Hey everyone,

I've been reading these forums for a while and decided to go ahead and join. My story is like most peoples, I found a nice car for a low price, sank a few grand into getting it running at 100% and wanted the body to match. At first, I had no intentions of ever handwashing this car!! I actually gave away all of my car cleaning supplies (there were many.) Anyhow, I was working on my motorcycle and something told me to rub out a small area on the roof. I was hooked. 10 hours of washing, cleaning, polishing, and waxing have paid off. Here are a few pics:

Before (notice the 3 tone paint job.) The camera makes it look nicer than it really did.




And afterwards (got a nice set of rims and some new tires to round out the project.)



The hood:



The trunk (I had to hold the bottle of wax with my other hand or it would slide off!!) Check out the houses in the reflection.

Absolutely beautiful!!!! You did an excellent job with that detail. Just be careful, now that you have it that clean you just might develop an OCD beahiavior towards your benz. It happened to me 6 years ago. But it certainly pays off!

What products did you use?

I highly reccomend Meguiars Color X- it polishes nicely, and really enhances the paint color's depth and boldness. I like to top the Color X off with a couple of coats of Meguairs NXT Next-Tech wax. Adds an amazing dash of shine, MORE gloss, and it eliminates any remaining swirl marks and light microscopic scratches that naturally occur from light friction on the paint.

The wheels really make the car look complete. I had my Bundts re-finished a couple of months ago. I love them!

Youve got one of the nicest looking 300D's here, congratulations and welcome to the forum!

Pics of my 300D are in my profile and at the link below.
Sacramento?

Tell us more about your car!

__________________
Nate

1995 E420
1992 BMW 525i
1984 300D Turbo sold
1993 Volvo 244 sold
1995 Volvo 944T R.I.P!


"The details are not details. They make the product."
-Charles Eames

www.cbs.nu

Looks very impressive.

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2007 C 230 Sport.

Are you in California? Looks impressive! I use the same products, Meguiar's. We should all meet up. A blue, red and yellow W123 in mirror like finish would be swell...

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Thanks everyone!!


As for OCD, I've had that with cars for about 15 or so years. It's truly a disease; my cars are nicer than my house!!

I bought the car with 123,000 miles on it. It now has 125,000. I changed the shocks, brakes, steering strut, motor mount, all the fluids, had all the oil leaks fixed, new water pump, block heater and a few other things (fuel lines, etc...) The A/C only blows hot air, so I will have to have that looked at. The interior is mint with the exception of a cracked dash. I put one of those covers on it, but have a hard time matching the dark blue.

I started with a hand washing. Moved on to using a claybar which this paint really needed. I went ahead and put masking tape over all of the mouldings. Next came Meguiars Deep Crystal paint cleaner followed by the polishing. I used a Porter Cable dual action polisher to make this a bit easier. Several folks on Meguiars forums advised to use #26 wax on a dark paint, though the ColorX would most likely would have worked just as well. Two coats of wax finished off the job. Next week, I am going to work on polishing the aluminum trim around the doors and windows.

MBeige, I am located in Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati. Was it your Benz on the Meguiars forums? Has a new front end grill and such? If not, someone has one just like yours and really sweet!!

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=6073&highlight=1983


EDIT: Where did you guys get the Stuttgart emblem?

Yup, that's my car. Been a while since I dropped by that forum.

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OMG your cars look great! I too use Meguiars washing and polishing products. In between washing/waxing I use Meguiars Quick Detail- spray on wipe off works well. Keep up the great work....

MBeige- I have always admired the shine of your w123 whenever I see it on the forum. Your shade of beige, olsaltybastards medium blue, and my red have always been my top 3 favorite colors for the w123. If we were all in california we would defintely have to meet up. Our 3 cars lined up together would certainly make a great photo. I will be coming down to socal within the next couple of months- maybe we could meet up. Im going to be visiting a friend of mine whom is also on the forum.

Siduri19- Quick detailer is one of the best products ever! Ive been using the Meguiars NXT quick detailer since I started using the NXT Tech wax.. it is even smoother than the standard quick detailer.

olsalty- I bought my Stuttgart badge from a local car accessories shop in San Francisco. But there are several online shops that carry them, Performance Products being just one. Do a google search for grille badge. Keep that beauty shiny!

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Nate

1995 E420
1992 BMW 525i
1984 300D Turbo sold
1993 Volvo 244 sold
1995 Volvo 944T R.I.P!


"The details are not details. They make the product."
-Charles Eames

www.cbs.nu

Thanks,

I just found two of them on ebay!

Hi Nate,

Thanks, I too have always admired your car's deep red luster. I'd love to meet up with you if you're nearby, there's going to be another W123 GTG but unfortunately it'll be in June and I'll be back in the Philippines for 2 months. However there might be a third one after that, maybe you could join us. The first one was a blast!

During that meet there was a Petrol Green 85 300D, the shade of green I think is the best for a W123. There was a black one too as well as an orient red (similar to yours).

Olsalty,

Yes Performance Products sells those badges. I got a similar one for my car but the badges are piling up (Mercedes-Benz Club Philippines/mileage badge) so I transferred one to the wagon.

When I have the time I'll repaint the wheels, but there are other items in need of attention (as always...). Your cars inspire me to keep mine in its pristine condition, one of these days I'll have the door dents removed. For now I'll let them be.

