takeing my first steps, need help?

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SMCN101

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Hi guys first post here, have doing my research on this forum for the last month now and thought I would finally join and try to seek help deciphering all this information lol.

I recently bought a brand new Mercedes CLA 220 AMG Sport in White 4 weeks ago. It's a lovely car and I couldn't be happier with it. It breaks my heart tho anytime I look at it and see it dirty.

I am looking for a few tips and products to keep it clean, protected and looking glossy. Seeing as its new im guessing clay'ing and polishing won't be required at this stage but could anyone suggest a good wax, spray, or clear coat or even a combination of them which I could use to keep my car in good condition? Thank you for your time guys.
 
Hi, and welcome to this forum.

There's a 100,000 different routes you can go with car care. That almost anything used is better than neglect.

One of the most important aspects of car care is a good wash technique with good products and good tools at your disposal. Gentle Shampoos, good soft Wash Mitts, like perhaps a soft Microfiber Chenille Mitt are good, many use the two bucket method to reduce abrasives in the wash water, good quality soft drying towels.

Do get in the habit of requesting your dealer NOT wash your car, no matter if they sell Mercedes, Bentleys, don't matter, don't let any Dealer-Shop wash-detail your ride, period!

There are many good over the counter products to protect, and enhance the look of your vehicle. And they can be relatively inexpensive.

Brands like Duragloss are great, all their products work as stated, and can usually be gotten at CARQUEST, and sometimes NAPA Stores.

Meguiars has been in the game for a long time, and make many fine products. Even companies like Turtle Wax, Mothers, and Surf City Garage seem to be stepping up their game with better products continually being introduced.

Of course the stores here, and at the sister site, Autopia have a mind boggling slew of so many great products, including their own house brands, which are all top flight and although some are seemed to be a bit pricey you often do get what you pay for.

Wolfgang, DP, Pinnacle, Blackfire, etc. are all fantastic product lines made specifically for Palm Beach Motoring Group (PBMG)

Others like Collinite make great paint protectants-waxes at relatively low cost.

As others here will say, the newness of any vehicle doesn't necessarily gaurantee that the paint, and glass are contaminant free and not in need of decontamination, and the possible need of the use of Claying.

That even straight off the dealer's floor or as little as a week later, the paint-glass can have stuck-bonded contaminants already.

Simple test most of us use, is the "plastic baggie test". Wash, and dry vehicle, take the thinnest plastic sandwich bag you have on hand, place your hand inside of it, and gently feel your paint and glass in various areas. This will tell you the condition.

Contaminants can be a whole host of different nasties, rail dust, brake dusts (metallic) saps, paint oversprays, industrial fallout, etc.

There are products made today that address Iron Contaminantion such as Carpro Iron-X. A horribly nasty stinking product, but truly amazing what it does, and commonly a must have in many detailer's arsenals. Iron contamination does have the tendency to erode and microscopically pit a paint finish.

Once a paint is clean, any and all protectants made will commonly work their best, and last their longest.

Again, welcome to the forum, and have fun. Best of luck with your new ride!
Mark
 
Thank you very much for the reply, I appreciate the advice from someone who clearly knows their stuff. I was going to go down the route of just paying a valeting company weekly to come out and give my car a good clean but tbh I can be a bit OCD at times and like to know every single product that has been used and how it was applied lol.

I will make sure to give my car a good clean and check the condition of the paint work and address any issues found. I had no idea new cars could have paint work with imperfections. Once I have all the basics sorted like paint in good condition, properly cleaned etc I definitely want to go down the route of getting good protection on the car.

What would be the best wax or spray wax choice for a white car to keep it protected and glossy? I have browsed about for a while now but it seems everyone has they'r prefferences, I see that spray wax's might be much easier to apply which appeals to me at the moment seeing as I'm just getting new to this. Thanks again
 
welcome to AG forum!!!

although it's new car, you still need to decon as mention above :D

Most importantly, is to decide your future expectation.
to protect from the beginning is the best route and easier to maintain down the road.
 
Yeah indefinitely want to keep on top of it to keep the car in its best condition for as long as possible. Luckily I obsess with keeping things clean, then again I imagine most members on here have moderate to severe OCD haha. Also the interior of my car is a combination of what Mercedes call Artico Leather and microfibre. I know Artico Leather is pretty much a vinyl/plastic type material but is it safe to use leather conditioners on this? I ask because I find leather conditioners leave your car smelling wonderful and I doubt vinyl cleaners leave a similar aroma. Thanks again guys.
 
For white paint, you'll get many suggestions for the best products which will give the best looks and protection. I will not go into semi-permanent resin and ceramic paint "coatings" here, but they are an option, and can always be used if desired at present, or at some future point should you choose. They have their great qualities, but can be testy and problematic.

