Much to my shame I realised that I'd had my car cleaned only once in a whole year. To make it up to it I decided to treat it to a proper detail. The paintwork while in good order lacked any real shine or lustre and while I was expecting a bit of an improvement I certainly didn't expect the end result. It's gone from looking what it is, just another old 500CL, into something that has people actually commenting on (honestly). Bare in mind it's a 17 year old car that cost just 8 grand, okay it's only done 28k, but still... So worth the expense. I don't know if giving a shout out is permitted and if not then I'll edit this, but the chap who came to me to do the job got to me at 7.30am and left at 4pm and he didn't stop for any length of time. His name is Harvey and he owns Smartshine. Worth a call if you want someone who's reliable, punctual, friendly and professional.
Thought I'd treat my old CL500
- Thread starter Cakey
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No idea what it looked like before, but it is looking great.
Really worthwhile money spent.
Really worthwhile money spent.
Rpp999
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Nice and shiny, very presentable. Looks huge in those photos.
Rpp999
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fabes
MB Enthusiast
As above a Jap import,(?) but I do like that in white, very unique
AW8
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Remaps & pro detailing prices typically not disclosed on forums...Might be worth sharing so others can decide if worthwhile...I appreciate prices can vary due to various factors.
Glad you are happy..............I hope you keep on top of it now &/or don't wait another year.
Glad you are happy..............I hope you keep on top of it now &/or don't wait another year.
Yes, it is a jap import. I couldn't be bothered traipsing the length and bredth of the country looking for a low mileage one owner car in my price range only to turn up and find a totally misdescribed horror story. The Japs have a grading system which people stick to and gives an accurate idea as to the car's condition, better than some moody dealers description which will invariably include "stunning", "immaculate", "pristine" and other misused words. It also means it comes with slightly darker tints and colder air. The downside is the CMD is tied to Japan. At the moment I make do with an FM transmitter but Ali Express has loads of head units which look exactly the same but run Andoid, some even tie in with the Bose amp so you get to keep the factory look while having aps, being able to play anything in any format and they're not dear, £200 to £400. I've had it lowered by one and a quarter inches and replaced the interior yellow bulbs with ice blue LEDs. I'm gaving the interior walnut trim done in a dark brushed aluminium when funds allow. Thanks for the nice comments.
ChipChop
MB Enthusiast
Looks like a really nice car, and really stands out in that colour. Is it as rust free as Japanese sourced cars are always assumed to be underneath?
Hi Chip. Yes, you're shown photos of the underneath as well as any others you'd like to see as well as the Jap grading sheet. Upon arrival a clear or black underseal is offered, I went for clear. The underneath is as clean as you imagine it to be. Plus, because it's a hot climate model I imagine that it lived in a part of Japan where there's not much rain, frost or snow. I've looked at quite a few pics of the underneath of Jap cars and I've yet to see one that looks anything like the underneath of an old European car.
Hi Cakey, sorry to hijack the thread. Would you mind going through your purchasing process from Japan??
Did you buy from a UK dealer specialising in Japan imports or import yourself?
Is there PistonHeads/ auto trader.japan?
I assume you pay import duty and tax?
language issues?
Do you get the "grading system" translated?
Was your undersea applied in japan
etc etc
kc
Did you buy from a UK dealer specialising in Japan imports or import yourself?
Is there PistonHeads/ auto trader.japan?
I assume you pay import duty and tax?
language issues?
Do you get the "grading system" translated?
Was your undersea applied in japan
etc etc
kc
Steeve
Active Member
Good job, where in London are you? I'm out west so would be useful to have a recommended detailer on hand
Hi Kesun. The car came from a dealership that sells only Jap imports. I just stumbled upon their site and saw this among their inventory. All duty, tax and import charges have already been paid by the dealership. Once you've paid a deposit they register, MoT and put six months tax on it which is all included in the price. It's given a small service and undersealed to your choice. Believe it or not, I bought this car sight unseen. I'd not seen it, heard it or driven it. All I knew was what I'd been told and seen in pics. At no time did either of the two chaps I dealt with big the car up. All they said was that it was a nice car and I would be pleasantly suprised. They didn't even mention the electric rear blind, that it had Bose, a heads up display and a really nifty after market 8 inch front and rear dash cam / video player / sat nav / FM transmitter / web browser. You wait two weeks for the reg docs and then get a call to say it's ready to go. For £1 a mile they put it on a transporter and deliver it. So all in all the car cost 8 grand plus £200 to be delivered to my door in West London from Hartlepool. It's registered as the year of manufacture so the road tax remains cheap and insurance is the same as a Euro car as it's not a JDM car. The grading sheet is in Jap but I just used an ap and my phone camera to translate it. Mine was graded 5 which is given to cars in "excellent" condition with a mileage up to 60,000km. The place I bought my car from also source cars. So, far a lazy person, it was the way to go. Everthing was done with no effort, stress, time or travelling. Your experience may differ from mine but I'd have no hesitation in doing the same thing again.
Jol: I'm in a suburb of North West London. The chap that came to me travelled from Bedford. I did have a local man lined up but he was a nightmare, let me down 4 times, turns up hours late, wanted to look at my car in the dark and was going through some emotional crisis that had me and the Missus speaking to and councelling him for three hours after which he thought he had the right to call me at 10.15 in the evening and demand that I talk to him. Had to warn him to never contact me or turn up at my home again. True story.
Jol: I'm in a suburb of North West London. The chap that came to me travelled from Bedford. I did have a local man lined up but he was a nightmare, let me down 4 times, turns up hours late, wanted to look at my car in the dark and was going through some emotional crisis that had me and the Missus speaking to and councelling him for three hours after which he thought he had the right to call me at 10.15 in the evening and demand that I talk to him. Had to warn him to never contact me or turn up at my home again. True story.
SmartAmg: Thanks. You've almost the same car as the Missus, 2012 E350 Blutec AMG type thingy convertible. Not changing the oil, not completing a DPF regen, ignoring the EML ended up costing me £6500 to have the engine replaced. Six and a half grand, only fifteen hundred quid short of what my entire car cost. Better get that thought out of my head before I start to cry. She has the oil changed every six months now, the words gate and horse come to mind. I'll to get some interior pics done later, nothing really special to see though, fairly bog standard black leather and a normal 5.0V8.
Steeve
Active Member
Wow, local guy sounds like an interesting character!
Can you share the info of the Bedford guy? And if allowed(?) share his pricing too?
Can you share the info of the Bedford guy? And if allowed(?) share his pricing too?
Sure, The name is Harvey. His company is Smartshine. www.smartshinedetailing.co.uk
When it comes to pricing I think you'd be better off by calling, saying what you'd like done, let him give you a price and then negotiate something that suits you.
Sure, The name is Harvey. His company is Smartshine. www.smartshinedetailing.co.uk
When it comes to pricing I think you'd be better off by calling, saying what you'd like done, let him give you a price and then negotiate something that suits you.
