richy
New member
- Mar 27, 2007
- 5,158
- 0
You may remember this car as I did it last August with CQ:
http://www.live2detail.com/showthrea...highlight=s500
The car has a real problem with brake dust. I have sent the owner a recommendation for pads that may assist him. He had a few requests for me this time around, namely the wheels, interior and engine as well as the headlights.
I started with the engine. It was power washed and then was cleaned with Zep Citrus and various brushes. The hood insulation was also rinsed out. Here are some before shots of the engine:
The engine was blown off with the MB after washing it. I made sure to get into every possible place to get all the water out. The hood was left up so the insulation could drip out the last bit.
The engine was treated the next day to UTTG. This did a great job on all the plastic and rubber pieces. I also sprayed the insulation with foaming tire shine. I did a nice job of blackening up the insulation.
Next up, the wheels. I started them off with IronX. This product is so amazing at cutting through brake dust, I just love it. The barrels were done with Carbrite wheel acid at 2:1 and power washed off.
Here's a few shots of before and IX at work:
Up next was a decontamination wash of the paint. This car sees regular (more than once a week) automatic car washes. I know they put some wax stuff on when they do it. I wanted to make sure the paint was clear of any of that stuff. I used IronX soap gel on a grout sponge. When I was power washing that off and rinsing, I could see that the CQ was still hard at work. The paint had some great protection going on still. That's after 8 months and many, many car washes! The car was blown dry with the MB.
The headlights were next up. They didn't look that bad, maybe just kinda dull. I wet sanded them with 1500, 2000, and then 3000 using the Megs sanding disc. That was followed up by a TB 3" wool pad and M105. That was refined with a 4" B & S yellow pad and M105 and then M205 and a 4" white B & S pad. The lights were then wiped down with Eraser and treated to CQ. I put a 2nd coat on the following day.
Before and during shots:
Paint considerations:
The paint had a scratch above the S500 emblem. I had picked up some touch up paint for the repair. The problem was I was only dealing with 100 microns or less of paint in that area. I had to be very conservative with my approach on this one. I used 2000 grit to level the touch up and followed that briefly with 2500 and then 3000. I compounded the area with my TB black wool and M105 followed by M105 and B & S yellow and then M205 and B & S white. Again, after being wiped down with Eraser, I applied CQ to the area where it had previously been. I improved it but could not get it all out. One side of the scratch was measuring 85 microns..time to stop!
Before shots of the scratch:
I then went around the car and did multiple touch ups for chips on the front end and elsewhere. I used one of those microbrushes I got from ebay. They are made for dentists and hobbyists. They are an amazing little brush:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/150282288150...84.m1423.l2649
For the wheels to be protected some more (they are already wearing CQ, I decided to apply DG nano clear. I did 2 coats on it. The wheels were very slick after that. I want to give them as much protection against the brake dust as possible so I followed that up with Permanon.
The whole car was then treated to DG nano clear which was done via PC and a black LC pad at 4. The exterior glass was also treated to it.
The Mercedes star on the hood was hand polished with a mf and M105. That was sealed with CQ as well. (It was so shiny that you could see the reflection of the blue crest underneath it from the driver's seat!)
Lastly on the exterior, the antenna was treated to UTTG.
Interior:
The mats were vacuumed and steam cleaned. My Gaia is acting up and leaks steam out of the end. I've got to try to get it fixed locally. If not, I might just toss it? I take it tomorrow to get fixed. There are strange security screws that prevented my guy from fixing it, but I sourced them and will be providing the set for him. I'm a stubborn guy, what can I say??
The carpeting was vacuumed as well as the dash vents, etc.
The seats were cleaned with my Auto Glym pad and OPC at 3:1. Then they were treated to UIGP. I have used it before with a cheap sponge and it did fine. I ordered some more and went to get the applicator...What a difference that bad-boy makes!!!! It spreads it so much more evenly and does a great job. This product should not be used without that applicator IMO. The shift knob and steering wheel were also treated.
The wood was polished with DG 951 as was the chrome step plates and the door jams.
The glass was cleaned with Zep glass.
All told the job took me just shy of 9 hours. I charged him for 8 as he has sent me one referral already and is of course a repeat customer.
