Rich H
Member
Registered: 26th Oct 05
Location: West Sussex Drives: E46 M3
User status: Offline
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Hi Guys,
Have recently taken on this client for valeting work, but we got talking about detailing, and I was asked to take a look at this Mercedes SLK that covers tiny amounts of mileage a year and has become a bit of a "weekend toy" for them.
Upon inspection, the car was already in very good condition, and it was decided a customised version of my enhancement detail would be adequate - keeping within a sensible budget too.
Typically it was raining on Day 1, so there are limited before photos.
First up, the engine bay. Cleaned & degreased with Autosmart G101, rinsed at low pressure, dried by running the engine and using the car drier, dressed with Aerospace 303 and later buffed off:
Door shuts were next. Autosmart G101 again and rinsed at low pressure. Later polished & sealed with Carlack NSC:
Wheels were cleaned with Espuma Revolution:
Tyres & arches with Autosmart G101.
Prerinsed / foamed with Bilt Hamber Autofoam:
Badges, crevices etc cleaned with a detailing brush:
Rinsed, then washed using the 2 bucket method, lambswool mitt and ValetPro Concentrated car shampoo:
Rinsed, loosely dried and de-tarred with Tardis:
Iron Contamination removed with Car Pro Iron X, rinsed, clayed with Bilt Hamber Autoclay:
Re-rinsed and wheeled inside. Dried with Miracle Driers:
Roof lowered to clean shuts:
Paintwork condition assessed under halogen & LED lighting:
Pad & polish combo's tested. Only being an enhancement detail, I settled for Menzerna 203s on a 3M yellow pad via the rotary. Giving the following 50/50:
and both panels complete:
Bonnet before:
Bonnet after:
N/S wing before:
and after:
Door before:
and after:
Bootlid before:
this had numerous RDS, which a mild or major correction detail would have tackled, but an enhancement detail still bought it up quite nicely:
Paintwork was then refined and cleansed ready for wax using Dodo Lime Prime via the DAS6 Pro on a 3M black pad:
That was the end of day 1. Back for day 2, FinishKare FK1000P was applied to the paintwork and left to cure whilst I tackled the interior:
Interior was thoroughly dusted and hoovered:
A very tidy interior to begin with, only a few bits to address:
Leather cleaned & conditioned with Dr Leather wipes:
All plastics cleaned with ValetPro APC:
inc. pedals and fiddly bits:
Chrome polished with Carlack NSC:
Interior now looking like this:
FK1000P buffed off, rubber seals treated with Aerospace 303, and the lower ones on the doors tidied to remove polish residue and hidden gunk that had got in behind them:
Paintwork given a final wipe down with Dodo Red Mist Tropical:
Wheels sealed with Zaino CS, tyres dressed with Espuma RD50. Glass cleaned with Espuma Crystal Blue and screen sealed with Aquapel. Exhaust polished with Autosol & wire wool.
Leaving the following results:
Couple with the roof down:
And the honest condition of the paintwork after an enhancement:
Hugely improved from before whilst working to a budget. Further room for improvement in the future via a mild correction detail should the client wish to.
And the HD video is available here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_VCX58ud_g&hd=1
Thanks for looking,
Rich @ Refined Detail
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Tomnova16
Premium Member
Registered: 21st Jan 06
Location: Gerrards Cross Drives: Porsche 911
User status: Offline
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Pow will be excited
good work my son
http://www.lemass.co.uk/ for all your automotive/bodyshop needs
Located in Chalfont st Peter
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Jambo
Member
Registered: 8th Sep 01
Location: Maidenhead, Drives: VXR Arctic
User status: Offline
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Thats identical to my Sisters car.
Excellent work, im gunna forward them this! haha
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Tomnova16
Premium Member
Registered: 21st Jan 06
Location: Gerrards Cross Drives: Porsche 911
User status: Offline
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Finally found a good tune to go with it too
I still think "at the car wash" is best 
http://www.lemass.co.uk/ for all your automotive/bodyshop needs
Located in Chalfont st Peter
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Gareth
Member
Registered: 2nd Mar 00
Location: Derby, Drives: EVO VIII MR & pug 308
User status: Offline
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Good job, nice car for the ladies.
I followed a nice merc today unsure of model because it was debadged apart from amg but it had a v12 plate sounded awesome.
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Rich H
Member
Registered: 26th Oct 05
Location: West Sussex Drives: E46 M3
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Tomnova16
Finally found a good tune to go with it too
I still think "at the car wash" is best
 This was the track I originally intended to use, but ended up cutting a fair bit out of the video footage and speeding up all the clips to bring it into time - the original video I was working with was 11 mins, which I cut down to 6.5 mins, then got down to this  I'll bear your suggestion in mind for another car 
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Ben G
Member
Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
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thought this was pow's mums at first
nice job. bit disappointed by the close up's of the swirls after you've finished. i suppose you can't achieve a 100% correction with time/weather constraints.
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Rich H
Member
Registered: 26th Oct 05
Location: West Sussex Drives: E46 M3
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Ben G
nice job. bit disappointed by the close up's of the swirls after you've finished. i suppose you can't achieve a 100% correction with time/weather constraints.
Swirls are left as was working to a budget. An enhancement detail is one pass with a pad & polish. Not multiple passes with different grades. Idea is to remove light to moderate swirling and enhance gloss. Not aiming for correction For that you have to pay more money!
Weather wasn't an issue as I was working in doors. Time wasn't an issue as I only allocated 2 days for it as agreed with the client  The idea of showing the swirls at the end was to be honest about the end result 
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pow
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
User status: Offline
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pow's mummy loves this.
That looks SHWEEEEETTT
Oh, isn't the roof folding a work of art as well?
[Edited on 26-02-2011 by pow]
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Rich H
Member
Registered: 26th Oct 05
Location: West Sussex Drives: E46 M3
User status: Offline
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I nearly put a reference in the title for you.
Folding roofs still amaze me on most cars tbh - clever bits of engineering. The double hinged boot on this is clever.
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Daveskater
Premium Member
Registered: 29th Apr 08
Location: Oxford, UK Drives: Jap wagon
User status: Offline
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That looks very nice 
Numberwang!
Originally posted by AlunJ
I like you Dave, you are a man of men
Originally Whatapp'd by Neo
Dave's maybe capable of a drive-by cuddle
Look at my pictures
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LukeD
Member
Registered: 23rd Jan 07
Location: Shropshire
User status: Offline
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Really good as always
I could imagine the weather is a pain when the clients dont have undercover use.
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Daveskater
Premium Member
Registered: 29th Apr 08
Location: Oxford, UK Drives: Jap wagon
User status: Offline
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Just watched the video and now I want to go and buy some things to clean my interior and engine bay with
Engine bay really needs sorting tbh, it's even dirtier now than when you came Still has that horrible lacquer stuff everywhere too that doesn't seem to come off 
[Edited on 26-02-2011 by Daveskater]
Numberwang!
Originally posted by AlunJ
I like you Dave, you are a man of men
Originally Whatapp'd by Neo
Dave's maybe capable of a drive-by cuddle
Look at my pictures
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Rich H
Member
Registered: 26th Oct 05
Location: West Sussex Drives: E46 M3
User status: Offline
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Cheers guys.
Luke - yeh it is, but after 4 years I'm getting used to it now I'm becoming luckier that a lot of my clients do now have facilities for me to work in. Units were toyed with, but the value of the cars I work on wrote that off as I need a unit with internal / external CCTV, gates, alarms that alert you as soon as anything happens etc etc.
Dave - get that engine bay sorted for gods sake
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