I'll stick with mentioning more conventional Waxes, Hybrids, and Synthetic Sealants.

Those will be Duragloss #501 Marine-RV Polish, which is actually a Synth Sealant with a high abundance of paint cleaners. Their other Sealants such as #105, and #111 are also great, have lesser cleaners respectively, are very inexpensive, easy to work with, offer long lasting protection and a hard, wet candy like shine typical of the look that Synth Paint Sealants can give. Duragloss Aquawax Spray is also a great inexpensive product, great as a washing aid used on a wet rinsed vehicle, or also as a stand alone detailer spray after washes to maintain protection and shine.

Some other world class Sealants such as Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 and Menzerna Powerlock are sublime, and superb. Little to none in the way of cleaners, no abrasives, but again a beautiful high gloss dripping wet, long lasting finish they both give.

Collinite #476 Doublecoat Paste, and Collinite #845 Liquid Insulator Wax. Both outstanding, the paste lasts the longest, unbelieveable durability, quite inexpensive, #845 again is outstanding, Collinite has been around a long long time. These products, like Duragloss are very tough to beat, especially for their prices. I've used Collinite products for many many years. You will not usually find Collinite in any store.
Mark
 
SMCN101 said:
I was going to go down the route of just paying a valeting company weekly to come out and give my car a good clean but tbh I can be a bit OCD at times and like to know every single product that has been used and how it was applied lol.

you may want to call for an experience detailer near you and have him do your car and learn from there

I definitely want to go down the route of getting good protection on the car.

coating is the answer ;)

What would be the best wax or spray wax choice for a white car to keep it protected and glossy?
I see that spray wax's might be much easier to apply.

Meguiars Ultimate spray wax is easy to apply :xyxthumbs:
Click to expand...

or you prefer to DIY and that leads to another discussion :D
 
SMCN101 said:
Yeah indefinitely want to keep on top of it to keep the car in its best condition for as long as possible. Luckily I obsess with keeping things clean, then again I imagine most members on here have moderate to severe OCD haha. Also the interior of my car is a combination of what Mercedes call Artico Leather and microfibre. I know Artico Leather is pretty much a vinyl/plastic type material but is it safe to use leather conditioners on this? I ask because I find leather conditioners leave your car smelling wonderful and I doubt vinyl cleaners leave a similar aroma. Thanks again guys.
Click to expand...

I would say to be safe, and using common sense, I myself would not use products made-designed for Leather on non-leather interior parts, seats, etc.

Because many leather conditioners may have products in them such as Lanolin, and other products which will not be optimal for plastics-vinyl.

That they may alter, damage, or have other negative qualities such as being dust-dirt attractants.

Again, many of the specific interior cleaning and protectant products made by PBMG such as Wolfgang, Blackfire, DP are all outstanding, safe, will give beautiful final results, and will protect.

Many of us here mix and match products from different lines, seeking the best personally liked products that we like and choose to use on our vehicles, or customer's vehicles in the instance of being a professional detailer.

But, one would usually never make any mistakes either by sticking to one specific PBMG company brand from the likes of Wolfgang, Blackfire, DP, Pinnacle, and Pinnacle Black Label.
 
MarkD51 said:
I would say to be safe, and using common sense, I myself would not use products made-designed for Leather on non-leather interior parts, seats, etc.

Because many leather conditioners may have products in them such as Lanolin, and other products which will not be optimal for plastics-vinyl.

That they may alter, damage, or have other negative qualities such as being dust-dirt attractants.

Again, many of the specific interior cleaning and protectant products made by PBMG such as Wolfgang, Blackfire, DP are all outstanding, safe, will give beautiful final results, and will protect.

Many of us here mix and match products from different lines, seeking the best personally liked products that we like and choose to use on our vehicles, or customer's vehicles in the instance of being a professional detailer.

But, one would usually never make any mistakes either by sticking to one specific PBMG company brand from the likes of Wolfgang, Blackfire, DP, Pinnacle, and Pinnacle Black Label.
Click to expand...

+1
 
Optimum car wax is a very durable easy to use spray wax. I highly recommend it
.
 
Great info guys thanks for helping out a newcomer to all this, I know a lot of people just say 'do your research' but research on this site can be like deciphering the matrix at times lol. Done a read up on a few of the products mentioned and really like the sound of Wolfgang Gloss Paint Seal 3.0. Reasonably priced too and doesn't sound too difficult to apply.

Bring at this new stage of the game it's hard not to want to go out and buy a product for every inch of the car. So as a good beginner sort of regime for getting the exterior of the car in top shape would I be right in saying:

- wash
- clay
- wash
- apply wax/sealant
- tart up tyres with something like DP Series Gloss Tire Gel

Obviously a simplified list but the right idea?

