2011 Mercedes E350 - 2 step paint correction & Opti-Coat by Mr. Sparkle Detailing - Long Island

Recently got a call from a client looking for Opti-Coat on his 2011 Mercedes E350 that was just purchased used. We agreed to a 2 step correction with Opti-Coat protection. Little did I know this would be a 15 hour project.

Before all of this the car was first brought to another detailer with the owner's intention of applying Opti-Coat 2.0 himself after the car was polished out. Things didn't quite go as planned and that's where I come in.

The prior detailer left behind a lot of swirls, buffer trails (holograms), leftover polish in the cracks, and polish splatter. So I had to do my best to cleanup their mess.

polish in the cracks



polish splatter on the wiper cowl




Started off with my usual wash & clay routine making sure to clean some of the neglected areas




Once it was dried I could see the true condition of the paint. Not pretty.








The hood was a total mess compared to the rest of the car. Grabbed the paint gauge and sure enough there was a ton of paint on the hood indicating it had been re-painted. Looking closer, the body shop had left sanding marks all over the hood including right up to the edge. So I'd be cleaning up after the detailer, and the body shop

Spoke with the client who agreed that 90-95% correction was acceptable as there was so much to deal with.

Majority of the car was corrected with:

Flex 3401 + Optimum MF pads + Menzerna FG400
Flex 3401 + LC Tangerine + Powerfinish


















Did I mention the hood was a mess? Swirls, holograms, random scratches, water spots, sanding marks. There was plenty of material to work with so I did 4 steps on the hood

Makita 9227C + 3m wool + Menzerna FG400
Flex 3401 + Optimum MF pads + Menz FG400
Flex + LC Cyan + Menz SIP (1500)
Flex + LC black + Menz 106fa (4000)












So at this point I'm about 12 hours into it with close to 9 in the paint correction alone. I called it a night and returned in the morning.

Client also asked for some paint touchup as the bumper had white speckles all over from rock chips

before







after









Finally Opti-Coat applied and time to step back and admire the work









Under the LED lights only. Check out the reflection in the hood of my ceiling




Pulled it outside for a final inspection





Even caught one of my neighbors sneaking a peek




Client was thrilled with the results and I was happy to save this one.

From the Mr. Sparkle garage in West Babylon NY....


Mr. Sparkle Detailing.com

 

You brought it back to life. Awesome work!!

If you don't mind me asking ... what did you use for the front bumper? Colorchip or Langka? Thanks in advance.

 

Nice save! Black Merc. paint = Suckness!

 

Nice Work. Sweet!

 

very nice! I know how that is cleaning up after a body shop all the time, did that for Ferrari for a while from factory and body shop work, so much fun eh? haha anyways looks great and I'm sure your client will be ecstatic. Interested as well what your process was on the front bumper.

 

I do not use it to its full potential but the bumper was done with the "Applied Colors" kit.

Paint Touch Up System for Professionals: The ScratchOut Kit

seems like the price has gone up a fair amount since my purchase a couple years ago.

 

nice work I hope your charging accordingly for all this work :thumb:

 

I'm trying! lol Kinda went above and beyond my time estimate on this one since I wanted to help out the owner after paying for the hack job detail.

 

Always makes me wonder how a detailer can leave a car in that state. very nice rescue!