# Mercedes ML main dealer rectification - Beau Technique



## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

This was quite an interesting detail to say the least. Was called a week ago to inspect this Mercedes ML which had just been delivered from a main dealership in Dundee. Now, I thought main dealership preparation this round my area was rough but this was a whole new level of rough. More so tragic and potentially valeted by a drunken monkey. I will let the pictures do the talking ( Please bare in mind the owner does not have pet's but car has been driven )...



































































































































































"Ive personally checked it myself and it look's a little cracker" was the salesman's statement.




























Client had removed badges prior to me starting the detail...
































































A 2 day Stage 2 paint correction detail was on the cards with a complete interior deep clean. Booking taken and work commenced. Due to the scale of the job and that majority have already seen how preparation is undertaken and know how it is imperative that the car is prepped adequately prior to indepth detail, prep pictures were missed out so we could get on with the mammoth task in hand. Once all washed / de-tarrd / clayed and dried it was time to crack on with some serious defect removal. Polish and pad combination's tried and found that wool with a mix of Scholl S17+ and a small level of 3M fast cut + was needed to break the back of the heavier defects. Various hits with wool and S17+ followed by 3m yellow and S17+ and a final burnish session with Menzerna PO 85rd.

Drivers wing before...










And after...










Tailgate before with remains of badge...



















And after...



















Other side ( Same issues )...










And after...










Under light...










Coming along very nice indeed...










Now, this is where things get interesting on the passenger side...




























Attack of the hedge's. Few RDS remained but needless to say, extreme pressure and heavier cutting method's were needed to get a good level of correction I was after...





































An extremely tangeable improvement for sure but I was very shocked by the state it was actually in prior to detail with these scratches. Nothing had even remotely been attempted and this all from a well known main dealership!
At this point it was closing in for the end of first day and as luck would have it, Mother nature decided to pop by and say hello once again...



















Day 2 arrived and Geoff tagged along to tackle the interior. He had never seen anything like it considering it was only a few day's from collection time from a main dealership. "You would of kicked my backside if I sent anything out like that" said he ( He was a supervisor for my previous valeting business for those that dont know ) He tackled the interior with much gusto...



















Whilst I continued with the quest of project revive on the exterior...

Bonnet all complete ( forgot to take before's )...



















Time to tackle the rear bumper which was in a right state from the previous owners dog ( Again, why not smart repaired I dont know )...














































Action shot...










More defects...



















Better, not perfect but as far as it would go...




























Who said we dont go that whole next level?...



















With all the polishing done it was time to get all the polishing dust removed ready for pre-wax cleansing and LSP...




























Plenty of dust to remove then:lol:

Once all washed off and dried trim / tyres / arches / exhausts / pre-wax cleansing was all tackled. Collinite 845 insulator wax was chosen for it's ease of use and durability seeing as the weather is getting more autumnal, 2 coats applied and a final wipe down with Chemical guys V& hybrid spray sealant. Time for some grand finale picture's...
















































































































































































































































Yet another satisfied customer that has a newly purchased vehcile presented as it should and is now on monthly maintenance schedule.

Thanks for looking.










Scott.​


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## Dan Clark (Jun 25, 2007)

Nice detail on a huge motor.

I did an older shape ML for a mates dad a few years ago - took me two days and i was bloody knackered afterwards!! 

I dunno how you guys do it day in day out?


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## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

Fantastic turnaround, that was in a real state from the dealers.


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## luc4s (Aug 5, 2011)

Great job!


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## ianstaley (Jul 13, 2011)

That was disgusting, my Merc a C 180 Station Waggon was bought new by me in Holland in 1997. I have always had it dealer serviced, even though my car is old over 275000 kilometres my car was washed and cleaned inside as well as out. My first service here was by a JVC600 merc dealer, he had balls to charge me £300 for the service, £120 for a total safety check ? (didn't ask for didn't want either) and the car wasn't washed or hovered. I told them £300 for the service fine. ( I gave a second cheque for the safety check) I told them one was business the other private, then bounced the 120 cheque. As my car was still on the Dutch Number Plate hey sue me in Holland. Never go to a Merc Garage here EVER. Bunch of wafty crankers and robbing bar stewards to boot. Oh by the way, you did a fantastic job. Ian


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## Scatty (Oct 1, 2010)

great job, looks really nice, well done !!


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## 888-Dave (Jul 30, 2010)

Can't tar them all with the same brush but thats pretty much the standard of main dealerships these days... not brilliant.

The difference is plain to see. :thumb:


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

Dan Clark said:


> Nice detail on a huge motor.
> 
> I did an older shape ML for a mates dad a few years ago - took me two days and i was bloody knackered afterwards!!
> 
> I dunno how you guys do it day in day out?


