Took First Place At Mercedes Show Today!

Spilchy

Spilchy

New member
Before I begin, I have no pictures so don't kill me! :( :p



Many of you have read that I detail and care for on a regular basis a copper colored single stage paint1978 Mercedes 450 SEL with 22,000 miles.



I rescued the car from a horrible detailer 2 years ago who somthered the interior with Armor All extra shine and rotary marks on the outside.



This year, I used #80 with a white LC polish pad, 2 coats of #7, 2 coats of Souveran 24 hours apart and then another coat of #7 on top of the Souveran. The chrome received Wenol blue and the rubber received Autoglym Bumper Care. Windows received Turtle Wax glass cleaner. Door jambs received Eagle One wax As You Dry.



The entire interior received Blackfire interior cleaner and 303 protectant. Plastic received Plexus and the seats received Pinnacle Leather Cleaner and Conditioner follwed by Pinnacle Leather Conditioner.



The carpeting received NO cleaning, just a vacuum. I would NOT test the 26 year old carpet with a cleaner for fear of losing color. Just a wet MF and anail brush to raise and even the nap in the carpeting.



A lot of hours with tiny brushes, q tips and only the best MF's (Yellow Sonus, Magic Towel, CBT and I love the Autopia Khakis)



Aparantly the judges loved it and the other Mercedes owners fawned over it! They all wanted my number to work on their cars!



The car was professionally photographed in front of the Mercedes headquarters in NJ. My client received an engraved plate.



He was thrilled and called me from the show to thank me over and over again.



I am hoping for more business from this. He said he would get me a picture. Hopefully I can scan it and put it up for you to see.



Thanks for reading :xyxthumbs
 
Thanks for the compliments :up



Wish I could show you pics.



At least I saw the 1st place plate he was awarded :) He proudly stopped by my house with it.
 
Spilchy said:
...The carpeting received NO cleaning, just a vacuum. I would NOT test the 26 year old carpet with a cleaner for fear of losing color....
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CONGRATULATIONS on the win!



By the way, a 26 yr old carpet should be able to handle cleaners witout any problem. If, after 26 yrs, the color is not set and any excess dye has not faded away then the car would have had to be in a bubble. Just use a mild cleaner and use it over all as opposed to spot cleaning. Try some cleaner in an inconspicuous spot just to be sure
 
~One man’s opinion / observations ~



A 1978 Mercedes 450 SEL with 22,000 miles, nice car and congratulations on your clients win.



I’d also go along with DFTowels advice (after a given number of years it don’t matter what you clean us with our colour won’t come out LOL)



~Hope this helps~



Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/ Jon

justadumbarchitect * so I question everything *
 
Thanks guys! I'm still waiting for the picture so I can scan it to show you.



I found out the car scored a 98 out of 100. 1 point off for a missing tool kit and 1 point off for a semi-dirty engine. I do not do engines because I do not want to be responsible for any potential damage. Plus I don't want greasy runoff on my driveway. People say that cleaning an engine won't cause problems but my father had his done and a day later it needed $400 in electrical repairs.
 
Spilchy said:
I found out the car scored a 98 out of 100. 1 point off for a missing tool kit and 1 point off for a semi-dirty engine. I do not do engines because I do not want to be responsible for any potential damage. Plus I don't want greasy runoff on my driveway. People say that cleaning an engine won't cause problems but my father had his done and a day later it needed $400 in electrical repairs.
Click to expand...

Oh GAWD. Been there, suffered that. :( After my first engine-cleaning on the old Jag, my bill for electrical repairs was merely $200, so I guess I got off light. And the next time, there was this little problem of the engine bursting into flames when I used brake-cleaner then fired-up the engine. (I won't go into the details here, as I already wrote-up that experience on Autopia.) But since then, I've learned to use a cleaner/degreaser on small areas, then wipe them down with a shop towel, then (if needed) rinse it with some well-targeted water. The problem with electricals, I think, is when you fail to cover components and/or when you use a water-hose to rinse-down the whole engine. I think that reading thru the threads on this topic might help you gain more confidence. Or, maybe it would be timely for you to create a new "engine-detailing" thread to express your concerns and get tips from the more-experienced members.
 
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