Advice...?

A

adudley88

New member
Joined
Feb 12, 2010
Messages
20
Reaction score
0
Hey Guys,
This is my first post on this forum, I kind of put of introducing myself, but I'd like some advice on a car I'm working on.
I mainly started detailing because my boyfriend owns a small auto shop and dealership so I work on their cars before they go up for sale. Recently, I've had a lot of their customers asking me to work on their cars. I'm up for it, but it makes me way more nervous, because before I wasn't being paid for it. :confused:
Anyways, this customer would like me to work on his Mercedes, which, needless to say needs help. He plans on getting a full paint job in the future, and he understands that I'm not a miracle worker; he just told me to do whatever I can. The paint is very oxidized, has a lot of scratches and was badly keyed on the passenger side. I polished out a small spot on the rear and it looks a million times better, however there are are a few spots on this car that worry me and I'm pretty sure there's nothing I can do to make them better, but I thought I'd ask you guys how you'd go about this job?
Here are some pictures of the front and the parts that worry me.
carpics004.jpg

carpics005.jpg

carpics006.jpg


For reference, I have a Flex and I mainly use Chemical Guys products, but I'd try any recommendations.
Thanks in advance for any input!
-Ash
 
Your two last pictures show clearcoat failure. The rest of the vehicle looks like it should come back nicely.

Colin
 
kronos said:
Call me crazy, but that looks like clear coat failure. Only a re-paint can fix those spots. You might be able to make it look better, but it's only going to get worse.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Like I said he plans on getting a paint job in the future. Should I stay away from this area all together or is it safe to try and polish a bit? If so, should I go about it how I normally would?
Thanks, -Ash
 
clearcoat failure is what I see too and theres no removing that with professional help. You certainly can buff that old MB to remove alot of the oxidation and make those areas less noticable. I would highly suggest getting a two step polishing process from Megs (105/205) or Menzerna (SIP/Nano) as a starting point.
 
killrwheels@autogeek said:
clearcoat failure is what I see too and theres no removing that with professional help. You certainly can buff that old MB to remove alot of the oxidation and make those areas less noticable. I would highly suggest getting a two step polishing process from Megs (105/205) or Menzerna (SIP/Nano) as a starting point.
Click to expand...

So go ahead and polish? I'm just worried about making it worse...is that possible to do while polishing?
Thanks, -Ash
 
adudley88 said:
So go ahead and polish? I'm just worried about making it worse...is that possible to do while polishing?
Thanks, -Ash
Click to expand...

My sister's car has clearcoat failure on the hood. I tried polishing it and while it did make it look better, I definitely had some clearcoat paint on my pad. Lots of it. So if you proceed, do it with caution.
 
adudley88 said:
So go ahead and polish? I'm just worried about making it worse...is that possible to do while polishing?
Thanks, -Ash
Click to expand...

you can always tape off the area and work around it. I might suggest you warn the owner first that this is damaged, and possibly sign a waiver. In Florida, they will sue you for anything !
 
If they are getting it repainted anyway, I'd try and buff it out. I'd try a wool pad and some M105 to start with.
 
Hello,
I just wanted to say thanks for all the helpful advice and post a few pictures of what the car looked like when I was done. I saw a few spots where I think I could have done better, but I'm still learning. This is only the second car I've actually polished.
-Ash

cars001.jpg

cars003.jpg

cars004.jpg

cars008.jpg
 
killrwheels@autogeek said:
I might suggest you warn the owner first that this is damaged, and possibly sign a waiver. In Florida, they will sue you for anything !
Click to expand...

:iagree:

Discuss it with the owner. Make sure you are on the same page and have them sign that page. :)

Edit: Crap! looks like I should have kept reading before replying. Nice work! What a difference!
 
Well Ash, that looks great considering what you started with. He should be happy.
 
Welcome, I think you did the best you could do,and i think it looks good.
Nice job :buffing:
 
I've seen Bufferbarry on Autopia.org polish out an old Mercedes 300SDL that looked a LOT worse than that car and he found that even though it looked like clearcoat failure, it was in fact, just severe oxidation on a single-stage paint job. It appears you may have had the same thing. I don't think MB's that old had BC/CC, but I'm probably wrong. VERY nice work on it though!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top