What Have You Done To Your Merc Today?

[Londonscottish]

Treated mine to a coat of Autoglym super resin polish. Was hoping to move on to the mats (want to give them a deep clean) and to also feed the seats but my wife wants to walk to Hampstead. Which is fair enough.

I've marinaded the chicken do can do the mats later while she knocks up dinner.

 

[ChrisHGTV]

I drove mine to Nijmegen in the Netherlands yesterday for the Vierdaagse (4 day walking event) This is where the S212 really excels - smooth, quiet (especially with my various quietening mods and new Bridgestone Turanza 6 tyres) and loaded to the gunnels. Torrential rain at times so had to drop to 50mph due to visibility. However very impressed with the Turanzas for clearing water. Where the GoodYear Eagles would noticeably drag through the water and pull the steering, the Turanzas seemed to clear it much better so you almost didn’t feel it. Genuinely surprised (in a good way) about the quietness, comfort and wet performance of these.

 

[BTB 500]

Better late than never:

Did daughters headlights this afternoon with the Holts Kit. VERY messy job but astonished at just how well they look. As good as a new unit I’d say.

Very nice! I need to have a go at the front light clusters on our Vito as they're getting a bit cloudy.

I guess you have to lacquer them as the final step??

 

[HappytalkAgain]

Very nice! I need to have a go at the front light clusters on our Vito as they're getting a bit cloudy.

I guess you have to lacquer them as the final step??

It’s not a job I was relishing but as always wasn’t as bad as I thought. Well worth the effort Bill.

Yes. The sealer is included in the pack. Well worth the money.

Holts HREP0031A Headlight Restoration Kit Restore Clarity in Cloudy Yellowing & Oxidized Headlamps to Like-New Condition, Easy to use Drill Attachment Repairs Restores & Protects https://amzn.eu/d/2f8PONe

I’ve ordered another one. Going to do the rear units too as they’re quite faded.

 

[BTB 500]

It’s not a job I was relishing but as always wasn’t as bad as I thought. Well worth the effort Bill.

Yes. The sealer is included in the pack. Well worth the money.

Holts HREP0031A Headlight Restoration Kit Restore Clarity in Cloudy Yellowing & Oxidized Headlamps to Like-New Condition, Easy to use Drill Attachment Repairs Restores & Protects https://amzn.eu/d/2f8PONe

I’ve ordered another one. Going to do the rear units too as they’re quite faded.

Got my kit yesterday so will be having a go at the Vito soon - thanks for the nudge

Funny thing ... I looked on Amazon but the cheapest delivery (if you don't have Prime) was £4.99. Looked on eBay and found it there for £1 more but with free 3-4 day postage, which I was fine with. Ordered, and it was delivered next day by Amazon Prime!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Up at 0445 to drive 230 miles in driving rain. Some truly awful driving conditions today.

Early start to avoid traffic, lower speeds and gentle acceleration due to the weather conditions didn’t help MPG though, achieving 21.5 MPG, which was 0.1 MPG worse than the same trip a couple of weeks ago.

I’d had it detailed yesterday too. It is now absolutely filthy inside and out. I’ve had it (maintenance) detailed four times in three weeks, because each time I’ve use it it’s been like a scene from Twister! Getting ridiculous now!

I was supposed to be viewing and test driving a car on the way and so I literally didn’t sleep last night with excitement. We had to abort tnough as the weather really wasn’t conducive to a test drive today.

 

[BTB 500]

It’s not a job I was relishing but as always wasn’t as bad as I thought. Well worth the effort Bill.

Yes. The sealer is included in the pack. Well worth the money.

Holts HREP0031A Headlight Restoration Kit Restore Clarity in Cloudy Yellowing & Oxidized Headlamps to Like-New Condition, Easy to use Drill Attachment Repairs Restores & Protects https://amzn.eu/d/2f8PONe

I’ve ordered another one. Going to do the rear units too as they’re quite faded.

I spent the whole afternoon doing one front cluster on the Vito today, with mixed results. The pre-facelift W639 has a huge light unit that curves in every direction ... not a flat surface in sight. So using the flat sanding disk on it is pretty tricky, even at low rpm. The water involved in wet sanding also made the masking tape come off! Anyway after going carefully through all the grades and lots of polishing I still had fine sanding marks on the surface ... after applying the sealer it looked 'ok' but far from crystal clear. Some 'before' pictures of the washed/dried light:





And after ... significantly brighter & cleaner (and the bad surface crazing has gone), but not as clear as I'd like:



The poor surface is more visible from the side:





Not sure where to go from here ... I might just try the polish on the other side (which isn't as badly crazed) - the polishing pad is much thicker & softer so easier to use on the curves.

 

[slade1]

Had usual MB head light problem, yellow haze. Used chrome polish, cheap and it works.

