This 5000 mile-old Mercedes is part of a fleet of Wedding vehicles. Originally discussing a New Car Detail, but as the vehicle is needed for a wedding service the time we had to play with was limited to a single day. Not a problem!
The licence plates were firstly removed from their plate surrounds before carefully removing the plate surrounds themselves, placing both to one side safely. The door shuts were then sprayed with an APC and agitated with a 1" boar’s hair detailing brush. The arches were sprayed with APC also whilst the wheels were misted with a non-acidic wheel cleaner and an assortment of brushes was used to agitate brake dust away from every area of the wheels. Spoke backs, inner barrels and faces were thoroughly cleaned and rinsed thoroughly. The car was covered in a layer of foam pre-wash and left to dwell for 3-4minutes whilst grills, badges and other intricate areas were agitated of dirt and grime with a boar’s hair detailing brush. Once the foam had dwelled for a few minutes, a pressure rinse down moving the car onto the bucket was using a high quality pH neutral shampoo to gently cleanse down the body. Once washed, the car was rinsed of wash solution and tar deposits were removed from lower panels before any treated areas being rinsed thoroughly once again.
The car was then partially dried down and covered in a fallout remover; any ferrous particles on the paint surface would cause a chemical reaction and turn a deep purple. After allowing the fallout remover to work on a fair amount of contamination for around 5 mins, it was thoroughly rinsed down and taken onto the third and final decontamination stage. Any remaining contaminants were then removed using a surface prep towel to agitate any stubborn particles free. Once the car was removed of all contamination, it was re-covered in a layer of weak pre-wash to carry away any lifted contamination safely. A final rinse and the car was moved indoors to be dried down using a combination of drying towel and warm filtered air. Once dried completely, the car a pre-wax cleaner was applied via a Dual Action Polisher to reduce marring, enhance gloss and leave behind a great base for the wax to gain maximum bond to. This allows maximum durability and maximises the final appearance.
The customer required the car look its absolute best, after a quick chat it was decided to finish the car in Swissvax Best of Show. This allows maximum gloss and visual 'wow' factor for the final finish of the car. Two layers of BoS was applied thinly over the entire car, the wax was buffed away gently with a microfiber. An hour was left between the removal of the first and application of the second coat. During this time the rest of the protection stages were carried out. The matt silver painted nose grill was protected using Swissvax Opaque applied with bare finger tips.
The wheels were wiped free of dust and any remaining residue from the cleaning stages before Auto Finesse Mint Rims was applied to one wheel at a time thinly and thoroughly, ensuring all areas of the wheel faces were covered by the wax. Once all four wheels were protected the residue was gently removed and the tyres were dressed with Gtechniq T1 Tyre&Trim for its subtle 'as new' appearance. The arch liners were dressed with Auto Finesse Dressle at this point also.
The glass (including the glass roof) was cleared of any dust and water spotting before a highly durable hydrophobic rain repellent was applied and left to cure before buffing of any residue. A streak-free finish was achieved to leave the glass looking crystal clear. All plastic trims and window seals were protected using Gtechniq T1 whilst the diamond front grills were dressed with Auto Finesse Dressle. Any excess was wiped way. The metal exhaust trim was given a light polish to remove water marks and emission burn marks too.
The interior of the car was almost perfect upon delivery, especially the rear of the vehicle. A light vacuum of minimal crumbs, quick wipe over of the interior glass surfaces and the dashboard wiped over with Dressle restored the interior back to perfection ready to carry around its customers.
With the protection detail completed, time for some photos..