Titivating my Mercedes 124
Discussion
r129sl said:
E65Ross said:
That's me alright. I might add I have absolutely no affiliation with them, just a huge convert.
I'll give it a go. It pisses me off how quickly my cars get dirty, the wheels especially. Have you tried the polish, P1 or P2? A few of the main points are it's very quick, use a cutting pad, then medium, then finishing as you normally would but it's just faster. Secondly, when using a rotary it runs at a much slower speed so far less build up of heat and thus less chance (almost impossible.....unless you're a complete bozo) to cause paint damage. Third, it's water based so cleans off extremely easily (meaning a better base for the sealants which need nothing but bare paint) though I still use panel wipe (better than alcohol for residue/oil removal).
A minor downside it dries/dusts quite easily, but being water based you can literally just spray some water onto the pad and panel and it'll come "back to life" again, as it were.
I used to have a load of Menzerna, Meguiars and a couple of other polishes now, not used any of them for a couple of years (have since binned them).
We digress, don't want to move away from the thread so PM me for more info if needed and I'll be happy to help out if I can
Cheers
r129sl said:
I spent half an hour last night and tonight cleaning up the summer wheels and tyres, ready to be installed when the car comes back to me. This is an enormously satisfying job and I regret not taking "before" pictures because I really transformed them. The wheels have been stored all winter, having been removed from the car at the end of October. I didn't clean them when I took them off, so the insides had six months and 15,000miles of dirt and brake dust on them and the outsides had a couple of weeks' dirt and dust on them.
They're now all but brand new. I used Autoglym Wheel Cleaner (mixed strong, about 2 parts cleaner to 1 part water) on the insides and outsides, agitated with a paint brush. Then I washed them down and cleaned them off with a micro fibre towel. Then I used Tardis tar and glue solvent to remove the tar spots. Then I rinsed them down again and washed the tyre sidewalls with a solution of G101 all purpose cleaner. Next I scrubbed the tyres. Then I sealed the wheels with Meguiars No21 Synthetic Sealant before spraying the sidewalls with Meguiars No40 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner & Conditioner. Then I buffed the wheel faces. And finally I removed the excess rubber cleaner. Tomorrow I'll give the sidewalls a buff.
This all begs the question: just what is missing from my life? I console myself with the knowledge that I neither dressed the tyre treads nor waxed the insides of the wheels.
R129sl has crossed the line from someone who likes his cars nice and clean to a 'detailer'. he he. Coming soon to a detailing thread near you.They're now all but brand new. I used Autoglym Wheel Cleaner (mixed strong, about 2 parts cleaner to 1 part water) on the insides and outsides, agitated with a paint brush. Then I washed them down and cleaned them off with a micro fibre towel. Then I used Tardis tar and glue solvent to remove the tar spots. Then I rinsed them down again and washed the tyre sidewalls with a solution of G101 all purpose cleaner. Next I scrubbed the tyres. Then I sealed the wheels with Meguiars No21 Synthetic Sealant before spraying the sidewalls with Meguiars No40 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner & Conditioner. Then I buffed the wheel faces. And finally I removed the excess rubber cleaner. Tomorrow I'll give the sidewalls a buff.
This all begs the question: just what is missing from my life? I console myself with the knowledge that I neither dressed the tyre treads nor waxed the insides of the wheels.
What pad would you recommend for Menzerna SP4000 R129? And what speed on a d/a?
mccrackenj said:
R129sl has crossed the line from someone who likes his cars nice and clean to a 'detailer'
It's a fine line.... I have a lot of cleaning gear but use very little of it, I also bought a Meguiars polisher thing once as well, probably used it 3-4 times. I find Autoglym super resin polish to be very good after a clay bar. I am tempted to waste (because i'll probably buy it then not use it) some money on this Gtecniq stuff tho...
bmthnick1981 said:
mccrackenj said:
R129sl has crossed the line from someone who likes his cars nice and clean to a 'detailer'
It's a fine line.... I have a lot of cleaning gear but use very little of it, I also bought a Meguiars polisher thing once as well, probably used it 3-4 times. I find Autoglym super resin polish to be very good after a clay bar. I am tempted to waste (because i'll probably buy it then not use it) some money on this Gtecniq stuff tho...
It is a very easy to use polish and gives good results quickly by hand
I quite like SRP (hey, I know all the acronyms). It is easy to use and reliable. I might get some of this Gtechniq stuff, depending on how my cash holds up.
Anyway, the car will be ready for certain on Tuesday. There is mark on the rear bumper which my man is not happy with, so that is getting repainted. It would all be ready on Monday but I'm not around then.
The jacking points are all done, primed and painted. I'm really pleased with this work. Obviously the final finish is not important because it all goes under the plastic sill panels but, even so, in the metal they're better than they look in pictures. What looks like lumpy imperfection is actually the reflection of the floor.
Almost there:
Offside front:
Offside rear:
Nearside rear:
Nearside front:
While there I noticed my old wings and door lying around. It is as well to remember how bad the car was before this work was carried out. It is easy to forget this and to think only of how the job might be better (although I think the job is actually superb, doubly so when I consider the price paid). I took some pictures to remind myself.
Here is the offside front wing. Look at that hole!
And now the nearside. This was a right mess, with bubbling all round the wheel arch.
What is really interesting is how much worse they are on the inside. The nearside wing had previously been patched, too:
Anyway, the car will be ready for certain on Tuesday. There is mark on the rear bumper which my man is not happy with, so that is getting repainted. It would all be ready on Monday but I'm not around then.
The jacking points are all done, primed and painted. I'm really pleased with this work. Obviously the final finish is not important because it all goes under the plastic sill panels but, even so, in the metal they're better than they look in pictures. What looks like lumpy imperfection is actually the reflection of the floor.
Almost there:
Offside front:
Offside rear:
Nearside rear:
Nearside front:
While there I noticed my old wings and door lying around. It is as well to remember how bad the car was before this work was carried out. It is easy to forget this and to think only of how the job might be better (although I think the job is actually superb, doubly so when I consider the price paid). I took some pictures to remind myself.
Here is the offside front wing. Look at that hole!
And now the nearside. This was a right mess, with bubbling all round the wheel arch.
What is really interesting is how much worse they are on the inside. The nearside wing had previously been patched, too:
r129sl said:
I think I will have the roof box painted smoke silver with a gloss finish.
I've just read this post, start to finish, this afternoon - it's a great read.I think you've done the right thing with the roofbox, they're top-heavy looking things anyway so best to have it 'blend in' where possible.
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