The clear coat on my w123 1985 300TD wagon has all just about flaked off, just a little remains on the edges. The existing paint looks decent, but is flat looking and has faded / discolored a bit over time. What is the best way to go about improving the look? I don't want to spend much, and don't really want to repaint. I was wondering if there was some product or process that might make the paint glossy and give the impression of clear coat, like a wax or polish or glaze? Doesn' have to be perfect, I just want it to match the rest of the car more than it does now if possible.

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1985 Mercedes W123 300TD euro Wagon 195k - new Daily Driver

1982 Mercedes W123 300D Turbo Diesel 259k - sold

1977 Mercedes W123 300D Diesel 111k - "Rayzer" - sold

Test a small area. Wet sand, put a couple coats of clear coat on and buff it out. If the results are to your satisfaction do the entire hood. It will take a quart of good clear coat to do a hood ($45) and should be done with a spray gun. You can do the test area with a rattle can.

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I agree with TX. On my 86 Volvo wagon the clear coat peeled off the roof over time. I had it repainted, but didn't need to spend that much money. Later when the clear coat peeled off the horizontal surface of the rear hatch, I sanded it, masked it off, and painted it with a rattle can of clear coat. It looked fabulous. I don't think I could do that good a job on a big area like a roof or hood, but if I had to do it again, I would do the prep work and take it to a bodyman to do the spraying. Try to find someone who will work with you. They may not want to guarantee the job, but it doesn't sound like this is what you are looking for anyway.

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85 300D 75K Anthracite Grey 0-60 in 13 seconds **For Sale**
84 300D 333K Black (The Velveteen Rabbit) 0-60 in 14 seconds
00 Toyota Sienna 208K (Sold)
15 Subaru Outback 43K
11 Subaru Outback 67K
98 Ford Taurus 100K (Gertie - Was Grandma's - drove it to church and shopping - really) Daughter's car now.
30 Model A Ford 2 Door Sedan (Sold) 0-60 in . . . Never reached 60

When did MB start using clear? More specifically, does an 82 w123 have a clear coat? I've been told no and have no reason to believe otherwise.

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1982 240 D, 308,000 - 321,127 miles (sold)
1982 300 TD,166,500 - 226,000 miles
1998 E 320, 120,000 - 144,000 miles
2005 C 230 K, 26,000 - 77,000 miles (sold)

Depends on the color. Non-metallics were single stage into the 90s. 040 black was single stage up until the ceramics of about 04 I believe. But metallics have been cleared for a long time.

My 84 has no clear coat I'm pretty sure. It's been at least partially repainted, though.

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OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

My 81 wagon seems to have a clear coat. At least where it it's faded and peeling. Granted it's not a lot. There is a place-mat sized area on the roof, some along the roof line above the gutter and behind the rear door handle.

Last summer, I used a 1000 grit stone sanding block (like a knife sharpening block but made for paint) and wet sanded one small area to get most of the clear coat off (tread lightly!). Then I switched to 1500 grit paper over a padded sanding block and worked my way up to 2500 grit.

At his point the clear coat was off and the paint was even and smooth. Then I rubbed it with a light polishing compound, cleaned it good and then waxed it.

In the end, the spot I worked on looked like the rest of the car that didn't have any fading clear coat.

I have a feeling there may have been clear coat on the entire car and someone in the past polished most of it off. If I run my fingernail from the nice paint to the faded area, it feels like the faded part is a layer on top. When that layer comes off, the paint looks great.

I got the sanding stone at a place called Wesco Auto Body Supply. I have no idea if they are "nation wide" (like ZZ Top) but I'm sure you can get one at your local. I took my car there and showed him what I wanted to do and he set me up.

Good luck!

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1981 300TD "The Green Lantern"
1980 300TD
1983 300D Euro "China Cat"

You may want to try some items from these folks http://groitsgarage.com.

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83 SD

84 CD