'02 Mercedes Benz E320

VroomVroom

VroomVroom

New member
I've been meaning to work on this car for over six months now, but a lengthy stay at the body shop and other timing issues delayed things. The car is parked outdoors 24/7, and goes from the foggy, humid, salt air in Daly City to very hot and dry weather further inland. It gets washed every few weeks, but hasn't had any real paint care in quite a long time.



I started with the interior, which aside from being really dirty, had no major issues.



Before shots:



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Products/Process:

Vacuum carpet, mats, seats, & rear dash

Extract mats w/ Bissell Little Green

Dust/wipe all surfaces w/ Poorboy's S&W

Einszett CP on dash & door panels

Zaino Z9 & Z10 on all leather

S&W on all interior glass



After shots:



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Now for the exterior. The car was very dirty, which combined with the silver finish, really hides the swirl marks and other scratches. They were there, though!



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Products/Process:

Four Star Ultimate Wheel Cleaner Gel on wheels (30 second dwell)

Duragloss 903 w/ dedicated mitt for wheels

Terry towel w/ wheel cleaner for split spokes

Foam gun w/ Duragloss 903

Two-bucket wash w/ Duragloss 903

Four Star clay w/ Optimum No Rinse lube



Wheel...before, during, and after:

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Foam gun action:

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Clay bar, before & after a ~ 3'x3' section of the hood:

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There were so many contaminants on the finish that I decided to rewash the car after the clay treatment. It's hard to capture swirls against silver, but this pic does show some of the light marring from the clay (there were plenty of swirls there...I just couldn't capture them well):



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Finally, caring for the paint. The finish was pretty well loaded with swirl marks and a few deep scratches. I'm still learning (dare I say struggling?) to use my rotary, so all work was performed with the PC and 4" pads.



Products/Process:

80/20 Menzerna SIP & FPII w/ orange LC

P85RD w/ white LC

Four Star UPC w/ white LC

Wolfgang DGPC (v.2) by hand

Poorboy's wheel sealant on wheels

Zaino Z16 on tires (two light coats followed by a buff)



I didn't capture many pics during the paint correction process (and most of the ones I did take didn't show the process well enough to share). Because I was working with the PC on a pretty hard clearcoat, the effort took awhile. Plus, it was a really windy day, which meant the EZ-Up couldn't be used. So, I moved the car in and out of the garage a few times to deal with the sun. It was a bit of an adventure, and I spent just over five hours working on the paint.



Here's one shot of the hood, after the Menzerna treatment, but before cleansing and sealing. You can see the gloss and a bit of pop from the metallic:

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And finally...all done:

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That thing looks GREAT. :)



The design of that car is timeless, IMO, and with the paint looking that wet I'm sure it will turn heads.
 
"WOW" is right! Car looks awesome in that last foto.



How do you like that wheel cleaner? It looks like it does a fine job.
 
Thanks, folks. This was a fun one, but I'm glad to have it off the books. :)



Four Star's cleaner is the first "boutique" one I ever tried, and I haven't looked any further since. It's gentle, yet remarkably effective, and is terrific on Ze German front wheels. :D
 
Nice car. It reminds me of the black one I use to own (very soft paint). Do you know what happened to the Mercedes hood ornament? It looks like you don't have the typical star type one that's usually there? Just a badge instead.
 
Bryan - thanks, man! I hope you're doing well...



David - the owner of the car did a little hood ornament mod. From what I understand it's pretty common among "younger" C and E-class owners. He went from the star that stands up to an emblem that kinda'-sorta' countersinks into the opening in the hood. It's a subtle thing, but it pretty neat - plus, it matches the center caps on the wheels.
 
Very nice work. The benz looks great. This car has some tasteful mods. The wood steering wheel and gear shift are very classy. The wheels are from then next generation of the e class (w211). I have the same wheels on my 320 wagon and they totaly transform the car. Awesome Mercedes and a great detail.
 
Wow, what a huge difference!! :goodjob



Both the paint and interior look better than new!



The pictures look amazing. What kind of camera do you have?





Keep up the great work!! :2thumbs:
 
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