’m sure someone here would be able to tell you what to expect.

The dream (well, my dream anyway) is to take delivery without having their detailers touch the car, then you do all aspects of correcting, protecting, and dressing to your liking. It all just depends on your time, skill/comfort level, and equipment/products you have on hand.

whytlotus- Welcome to Autopia! I`d sure put on your "most critical judge" hat when looking at examples of anybody`s work. Heh heh, I can probably count on my fingers the number of unmarred new vehicles I`ve seen over the last 40-some years. There`s a good reason why so many of us here will only accept new vehicles that are "still in the wrapper"..even letting a dealership remove the transit-wrap is fraught with risk.

Wonder if MB still uses ValuGard stuff like back during the DC days (thanks to Ketch, I got some ValuGard products with Diamler-Chrysler labeling gratis after they split up).

FWIW, I`ve never been all that impressed by whatever products a manufacturer "officially sanctions"...some have been OK (e.g., a few of the ValuGard products, and lots of German makers touted/hawked P21s stuff over the years), while some have been..well, not so great. Those choices are based on all sorts of factors that might not be relevant to DIY detailers. Other than the ValuGard ABC system and their Rust Inhibitor, and a few Wurth products, I doubt I use *anything* that the OEMs sanction.

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Originally Posted by MichaelPomp

If you are serious about your new car, you need a premium glass coating. Xtreme9h is the highest certified endurance protection for your vehicle’s paint, glass, and wheels. One application of the Xtreme9h line is all you need to keep your car shining and protected for up to five years.


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So how does it work?
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If you want to learn more, check out https://xtreme9h.com/

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Originally Posted by BudgetPlan1

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He`s a spammer posting something similar in another thread.

Welcome to Autopia! Prior to polishing make sure to decontaminate your paint with an iron-x type of product. Even brand new cars can be victims of industrial fallout. It’s a cheap insurance policy to make your paint as smooth as possible prior to claying and polishing. Enjoy the new ride!

Black cars need a polish, then a coating.....so much easier to take care of.......