The Details
Year: 1999
Manufacturer: Mercedes-Benz
Make: SLK230 Kompressor R170
Colour Code: Black
Condition: Extreme swirling, numerous deep scratches
Paint Type: Moderately Hard
This car was bought second-hand from a very neglecting owner. The car was riddled with heavy swirls, deep scratches and paint chips, not to mention irregular defects on every panel. The paint measured very thin, which meant the utmost care was taken to remove as much defects as possible while still maintaining the health of the clear coat. HD Nitro Seal was the sealant of choice.
Even without direct lighting, heavy scratches and swirls were visible and the clarity of the paint left more to be desired.
The true condition of the paint came out in the sunlight.
Wheels were lightly contaminated. The purple bleeding effect is the action of Iron-X dissolving brake dust for easy cleaning.
Brushwork on all badges and crevices ensure a complete detail.
The engine bay was covered in dust, dirt and grease. The single stage red paint on the engine cover had also oxidised heavily.
The entire engine bay was degreased and steam cleaned.
The red panel was polished with HD Polish x Lake Country CCS Green. Three layers of Finish Kare FK1000p Hi-Temp Sealant were fed into the paint over two nights to rejuvenate and protect. All other plastics were protected with Sonax Xtreme Plastic Restorer Gel.
The previous owner had super glued the side indicator onto the body for some bizarre reason.
The surrounding area was cleaned using acetone. Great caution has to be taken as the acetone can soften the paint and cause cloudiness. After allowing the paint to harden, the panel was polished and corrected, with the indicator being secured back into place.
The crevices in the bumper and between the rear quarter panel were still layered with dirt.
After soaking with APC and steam cleaning, they look brand new.
The headlights were covered with a thin layer of polyurethane to protect from UV rays. However due to the age of the car and the years exposed to the elements, the coating began to peel.
The coating was stripped off, followed by a headlight polish and reapplication of Opti-Coat to protect from further UV damage.
50/50. One pass of HD Cut x BnS Microfibre and one pass of Scholl Concepts S30 x Lake Country CCS Black. Note some defects are still visible as the paint was too thin to further correct. It is always advisable to leave a sufficient amount of clear coat on the car to allow the panel to be further polished in the future.
The hood had been repainted and had sufficient clear for 100% correction.
Corrected.
The trunk lid had not been repainted but had a little more clear coat than the other panels. It was also the most affected by scratching and so it was wetsanded before correction.
Wetsanded with a 2000 grit SIA Abrasive Disc.
Corrected. One deep scratch is still visible but has been significantly reduced.
Working one panel at a time, an enormous visual difference can be seen.
Rock chips were touched-up. The chip is surrounded by carnauba wax to prevent spillage and to make for easy clean up. For more information on rock chip touch-up, see Larry Kosilla’s video on the subject here.
All touched up.
The front plastic grille had been afflicted by chemical staining and oxidisation.
We removed it from the car and hand polished it through several stages.
To prevent further staining, the grille was coated with Wolf’s Chemicals Hard Body.
From here, the paint began to liven up. Here it is after an 25% IPA wipedown, ready for Nitro Seal to be applied.
The leather was quickly cleaned with APC and conditioned.
When you can’t achieve 100% correction on a car, it is generally not advisable to coat it with Opti-Coat and others as you’d be sealing in the scratches and other defects. HD Nitro Seal was chosen as it significantly boosts gloss, reduces defects, has great durability and helps reduce further swirling. It does not however, contain the hardened properties of a coating.
A quick glimpse of the paintwork before detailing.
After.
There is often more to detailing than just cutting and polishing – removing defects such as the super glue and removing the grille for cleanup can really help enhance the appearance of a vehicle and restore it to it’s former glory. If you have a car that needs a recovery – feel free to contact us at info@affinesse.com
Thanks for reading,
Jerald Liu
Operator