Complete Paint Correction - 15 year old SLK

[ChadG]

My black Camaro is getting this treatment next weekend . . . wanted to share the results with my wife's car. Big thanks to Corey from CarPro and some of the folks on the CarPro forum that helped me.

So I will admit up front that I tend to be a little obsessive-compulsive and that often manifests itself by overdoing things in my detailing process. I'm sure I did things that can be viewed as unnecessary by many, but to me overdoing it gives me peace of mind when everything is all said and done.

I decided to do a full paint correction/CQuartz/Reload application on my wife's 1999 Mercedes SLK (15 years old!). The entire process took me two days, working each day about 10 hours nonstop. Day One I started with a two bucket wash > IronX > two bucket wash > clay > two bucket wash for surface preparation. I know the repeated washings are a little much, but I like knowing I'm working on a clean surface. To finish off Day One I did a two step paint correction with Menzerna FG400 on orange Lake Country CCS pads.

Day Two started off by another two bucket wash to get the dust off, followed by Menzerna SF4500 on white Lake Country CCS pads. When I finished polishing I did yet another two bucket wash with a couple of ounces of Adam's APC + car shampoo to remove dust and residue, then followed it up with Eraser. I had been using IPA to do final wipedowns prior to using Eraser and let me say just how pleasant of a product Eraser is . . . it smells great, doesn't streak and is just a pleasure to work with!

With the surface completely prepped and ready to go I started my CQuartz application using the 50ml CarPro kit. Application was very easy, the included microfiber suede strips and foam block made it a breeze - simple cross-hatch pattern to ensure complete coverage is all that is needed. I will say that sometimes it was hard to judge whether or not I was getting enough product onto the paint, but after a couple of panels I got the hang of it. After waiting 45 minutes I busted out my 16x16 microfiber suede towels for CQuartz removal - all I can say is THANK YOU to Corey for pointing me to these. CQuartz removal was SO MUCH easier than my previous experiences removing Wolf's Body Wrap (I used Microfiber Madness Crazy Piles) . . . best tip ever!

I waited an additional hour after removal and then proceeded to apply Reload. I applied spritz or two on each panel followed by wiping it across the panel with an Adam's Waterless Wash towel. I then immediately used an Adam's single-soft towel to buff the Reload off of the surface before moving on to the next part of the panel. I couldn't believe how easy it was . . . no harder than applying detail spray?!?! Can I really be doing this right!?!?

All in all I am VERY pleased with the outcome (and so is my wife!) Next weekend I will start the same process on my black Camaro, the only differences I plan on are to use my Microfiber Madness towels vice the Adam's ones on my Camaro (I reserve them just for my car, is that wrong?). Going to use Yellow-Fellows for Reload application and thinking of using Crazy Piles for removal. I'm completely open to suggestions for improvement, please let me know what you think. Here are some pictures!

[ChadG]

All that work and no comments . . . ?

[BRAVO 2SS]

Good Job

[CamaroTom]

Looks great! Post pics of the Camaro when you finish it.

[black79ta]

Looks really great! Am going to get some fly by 30..saw that Cquartz but didn't check it out. Is that a sealer or what?

[ChadG]

Originally Posted by black79ta

Looks really great! Am going to get some fly by 30..saw that Cquartz but didn't check it out. Is that a sealer or what?

It's a coating, check it out here:

http://cquartz.com/products/103-cquartz

[JTruck]

Should have got a 50/50 shot. But looks great.

[notmidlife]

Looks like it just came from the showroom .

[charlietuna]

Looks fantastic

[2SS 2011]

Nice work here is your pat on the back..