I have a very nice 79 240D low miles great car. Some one did a 20 foot paint job on it and it just does not hold a wax or shine like they painted it with little or no clear coat.

I heard of this stuff called Presto, PRESTO!™ PRO. Was thinking of trying this or another product to try to shine the car up a bit. Wax does not do it.

Any thoughts or suggestions on what has worked for the group?

Regards Tom Scordato
1979 240D

Have you tried polish first? Mine was pretty dull when I bought it. Turned it into a new paint job. Be anal about a wash, polish, wax for a few weeks. It'll shine up.

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1989 300E 144K

Try some 1500 grit sandpaper in a small area followed up with some rubbing compound. If that does what you want you have a very big job ahead of you.

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95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

Locate a qualified professional in your area. Spending a couple hundred on wet-sanding and hi-speed polishing is likely to be the only alternative to another re-paint.

Since it is a repaint I would be wary. If the quality of the paint is poor, you may never get it to shine the way you would like. Uncrupulous body shops will thin the paint too much and it looks great for the first year or so and then it fades to dull and can't be brought back to anything resembling a factory MB paintjob.

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Doug

1987 300TD x 3
2005 E320CDI

I also have a 79 240D. When i got it, the paint was dull, covered in oxidation, big white spots all over the trunk and roof, and it looked like a pile of rabid hampsters had spent the last year scratching the top and trunk just as good as they could. Went to Walmart, bought a cheapie random orbital buffer, some turtle wax buffing compound and some turtle wax polishing compound. I know the detailing pro's here will excrete a rather large brick from an unnamed orifice for using this stuff, but after buffing 'till my arms nearly fell off with the buffing compound, then the polishing compound, it started to look MUCH better. I used some ok stuff (Meguairs) to finish and it now looks presentable. Not perfect, but some more work when it warms back up and I think it will turn out allright. I could use some advice for removing those scratches though. They didn't come out, just look better now without crap in them.

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'79 240D 4 speed manual 105k miles