The Details
Year: 1986
Manufacturer: Mercedes-Benz
Make: 300 SE W126
Colour Code: Rauchsilber
Condition: Heavy swirling
Paint Type: Extremely hard
This beautiful machine was the leader of its class in the ’80s, with standard features such as airbags, TCS, ABS and highly visible fluted taillights – features that were pretty much unheard of in that era. We set to restore the paintwork to its former glory with a three-stage correction, two layers of Swissvax Crystal Rock applied by hand and all rubbes, plastics and trim treated with various Swissvax Products.
Contamination from the hood
Paint correction performed with the Flex PE 14-2 150 Rotary Polisher, using HD Cut as the compound and HD Black Wool as the cutting pad. The paint was then further polished with the Flex XC3401VRG Forced Rotation polisher, using Swissvax Cleaner Fluid Professional Regular and a Lake Country CCS Black Pad.
This car was a peculiar case in the sense that even the windows contained swirling. Due to the age and the brittleness of the glass, only a light polish using Sonax Glass Polish and a Sonax Felt Pad was performed to reduce swirling and increase clarity.
The paint was then hand waxed with Swissvax Crystal Rock for even coverage and to keep the wax viscous via hand heat.
Plastic handles restored with Swissvax Protecton
All rubber seals fed with Swissvax Seal Feed to ensure suppleness and prevent cracking – an issue prevalent in older cars.
50/50 on the leather seat. The right side has been treated with Swissvax Leather Cleaner and Leather Milk
The vinyl roof was cleaned and protected with Swissvax Protecton Matte
No matter the age, once detailed, any car can look like new. If you have a classic car that needs restoration, feel free to contact us at info@affinesse.com.au
Jerald ‘JJ’ Liu
Affinesse