Cheers. Hard work, dedication through the job and plenty of coffee:thumb:



mattsbmw said:


> Fantastic turnaround, that was in a real state from the dealers.


Was it ever! Im still surprised how bad it was tbh.



luc4s said:


> Great job!


Thanks.



ianstaley said:


> That was disgusting, my Merc a C 180 Station Waggon was bought new by me in Holland in 1997. I have always had it dealer serviced, even though my car is old over 275000 kilometres my car was washed and cleaned inside as well as out. My first service here was by a JVC600 merc dealer, he had balls to charge me £300 for the service, £120 for a total safety check ? (didn't ask for didn't want either) and the car wasn't washed or hovered. I told them £300 for the service fine. ( I gave a second cheque for the safety check) I told them one was business the other private, then bounced the 120 cheque. As my car was still on the Dutch Number Plate hey sue me in Holland. Never go to a Merc Garage here EVER. Bunch of wafty crankers and robbing bar stewards to boot. Oh by the way, you did a fantastic job. Ian


Cheers:lol:



Scatty said:


> great job, looks really nice, well done !!


Thanks matey.



888-Dave said:


> Can't tar them all with the same brush but thats pretty much the standard of main dealerships these days... not brilliant.
> 
> The difference is plain to see. :thumb:


I understand that Dave as my background was from that area and previous business was doing main dealership prep with 10+ staff working for me but if any one car had left the bay in that condition they would of been hung. How times of changed and how larger companies feel its an adequate service for the peanuts paid. You get what you pay for. Time they took a little excess profit from the sale's and aimed it at a higher level of prep.


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## 888-Dave (Jul 30, 2010)

Beau Technique said:


> I understand that Dave as my background was from that area and previous business was doing main dealership prep with 10+ staff working for me but if any one car had left the bay in that condition they would of been hung. How times of changed and how larger companies feel its an adequate service for the peanuts paid. You get what you pay for. Time they took a little excess profit from the sale's and aimed it at a higher level of prep.


Amen to that :thumb:


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## centenary (Sep 5, 2010)

Very nice work. 

Shocking presentation by the dealer though. That is simply the worst I have ever seen and frankly, doesnt look like its been touched since the last owner traded it.


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Far from the worst I've seen on local forecourts up here. Seem some real shockers, from some very prestigious marques. 

Nice work sorting out a lot of the damage on the car, looks miles better now :thumb:


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## ryand (Jul 18, 2008)

Shocker. Great turnaround.


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## ArcticVXR (Apr 10, 2007)

Great work and transformation.

I work for MB Corporate and all the vehicles i sell (especially darker colours) are hand wash only to avoid clients coming back complaining about swirls etc. Just a shame other dealers dont follow the same rules


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## The_Bouncer (Nov 24, 2010)

Another outstanding correction Scott.

bit of a challenge that one, big old lump of motor and in only two days - you certainly have a customer for life there for sure.

and the money shot for me ....










Brilliant stuff as per :thumb:


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## simonfoy (May 1, 2010)

What a state, but what a turnaround. Brilliant job mate. Don't think I would buy a car of Stevie Wonder the salesman. LOL


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## peugeot106 (Apr 15, 2011)

As to interior cleaning and what I have seen on previous top gear show about some body fluids and other disgusting things found in second hand cars; is there any specific method to clear these out. Am quite paranoid to say the least that I do get weird sights from my colleagues that I clean my keyboard every morning with an antibacterial wipe. Is there anything I could use for car interior? Am a actually using some ag interior shampoo and apc which I guess only removes the grime. 

How about steam cleaners would they be any good for that? Or are there any other products I should look into to get a nickel interior. Would much rather prefer something low on chemicals if that's possible of course to whack the germs and other unmentionable fluids


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## Reflectology (Jul 29, 2009)

Nice work buddy, I know when we spoke Sunday it was one you were not looking forward to sacrificing your Bank Holiday for but never the less pal its all paid off mate....think i need to get me one of those Geoff machines as I despise interiors....


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## cotter (Aug 31, 2008)

That's shocking, but a great turnaround, looks great :thumb:

I haven't dealt with the Perth branch, but my mate had serious issues with the Aberdeen branch with bodywork rust problems on his C220. They made a complete mess of it first time, then tried to charge him to have it rectified :devil:


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## scoobymad (Jun 14, 2011)

Bang tidy! That is all


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## P4ULT (Apr 6, 2007)

super work. very impressive.


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## colarado red (Jun 5, 2008)

Nice turnaround


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## Foxx (Jul 5, 2011)

Wow, wonderful job. I'm shocked that the dealer gave it you in that condition - that was worse that the Shinearama weekend junker project car, and that hadn't been touched in years!


