I’m really looking forward to Bud Cloninger’s Clean Car Event Tech Session, but I thought I would share some of my techniques.
My previous benz was a beautiful black 300E. Have you ever owned a black car? Oh man are they hard to keep looking nice. Miss one week of cleaning and it looks like you haven’t washed it in a year. I learned a lot about detailing.
The first thing I learned was to throw away all the cotton and terrycloth towels I was using for drying. They were good for one thing: putting swirl marks in the paint. Now I use only high-quality microfiber towels.
I also stopped using the once-size-fits-all car waxes found at your local autoparts store. There are several sites on the web that cater to people like me. I buy almost all my detailing products and supplies from Classic Motoring Accessories. This guy seems to live and breath automotive detailing and has even created his own line of products, some of which I use.
Around 2004, there was a tectonic shift in the chemistry of the paints that Mercedes-Benz uses. That’s when they began using a clearcoat containing ceramic nano-particles, making the clearcoat really hard and much more resistant to scratches and swirlmarks.
Acrylic Sealant vs Wax
Firat a word about Carnuba wax: It is wonderful stuff. Produces the best-looking finishes I have ever seen. The problem is that in the summer here in Arizona the surface temperature of our cars exceeds the melting point of Carnuba. Therefore I long ago I switched to synthetic waxes which are more properly called acrylic sealants.
For Pre-Ceramic Paints:
Every couple of month I gave the car a light treatment of a very light polish followed by an acrylic sealant. Once or twice a year I would give the car the full treatment:
- Clay to remove grit embedded in the paint.
- One application of a more intensive polish
- One application of a very light polish to remove swirls left my the intensive polish.
- Glaze to fill any remaining swirls.
- Acrylic sealant
For Ceramic Paints:
I have a different routine for my 2006 E350. Life is simpler. About twice a year:
- Clay to remove grit embedded in the paint.
- A light polish designed specifically for the ceramic clearcoat.
- Acrylic Sealant
- Spray to hit any waterspots
I was the car once every week or two, drying it with a large microfiber towel. Then I come back later and use the spray on areas where there are waterspots.