New car - need a plan of attack...

[xracer4844]

First post.

I have always been into detailing cars. Dad is a mechanic. Was big into racing, worked on a few pit crews, etc. His love of cars has influenced me the same way. He has taught me everything he knows about detailing and I've been helping since LONG before I could drive. We work on cars on the weekends and that's usually how we spend a lot of our time together.

After joining the forum and reading and learning as much as I can, I've learnt that a lot of what I do is fine...but there are a lot of ways to improve how I do things.

I just purchased a 2004 Mercedes E320 4Matic. It has been professionally serviced since day 1...I have all of the service records...however, the owner has never really hand washed it to my knowlege - just runs it through car washes. The car is absolutely beautiful inside and out. AMG factory chrome wheels. Leather is in fantastic shape.

Unfortunately there is snow and salt on the ground here in Canada...so there isn't too much I can do. Just looking for advice on preparing it for winter as best I can. Can't wait for nice weather so I can really get to work on bringing the paint back to it's former glory.

[Desertnate]

I had the same issue last fall when faced with an unexpected car purchase. I simply washed, clayed, glazed, and wax/sealed the car. I could have skipped the glaze, but I had a sample on hand I wanted to try.

I knew the car was going to be covered in salt, ice, and snow all winter so I wasn't too concerned with how the car was going to look. Once Spring came around I did the full detail.

[jamesboyy]

Like stated previously just a simple detail wash, clay, and seal the paint should be enough to get you through winter, and during that time build up your arsenal with some more information and the first sight of spring or summer put all of that into a full detail

[xracer4844]

thanks a lot guys!

[Velocitybts]

These posts were correct, just clean it and seal it for the winter. Running a All In One might work and eliminate some of the swirls for you and seal it in the process. Then not letting all the salt and road grime sit on it as much as possible will help you. Then spring time comes tackle the job.

Check your paint codes for Mercedes Cerami Clear coats. Google the forum for special thing to watch for with those clear coats. Yours might or might not have it.

Hope this helps