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## Steve Burnett (Apr 21, 2009)

Nice turn around. I have a an ML similar to this one and I need to give it some TLC.
Big cars take a long time to clean eh!

What did you use to get the A pillars inside so clean?


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## DetailMe (Jan 13, 2011)

Scott, that's how you prepare a car for a new customer....PERIOD! 

Nice one mate, like your honest work and write ups!
Chris


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

Dave KG said:


> Far from the worst I've seen on local forecourts up here. Seem some real shockers, from some very prestigious marques.
> 
> Nice work sorting out a lot of the damage on the car, looks miles better now :thumb:


Thanks. And I thought prep in the Midlands was bad! Need to get there act together if thats the sort of level your getting for your money from dealers up that way.



ryand said:


> Shocker. Great turnaround.


Cheers.



ArcticVXR said:


> Great work and transformation.
> 
> I work for MB Corporate and all the vehicles i sell (especially darker colours) are hand wash only to avoid clients coming back complaining about swirls etc. Just a shame other dealers dont follow the same rules
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks. Folk are happy to collect a dark coloured car for X amount of ££'s Wouldnt accept it personally but just goes to show how many will spend before looking into things properly.



The_Bouncer said:


> Another outstanding correction Scott.
> 
> bit of a challenge that one, big old lump of motor and in only two days - you certainly have a customer for life there for sure.
> 
> ...


Ta Mr Bouncer. He was more than happy with the results. More so words like thats how it you visualise a car being brand new.:thumb:



simonfoy said:


> What a state, but what a turnaround. Brilliant job mate. Don't think I would buy a car of Stevie Wonder the salesman. LOL


Cheers bud.



peugeot106 said:


> As to interior cleaning and what I have seen on previous top gear show about some body fluids and other disgusting things found in second hand cars; is there any specific method to clear these out. Am quite paranoid to say the least that I do get weird sights from my colleagues that I clean my keyboard every morning with an antibacterial wipe. Is there anything I could use for car interior? Am a actually using some ag interior shampoo and apc which I guess only removes the grime.
> 
> How about steam cleaners would they be any good for that? Or are there any other products I should look into to get a nickel interior. Would much rather prefer something low on chemicals if that's possible of course to whack the germs and other unmentionable fluids


Steam cleaners are very good and pure by using just water. You could add something along the lines of Zaflora but only the smallest amount as it may cause a light bleaching effect to automotive interior plastic trim.



Reflectology said:


> Nice work buddy, I know when we spoke Sunday it was one you were not looking forward to sacrificing your Bank Holiday for but never the less pal its all paid off mate....think i need to get me one of those Geoff machines as I despise interiors....


Cheers mate. Worth the bank holiday sacrifice for the look on the owners face when complete. Ltd edition run of only 1 mate so you would be hard pushed to find another Geoff:lol:



cotter said:


> That's shocking, but a great turnaround, looks great :thumb:
> 
> I haven't dealt with the Perth branch, but my mate had serious issues with the Aberdeen branch with bodywork rust problems on his C220. They made a complete mess of it first time, then tried to charge him to have it rectified :devil:


Thanks. Not on charging for damage they have caused. "Would sir like swirl mark's with that?":lol:



scoobymad said:


> Bang tidy! That is all


:thumb:



P4ULT said:


> super work. very impressive.


Cheers muchly.



colarado red said:


> Nice turnaround


Thanks.



Foxx said:


> Wow, wonderful job. I'm shocked that the dealer gave it you in that condition - that was worse that the Shinearama weekend junker project car, and that hadn't been touched in years!


Cheers buddy. Was sold via the net from Dundee Foxx. Blind purchase by the sounds of things. A steep lesson learned me thinks.



Steve Burnett said:


> Nice turn around. I have a an ML similar to this one and I need to give it some TLC.
> Big cars take a long time to clean eh!
> 
> What did you use to get the A pillars inside so clean?


Thanks. The white internal pillars were cleaned with Autosmart G101. Misted into a microfibre and worked gently.



DetailMe said:


> Scott, that's how you prepare a car for a new customer....PERIOD!
> 
> Nice one mate, like your honest work and write ups!
> Chris


Cheers bud. Tell 'em as I see 'em. Best that way rather than try and blag through things.


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## Permanon uk (Jul 28, 2011)

Well done Scott very nice work. It does not surprise me though you want to see the state of some of the new yachts builds that we detail in factory.


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Fantastic job..


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## BRUNBERG (Oct 21, 2010)

Great turnaround, ifi collect a car from a dealer in that state would have thrownit back at them


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

Perjan said:


> Well done Scott very nice work. It does not surprise me though you want to see the state of some of the new yachts builds that we detail in factory.


