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Cutting, polishing, waxing, advise please!

horsesuitedfool

Active Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2009
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774
Location
USA
Car
C63 AMG Saloon & GL550
Hi all, i was thinking that with this nice weather etc i would sort out the exterior paint on my car. Its Obsidian Black and not flat as such but not as shiny as it could/should be. I dont want to spend a fortune as was going to have it mopped etc by a bodyshop but thought i would at least have a go myself first. I was going to get claybar and wash it and clay it but then not sure what to use afterwards. Should i use T Cut or something different to get rid of swirl marks etc and then should i use high gloss polish such as autoglym or wax?? Any opinions would be great, cheers...:D
 
Do not use T-Cut. This will remove paint. Buy a clay bar and some lubricant and then wax and polish it.
 
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Nice advise, will do that then at weekend! Cheers, will post how it goes and take pics....
 
Lots of pics before and after ;)
 
Jefrs - it's quite hard work! - the UDS isn't as easy to use as SRP - especially if you are using SRP by machine (which is excellent!)

re the advice above, personally I wouldn't bother with the carlack stage - SRM will make a massive difference to any car - and a top of coat of good wax - such as the colinite or something like my favourite, P21S (called something else now) will look amazing. IMO - carlack and SRM are too similar and one of them is a wasted stage and will be hard work for little extra reward.
 
I have used a rotary Silverline on the wheels, ok but, I don't fancy using it on the bodywork. I gather a DA is safer but I only want to restore and polish the paint up not cut it back, and I'm confused but the many and various pads and potions available for them - any advise please?

I had a go at the bonnet today (before I read the last post). There are a number of scratches and stone chips. Colour is 189 Smaragdsswartz which is blue opal/black metallic, not green/black (doh!). I had clayed it a few weeks ago. It had been washed. Application by hand on stockinette and removed with same or mircofibre polyester :-

I started with Autoglym Paint Restorer, the cloth came away brown. The road film finally got removed, I would have expected the washing and clay and previous SRP to have done that but the Restorer did it better, the blue colour is now clearer.

Now a number of fine swirls apparent so I used Meguiars Swirl-X. Strangely enough this worked.

Then the Autoglym Super Resin Polish, usual suspect.

There were a few pimples and tiny brown spots so I spotted them with Meguiars Scratch-X 2.0 and my fingernail. This also improved the appearance of some of the little stone chips which the Restorer had left white.

and another coat of SRP.

Then a coat of Autoglym Ultra Deep Shine, which seems to be more waxy than the SRP. This wants to go on thin otherwise it leaves thick white sticky deposit which is indeed hard work. It does improve the depth of shine compared to the SRP.

I then gave it a light going over with Meguiars Tech Wax Spray, probably unnecessary but it is wet and it removed the last of the smudges and haze left by the UDS.

Finally a coat of Autoglym High Definition Wax.

Now I'm no expert, so I've probably duplicated effort but results look good with most of the scratches and stone chips disappeared.

When I move on to the side panels, there a deeper scratches that I shall need to touch up. I have got the Halfords 3-pen set, or some nitrocellulose which can be brushed, or sprayed when thinned with an airbrush. Naturally these are different colours.
- Does any one know what factory paint formulation is used on 1998 E320?
- Which is the most compatible paint formulation to use for touch up work?

There's a couple of acres left to do. How do you manage the roof, it's like the deck of an aircraft carrier ;-)
 
sounds like a lot of work - hope the bonnet looks great!

RE. the roof - with cars like yours (or my wife;s Touran) you really can;t beat a machine application - much easier and quicker - you will still be able to use your forearms and wrists after.

I have a porter-cable one which I imported from the states some years back - nowadays, Meguiars does one which is alsoo a PC but branded 'meguiars' - a great bit of kit but not cheap!
 
I contemplated getting a DA after I found the cheap Silverline rotary such a big powerful beast, but I am managing quite well by hand doing one panel at a time. Today I did the A posts and the roof to the back of the sunroof/front doors.
I changed the order a bit:-
The Clay gets the wax and bugs & bits off.
The Paint Restorer gets the traffic film off.
The defects are more visible after the Swirl-X.
The Scratch-X and thumbnail disappears the defects.
The Super Resin is Super Resin (2 coats).
The Ultra Deep Shine, deepens the shine (paint is almost-black).
The Tech Wax removes the last of the haze from the polish, the white bits in grooves (toothbrush).
The Detailing Wax gives a glassy shine, and seems to be wipe-clean. Looks good on the rubbery bits too.

I used Paint Restorer on the wheels using the rotary, finished by hand. Shiny but unfortunately the paint/lacquer is damaged (not by me) and lifting in places. I rubbed some Tech Wax around them afterwards, it seems to be keeping the brake dust off.
 
I just used some Mer tyre dressing spray on the arch liners, come up a treat!

I think I'll add it to my routine clean... :D :D
 
I just used some Mer tyre dressing spray on the arch liners, come up a treat!

I think I'll add it to my routine clean... :D :D

I've got a C250cdi in obsidian black. Ok it's only six months old but i shampoo it with Dodo Juice supernatural shampoo and the effect is amazing. Best shampoo I've ever used and the shine lasts for days.
 
Dodo have an amusing website.:D


Btw the Autoglym Detailing Wax is possibly the easiest wax to apply and shine that I've ever used.
 
As regards UDS, I sometimes use it on cars when I'm in a real hurry and they ideally need a bit more work but a quick job is what is wanted. When you put waxes on top of it you sometimes get reactions which can be a little bit of a nuisance. If I remember correctly, UDS is significantly more abrasive than SRP too, as SRP relies on fillers to a great extent. SRP with a decent wax should be enough in most circumstances, though it really does depend on what you want.
 
I thought UDS less abrasive than SRP (less colour comes away on the cloth), more resins maybe, and it takes more work to wipe the haze off - so use more sparingly. Also imo it does work well with dark colours, which it what it is designed for.

I agree that you may get reactions between products, chemicals being what they are and all, however if you stick to one make then they should be compatible.
 

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