not sure I should attempt to do this

[weekend warrior]

a family member has a 1998 Mercedes SLK in bad shape....I believe he hasn't did any detail work in 10 years or more....paint has no shine at all....like my user name say's i am a weekend warrior...not sure if I should even try to detail his car....and what do I need to use to get the car in good shape...HELP

[The Guz]

That is going to come down to you and if you really want to do it. Give it the good ole' caly and AIO. I am sure he has no idea what a swirl is and all he would care about is having shiny paint. He more than likely takes it through a tunnel wash so no point in going to crazy. Again it is going to come down if you want to do it.

[weekend warrior]

That is going to come down to you and if you really want to do it. Give it the good ole' caly and AIO. I am sure he has no idea what a swirl is and all he would care about is having shiny paint. He more than likely takes it through a tunnel wash so no point in going to crazy. Again it is going to come down if you want to do it.

LOL you are so right..he has no idea how to take care of his car..I have clay bars and and have BK one step...and BK paint sealant,,.......if i do it i'll let you know

[Mike Hoekstra]

Without pictures - a good soap, iron remover, clay, clay lube, and a good AIO polish like Blackfire One Step, a dozen pads, and a good polisher. Like the Guz said, any improvement will be a wow factor and don't go crazy.

[Sizzle Chest]

Agree with Guz. Give it a go!

[FUNX650]

like my user name say's i am a weekend
warrior...not sure if I should even try to
detail his car....

•IMO:
-Whether you’re a Warrior M-F; or,
a Warrior only on the weekends:
You’re still a Warrior!

•The Warriors I know are adherents to:
-“The Spartan Philosophy of Life”.

•Spartans do not ask: “How many are
the enemy?”; rather: “Where are they?”


Time, once again, to show your mettle.


Bob

[John U]

It can only look better with a little loving..... beware, once that hood is glowing, you're stuck having to finish the car! :props:

[weekend warrior]

Thanks for everyone's reply ....going to wait to after the Holidays...it will be a good challenge for me....if I do it this is my plan

not sure what wash to use.....clay....Megs compound....BF one step....BF sio2 paint sealant....do I need to use a paint prep....I do have all these products...which is good....

[TMQ]

Go for it....Keep it simple.

1. Spray on iron remover.
2. Then wash car and rinse off.
3. Do clay bar.
4. Rinse and dry car.
5. Polish with BF One Step.

Done!

So....

No compounds, no sealant and no paint prep...

Tom

[weekend warrior]

Thanks Tom..NO...compound..sealant...no paint prep.....what is the iron remover for....also what do I need to use for the headlights....they are in bad shape

[TMQ]

There are embedded iron particles in clear coat. Can be from the road, brakes and general environmental dirt. Spray iron remover on dirty car and let it dissolve the iron. Then use one bucket of soapy water and wash off the dirt and iron remover.

After you finished the wash---rinse off. Need to be super clean at this point.

Then clay the paint....

Removing iron and claying paint makes your panels on car cleaner and flatter. And you don't want to rub in all that tiny bits of metal in paint and contaminate your pads. Just to be on safe side---spray on for peace of mind.

Headlights are a different matter. But for starters---buzz over headlights as you polish the car and see how much it removed the haze. It'll remove a bunch but not perfect. You can even try compound on the headlights and see what happens.

If headlights are not to your satisfaction after compounding and then the polish. Then we'll need sandpaper, Plastic-X polish, tape and water, polisher with either polishing pad or cutting pad. And then get some ceramic coating to put on when done. Probably need to create a different post re headlights....

Tom

[weekend warrior]

Thanks again....Tom