AFTER SHOTS:
http://www.live2detail.com/showthrea...highlight=s500
The car has a real problem with brake dust. I have sent the owner a recommendation for pads that may assist him. He had a few requests for me this time around, namely the wheels, interior and engine as well as the headlights.
I started with the engine. It was power washed and then was cleaned with Zep Citrus and various brushes. The hood insulation was also rinsed out. Here are some before shots of the engine:
The engine was blown off with the MB after washing it. I made sure to get into every possible place to get all the water out. The hood was left up so the insulation could drip out the last bit.
The engine was treated the next day to UTTG. This did a great job on all the plastic and rubber pieces. I also sprayed the insulation with foaming tire shine. I did a nice job of blackening up the insulation.
Next up, the wheels. I started them off with IronX. This product is so amazing at cutting through brake dust, I just love it. The barrels were done with Carbrite wheel acid at 2:1 and power washed off.
Here's a few shots of before and IX at work:
Up next was a decontamination wash of the paint. This car sees regular (more than once a week) automatic car washes. I know they put some wax stuff on when they do it. I wanted to make sure the paint was clear of any of that stuff. I used IronX soap gel on a grout sponge. When I was power washing that off and rinsing, I could see that the CQ was still hard at work. The paint had some great protection going on still. That's after 8 months and many, many car washes! The car was blown dry with the MB.
The headlights were next up. They didn't look that bad, maybe just kinda dull. I wet sanded them with 1500, 2000, and then 3000 using the Megs sanding disc. That was followed up by a TB 3" wool pad and M105. That was refined with a 4" B & S yellow pad and M105 and then M205 and a 4" white B & S pad. The lights were then wiped down with Eraser and treated to CQ. I put a 2nd coat on the following day.
Before and during shots:
Paint considerations:
The paint had a scratch above the S500 emblem. I had picked up some touch up paint for the repair. The problem was I was only dealing with 100 microns or less of paint in that area. I had to be very conservative with my approach on this one. I used 2000 grit to level the touch up and followed that briefly with 2500 and then 3000. I compounded the area with my TB black wool and M105 followed by M105 and B & S yellow and then M205 and B & S white. Again, after being wiped down with Eraser, I applied CQ to the area where it had previously been. I improved it but could not get it all out. One side of the scratch was measuring 85 microns..time to stop!
Before shots of the scratch:
I then went around the car and did multiple touch ups for chips on the front end and elsewhere. I used one of those microbrushes I got from ebay. They are made for dentists and hobbyists. They are an amazing little brush:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/150282288150...84.m1423.l2649
For the wheels to be protected some more (they are already wearing CQ, I decided to apply DG nano clear. I did 2 coats on it. The wheels were very slick after that. I want to give them as much protection against the brake dust as possible so I followed that up with Permanon.
The whole car was then treated to DG nano clear which was done via PC and a black LC pad at 4. The exterior glass was also treated to it.
The Mercedes star on the hood was hand polished with a mf and M105. That was sealed with CQ as well. (It was so shiny that you could see the reflection of the blue crest underneath it from the driver's seat!)
Lastly on the exterior, the antenna was treated to UTTG.
Interior:
The mats were vacuumed and steam cleaned. My Gaia is acting up and leaks steam out of the end. I've got to try to get it fixed locally. If not, I might just toss it? I take it tomorrow to get fixed. There are strange security screws that prevented my guy from fixing it, but I sourced them and will be providing the set for him. I'm a stubborn guy, what can I say??
The carpeting was vacuumed as well as the dash vents, etc.
The seats were cleaned with my Auto Glym pad and OPC at 3:1. Then they were treated to UIGP. I have used it before with a cheap sponge and it did fine. I ordered some more and went to get the applicator...What a difference that bad-boy makes!!!! It spreads it so much more evenly and does a great job. This product should not be used without that applicator IMO. The shift knob and steering wheel were also treated.
The wood was polished with DG 951 as was the chrome step plates and the door jams.
The glass was cleaned with Zep glass.
All told the job took me just shy of 9 hours. I charged him for 8 as he has sent me one referral already and is of course a repeat customer.
AFTER SHOTS:
