This SL500 kicked my confidence and my butt...

YNOT

YNOT

Poorboys Rules!
Wow...this one really kicked my confidence level down a notch or two!!

My father-in-law has a '95 Mercedes SL500. He bought it used several years back and has taken care of it, but not the 'proper DC way'. So, being the nice son-in-law that I am, I decided I'd detail it for him for Father's Day. My car's black and I got it lookin' good...his is black...how hard could it be...right?? :rofl It wasn't until we pulled it in my garage that I saw the real-deal...under the lights. Well, I think I bit off more than I could chew. This one took me about 9 or 10 hours and I fought it the whole way. I didn't realize how far gone this one was.

The most aggressive stuff I had was SSR2, so that's what I used. It got the 'swirls' out for the most part, but there are still several 'deeper scratches' as well as some 'rain stains' and such that just wouldn't come out. I went over them 4 to 5 times with no better luck. Needless to say, yesterday I ordered some SSR2.5 and SSR3 along with some more aggressive cutting pads so I'll be better prepared next time. I am planning on getting this car back in the coming weekend(s) and trying a more aggressive pad and compound to see if I can get some more of the deeper scratches out.

Overall, I'm happy with it and my Father-in-law was overly happy as well. I really wanted this car to look 'brand new' again and just couldn't get it there as good as I had hoped but it does look better than when I started.

Here's what I did...

Washed with Megs Gold Class (and Wolfgang bucket!)
- Claybarred the entire car
- Claybarred the glass
- SSR2 with a light cutting pad
- SSR1 with a polishing pad
- EX with finishing pad
- Stoners on all glass inside and out
- NXT Insane Shine on the tires (wiped off for a satin finish)
- Ibuprofen for my back (both days)
- Lessons for my Father-in-law on how to properly 'wash' it from here on out (he was using old bath towels to wash/dry)

So, here are the pics...

BEFORE
SL_hood_swirly.jpg


BEFORE
SL_overall_before_1.jpg


AFTER
SL_overall_after_1.jpg


BEFORE
SL_fender_swirls_2.jpg


AFTER
SL_fender_no_swirls.jpg


BEFORE
SL_emblem_swirls.jpg


AFTER
SL_emblem_no_swirls.jpg


BEFORE
SL500_swirls.jpg


AFTER
SL500_no_swirls.jpg


BEFORE
SL_trunk_swirls.jpg


AFTER
SL_trunk_no_swirls.jpg


And as you can see, there are still many 'deeper' scratches, although they aren't through the clearcoat. I've ordered some more aggressive swirl remover and will try that to see if I can get it a little better. :wall

SL_scratches_still_there.jpg


I suppose for my third time using my PC it's not bad, but I sure was hoping for better results. It certainly was a good opportunity to practice more.

Any advice would certainly be helpful! Thanks everyone!:bigups
 
I think the improvement is very nice. I wouldn't get too skittish. You may have been limited by the arsenal at hand. A rotary or heavier cut polish might have been all it would have taken to make it easy.
 
I'm going to agree with GH on this one. You did a very nice job. Make sure you hit up the wheel wells in the future though. A clean car with dirty wheel wells just kills it for me.
 
audiboy said:
I'm going to agree with GH on this one. You did a very nice job. Make sure you hit up the wheel wells in the future though. A clean car with dirty wheel wells just kills it for me.
Click to expand...

Actually, I scrubbed them, but once they dried, they still looked horrible. Is there anything good I can spray on them to keep them shiny?

On my SUV, I clean the wheel wells after every wash and they still look brand spankin' new, but this car was so old (1995), they just wouldn't shine up.

Thanks!
 
YNOT said:
Actually, I scrubbed them, but once they dried, they still looked horrible. Is there anything good I can spray on them to keep them shiny?

On my SUV, I clean the wheel wells after every wash and they still look brand spankin' new, but this car was so old (1995), they just wouldn't shine up.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Griots makes a great under carriage spray (pricey but works well). I'll let you in a little secret that you won't believe unless you try it. Once you've cleaned the wheel well (assuming it's plastic), spray some automotive strength Simple Green under the wheel wells, coat completely and walk away. It's amazing how long it looks good and cleans up really easy the next go round.
 
You can also spray any tire shine on them to make them better. I use Black Magic spray or Meg's High Gloss gel depending on how much room I have to apply said dressing.
 
Considering SSR2 was the strongest product you had, then you did very well with a PC:rockon
I use Bold N Bright diluted 1:1 for wheel wells and engine compartments:)
 
Looks great, more like a Glutes massage rather than a butt kicking. Black is tough.
I don't find SSR 2 very aggressive at all.
 
YNOT said:
Actually, I scrubbed them, but once they dried, they still looked horrible. Is there anything good I can spray on them to keep them shiny?

On my SUV, I clean the wheel wells after every wash and they still look brand spankin' new, but this car was so old (1995), they just wouldn't shine up.

Thanks!
Click to expand...


I agree about the wheel wells, What I do on mine is spray them down with simple green mixed 1:1 with water and then scrub them really good and clean them all up. And last when im putting like tire shine on etc, I will use armor all mixed 1:1 with water and spray it all in the wheel wells, it looks great and last for a decent amount of time.
 
Nice turn around!!!

+2 on the simple green. On heavy dirty areas I use it straight...no mixing...spray it on liberally (not sure thats a word) and let it soak, you will actually see it drip off the dirt. Scrub it good with a brush, or if you have a power washer, that would do the trick as well.
 
Nice turn around !!! I hate seeing those old Benzes hurting like that, considering how expensive they were new.
 
I don't see why your confidence took a shot. The car looks great and it's a zillion times better than what you started with. I don't think you should let it bump your confidence at all. You did the best you could with what you had, and it shows (the car looks awesome). There's a problem with forums like these ones...I think a lot of times the cars look better in the pics than they do in person, and that causes everyone to expect perfection in every single detail they do. You can't always take a car with years and years of abuse and make it perfect. Even my SS which has been maintained has faililng clear and defects that I cant remove for fear of killing off the remaining clearcoat. If your father in law is happy, then you should be too, although, I can understand that you are a bit frustrated.

Ok, with all that said. For the wells on my daily driver focus which are plastic, I usually jack the car up in the front (the rear wells are carpet) and spray with degreaser. I let it sit for a minute or two then I scrub them with a brush and an old grubby rag. I do this to both sides and then I dress them with Armor All. Do I do that with every wash? Nope, but I try to do it about once a month. I just spray them out with every conventional wash I do. On my SS, I try to keep the wells painted, and there isnt any plastic in there.....The cool thing about my SS is that' it's so low (lowered about 2 inches or so) that you cant really see any of the well anyway.
 
Nice work! I think a lot of people would be happy with the results. But then again we are anal for detailing. Great job!
 
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