Trying to get the motivation to tidy up the wife's car...

C

cehanis

New member
Joined
Apr 17, 2011
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
Like many here I'm just a weekend wrencher who normally isn't afraid to tackle my own detailing. My DD is a nice small 2 seater and I have no problems keeping things in shape.

The wife drives a Mercedes GL450 and is nagging me to "make it shiny" for her. I'm actually considering taking this to someone. Not that I am not comfortable or competent enough to do it, but simply because of the size of it.

It actually doesn't "look" that huge but in reality its a big boat of a ride. I know it's going to take several days to get through it all and I'm really struggling to find the motivation, let alone the time for such an undertaking.

Any tips or tricks specific to bigger SUV's? And for the guys on here who are not pros do you ever find yourself hiring it out rather than tackling it yourself?
 
I would just take my time and go one panel at a time, or as much as you can comfortably. Say you do the hood one day, meaning you compound/polish the defects out and put a wax/sealant on. Next day, just do a waterless wash on the next panels you'd want to tackle. Then just repeat the process.

Yea it not a super effective method, but it will get the job done. I myself have never done this but i can see it being done. Trust me you're not gonna want to shell out big $$$ if you can do it yourself. Same thing goes for car modifications, the big $$$ is in labor, not parts, so if you can do it yourself, go for it.
 
Does she know the difference between a swirl and a squirrel? If not, then maybe all you need to do is wash, clay and wax. If it requires some gloss then maybe just do a single step polish. I understand you love your wife and want the best for her, but as the saying goes... "what mama don't know wont hurt her". In this case "what wifey don't know". Please don't take this out of context lol. Strictly talking about detailing here ;)
 
I have a tiny corolla and will often spread a detail out over 2-3 days. Take your time and do a good job, it's supposed to be fun too! :)

Also if she jus wants it shiny wh not just use an all in one AIO product? You can clean cut and protect at one one thus reducing multiple steps!
 
Willy Wang said:
Does she know the difference between a swirl and a squirrel? If not, then maybe all you need to do is wash, clay and wax. If it requires some gloss then maybe just do a single step polish. I understand you love your wife and want the best for her, but as the saying goes... "what mama don't know wont hurt her". In this case "what wifey don't know". Please don't take this out of context lol. Strictly talking about detailing here ;)
Click to expand...

I hear ya, unfortunately that's not me. I'd have to do it right if I were to do it. Besides its the primary family hauler (one of the advantages to no back seat in mine, it spends more time in the garage).

The good news is it is silver, so it's a little better to work with then all the black GL's out there. Paints in pretty good shape though she has been known to run through a car wash here and there. Thankfully she tries to remember to use a brushless one.
 
cleanmycorolla said:
I have a tiny corolla and will often spread a detail out over 2-3 days. Take your time and do a good job, it's supposed to be fun too! :)

Also if she jus wants it shiny wh not just use an all in one AIO product? You can clean cut and protect at one one thus reducing multiple steps!
Click to expand...


I was thinking that too. Klasse or XMT 360 does a nice job Maybe a spray wax after ?
Maybe I should take my own advice. Hmmmn.
 
I hate to be the one to tell you this...
But as of: Right now...You are using the AGO forum as a furtherance of your procrastination.

-Turn this program off immediately and get going!
I know you can do it!


And being a married man myself:
1.) "Wisdom ceases to be wisdom...when it becomes too selfish to seek other than itself ". ~ Khalil Gibran
2.) YES!!! You can thank me later.


:)

Bob
 
I'd say if you have the time and energy, go for it yourself. If you find it too daunting, you could always take it to a reputable detailer. Those GLs are big vehicles, but a nicely detailed one will look stunning.
 
D151 or AF Tripple with a DA and spray OCW.

Or M205, DP prep polish and Hydro2.
 
FUNX725 said:
I hate to be the one to tell you this...
But as of: Right now...You are using the AGO forum as a furtherance of your procrastination.

-Turn this program off immediately and get going!
I know you can do it!

And being a married man myself:
1.) "Wisdom ceases to be wisdom...when it becomes too selfish to seek other than itself ". ~ Khalil Gibran
2.) YES!!! You can thank me later.

:)

Bob
Click to expand...

:cheers: Bob, aka "The Prophet" of the detailing community
 
Well I've just about got the wife's car done. Couple panels to go on the passenger side. I don't know what was in the brake pads or what the previous owner did to the wheels but I think it would have been easier to remove powder coating than the brake dust on these things.

Not the greatest pics but it does look tremendously better. It's no where near brand new (2007) so it has a few scratches here and there. But by and large it looks pretty good.

10257581325_21589cb9da_b.jpg


10257571456_866483b899_b.jpg


10257583925_81ba3228a1_b.jpg


10257585735_97ab82bf44_b.jpg


10257480894_d07598054a_b.jpg
 
Once I get started, I just don't stop lol

I knocked out my lady's car. (3 step) I wasn't aiming for perfection just "shiny" which is what the car got.

Sure I could have been there for more hours at a time, to aim for more perfection. However, I was just going for "shiny"

View attachment 22056

View attachment 22057

Repainting it would have cost more than the car. So "shiny" is all it got lol

Doing panel by panel is a good option.
 
cleanmycorolla said:
I have a tiny corolla and will often spread a detail out over 2-3 days. Take your time and do a good job, it's supposed to be fun too! :)

Also if she jus wants it shiny wh not just use an all in one AIO product? You can clean cut and protect at one one thus reducing multiple steps!
Click to expand...

I often spread my cars over a few days as well. Honestly, I can spend 3-4 hours just foaming, washing, drying, spray waxing, etc... But I'm the type that has to get everything perfectly flawless and clean.

My other advice is to start EARLY. Get up at 5:30. Wash & clay. Take a break and eat something. It's pretty awesome when your done washing and its like 7:45 am.
 
By the way, German cars always have more break dust than others . Might want to buy some iron x =)
 
Just take it to the guy across the street that does a full interior + exterior wash/clay/polish/wax all for $24.99
 
Whenever I have a large truck or SUV and not up to it I watch YouTube vids, after just a few I'm pumped up and ready to begin:)
Once I start I'm fine.
But yeah, doing a couple of panels each day would work, in a few days you'd be done.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top