The AutoLavish Customer Service Norm - 2008 Mercedes Benz ML350

jlb85

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In each of our write-ups we try to cover something different, maybe new, to keep things interesting. This is also why the amount of write-ups we post lately is fewer. Here is a perfect case of what we could call a “typical” paint correction and vehicle “prep for sale” cleaning, but with the distinction that everything was done remotely to the client. This shows how AutoLavish accommodates our clients’ requirements.

The potential client contacts us through one of the forums. He is coordinating getting this vehicle from his mother to his sister, from Michigan to Florida, within a week. He would like to have it cleaned and protected before it gets to its final destination. Within a few days Marc picked up the vehicle at the client’s parents house and drive it to our shop. Our insurance covers us in any aspect of our work, including driving and transporting client’s vehicles wherever we need to get the job done. We would work on the vehicle, and have the Vehicle Shipping Service pick it up at our location. There were a few dents that we would also address at our shop by a Paintless Dent Removal company.


Upon arrival the vehicle had to be left outside during the snow as the bay was full with another client’s vehicle. By the time we would pull the vehicle inside it would be covered with snow.

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We removed as much snow as we needed to get inside the vehicle. Tim and Marc attacked the interior with fierce vengeance, using Leather Masters, 1Z Cockpit Premium, Klasse AIO, and APC+. All seats got 2 coats of the LM Protection Crème as well. Glass was polished inside with KAIO, and then cleaned with Meg’s Glass Cleaner. Trim was sealed with KAIO. Pedals were cleaned with APC and a stiff brush. Carpet was vacuumed and spot treated were necessary. Everything was wiped down with 1ZCP.

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Overall great condition...

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Cleaning started with vacuuming all surfaces and crevices:

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And scrubbing where needed:

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Vacuuming the carpets. Working with high quality carpet is very enjoyable. I love these Mercedes carpets!

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Seats:

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We started with Leatherique Prestine Clean:

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But the dye transfer remained:

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So we stepped it up to Leather Masters, which improved the dye transfer situation remarkably:

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Afters:

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floor mats:

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The jambs are one of the most important places to clean a car that will be sold. NOTHING screams at you more than a filthy jamb on a white car. Although this car would not be sold per se, we wanted the new owner to feel as if the car was brand spanking new. The jambs were hit hard with cleaners and the steamer, then sealed with Sonus, including the liftgate and underside of bonnet.

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Sonus spray:

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trunk sonus:

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The engine was decently clean overall, and needed just a quick degreasing and rinse to clean up the accumulated dust. Once done, we wiped the plastics down with 1ZCP just to even out the black a little better. No other dressings were used. Again, for a vehicle that is about to be sold the trick is to make it look like it has NOT just been detailed. Dressings are a dead giveaway of cutting corners to make things look better than they really are for the sale. I love dressing on my personal cars and use then all the time, but if I am going to sell the car I keep the surfaces clean and dry. My buyers always comment on how clean the engines are. The underside of the hood received Sonus Spray Sealant as well.

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Sonus on underside of hood:

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Wheels:

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After:

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Running boards:

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Next we washed the vehicle. We would prepare it for the PDR guy to do his magic. We wanted to make sure the surface and surroundings were as clean as possible, but not do any polishing yet.

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The initial foam bath helps break down the grime so the pressured water can remove it. The second foam bath is when we wipe the wash mitt over the vehicle, removing the stuff the jet of water left behind. Rinsed, we next applied an Iron-Dissolving Paint Cleaner, which works by chemically removing embedded ferrous materials like brake dust and rail dust. White vehicles suffer the most from these pesky little specs since they are most visible against this color. Clay will remove them, but pre-treating them with Iron-X will make claying go much faster. We apply the Iron-X via spray bottle, directly onto the clean but wet paint. As the product works, iron is dissolved into a solution that runs off purple in color.

