Yeah thats the bad part of pics i thought of that later. However my paint is smooth so i guess its fine but i think i will strip the wax on the 560SEL.

 

I wash my car after I polish ( using a DA) with Meguiars 803. No residue. Regular washing removes all the wax after three or four washes. Dawn is a detergent which is hard on your rubber parts. You will be buying new wiper blades...Not for my cars.

 

I don't know what Meguiars 803 is, but if it strips, I agree there's no residue. If you use just polish and/or wax or if 803 isn't a stripper, a residue will be left behind. That's what makes the paint shine.

Don't use Dawn every time you just want to wash your car, unless you wax every time you wash. It's for stripping wax buildup. Most all professional detailers use it or another washing liquid that's essentially the same. They don't pay premium prices for a Meguiars sales gimmick.

Wiper blades are cheap. You need to replace them regularly anyway--about as often as you'd use Dawn. A little wipe down with bleach on a rag will recondition the wiper blades and remove road grime. They'll work like new until they get dirty again.

 

I always used silicon spray on a rag but i will have to try ur bleach though the silicon does work well.

 

That slimes your windshield, no? You want to clean them, not lubricate them with a petroleum product.

 

NO lug its pure silicon works great no smearing at all. However i tried the bleach it works to so i guess whatever u have on hand.

 

The meguiars 83 (sorry, my bad) is a cleaner polish designed for use on a rotary buffer with a foam pad instead if wool. It is used to remove everything on your paint and remove light scratches. Most detailers I know use this product or something similar made by 3M.

http://meguiars.com/?pro-cleaner-pol...Cleaner-Polish

The residue it leaves is very hard to remove without liquid, so I use soap and water. This is way more work than most people want to do before waxing, but a good cleaning/polish once in a while will bring back the original shine in clear coats and lacquers prior to waxing, which is designed to protect paint not fix defects.

Another easy prewax wax strip is rubbing alcohol. A good wipe down will remove all wax and readies the surface for paint.

 

I don't disagree with those steps. What I'm saying is Dawn is just as effective as a stripper as those name-brand products, but it's almost free in comparison. And the sun does more damage to rubber parts that an occasional wash with Dawn. It's okay if you want to over spend to clean your car's finish. No harm, no foul.

Alcohol will strip, but it's also flammable. Not a very smart choice IMO.

 

until i bought a Benz and read more on detailing, i never heard of claying. so coming up, will be the first time in 30+ yrs that I've done claying. should be interesting. seems to be some brain washing to convince people to pay up to $60/pound for silly putty. but since i'm stealing it from my brother's garage, it's worth a try, eh? technically speaking though, the idea has merit. we'll see.

 

A couple of tips to ease your burden:

- keep the surface well lubed. If you rub the clay when it's too dry, it will smear. Not a disaster, but then you have to clay off the smear.

- hold on carefully to the clay. If you drop it on the ground, throw it away. At least carve the outer layer off and throw that away. You don't want to rub the paint with sand/dirt that's embedded in the clay.