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  #1  
Old 05-11-2003, 10:06 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: South Eastern, MA
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Detailed The Wheel Wells..........

I'm getting my car ready for concourse and spent 7 hours yesterday cleaning and detailing the wheel wells. Here are a few before and after pics:

Drivers Side Rear Before:

Attached Thumbnails
Detailed The Wheel Wells..........-rwell8small.jpg  
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Afshin

Current:
02 C32 AMG

Previous:
92 500E
84 190E 2.3 5 Spd
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  #2  
Old 05-11-2003, 10:07 PM
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Drivers Rear Well After:
Attached Thumbnails
Detailed The Wheel Wells..........-rwellsmall.jpg  
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Afshin

Current:
02 C32 AMG

Previous:
92 500E
84 190E 2.3 5 Spd
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  #3  
Old 05-11-2003, 10:10 PM
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Drivers Front Well Before:
Attached Thumbnails
Detailed The Wheel Wells..........-well4small.jpg  
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Afshin

Current:
02 C32 AMG

Previous:
92 500E
84 190E 2.3 5 Spd
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  #4  
Old 05-11-2003, 10:11 PM
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Drivers Front Well After:
Attached Thumbnails
Detailed The Wheel Wells..........-well1small.jpg  
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Afshin

Current:
02 C32 AMG

Previous:
92 500E
84 190E 2.3 5 Spd
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  #5  
Old 05-12-2003, 12:08 AM
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Location: Orlando, FL
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Very very impressive!!! Can you share any secrets to how you attained those results? I am getting my car steam cleaned....is that gonna help?
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  #6  
Old 05-12-2003, 12:49 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: South Eastern, MA
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Here's what I did:

A few weeks back I had the undercarriage steam cleaned and it worked great, however when the car was steam cleaned the wheels weren't removed thus the dirty wheel wells. Not to mention that steam cleaning will remove only 75% of the dirt/oil and won't leave a clean shiny finish.

I sprayed Simple Green Automotive in it's full strength (used a complete bottle) and used a wheel well brush to scrub. I did this a section at a time and rinsed. On the areas that are painted I used a boars hair detailing brush to avoid scratching the paint.

I then applied Griots Undercarriage spray to the wheel wells and the non painted black portions of the suspension. I used PigSpit (Sold in Harley Dealers) for the painted surfaces, Zinc Plated nuts/bolts and rubber. All of these surfaces were then lightly wiped with a rag.

Really it's just a ton of elbow grease combined with some good products.
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Afshin

Current:
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Previous:
92 500E
84 190E 2.3 5 Spd
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  #7  
Old 05-12-2003, 02:19 AM
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Thumbs up

Nice!

Great job!
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  #8  
Old 05-12-2003, 03:32 PM
The Safety Geek
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Sudbury, Massachusetts
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I bow in your general direction. Really looks great :^)
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  #9  
Old 05-12-2003, 10:39 PM
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That's awesome.

I'm never going to concourse but I feel inspired to try it based on seeing your results. But I'll probably never drive the car after because I would hate to see it get dirty!
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  #10  
Old 05-14-2003, 02:47 AM
Amore California
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
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Thumbs up Where is EARLY BIRD!?

Well, Richard, chime in ....

Very impressed Afshin ... nice job.
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  #11  
Old 05-16-2003, 06:22 PM
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Afshin,

I am curious, are you going for street or show class and is this a MB sponsored concours? I went to my first concours a week or so ago and they did not judge the undercarriage or anything below the rockers and just prepping for that was overwhelming I commend you on your efforts and results but I guess in sunny CA this effort is not wasted like it would be by our crazy weather we get here.


Good Luck in the event and post some pics.
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92 500e Spruce/Parchment (41k)
95 E320 Cab Cabernet/Parch (30K)
94 LS 400 Anniv Ed (traded on 500e)
85 Toyota Supra (103k)
90 Toyota 4Runner (56K)
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  #12  
Old 05-16-2003, 07:49 PM
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Mark,

How did you do in the show? Can you tell me what area's of the car the judges concentrated on? Do the judges know anything about the cars or do they ask? BTW you have a beautiful car, love the color combo.

I'm entering the Huntington Beach Concourse on June 1st, this is an all car type show with several categories. They have a street class and show class however both classes will judge undercarriage, street class will be far more lenient though.

It was definitely a tedious task detailing the wells since there are so many crevices which needed to be cleaned using a detail brush, but now looking back I'm glad I did it and I really appreciate the results. Did you clean your undercarriage as well? How did you attack it?

Believe it or not cars tend to get very dirty even on a clear day. We have higher winds out here which carry pollen, dust and dirt and they very quickly coat the car. I remember back east would only require a quick dusting to get your car clean after a drive (Except for the bugs), out here it's dusting and then a quick detailer to get the film off the car. Your right though, since it doesn't rain that often the undercarriage will stay cleaner.

BTW my car isn't a daily driver it's only used on sunny weekend joy rides.
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Current:
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  #13  
Old 05-17-2003, 11:56 AM
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Quote:
Originally posted by placo1
Mark,

How did you do in the show? Can you tell me what area's of the car the judges concentrated on? Do the judges know anything about the cars or do they ask? BTW you have a beautiful car, love the color combo.

