MB C63 AMG saved from the dealership @KS Detailing, Long Island, NY

[KS_Detailing]

A little backstory, my old car club buddy whom I haven't seen in nearly 10 years contacted me about his new car. He bought a Mercedes C63 AMG. Not the most expensive car but not inexpensive either, he still expected to get quality. He bought it from a high end dealership here in NY and assumed they would take care of his car right. His assumption was wrong. After taking delivery of the car he knew the paint shouldn't look that way. After seeing my posts on Facebook, he contacted me to take a look at the car. Although they jacked up his car, it did lead to re connecting with an old friend!

He told me the car was at the dealership as he was trying to sort out the issue. I told him we could go together and take a look so we had an idea what we were up against. As we went down stairs into their underground garage we caught two workers red handed going at it with out a care with a rotary. We quickly stopped then and took the car right then and there. After sitting down and talking with the manager they downplayed their negligence. They just acted like paint was paint and it was shiny so who cares. He is taking action since my buddy went from what could have been just a new car prep to an intensive 3 day paint correction that he covered out of pocket.

Once we got it to the shop we prepped the car for an intensive paint correction. Here is the before condition of the paint. I honestly can't believe they passed this off as acceptable. If they just watched a YouTube video and got their detailer a porter cable, he would atleast not put in all these holograms!

Time to get the Benz under the correction lights.

After accessing the condition of the paint they left holograms, swirls, some rids and micro marring/haze. It's ok cause luckily I can fix it!

Process:

-Rinseless wash
-Clay
-Taped
-GG fast correcting megs mf pads via Rupes 15 mark 2
-GG fast correcting via mf pads Rupes mini
-Rupes nano 1" mf pad
-roof and black plastic menzerna 2500 via mf pad
-carpro essence via gloss pad
-Eraser wipedown
-coated with carpro CQuartz Professional
-IR cured

I took paint thickness readings just to be sure, it had been touched by someone else remember. Paint was still healthy, guess they just glazed it up.

Here are some pics after my cutting step, notice how nicely it finishes down. This is flat jet black paint too. I have perfected my technique that I rarely get haze anymore.

After my cutting step I polished with carpro essence is preparation for the coating. Before I polished I made sure the correction looked great in the sun. Remember the sun does not lie!

Time to coat, carpro now offers CQuartz Professional. It's an upgrade from the previous Finest formula. It's so easy to work with and the gloss is amazing.

After two layers were applied, we baked the CQuartz Pro under IR curing lamps

Here's 2 pics right after and some more the next day when we pulled it outside

Next day we took it out for a shoot

My buddy was thrilled and blown away. His new car is now better than new. I'm really happy that I got the opportunity to show him the level of detailing we expect. This is the way black paint should look, flawless.

Thanks for reading.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[fly07sti]

Nice save. I'm impressed that you got that nice of a finish with a MF pad. Now you just have to have your buddy maintain it correctly.

 

[Photomask]

Absolutely gorgeous! Did you take the car back to the offending dealership to educate them on how a car should look? And perhaps even offer to train their staff on how to avoid causing such damage? For a small fee, of course...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Autogeekonline mobile app

 

[KS_Detailing]

Nice save. I'm impressed that you got that nice of a finish with a MF pad. Now you just have to have your buddy maintain it correctly.

Many years of perfecting my technique. We set up a maintenance program to do a wash bi weekly.

 

[KS_Detailing]

Absolutely gorgeous! Did you take the car back to the offending dealership to educate them on how a car should look? And perhaps even offer to train their staff on how to avoid causing such damage? For a small fee, of course...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Autogeekonline mobile app

He is taking actions up with the dealership, he is trying to get them to pay for the repair. Whether he will get it or not is the question but after delivering him the car he felt it was worth it even if he doesnt. Ive seen their operation, very large dealership. Im not going to tell them how to run their business but they will see the documentation I took and hope the issue is resolved. Im just happy I could help out my buddy cause he was so tired of seeing it this way in the sun. Btw it took a few weeks to get the car after he took it home from the dealership that day because of my scheduling so he said he just stopped looking at it.