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Anywhere you see purple, there was an embedded particle of iron-ous junk:

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One more rinse to remove the purple and it is straight to claying. We could foam the vehicle again to clay, but in harsh weather especially we prefer to use a dedicated clay lube.

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One more foam and rinse and it is ready to be dried. A few MF towels and a leaf blower help dry before it get to cold. We want to make sure there will be no drips that will leave vertical marks that could throw off the PDR guy’s line of sight.

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In the meantime, though, we can remove some things that would otherwise be in our way, like the hood vent trim:

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The next day Josh makes it to our place. Having good mobile services really makes things easier for us, as we hope we make it easier for our clients. Josh took about an hour to do his magic. The results were outstanding, and made a huge difference. Even with a polished out vehicle, a big dent right on a character line will definitely take away from that new car warm and fuzzy feeling.

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Rear dent:

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Once smooth, we proceeded to polish the paint. White is hard to correct. Luckly, this paint was in great shape! It would still require M105, but with a few passes the paint looked flawless, everywhere. There were very few deep scratches. The client’s mother has taken very good care of this vehicle! After M105 we finished down with M205.

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Marc polishing hood:

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Door handle pockets got hand polished with M105 and M205:

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Another wash, and dry, and time to seal. We opted for a sealant that has a good track record in the Florida sun, Blackfire, and applied a good coat via machine. Final touches were some All Season wheel well dressing, satin Optimum Tire Shine, Opti-Seal on the wheels and exhaust tips. Windscreen and lift gate glass got Aquapel.

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ASD fenders:

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Opti on wheels:

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Reinstalling trim pieces in like new condition thanks to good cleaning and an overnight saturation in Aerospace 303:

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Vehicle almost ready to go!

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good night:

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The vehicle shipper arrived the next morning. Although I have sent off dozens of vehicles in trucks, I have never gotten to drive one onto the truck. Since it was this tight, the truck driver decided to have me at the wheel and he would adjust the ramps inside the trailer for optimal fitment. Already inside were a few jewels, 60’s classics, but I did not want to take any pictures of them. This trucker was definitely a guy who has earned the trust of his clients!

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The very few rock chips are very noticeable. These should look much better with a touch-up paint pen. Unfortunately, there were none available in our timeframe.

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Our camera is not very good capturing white, and there were thin slivers of clouds covering the sun slightly. Makes for bad sun pictures ☹

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Loading:


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Once the vehicle was inside and checked off, we called the client and let him know how everything went. He was very appreciative, and we knew his sister would be happy with the vehicle. The total time billed for the vehicle was 10 hours. We spent about 12 on it, plus the time it took Josh to remove the dents.

Thanks for taking the time to read! We hope you enjoy.

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Great work! Always learn new stuff reading your thread. :props:
 
Excellent work! Love the writeup. Very thorough and well executed.

Where can I get that Iron-X?
 
Awesome work as always, guys!

Does the PDR guy you use give you a discount since you're bringing him business through your customers? I used to use a guy who did that, but he left the state and the guy I'm using now doesn't give me as good of a deal. Curious to hear if you guys have experienced similar.
 
I always love your all's threads. You do great work and they are always a favorite to look at. Btw, what kind of vacuum did you all use? It looked nice with the hose and attachments.
 
Nice thorough job. :xyxthumbs:

Do you have to crawl out of the window once inside the trailer? I have always wondered how they get out of the vehicle once it is inside the transporter.
 
Top notch work as always Jacob! I think you guys always have some of the most informative write up's......which definitely helps out other forum members! :dblthumb2:


Who's the new guy? Did he have to go through an initiation? :D
 
wow, all that in 12 hours. Amazing!

makes me want to go get some iron x right away even though my car is black (just cuz I can't see it doesn't mean it's not there...)
 
Awesome work and great write-up!
It's always really interesting and fun to read your write-up. :xyxthumbs:
 
You all pay attention to detail more than anyone I've ever seen!!! GREAT JOB!!!
 
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