Here's a little backstory on my car:

http://www.maj.com/gallery/legomech/MercedesBenz300D/transitions.jpg

Do you guys use an orbital buffer? Somehow I tend to shy away from those, manual labor is still best for me. In fact I'm about to discard my old toothbrush to add one to the list of detailing tools Is that OCD enough?

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MBeige-

Id love to make it to one of the w123 meets. I would have gone to the last one if I had the time... June should work for me. Maybe I will make it to the following meet as well. I might be in your part of the state before June, I'll give u a heads up when im heading down.

As for my detailing techniques... I havent had the need to use an orbital buffer. I bought the car from the original owners in San Diego... in addition to keeping it clean and detailed (waxed monthly) it was also garaged for its life... so the paint was pretty much as it is. I like to use toothbrushes for all sorts of detailing tasks. I used one to remove the light grime buildup in the grain of the MB-tex in some areas that hadnt been regularly cleaned before I bought the car. For the exterior polishing and waxing I have been using Meguairs micro-fiber applicator pads, and Meguairs micro fiber cloths for buffing and using quick detailer. I have also found that Vinegar is the best stuff for windows...
Since having my wheels refinished, I have been using nxt tech wax on them, and wipe them with quick detailer at the end of a day when I have used the car. makes for quick and easy maintenance- keeps them easy to clean and shiny all of the time.
On the rubber window seals, door seals, trunk seals, and any other seal on the car I use 303 Aerospace protectant, which i also use on my MB-Tex and dashboard.
The bumper trim is detailed with Meguiars Hot Shine tire dressing- it is the best product for making the rubber look dark & rich. For tires I use the same stuff, and the NXT tire cleaner every now and then to keep the tires rich in color.
Chrome on bumpers and grille is polished out with a chrome polish I bought that comes in a tube... its German and I cannnot remember the name, but it works wonders.
And of course, the wheel wells and undercarriage are regularly sprayed, sometimes with a dose of simple green to loosen any build up.

Its amazing how easy it can be to keep a car clean once you get every crevice spotless.... all it takes is a wash once a week, 30 minutes of light detailing, and a quick vacuum of the interior. I like to wax it at least once a month though to maintain maximum gloss.

Its great owning a W123 that looks showroom fresh... its not something you see everyday, and its even greater seeing others who like to keep their own w123's in the same kind of shape. Keep up the great work guys!

__________________
Nate

1995 E420
1992 BMW 525i
1984 300D Turbo sold
1993 Volvo 244 sold
1995 Volvo 944T R.I.P!


"The details are not details. They make the product."
-Charles Eames

www.cbs.nu

I could not have said it any better! We pretty much have the same system save for a few items I tend to get lazy on. But I agree, once you've managed to get the car clean, upkeep is minimal that you can channel your efforts towards improvement rather than "cleaning" in general.

Here's the link to the GTG thread: http://www.mbnz.org/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=1257708&start=1&fid=10 Hopefully by August I'll be back from my vacation, and a third GTG is en route. The boys are planning a 2nd GTG this June, so I won't be able to make it. If you're anywhere nearby sooner, we could hold a mini-meet as I'm in the OC area mostly and know some folks around.

Curious, what has been the most OCD thing you've (Veloce/Olsalty) done to clean your W123? I've tried scrubbing the wheel wells but I realized that diluted Simple Green works best with a high pressure washer (just be careful around weatherstrip tabs/covers). And this was knowing that the next day was going to rain

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Theres nothing more satisfying than spraying out wheel wells that are already clean. LOL

Mbeige- you are totallly right, simple green and a pressure wahser is THE best way to clean out the wheel wells. I actually just detailed my friends 1980 300SD- the wheel wells hadnt been cleaned out for years so I sprayed some simple green and hit it with a pressure washer- the wheel wells are now sparkling white!

The most OCD thing I have done- washed the car IN the rain to keep the road film from building up. but even more so is that I usually dont drive the car in the rain- I drive the C280. Aside from washing the car in the rain, EVERY time the car is washed, every little part is detailed- the paint is quick detailed, the weather strippping dressed, bumper trim, tires, wheels fully cleaned out, door jambs, windows cleaned etc. etc. you get the idea... but i do those things EVERY time its washed. Otherwise I cant sleep. I also tend to work on my car late at nite, I wash it when its dark to avoid water spotting, and work sometimes until 3am cleaning it up- partially because its when I am not busy with my business and also because I like to work at night. I could go on and on...

Am I crazy?

__________________
Nate

1995 E420
1992 BMW 525i
1984 300D Turbo sold
1993 Volvo 244 sold
1995 Volvo 944T R.I.P!


"The details are not details. They make the product."
-Charles Eames

www.cbs.nu

I hope the car was also white!

You're not alone...

I've read in a book that detailing isn't just exterior cleanliness but also, orderliness. Hence, I try to make all screws either (+) (+) or (x) (x) All bolts are also in the same orientation, and even the AC vents are all (+) (+) (+) (+)

And when I'm at the junkyard, I collect nice shiny screws, bolts, and other kinds of fasteners that usually get lost. Then when I get back to the car, I replace those that are rusted or just dirty (even after thorough cleaning).

I've also cleaned my car and worked on it til around the same time you did--3am! That was only because I couldn't get the seat back in properly (seat repair).

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http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/7...144c3fc1dc.jpg

Oh come on, 3am. I've pulled a few all nighters myself, once was picking up a used axle shaft about an hour and a half away and installing it. The other time was installing my rebuilt tranny (2 day affair doing the job myself, but I got through it)

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Adam Lumsden
(83) 300D
Vice-President of the MBCA International Stars Section