 

[HappytalkAgain]

I spent the whole afternoon doing one front cluster on the Vito today, with mixed results. The pre-facelift W639 has a huge light unit that curves in every direction ... not a flat surface in sight. So using the flat sanding disk on it is pretty tricky, even at low rpm. The water involved in wet sanding also made the masking tape come off! Anyway after going carefully through all the grades and lots of polishing I still had fine sanding marks on the surface ... after applying the sealer it looked 'ok' but far from crystal clear. Some 'before' pictures of the washed/dried light:

View attachment 143847

View attachment 143848

And after ... significantly brighter & cleaner (and the bad surface crazing has gone), but not as clear as I'd like:

View attachment 143849

The poor surface is more visible from the side:

View attachment 143850

View attachment 143851

Not sure where to go from here ... I might just try the polish on the other side (which isn't as badly crazed) - the polishing pad is much thicker & softer so easier to use on the curves.

I totally understand that. I did the rear units on daughters Mini on Sunday. No where near as flat an area as the headlights and the disc is hard and ridged.

Be handy to get a softer base which the wet n dry can attach to.

I wonder if you can just repeat the last process with plenty of polishing paste applied regularly?

 

[SpikyMikey]

HappytalkAgain/BTB 500
You might need to use a compound with a bit more 'bite', before you go on to the fine polish in the kit.
I've had good results on paintwork with this:
Scholl - S20 Black 1-Step Compound

 

[BTB 500]

Thanks guys. Think I'll look for a better soft polishing mop to go in the drill, and have a go with a cutting compound (rather than the wet sanding) before polishing.

I guess if you're into detailing (sadly I'm not!) you might already have everything you need to do headlights, apart from the sealant (which is odd stuff!).

 

[HappytalkAgain]

Thanks guys. Think I'll look for a better soft polishing mop to go in the drill, and have a go with a cutting compound (rather than the wet sanding) before polishing.

I guess if you're into detailing (sadly I'm not!) you might already have everything you need to do headlights, apart from the sealant (which is odd stuff!).

Tbh Bill I (wrongly?) used the cutting paste at every stage (sanding and polishing) and it seemed to work well.

I agree with the sealant. Seems to just evaporate instantly before you can wipe the cloth over the lens!

 

[rich1068]

Ghetto fix. As our colonial cousins say.

 

[Stevie1982]

Drove best part of 200 miles to Devon with the family for a weeks break. Effortlessly cruising along, managed 25.9mpg whilst getting a back massage love my W212 E63 and do wonder if dropping another 20k to trade up is worth it when the current one does everything I need it to.

 

[ALFAitalia]

And it's better looking, sounds better and has far less electric crap to go wrong. No brainer!....and 20k will buy a lot of beers and/or some nice holidays!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Drove best part of 200 miles to Devon with the family for a weeks break. Effortlessly cruising along, managed 25.9mpg whilst getting a back massage love my W212 E63 and do wonder if dropping another 20k to trade up is worth it when the current one does everything I need it to.

A twenty-teens AMG is close to peak AMG, and the gradient is less steep the closer to the top you get, so the cost/benefit for changing gets more difficult.

For a short while performance and tech will be the main benefits, but as the W213 tech ages - and more common fast EVs become;m - then it will be even more difficult.

Shame about the rain. I hope you bought a boot full of sunshine with you to Devon, and will be unpacking it very soon.

 

[Stevie1982]

A twenty-teens AMG is close to peak AMG, and the gradient is less steep the closer to the top you get, so the cost/benefit for changing gets more difficult.

For a short while performance and tech will be the main benefits, but as the W213 tech ages - and more common fast EVs become;m - then it will be even more difficult.

Shame about the rain. I hope you bought a boot full of sunshine with you to Devon, and will be unpacking it very soon.

Wish I did dazler, got to say the weather is just typical of the English summer holidays. On and off a heatwave for the last few weeks and we go away and it pi$$es it down

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Wish I did dazler, got to say the weather is just typical of the English summer holidays. On and off a heatwave for the last few weeks and we go away and it pi$$es it down

There’s always a silver lining, but the only one I can think of on this occasion is that parents can have a lie in because all of the kids on holiday in Devon and Cornwall can surf or bodyboard to the beach rather than be driven there in the car

 

[HappytalkAgain]

And it's better looking, sounds better and has far less electric crap to go wrong……

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Drove best part of 200 miles to Devon with the family for a weeks break. Effortlessly cruising along, managed 25.9mpg whilst getting a back massage love my W212 E63 and do wonder if dropping another 20k to trade up is worth it when the current one does everything I need it to.

Someone very close to me let me use her M157 equipped car a few times just recently - each time in awful conditions - and most recently (today) it performed beautifully. It was a pleasure to gently hustle along a few of my favourite roads.