Repair question to ask mechanics for Pricing?? - Page 4 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

koooop · #46 07-04-2016, 06:20 PM

Okay, here is what cleaned up my original paint and what is being used to maintain it.

Walts Polish - Deep Diamond on the really bad spots

Then Autoglym super resin polish on the entire car.

After that no more washing, I'm using the meguiars ultimate quick (in the shade on cool paint) and the car is a rolling car show.

I'm switching to Meguiars Synthetic X-press spray wax (about $30 per gallon on Amazon) shortly instead of th quick detailer though. It probably works out less than $1.50 per wipe down.

I think the original paint hangs onto all of the minerals in water and turns chalky so no more water on mine. I was using DI for the final rinse after wash, it still messed up the paint.

NuFinish and Simonize were great stuff, but modern product is sooooooooooooo much improved. It took some effort and $ on products to figure out how to get this car looking good and keep it up. My car does live outside so it's a real pain.

leathermang · #47 07-04-2016, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koooop

.....NuFinish and Simonize were great stuff, but modern product is sooooooooooooo much improved. It took some effort and $ on products to figure out how to get this car looking good and keep it up. My car does live outside so it's a real pain.

Modern paints are also SOOOOOO improved... but we are dealing with old paint on old cars....

The NuFinish and the Simonize are still great but are ALSO the least expensive great products for this I know of... they may require a little more arm grease than some of your hi tech ones..... but they are not of lower quality in terms of protection.

I was wondering how you were doing ' no more water' with regards to rain.... lol

koooop · #48 07-04-2016, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leathermang

Modern paints are also SOOOOOO improved... but we are dealing with old paint on old cars....

The NuFinish and the Simonize are still great but are ALSO the least expensive great products for this I know of... they may require a little more arm grease than some of your hi tech ones..... but they are not of lower quality in terms of protection.

I was wondering how you were doing ' no more water' with regards to rain.... lol

Parking garage at my office On the few days it does rain, but rain water isn't hard here in So Cal.

There was nothing that could clean up these old single stage enamels back in the late 70s and early 80s that could clean it and maintain the finish. These fancy new chemicals can do it today though. Just like modern paint, they have massively improved. Rather than deal with this old single stage enamel, I was just going to paint the car, but one of my friends that is still detailing cars after 35 years told me I was wrong. The car looks awesome!

leathermang · #49 07-04-2016, 07:51 PM

Many of the new chemicals involve compound purposes... like a cleaner and a protection element..
but that means that one can not do a double layer like you can with Simonize paste wax... it can be doubled and tripled ... and you can see the difference between one coat and two.... I have never tried three... but the idea is that it does not take off the underlying layer each time you apply it.
In the old days... talking about 'cleaning up ' the surface before applying protection... were 1. polishing compound 2. rubbing compound 3. dedicated cleaner ....
These were used if needed before the wax...
No wonder people went to ' one step ' fancy chemicals...when they came out...

lindajane · #50 07-05-2016, 01:45 AM

Lots of suggestions...thanks.
So the paint on the car is the original, That blue. 83 Diesel 300d
(goes by the name of cupcake).
I washed it two weeks ago, and it looks terrible after I washed it!,
Big faded spots. I though They might be areas I did not polish
adequately before.
So for upkeep for my car...as a beginner, to try and keep the paint
protected...I put the Nu Finish. What do you suggest I do next.
Another type of polish. And Not washing with a hose and water,
but using the product suggested?.A car wash I did once was not
kind.
Thanks

leathermang · #51 07-05-2016, 02:02 AM

The NuFinish is wonderful stuff.. I have been using it for decades...
if you put that on ...that is all you need... but you might want to do two applications if you have lots of oxidized paint... but at least the arm power is only needed in the application.... stand there and let it haze to dry.... then gently wipe it off with a clean rag...
It has lasted more than six months for me typically...
so if you use it every three each application should be really easy... .
and look great..
I think water is needed for washing...... but you need to just rinse to get the dirt and dust off.. and not scrub it with a dirty towel or wash cloth... so good rinse with clean water... and towel off to keep spots from forming.. all of this in shade....