 

[Sizzle Chest]

Great work! Nice car...it now looks as it should and deserves that AMG badging now! Very nice...

 

[KMG]

Nice work Kevin! Nice turn around on that one, and I am sure your friend was more then thrilled with the results.

 

[brettS4]

Awesome car and awesome recovery.. congrats to you both!

 

[mike33175]

Looking deeeeep!

Where did you buy the cquartz professional?

 

[Justin at Final Inspection]

Great save! Had my truck at the dealership a few days ago. While there I saw there sub contracted detailer going to town on a new black Escalade with a rotary. I just shook my head lol.

 

[LEDetailing]

Wow, great save and you not only did you get to reconnect with an old friend, but probably will gain a lifetime customer. I'm sure your friend will be be sending some referrals your way as well. You really should be sending the dealership a Thank you for the additional business. JK

My opinion, he should have not left the dealership with a new car that looks that bad. A shame that the dealership is allowing that to happen in the first place.

 

[Sicoupe]

It's looks flawless now

 

[lj993]

Beautifully done. Exceptional work. Phil

 

[GSKR]

Looks amazing.

Dealers don't invest in there employees as far as training.

I worked at pepe motors .They carry porche merc and infinity.

We were trained from the montvale new jersey factory store. I was making 30hr plus overtime as a detailer. Things were done the rightway. On used cars we would detail them and had to set the radio station to jazz. If not you were fired.

The director was a marine lunatic.

So now after 12 years of leaving stuff is still done the rightway.

That's a dealer whocares about quality and trains there employees.

Not some underground glaze hackers.

Pepe auto group white plains NY.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

As we went down stairs into their underground garage we caught two workers red handed going at it with out a care with a rotary [buffer].

We quickly stopped them and took the car right then and there.

After sitting down and talking with the manager they downplayed their negligence. They just acted like paint was paint and it was shiny so who cares.

Your buddy is lucky to have you as a buddy. Someone that has the most important detailing tool in the world of car detailing and that is knowledge.

I always have hope the dealership world will change and then I read a post like yours. This is why for the most part I simply don't have any respect for cars sales people, their managers and the owners of dealerships. I've only met a handful of these people in my life that actualy knew anything and cared. The rest are at the same level as the hack detailers they hire and pay to do property crimes to cars.


And the crazy thing is... it doesn't take any longer to do the job right as it would take to do the job wrong. In fact I have an article on this topic that is also embarrassing to the hack detailer that prepped a car for SEMA no less.

It takes just as long to do it wrong...


Nice save, you did your buddy a true favor. And that is an expensive and very refined car.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

My opinion, he should have not left the dealership with a new car that looks that bad.

A shame that the dealership is allowing that to happen in the first place.

And that's the norm for dealerships.

Here's the deal. Dealerships will never change on their own. To get them to stop doing property crime to customer's cars the only long term fix is to educate the masses. Sine most people don't know the difference between a swirl or a squirrel and most people don't care as they view their cars as simply transportation, I have little faith that the industry will ever change.

What is even sadder is the information is available and it's free. It's even low cost, heck my detailing book, "The Complete Guide to a Show Car Shine" cost $20.00 and could and would serve as a training manual for any detailer at any dealership.

Of course... that would mean reading... :laughing:

And after I spend anytime on Facebook I can tell no one reads anymore.


There's also tons of free videos, it's no longer a secret as to how to do it right. It's willful negligence on the part of dealerships and it starts at the top and filters down.


I think I've done my part to try to change the industry and educate the masses, not sure of any effect. I do know that for true car enthusiasts that CARE if they care enough then with a little Google searching they find this forum and often times find this article and if they read this article and put the simple recommendations into practice they can save their paint and save themselves from heartbreak.


DON'T WASH CAR! by Mike Phillips


For anyone reading this into the future, (I always type for the future, never the present), click the link below and read the article and more important --> look at the pictures.

Clearcoats are thin by Mike Phillips


When a hack detailer swirls out your car the swirls are VOIDS in the paint. In order to remove the swirls or the voids someone else must compound (or polish or sometimes both) the paint a second time.

