Cxly
Active Member
Hey Guys,
I hope I’m posting this in the right section, I’m still a new member and it’s all still new to me.
Heres my CL500 W215 ‘03 Facelift.
Bought this from my Dad as he started neglecting it as he’s got too many cars and this one was one of my childhood favourites!
When I got it about 4 weeks ago, the body and interior was in a state, scuffs, scratches, panels falling apart, wheel corroded etc...
Got some pictures at the beginning (Wish I took more now!!)
The first task I wanna going to tackle were the Headlights - these things were cloudy, yellow abs rough as hell. I used the Meguirs stage 2 Headlight kit with some extra steps, I’ll write it out down below:
S1: Attach the scuff pad supplied and attach to a drill (Or by hand). Spray water onto the headlights and begin going at it at a moderate speed until you start seeing the yellow fade away.
S2: Wipe off the remaining residue, spray more water (Very important as this keeps the heat down and pick up and take away the old layers of plastic), turn up the speed slightly and get an even surface over the entire light - should have now yellow left.
S3: You’ll need a bucket with some water in with a 1500, 2500 and a 3000 if possible. Start off with the 1500 and begin sanding in straight lines, no circles or you’ll be chasing your self trying to get rid of your own scratches. As you work your way through each pad, when wet, you’ll begin to see the clarity return on each stage.
S4: Once the sanding is done, you’ll need a Compound Pad (I went with Foam as I believe it handles plastic better than a Microfibre cutting pad) and a Polishing Pad/finishing pad. With your Compound Pad, apply the Compound supplied in the Kit and apply 3-5 Dots and begin working it into the headlight at a moderate speed on your polisher/drill. Now this part is tricky if you have a different style of headlight as you will want to apply more speed and pressure but be careful of the angles your push on and you don’t want to have uneven pressure causing burn marks etc.. Once residue is beginning to go, wipe away. At this stage you will start getting excited as you see how clear it becomes.
S5: Move onto your Finishing Pad, now here I used my own polishing liquid as one wasn’t supplied and went with 3M’s Fine Finishing polish, works wonders. Same method as before work slow and gradually turn up the speed to accommodate your headlight.
S6: Make sure your headlights are completely clean at this point and begin masking everything around your Headlights as you’ll be getting ready to apply Meguirs Headlight Clear Coat.
S7: Begin Spraying - you all know how to spray here I’m sure but, I went light on the first two coats and then the remaining went quite heavy to get the Crystal finish. I left about 5 Minutes between coats.
S8: Let it sit for 15 Minutes, check your overspray areas on the tape to see if it’s tacky, if it’s tacky, start removing the tape carefully. Once removed, let the Headlights cure over night and you’ll be good to wash them, polish etc..
After this step, I wanted to tackle the wheels. This was a bit out of my depth to handle so I took these over to Smart Car Detailing in Wolverhampton. They did an unbelievable job, took out two buckles, all the curb rashes, and the corrosion which were on the surface. Full Powder coated job and looks great! Highly recommend them.
During the time the car was on jackstands when the wheels were getting painted, I looked at the panels I could save by paint correcting and save some money on the paint.
I did the Roof and Boot Lid the best I could, the before and after was a joke, it’s like a mirror.
Now, it was time for paint! I opted not to have the doors (Didn’t have enough time to fit it into the schedule) or side skirts done as I’m planning on have the side skirts replaced when the bodykit I have in mind arrives.
I hope I’m posting this in the right section, I’m still a new member and it’s all still new to me.
Heres my CL500 W215 ‘03 Facelift.
Bought this from my Dad as he started neglecting it as he’s got too many cars and this one was one of my childhood favourites!
When I got it about 4 weeks ago, the body and interior was in a state, scuffs, scratches, panels falling apart, wheel corroded etc...
Got some pictures at the beginning (Wish I took more now!!)
The first task I wanna going to tackle were the Headlights - these things were cloudy, yellow abs rough as hell. I used the Meguirs stage 2 Headlight kit with some extra steps, I’ll write it out down below:
S1: Attach the scuff pad supplied and attach to a drill (Or by hand). Spray water onto the headlights and begin going at it at a moderate speed until you start seeing the yellow fade away.
S2: Wipe off the remaining residue, spray more water (Very important as this keeps the heat down and pick up and take away the old layers of plastic), turn up the speed slightly and get an even surface over the entire light - should have now yellow left.
S3: You’ll need a bucket with some water in with a 1500, 2500 and a 3000 if possible. Start off with the 1500 and begin sanding in straight lines, no circles or you’ll be chasing your self trying to get rid of your own scratches. As you work your way through each pad, when wet, you’ll begin to see the clarity return on each stage.
S4: Once the sanding is done, you’ll need a Compound Pad (I went with Foam as I believe it handles plastic better than a Microfibre cutting pad) and a Polishing Pad/finishing pad. With your Compound Pad, apply the Compound supplied in the Kit and apply 3-5 Dots and begin working it into the headlight at a moderate speed on your polisher/drill. Now this part is tricky if you have a different style of headlight as you will want to apply more speed and pressure but be careful of the angles your push on and you don’t want to have uneven pressure causing burn marks etc.. Once residue is beginning to go, wipe away. At this stage you will start getting excited as you see how clear it becomes.
S5: Move onto your Finishing Pad, now here I used my own polishing liquid as one wasn’t supplied and went with 3M’s Fine Finishing polish, works wonders. Same method as before work slow and gradually turn up the speed to accommodate your headlight.
S6: Make sure your headlights are completely clean at this point and begin masking everything around your Headlights as you’ll be getting ready to apply Meguirs Headlight Clear Coat.
S7: Begin Spraying - you all know how to spray here I’m sure but, I went light on the first two coats and then the remaining went quite heavy to get the Crystal finish. I left about 5 Minutes between coats.
S8: Let it sit for 15 Minutes, check your overspray areas on the tape to see if it’s tacky, if it’s tacky, start removing the tape carefully. Once removed, let the Headlights cure over night and you’ll be good to wash them, polish etc..
After this step, I wanted to tackle the wheels. This was a bit out of my depth to handle so I took these over to Smart Car Detailing in Wolverhampton. They did an unbelievable job, took out two buckles, all the curb rashes, and the corrosion which were on the surface. Full Powder coated job and looks great! Highly recommend them.
During the time the car was on jackstands when the wheels were getting painted, I looked at the panels I could save by paint correcting and save some money on the paint.
I did the Roof and Boot Lid the best I could, the before and after was a joke, it’s like a mirror.
Now, it was time for paint! I opted not to have the doors (Didn’t have enough time to fit it into the schedule) or side skirts done as I’m planning on have the side skirts replaced when the bodykit I have in mind arrives.