Mercades GLK 350 in white

[512detail]

Got a call from a lady who wanted me to give her suv "a good cleaning/wax and come back every 2 weeks to keep it clean".

I always like these kinds of deals, steady regulars make their friends jealous of how good their car always looks and ends up in more business for me .

I had set up a few options/prices for her, site unseen. Vehicle was in good condition and ended up not even needing to be clayed except for lower areas.

It was overcast and cool so I wanted to use a 2bm blackfire shampoo and hydro2lite. (My arm has been giving me trouble again so I needed a easier method of lsp.)

Wheels/tires:
3d bdx
Various wheel woolies brushes and Spedmaster brushes.
Apc 1:4 and tuff shine tire brush
Bold N Bright Spray
Carrand tire brush
microfibers + uber qd wipedown

Exterior:
2bm
Blackfire shampoo
Cobra clay mitt
Lc wash wedge (still prefer this for my 2bm washes)
Chenelle wash mitt for lower panels
Hydro2 lite (only my 2nd time using this as lsp after 2bm wash)
Griots pfm towel to dry (so worth the $)
Optiseal

Interior:
Steam cleaned everything
Tampico /boars hair upholstery brushes and other misc brushes.
Megs mirror bright leather lotion
Natural look on dash/doors.
Optimum carpet & fabric cleaner/protectant on mats and floor carpeting/ceiling
(No pics of interior, nothing special going on there)

Car wasnt that dirty

After wash/hydro2lite

https://vimeo.com/157065333 maybe the video will work

Decided to pull it inside in case any more bad golfers were lurking but took a few outside pics.

Wiped down with uber qd just for safetys sake.

Hydro max on hood/front end for fun

Optiseal on all chrome trim

Thanks for viewing

Brandt K.

 

[mjlinane]

Great job!

 

[KBsToy]

We own a polar white also and I just used Hydro lite -2 great stuff. Great job. Did not have to use Iron X ? I know when we did ours purple spots everywhere ...

 

[512detail]

We own a polar white also and I just used Hydro lite -2 great stuff. Great job. Did not have to use Iron X ? I know when we did ours purple spots everywhere ...

I wanted to but I am no longer giving away free services this year. Trying to run this business more to the price sheet/options selected....generally I only ironX when polishing happening

maybe I should add ironX to a package for light colored cars I am not polishing

 

[Migue]

Looks great, i like those GLKs since they're not massive like the GL models or even the ML.

Do you find yourself using a lot of the product in the Hydro Lite bottle? trying to get a ballpark idea of how many vehicles one can do with it and see if it'd be worth/cost effective using it as my LSP for those no-polishing services. I know you list it is your 2nd time, so i guess the question would be if you still have plenty left or is the bottle almost gone?

 

[512detail]

Looks great, i like those GLKs since they're not massive like the GL models or even the ML.

Do you find yourself using a lot of the product in the Hydro Lite bottle? trying to get a ballpark idea of how many vehicles one can do with it and see if it'd be worth/cost effective using it as my LSP for those no-polishing services. I know you list it is your 2nd time, so i guess the question would be if you still have plenty left or is the bottle almost gone?

I am at the end of my first bottle

I have used it (from what I can recall at least) on...
One crown vic (entire car, glass,wheels)
this glk merc (entire car glass,wheels)

my truck once (except for the tailgate) including glass and wheels

my hellcat replica rims (at least all four wheels 5 times)

and from what I can remember, 3 other sets of wheels on customers cars

just finished the bottle (there's prolly enough left to do 2 wheels or a full veh's glass).

and im a heavy sprayer BTW

 

[512detail]

I actually didn't think I had enough left to do this glk but I was wrong and I had a tad bit left over

 

[512detail]

this is going to be my goto for the basic detail package from now on I think--- it had to of saved me at least an hour.... this coupled with the PFM drying towel.... OMG! so easy its unreal

 

[KBsToy]

I have seen the light also brother on hydro2-lite

 

[Pats300zx]

Very nice

 

[Ronkh]

Looks great !

Optiseal over hydro at same time? Interesting. Do you think it added something?

 

[512detail]

Looks great !

Optiseal over hydro at same time? Interesting. Do you think it added something?

Not sure, but optiseal with the gold jeweling ccs hand applicator eliminated the tiny water spots on the trim and added extra protection (theoretically).....

I added HydroMax to the hood as well (in few weeks when I come back I will see if the hood beads better than the rest of the car

I was actually considering topping Hydro2lite with Pinnacle Souveran Spray Wax or MS spray wax

but not sure if that would even be worth the time

 

[512detail]

every other month I think I am going to wash this glk with Hydrofoam out of my Kwazar Super Foamer to spruce up the beading again

ill have to see how the hydro2 lite fares first

 

[Migue]

Interested on seeing what durability you experience, let us know next time you see this GLK if possible.

 

[512detail]

Will do

 

[Accumulator]

512detail- Nice work per usual! I got a kick out of your golfer-centric precautions and comment

Isn't the BF shampoo pricey for a paid detail?!?

And yeah, I really like how that looks in white. And I sure like the sharp-creased styling better than the new version. I had one of the early GLKs as a loaner car, and I sorta liked it, despite my general disdain for CUVs.

 

[512detail]

512detail- Nice work per usual! I got a kick out of your golfer-centric precautions and comment

Isn't the BF shampoo pricey for a paid detail?!?

And yeah, I really like how that looks in white. And I sure like the sharp-creased styling better than the new version. I had one of the early GLKs as a loaner car, and I sorta liked it, despite my general disdain for CUVs.

the BlackFire shampoo is only $20 for 16 oz .I used maybe an oz....the Black Label shampoo, however (perhaps that what you were thinking about) is $30 for 8oz - I only use that on my vehicles or anything that was coated (and I've had it over two years and its only half gone at most)

I should have bought some Super slick and suds on the last PB sale- doh!

I just have so much soap I will never use (story of my detailing life- ha)

 

[Accumulator]

512detail- I was just thinking of how the BF might compare to stuff you can get in, say...5 gallon quantities. I go through a *LOT* of shampoo so maybe I'm a bit price-sensitive.

 

[512detail]

512detail- I was just thinking of how the BF might compare to stuff you can get in, say...5 gallon quantities. I go through a *LOT* of shampoo so maybe I'm a bit price-sensitive.

oh okay...yea the only gallon container I have is CG Citrus red (to strip) - had it over 3 years..its barely empty past the handle

first soap I ever bought was Zymol auto soap (64oz) and I've only used about 1/3 of it in 3 years.

I have about 6 other soap brands...I need to start using them in a foaming gun I think

 

[Accumulator]

512detail- Heh heh, if you use the foamgun the way *I* do you'll go through those shampoos in no time!

I mix up gallons of concentrate at about 7 oz. shampoo + ~121 oz. water and fill the foamguns with that. I use the two or three strongest settings on the foamgun and go through about two gallons of concentrate each wash (sometimes even more when doing the Tahoe).

Here you hardly ever buy gallons of shampoo whereas I wish Griot's sold their Car Wash in 5 gallon buckets!

EDIT: I use the same sort of concentrate mix in a (regular) spray bottle for wheels/wells/undercarriage. Works so well for me that I've basically quit using Wheel Cleaners and APCs for stuff like that. I'm using up my last gallon of M62 that way, might buy more of it if I miss the scent as much as I think I might (I've used that shampoo since forever, wayback-machine-effect every time I smell it). Come to think of it, when I finally get the Jag out of mothballs it'll be weird to *not* smell Pinnacle's Bodywork Shampoo every time I wash it..have to see how that goes for me as that car is *all* about the wayback-effect.