Chears again
 
Just noticed the 9 commandments, I shall do my homework lol
 
SMCN101 said:
Great info guys thanks for helping out a newcomer to all this, I know a lot of people just say 'do your research' but research on this site can be like deciphering the matrix at times lol. Done a read up on a few of the products mentioned and really like the sound of Wolfgang Gloss Paint Seal 3.0. Reasonably priced too and doesn't sound too difficult to apply.

Bring at this new stage of the game it's hard not to want to go out and buy a product for every inch of the car. So as a good beginner sort of regime for getting the exterior of the car in top shape would I be right in saying:

- wash
- clay
- wash
- apply wax/sealant
- tart up tyres with something like DP Series Gloss Tire Gel

Obviously a simplified list but the right idea?

Chears again
Click to expand...

I hear ya' about getting overwhelmed around here. You will get used to it though once you develop a set of base preferences and then potentially experiment from there. You really can't go wrong with the products here in AGO but what I have seen is people go too far too fast; then they wind up with an inventory that will last them 20 years. :-)

You need to help us understand how much time and effort you want to put into your vehicle, as well as whether or not you want to go with a coating and simply maintain the coating for 2+ years. Also, if you are averse to working by hand or machine.

I purchased a white pearl 2013 Acura RDX in September 2013. I only washed it several times through September of this year when I finally had the opportunity to detail it for the first time. Here is what I did:

1. Washed with Mothers California Gold Car Wash 64 oz.

I have a foam cannon + power washer; vehicle was foamed, then rinsed, then with a chenille wash mitt I went over the vehicle again using a 2-bucket wash method. The reason is simple.... ground-in dirt all over. The foam cannon is just fun but the pre-wash helps here in my mind to loosen up any dirt and finding all those nasty spots that require some elbow grease.

1a. I cleaned the wheels and tires with Megs APC+ diltuted 4:1... typically I do this when the car is wet or before I wash.

2. Clayed with Riccardo Yellow Detailing Clay - Mild, auto detailing clay, best detailing clay bar using Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine: clay lubricant, optimum rinseless wash, no rinse car wash, optimum detailing products with a clay lube dilution ratio.

Not a terrible amount of visible dirt transferred the clay but the smoothness in the paint started to be felt

3. Decontaminated the paint with Dodo Juice Ferrous Dueller Iron Remover. You can also use Iron X Iron Remover, CQuartz IronX, Paint Cleaner, paint decontamination

I typically use IronX but tested with the Dodo... I liked it... it doesn't dry out as fast as IronX and with white paint and a new vehicle I figured I would see a lot of stuff coming off the paint - boy was I right. I typically spray the product on a panel.... let dwell for 45 seconds, then with a damp microfiber applicator I spread the product around and let dwell again.... rinse thoroughly ... then move to the next panel.

4 I used an AIO to polish the paint, Meguiars D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream I considered Wolfgang Pre-Wax Polish Enhancer is absolutely fabulous for producing that elusive, show-ready wet-shine look. This polish actually enhances and but I wanted something a little stronger and was in the mood to use my DA polisher. Had I preferred to go by hand I would have went with Wolfgang.

I went through 3 polishing pads and they were filthy once I was complete.

5. I sealed the paint with Sonax Polymer Net Shield, sonax polymer netshield, sonax profiline polymer netshield ... application was smoothe and I liked the finish.

6. Tires were not dressed as I ran out of time .... I accomplished what I set out to do for the first detail. but I would have used PERL Coat Plastic & Rubber Protectant, rubber and vinyl dressing, interior protectant diluted 3:1.

My wife and I did the interior in late spring - using Mothers VLR. No need to redo that again.

I'll post some pics if I can get them off my cell phone. But this is the general recommendation I will offer you.
 
Thanks for takeing the time to post in such detail, I think this has to be the most helpful and informative forum iv ever been on. To be honest I don't mind putting in the time to achieve the goal so I would like to attempt detailing the car the proper way like the steps you mentioned. I can see my bank balance takeing a pretty severe hit in the coming week once I have all my products picked up lol. All worth it in the end tho, it amazes me how many people buy nice cars and leave them looking like an old muddy set of work boots.
 
SMCN101 said:
Great info guys thanks for helping out a newcomer to all this, I know a lot of people just say 'do your research' but research on this site can be like deciphering the matrix at times lol. Done a read up on a few of the products mentioned and really like the sound of Wolfgang Gloss Paint Seal 3.0. Reasonably priced too and doesn't sound too difficult to apply.