Did you clean your undercarriage as well? How did you attack it?

Hey Afshin,

Thanks on the compliments but I decided to show the 95 Cab as the 500e has way too many mods. Best advice I can ofer is to be there when the judge comes thru and learn from what they tell you. Your biggest enemy will be the ignorant judge as to your vehicle. I learned alot judging and showing and had a blast but also took some hits on stuff that had I been there I would not have gotten dinged on due to ignorance of the judges.

I did allright for my first time and as they say you NEVER forget your first time. I received like 400 out of 430 points and showed for street class and no I did not even touch the undercarriage. I spent a number of hours dismantaling parts of the engine and bought a mini-steamer to clean in there but also neglected other areas of the car, oh well like I said I learned. My event was the Deutsche Marque BMW, MB, Porsche and each club judged their own entrants. I was also a judge and knew some about the cars but you were instructed to ask the owner any question you might have on the vehicle. As you get into the more prestigious events the judges are better educated and pickier. I will attend the Greenwich Concours in June and see how the big boys do it and eventually I will make my way to Pebble Beach.

To answer your other question on judging there are 5 main areas the MBCA uses to judge cars. I have posted below those with the point total and description of what falls into that area. Happy reading and let me know if you have other questions.

6.4 SCORING SYSTEM
1. Interior, Trunk, Soft Top 100 points
2. Chrome, Plastic, Rubber, Glass,Lights, Trim 100 points
a. Dash, Console, Instruments
b. Interior Upholstery
c. Trunk
d. Soft Top

3. Engine Compartment 100 points
4. Exterior Paint, Finish, Body Work 100 points
5. Chassis, Underbody, Exhaust System 70 points
(Show Class only)
6. Age (1/2 point per year; max 15 points) 15 points
(Street Class only)

Street Class total maximum points 430 points
Show Class total maximum points 470 points
Tie Breaker is the actual higher mileage computed from above.

Here are some details to the above:

A)Interior, Trunk, Soft Top: All instruments - radio, power windows, lights - should work. If not working, deductions should appear under condition. Radio and speakers should be authentic for that model and year. Leather upholstery may have cracks and wrinkles, but not cracked through the color. The trunk interior color should be correct. The spare tire should be judged for condition. The wheel should match the other four on the vehicle, unless it was an early car with alloys, factory delivered with a steel spare wheel. Only cars built after 1972 are likely to have first aid kits. The soft top should be Happich Canvas with a correct OEM rear window.
B)Chrome, Plastic, Rubber, Glass, Lights, Trim: All lights - headlights, turn signals, fog lights, side markers, rear lights - should work. If not, it is a condition deduction. Poor finish, deterioration, overspray, excessive glue, and rust are scored under condition. Cleanliness deductions include dirt and stains.
C)Engine Compartment: Condition deductions for components are: corrosion, oil leaks, water leaks, poor finish, overspray, excessive glue, worn or frayed, and rust. Cleanliness deductions for components include: clean dirt, dirty dirt and stains. Allow for authentic MBUSA-DBAG-MBAG or OEM replacement battery, clamps, V-belts, hoses, etc. Area also includes engine peripherals, firewalls, inner fenders, shock towers and all wiring.
D)Exterior Paint, Finish, Body Work: Condition deductions include dents, ripples, scratches, rust, bubbles, poor body work, etc. Authenticity deductions apply to only one category, i.e., a front door fit next to fender is probably a poor fender fit in the front; fit should be to correct industry standards and consistent with both sides of the vehicle. ONLY ONE COMPONENT CAN BE OFF - NO DOUBLE DEDUCTIONS. Cleanliness deductions include: excessive orange peel, runs, sags, fish eye, dirt trapped in paint, color mismatch, overspray, etc. Finish deductions include buffer swirl in finish, cracks or crazing in finish and oxidation. Standard deduction for change of color is five points for show and three points for street, however if the color was factory available for the year and model, the deduction is three points for show and one point for street.
E)Chassis, Underbody, Exhaust System (Show Class only): Condition deductions include: oil and all other fluid leaks, rusty exhaust system, etc. Authenticity deductions include: incorrect undercoat, colors, plating, stainless steel. Shocks must be authentic MBUSA-DBAG-MBAG or EOM replacement.
F)Age: For street class only, one half (1/2) point per year with maximum of 15 points using original intended "model year."
G)Mileage: For street class only, one point for each 20,000 miles with a maximum of 15 points. Example: 189,356 miles divided by 20,000 miles = 9.467 (carry to 3 decimal places). (Kilometer conversion km X 0.62137 = miles.) It is responsibility of the owner/participant to present documentation of the true mileage. If the stated mileage is higher than the odometer reading, then the true mileage must be documented. If not documented, judges are required to use the odometer reading.


GOOD LUCK and hope this helps. Let me know how you score on the event.

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Mark
92 500e Spruce/Parchment (41k)
95 E320 Cab Cabernet/Parch (30K)
94 LS 400 Anniv Ed (traded on 500e)
85 Toyota Supra (103k)
90 Toyota 4Runner (56K)
------------------------------------------------
Sometimes you have to put your foot down to get a leg up
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