Both procedures, the hack procedure and the professional procedure will REMOVE PAINT.

As you can see by the pictures in the article I linked to above, PAINT IS ALREADY THIN. And now it will be thinner. This leads to clearcoat failure and the only way to fix clearcoat failure is to repaint the car and a quality repaint is expensive.

Then if the body shop does hack work the cycle repeats --> Catch 22


It's sad and stupid how dealerships operate. It's all about getting the sap into the cubicle with the closer and getting their John Henry on the dotted line.



:dunno:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

By the way...


Did you check to see if this car had the Ceramiclear paint system?


Ceramiclear Paints - Be Careful

 

[KS_Detailing]

Nice work Kevin! Nice turn around on that one, and I am sure your friend was more then thrilled with the results.

Thanks Kevin, yeah hes very happy. He now feels its better than new which makes me happy!

Looking deeeeep!

Where did you buy the cquartz professional?

Its only available to authorized carpro finest and pro installers. You will have to find an installer in your area if youre interested in getting the coating applied.

Great save! Had my truck at the dealership a few days ago. While there I saw there sub contracted detailer going to town on a new black Escalade with a rotary. I just shook my head lol.

its fathoms me as well, like i said i think someone with a porter cable, some LC pads and m205 would have atleast not destroyed the finish. Most likely wouldnt have gotten the quality and finish to this level but it wouldnt have been driven out the dealer with holograms.

Looks amazing.

Dealers don't invest in there employees as far as training.

I worked at pepe motors .They carry porche merc and infinity.

We were trained from the montvale new jersey factory store. I was making 30hr plus overtime as a detailer. Things were done the rightway. On used cars we would detail them and had to set the radio station to jazz. If not you were fired.

The director was a marine lunatic.

So now after 12 years of leaving stuff is still done the rightway.

That's a dealer whocares about quality and trains there employees.

Not some underground glaze hackers.

Pepe auto group white plains NY.

Yes, I know the Pepe. I actually have a connection to him ha Seems like a good dealership. I dont expect dealers to go all out but they can learn how to wash and dry properly with some quality products and tools.

Your buddy is lucky to have you as a buddy. Someone that has the most important detailing tool in the world of car detailing and that is knowledge.

I always have hope the dealership world will change and then I read a post like yours. This is why for the most part I simply don't have any respect for cars sales people, their managers and the owners of dealerships. I've only met a handful of these people in my life that actualy knew anything and cared. The rest are at the same level as the hack detailers they hire and pay to do property crimes to cars.


And the crazy thing is... it doesn't take any longer to do the job right as it would take to do the job wrong. In fact I have an article on this topic that is also embarrassing to the hack detailer that prepped a car for SEMA no less.

It takes just as long to do it wrong...


Nice save, you did your buddy a true favor. And that is an expensive and very refined car.

I sat down with the manager of the dealership and explained to him why this was important to us. Like i said they played it down. They dont understand inflicting swirls, finishing down properly, removing clearcoat, proper protection etc. They didnt understand why this was so important to my friend. But its his car and he cares about the finish. I saw first hand who they have "detailing" ( i use this term loosely), they are just untrained hourly workers without the proper knowledge or skills.

 

[KS_Detailing]

By the way...


Did you check to see if this car had the Ceramiclear paint system?


Ceramiclear Paints - Be Careful

It was not a ceramic clear, I checked the sticker before.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

It was not a ceramic clear, I checked the sticker before.

Lucky for your buddy because had it had the Ceramiclear finish the important part would have been destroyed by the hack detailers.

In my opinion, the Ceramiclear paint system is the best system on the market BUT ONLY if the person that owns the car,


1: Knows they have it to start with.

2: Understand what it is.

3: Understands what not to do to it or to hire people that understand what not to do to it.


Once it's compromised, or removed then might as well have not had it at all. In my opinion, Mercedes-Benz does a HUGE injustice to their customers by offering this paint system but NOT offering any information or education to go with it.

I recently taught a class for the local Mercedes-Benz club and the majority of the club members had no idea about this paint or if their car had it. Of course after the class I'm confident they all went out to there car and looked for the letter "C" in the paint code.