Cheers Janet. I can well imagine what the yachts can be like at times.



tonyy said:


> Fantastic job..


Thanks.



BRUNBERG said:


> Great turnaround, ifi collect a car from a dealer in that state would have thrownit back at them


You and me both Bru. Cheers.


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Cracking job mate.


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## Refined Detail (Nov 27, 2006)

Much better mate, the trapped pet hair is the usual one isn't it - shows up the lazy valeters right away :lol:


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

DMH-01 said:


> Cracking job mate.


Cheers buddy.



Refined Detail said:


> Much better mate, the trapped pet hair is the usual one isn't it - shows up the lazy valeters right away :lol:


Dont think they offered the hoover to the interior on this one Rich:lol:


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## gb270 (Aug 22, 2008)

Nice work there


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## wish wash (Aug 25, 2011)

1 word for salesmen lol conmen. The state was shocking, brilliant turn around though


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## mistryn (May 17, 2007)

very impressive work and lot of work great turn around in 2 days

btw just out of interest what camera are you using?


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

gb270 said:


> Nice work there


:thumb:



wish wash said:


> 1 word for salesmen lol conmen. The state was shocking, brilliant turn around though


True but its what they are paid to do unfortunately. Cheers.



mistryn said:


> very impressive work and lot of work great turn around in 2 days
> 
> btw just out of interest what camera are you using?


Ta. Done some extreme makeovers as times gone by but it does take it out of you. Camera, Panasonic lumix bridge jobbie. Cant remember the actual spec off hand.


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## caledonia (Sep 13, 2008)

Terrific save and transformation Scott.
Night and day m8.
And a really eye opener to dealers prep in Scotland :lol:
Gordon.


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## Lemongrab (Jul 27, 2009)

Superb! Outstandinga,

Looks like a completely different motor.


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## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

Dunno what all the fuss is about 

















Seriously though - Top work Scott, true detailing at it's best !

Well done bud


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

caledonia said:


> Terrific save and transformation Scott.
> Night and day m8.
> And a really eye opener to dealers prep in Scotland :lol:
> Gordon.


Cheers mate. Wasnt directed as a hate Scotland thread but still cant get over the way it was handed over Gordon. Despite where it was prepared, it shouldnt of been ok'd for hand over in that state.



MitsuHonda said:


> Superb! Outstandinga,
> 
> Looks like a completely different motor.


Thanks.



Showshine said:


> Dunno what all the fuss is about
> 
> Seriously though - Top work Scott, true detailing at it's best !
> 
> Well done bud


Ta Lee. Bloody hard going but worth it for the client being beyond impressed.


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## ROMEYR32 (Mar 27, 2011)

Great job and great write up. Pet hair aaaaaagggrrrrrhhhh :wall:


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

ROMEYR32 said:


> Great job and great write up. Pet hair aaaaaagggrrrrrhhhh :wall:


Yep. Go to love dog hair. cheers :thumb:


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## Mr Face (Jan 22, 2009)

it look's a little cracker" said the drunken monkey :lol: yeah right

Scott, I assume your client has had his/your costs reimbursed for the disgraceful way that was presented ? ( but of course we all know the answer) I think one of the other gentlemen here put it a lot more eloquently than I ever could." Bunch of wafty crankers and robbing bar stewards"


Great work Scott, nice turnaround and what the customer had probably expected to rock up on his drive :thumb:


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

Mr Face said:


> it look's a little cracker" said the drunken monkey :lol: yeah right
> 
> Scott, I assume your client has had his/your costs reimbursed for the disgraceful way that was presented ? ( but of course we all know the answer) I think one of the other gentlemen here put it a lot more eloquently than I ever could." Bunch of wafty crankers and robbing bar stewards"
> 
> Great work Scott, nice turnaround and what the customer had probably expected to rock up on his drive :thumb:


Cheers mate. Think it surpassed what he was expecting and thats always a major bonus:thumb:


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Great Job Sir...:thumb:


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## badman1972 (Jun 24, 2010)

Top quality work as always mate, someone now has a new car looking just as it should have done and pleased you got a maintenance contract out of it too, well deserved :thumb:
Props to Geoff too, between the 2 of you, you made a massive difference, very impressive gents


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

james_death said:


> Great Job Sir...:thumb:





badman1972 said:


> Top quality work as always mate, someone now has a new car looking just as it should have done and pleased you got a maintenance contract out of it too, well deserved :thumb:
> Props to Geoff too, between the 2 of you, you made a massive difference, very impressive gents


Cheers folks. Will pass on the comments to Geoff also.:thumb:


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