2011 Mercedes E350 - 2 step paint correction & Opti-Coat by Mr. Sparkle Detailing - Long Island

[Gurge]

Recently got a call from a client looking for Opti-Coat on his 2011 Mercedes E350 that was just purchased used. We agreed to a 2 step correction with Opti-Coat protection. Little did I know this would be a 15 hour project.

Before all of this the car was first brought to another detailer with the owner's intention of applying Opti-Coat 2.0 himself after the car was polished out. Things didn't quite go as planned and that's where I come in.

The prior detailer left behind a lot of swirls, buffer trails (holograms), leftover polish in the cracks, and polish splatter. So I had to do my best to cleanup their mess.

polish in the cracks

polish splatter on the wiper cowl

Started off with my usual wash & clay routine making sure to clean some of the neglected areas

Once it was dried I could see the true condition of the paint. Not pretty.

The hood was a total mess compared to the rest of the car. Grabbed the paint gauge and sure enough there was a ton of paint on the hood indicating it had been re-painted. Looking closer, the body shop had left sanding marks all over the hood including right up to the edge. So I'd be cleaning up after the detailer, and the body shop

Spoke with the client who agreed that 90-95% correction was acceptable as there was so much to deal with.

Majority of the car was corrected with:

Flex 3401 + Optimum MF pads + Menzerna FG400
Flex 3401 + LC Tangerine + Powerfinish

Did I mention the hood was a mess? Swirls, holograms, random scratches, water spots, sanding marks. There was plenty of material to work with so I did 4 steps on the hood

Makita 9227C + 3m wool + Menzerna FG400
Flex 3401 + Optimum MF pads + Menz FG400
Flex + LC Cyan + Menz SIP (1500)
Flex + LC black + Menz 106fa (4000)

So at this point I'm about 12 hours into it with close to 9 in the paint correction alone. I called it a night and returned in the morning.

Client also asked for some paint touchup as the bumper had white speckles all over from rock chips

before

after

Finally Opti-Coat applied and time to step back and admire the work

Under the LED lights only. Check out the reflection in the hood of my ceiling

Pulled it outside for a final inspection

Even caught one of my neighbors sneaking a peek

Client was thrilled with the results and I was happy to save this one.

From the Mr. Sparkle garage in West Babylon NY....


Mr. Sparkle Detailing.com

 

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Wow incredible work on some hammered paint. I cant believe some other detailer decided to try and buff this car out with a rotary. What were they thinking?

Did you notice any of the holograms before the wash?

 

[oldschoolsdime9]

Beautiful !

 

[Pureshine]

Great work!

 

[Wes Bremec]

Mr sparkles I believe we met last year at boot camp. Anyways how do u like mf pads on the 3401. I have to admit that the LC mf pads wasn't the most enjoyable polishing. I want to also know if this car was ceramic clear. I recently did an audi s5 which was rock hard and use used fg400 with 3401 mf pads. I honestly think that the direct drive movement of this machine is not mf pad friendly.

 

[Gurge]

Mr sparkles I believe we met last year at boot camp. Anyways how do u like mf pads on the 3401. I have to admit that the LC mf pads wasn't the most enjoyable polishing. I want to also know if this car was ceramic clear. I recently did an audi s5 which was rock hard and use used fg400 with 3401 mf pads. I honestly think that the direct drive movement of this machine is not mf pad friendly.

I like the optimum MF pads with the flex. Megs pads seem to haze more, but they also cut a bit better. But as far as feel I think the flex and mf pads are smooth. Wasn't a big fan of the flex when I first got it but after a couple cars it grew on me and now I reach for it all the time. that being said, all I hear about is the rupes....


Audi A5 Opt MF pads + FG400

2013 Audi A5 - 2 step correction & Opti-Coat by Mr. Sparkle- Long Island

 

[Wes Bremec]

I tested the rupes at autogeek garage two weeks ago. It was a very smooth machine but I wished those Italians would build a machine that didn't seem so flimsy. It seemed cheaply made in my opinion. But if it does the job l, why complain.

 

[precisionautosalon]

Very nice work and awesome garage.

 

[SuperiorAutoLLC]

Congratulations on a job well done. The car looks great!:xyxthumbs:

 

[cartman57]

Sure looks purddy now!

 

[jjj]

Looks great! I bet owner was happy. What did you use to get polish from cracks?

 

[Chris@AutoCleanse]

What product did you use on the bumper for the paint chips?

 

[vet]

Great job!

 

[dertoLearN.]

Nice jobe!:dblthumb2:

 

[Gurge]

Thanks for the comments!

To get the polish from the cracks I used an MF towel where I could but I also had the steam cleaner involved. vx5000

What product did you use on the bumper for the paint chips?

Paint chips fixed with the 'applied colors' system

Paint Touch Up System for Professionals: The ScratchOut Kit

looks like the price has gone up since my purchase awhile back.

 

[precisionautosalon]

How do you like the kit? Do you get many requests for touch up?

 

[buffguy]

Nice work. How did you get the polish out of the cracks?

 

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

That's a nice touch up kit.

 

[Gurge]

How do you like the kit? Do you get many requests for touch up?

To be honest, I don't push the service enough. I find that the kit is very good, but my skills with it could be improved. Keep in mind its paint touchup. Its only going to look so good, can't compare to a body shop re-spray. Obviously the re-spray costs a lot more and thats the marketing angle.

matching the paint is not that easy. black is the easiest but with most basecoats you need to adjust your paint mix a couple times before you get it right or close enough to be acceptable.

 

[swanicyouth]

Nice work! I wouldnt call the guy who had the car before you a "detailer" - maybe a "car washer" at best.