Bring at this new stage of the game it's hard not to want to go out and buy a product for every inch of the car. So as a good beginner sort of regime for getting the exterior of the car in top shape would I be right in saying:

- wash
- clay
- wash
- apply wax/sealant
- tart up tyres with something like DP Series Gloss Tire Gel

Obviously a simplified list but the right idea?

Chears again
Click to expand...

Yep, truly overwhelming this site is!

I'm old school, 59, was detailing cars for many of the chi town gangsters while probably many here were just twinkles in their old man's eyes, or in Diapers. Screw their cars up, and you might be taking a "One Way Ride", ala Dutch Schultz.

Still, when I came here I found a whole new world that was also foreign to me. I learn quickly though. And so probably will you, if you read through 15,000 posts like I have! :-)

Mike Phillips is our forum guru-expert here. He does things I wouldn't even dream of doing, for fear of getting in way way over my head. Wet sanding a paint by machine?! That frightens the living crap out of me! I can visualize primer, and bare metal!

The Wolfgang Sealant you refer to.... What a knockout product this is! Can't say enough good about it! You apply it thin to clean paint, let set up about 30 minutes or so, break out a nice plush MF Towel, and this stuff comes off so easy, so perfectly, no haze, clouding, smearing, nothing!

After you wipe it off, your jaw is hitting the ground, but wait! Ten or so hours later it even looks better, like you sprayed another layer of intense glass looking clearcoat to the paint, it cures, and becomes even more reflective upon further curing to the finish.

It is the best Synth Sealant I ever in my life used bar none (of course I haven't used every last product here, but quite a bit). Like it even better than Menzerna Powerlock Sealant. PBMG surely got this one right!
 
Welcome, there is a lot of products, opinions, etc. I will give you my opinion for paint protection. Ultima Paint Guard Plus. Wipe on and walk away. It doesn't get any easier than that. Durability is fantastic, and performance in all categories is outstanding. Just my opinion. If I didn't have a coating on my car that's what I would be using.
 
DaveT435 said:
Welcome, there is a lot of products, opinions, etc. I will give you my opinion for paint protection. Ultima Paint Guard Plus. Wipe on and walk away. It doesn't get any easier than that. Durability is fantastic, and performance in all categories is outstanding. Just my opinion. If I didn't have a coating on my car that's what I would be using.
Click to expand...

Yep, Dave himself turned me on to this product, and the "world of WOWA" sealants.

No dust, no residues, except for maybe a little bit of ever so slight haze if you apply it a bit too liberally, as a little goes a long way.

Beautiful for door jambs, under hood areas, and trunk paint finish.

In fact,, with the very sample Dave gave me, I set out to dust, clean, and treat my Barrett Deems Slingerland WMP Drumset last week. Even did all the Paiste Signature Cymbals which have a coating of some sort on them.

Came out lovely, no residues to worry about around hardware such as Lugs, Tom Mounts, etc.

This set actually did belong to Barrett, who was Louis Armsrong's drummer in the 50's.
This endorser set was made for Barrett by Slingerland in 1980.
 
Congratulations on a very nice Mercedes !
I have seen just a few on the road and the new 220 shape is very nicely done.
And AMG options really make it nice..

Having applied Optimum Opti-Guard over 3 years ago ( it is now called Opti-Coat-Pro), I can say without hesitation that I would never go back to doing all that work I did bi-annually to my Black Grand Cherokee before..

I absolutely love not seeing much dirt collect on it for weeks at a time and it always looks beautiful in direct sunlight dirty or clean...

I dont have any scratches or swirls in it and it has been washed mostly by hand but when I was driving it almost 10k miles on road trips, I had to occasionally stop into a car wash to knock down the bugs that hit the front end, and surprisingly, not as many bugs hit and stuck after the coating then before..

I read all the comments about it not beading, not this or that, and I dont know, I just dont have those issues, and if I did I would not really care, because after all is said and done, the finish when finally washed (with CarPro Reflect), is still beautifully clear, glossy, and not scratched or swirled up..

And if you really want to do your wheels a favor and you as well - especially if you have a Bimmer ( I have had 5), you really want to think about using this Coating on the entire wheel and save yourself a lot of brake dust cleaning because it does not seem to stick as well to the coated wheels either..

My Grand Cherokee wheels do not dust like all of my Bimmers did, but they still does a certain amount, and I never have to do anything to them but use regular car wash soap and nothing ever sticks to the inner wheel either..

To each his own, good luck with the new car !!
Dan F
 
Thanks W.A I have attached a photo of my car, really love took a shine to the CLA its a nice car to drive, interior is nice and it has lovely body work. For the price it's hard to beat in my eyes. Plus Mercedes were quite pliable when it came to negotiating and I managed to get almost £3000 off it. Pretty much got all my additional options for free :)
 
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