Gurge
New member
Recently got a call from a client looking for Opti-Coat on his 2011 Mercedes E350 that was just purchased used. We agreed to a 2 step correction with Opti-Coat protection. Little did I know this would be a 15 hour project.
Before all of this the car was first brought to another detailer with the owner's intention of applying Opti-Coat 2.0 himself after the car was polished out. Things didn't quite go as planned and that's where I come in.
The prior detailer left behind a lot of swirls, buffer trails (holograms), leftover polish in the cracks, and polish splatter. So I had to do my best to cleanup their mess.
polish in the cracks
polish splatter on the wiper cowl
Started off with my usual wash & clay routine making sure to clean some of the neglected areas
Once it was dried I could see the true condition of the paint. Not pretty.
The hood was a total mess compared to the rest of the car. Grabbed the paint gauge and sure enough there was a ton of paint on the hood indicating it had been re-painted. Looking closer, the body shop had left sanding marks all over the hood including right up to the edge. So I'd be cleaning up after the detailer, and the body shop
Spoke with the client who agreed that 90-95% correction was acceptable as there was so much to deal with.
Majority of the car was corrected with:
Flex 3401 + Optimum MF pads + Menzerna FG400
Flex 3401 + LC Tangerine + Powerfinish
Did I mention the hood was a mess? Swirls, holograms, random scratches, water spots, sanding marks. There was plenty of material to work with so I did 4 steps on the hood
Makita 9227C + 3m wool + Menzerna FG400
Flex 3401 + Optimum MF pads + Menz FG400
Flex + LC Cyan + Menz SIP (1500)
Flex + LC black + Menz 106fa (4000)
So at this point I'm about 12 hours into it with close to 9 in the paint correction alone. I called it a night and returned in the morning.
Client also asked for some paint touchup as the bumper had white speckles all over from rock chips
before
after
Finally Opti-Coat applied and time to step back and admire the work
Under the LED lights only. Check out the reflection in the hood of my ceiling
Pulled it outside for a final inspection
Even caught one of my neighbors sneaking a peek
Client was thrilled with the results and I was happy to save this one.
From the Mr. Sparkle garage in West Babylon NY....
Mr. Sparkle Detailing.com
Before all of this the car was first brought to another detailer with the owner's intention of applying Opti-Coat 2.0 himself after the car was polished out. Things didn't quite go as planned and that's where I come in.
The prior detailer left behind a lot of swirls, buffer trails (holograms), leftover polish in the cracks, and polish splatter. So I had to do my best to cleanup their mess.
polish in the cracks
polish splatter on the wiper cowl
Started off with my usual wash & clay routine making sure to clean some of the neglected areas
Once it was dried I could see the true condition of the paint. Not pretty.
The hood was a total mess compared to the rest of the car. Grabbed the paint gauge and sure enough there was a ton of paint on the hood indicating it had been re-painted. Looking closer, the body shop had left sanding marks all over the hood including right up to the edge. So I'd be cleaning up after the detailer, and the body shop
Spoke with the client who agreed that 90-95% correction was acceptable as there was so much to deal with.
Majority of the car was corrected with:
Flex 3401 + Optimum MF pads + Menzerna FG400
Flex 3401 + LC Tangerine + Powerfinish
Did I mention the hood was a mess? Swirls, holograms, random scratches, water spots, sanding marks. There was plenty of material to work with so I did 4 steps on the hood
Makita 9227C + 3m wool + Menzerna FG400
Flex 3401 + Optimum MF pads + Menz FG400
Flex + LC Cyan + Menz SIP (1500)
Flex + LC black + Menz 106fa (4000)
So at this point I'm about 12 hours into it with close to 9 in the paint correction alone. I called it a night and returned in the morning.
Client also asked for some paint touchup as the bumper had white speckles all over from rock chips
before
after
Finally Opti-Coat applied and time to step back and admire the work
Under the LED lights only. Check out the reflection in the hood of my ceiling
Pulled it outside for a final inspection
Even caught one of my neighbors sneaking a peek
Client was thrilled with the results and I was happy to save this one.
From the Mr. Sparkle garage in West Babylon NY....
Mr. Sparkle Detailing.com