lindajane · #52 07-05-2016, 03:23 AM

Thanks for all the great advice...no more shampoo. I was using Maguires
shampoo. Just water. And I'll put another coat of NuFinish.
Any way I can get any of that blue paint color for a scratch?
Of course the blue is oxidized by now...
Something happened I'm too upset to talk about...but a scratch.
Any way to buff it out, or put a fill in color so it's not noticeable?
Thanks
LindaJ

leathermang · #53 07-05-2016, 10:11 AM

Well, it depends on the size and depth of the scratch....
and this is one place where those fancy protectorants like NuFinish introduce problems... they typically have Silicones and things like that which can interfere with applying paint to where it will last as long as the base paint....
Not a problem back when just Carnauba wax was being used...
A good body shop may have access to a set of paints ( which could be mixed and sprayed with an airbrush) which they can mix to match the oxidized paint on your car... it is not typically a home repair job to really make it not be noticed.... but often you can buy a spray can of the paint which was originally put on the car... they were little cans... about 2 inches by 4 inches just for touch ups..... they also had the solvent in the same size can.. which you could spray over your paint application and did a wonderful job of smoothing out the patch without sanding ... which is hard given the small size of the patch and need to protect the original paint...
Of course whether it really matches the old paint or not...one function of scratch fixing is to prevent the start of rusting .....

lindajane · #54 07-05-2016, 02:48 PM

Thanks..
I saw this;
Mercedes-Benz Blue - Express Paint
and others and types.. I'll check with my mechanic. If I could put
a bit on my finger i could dab it on. It a very fine long scratch. Actually
the word NO!...written. I know by a crazy neighbor. When I first moved
here, one night got home late and she came out yelling, waking the block,
that she was watching me, etc. She thought I did not live on the block and
was parking there. She apologized. BUT during this time I saw the word
NO!, scratched on my hood. I Know it was her, but I can't prove it.
I just want it gone, it makes me so mad when I see that.
Now that I know I can get some of this paint, I'll try...getting the exact
match can't be easy.
Thanks

leathermang · #55 07-05-2016, 02:59 PM

If you are going to go to the trouble of trying to cover it... dabbing with your finger is not the way to go... and depending on depth you ( or your mechanic ) might want to apply a metal prep, a primer , then your matching paint...
if you leave oxidation under your fix.. it will not allow the paint to adhere like it should for a long term fix...

lindajane · #56 07-05-2016, 03:12 PM

Well, hoping it could be an easy fix, and relatively inexpensive.
I called my mechanic. He's great, but he's Vietnamese and I
cannot understand him on the phone at all....but I believe he
said using polish to buff it out?...but I said how can you buff out
if the paints removed....not sure what he meant. I'll see what
he says when I take my car in next week.

leathermang · #57 07-05-2016, 03:41 PM

Can not buff it out if the paint is missing..
he may not be able to understand you on the phone either..
a scratch would normally be rounded out and feather edged to the rest of the paint...
then a good spray touch , with minimum sanding afterwards , should do the trick..
never touch the paint with any type of sandpaper without some kind of solid support behind it... a sanding block of some shape....

koooop · #58 07-12-2016, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lindajane

Lots of suggestions...thanks.
So the paint on the car is the original, That blue. 83 Diesel 300d
(goes by the name of cupcake).
I washed it two weeks ago, and it looks terrible after I washed it!,
Big faded spots. I though They might be areas I did not polish
adequately before.
So for upkeep for my car...as a beginner, to try and keep the paint
protected...I put the Nu Finish. What do you suggest I do next.
Another type of polish. And Not washing with a hose and water,
but using the product suggested?.A car wash I did once was not
kind.
Thanks

Told you not to use water...

Now dump that antiquated Nufinish and get some decent product that isn't just liquid sand paper. You're going to rub through your single stage enamel with that bottle of rocks.

Sorry, Simonize and Nufinish is from the Stone Age.

My car got nailed by hard water sprinklers today, my "fancy" chemicals allowed me to use the meguiars spray detailer and just wipe the hard water spots off the 36 year old paint. It looks awesome, but if you have lots of time on your hands and like frustration keep messing with that non fancy (i.e. low tech) product.