Above and Beyond: the AutoLavish norm featuring a Benz ML350

[Marc@AutoLavish]

What I meant is do I still need to clay bar after using Iron-x or do I just apply it and rinse off. I got my answer. Thanks!

No problem, and sorry for such a long response in that case: Iron-X won't clay your paint, it'll only get rid of certain contamination. Claying is surely needed afterwards. You can see in the write-up all the stuff we still pulled out of the paint although the rust specs were gone:

 

[Hugger Z]

Awesome write-up once again. I love reading these and seeing the before, during & after shots. You are definitely motivating others as you had intended. I can't wait for spring and a nice weekend to clean all of the rides.

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

Rust specs are the worst. I have to take them out of my silver car. Previous owner drove around needing breaks for a while, so metal to metal brakes + silver paint = HOURS and HOURS or claying the car. It came out beautiful, car was very nice, but someone previously had gotten lazy on maintainence. Being able to not make a fist the rest of the day was well worth getting all of that off of my car. :lol:

Nice job, as usual. SUV looks great.

 

[OnyxSSS]

was that a Rune in the first shot?? I know you have a S2000, honda bike too??

one of the badest looking bikes!

 

[Marc@AutoLavish]

Awesome write-up once again. I love reading these and seeing the before, during & after shots. You are definitely motivating others as you had intended. I can't wait for spring and a nice weekend to clean all of the rides.

I surely hope so: I know a lot of us can't wait to get out and get working on our own cars to include myself. My poor baby needs some love let alone I've missed just being able to drive her. Cheers to Spring!

Rust specs are the worst. I have to take them out of my silver car. Previous owner drove around needing breaks for a while, so metal to metal brakes + silver paint = HOURS and HOURS or claying the car. It came out beautiful, car was very nice, but someone previously had gotten lazy on maintainence. Being able to not make a fist the rest of the day was well worth getting all of that off of my car. :lol:
Nice job, as usual. SUV looks great.

Oh man... sounds like a nightmare. I know how bad that can be, hence why we purchased this Iron-X product after a lot of rave reviews from some of the top notch detailers in Europe (many post on detailingworld.co.uk). Not only is this not fun for us, but it can be long which means expensive for clients. We're not in this to rip people off, but rather to give people the most they can get for their money.
Thanks for the kind words and for taking a look!

was that a Rune in the first shot?? I know you have a S2000, honda bike too??
one of the badest looking bikes!

No no no - that's Jacob's pearl white Boulevard that he doesn't ride nearly enough lol. I have an S2000, but no bike for me... not yet at least. Thanks for taking a look as always!

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

Oh man... sounds like a nightmare. I know how bad that can be, hence why we purchased this Iron-X product after a lot of rave reviews from some of the top notch detailers in Europe (many post on detailingworld.co.uk). Not only is this not fun for us, but it can be long which means expensive for clients. We're not in this to rip people off, but rather to give people the most they can get for their money.
Thanks for the kind words and for taking a look!

It was. Worst car I have ever worked on. The bottom corners of the rear doors, the doglegs and the front fenders were just covered orange/brown. It felt like sand paper. I did this outside in the shade. I spent almost the whole day and still did not get to touch the trunk lid and I did a half-ass job on the rear bumper. I did a light wheel on the car, but not the type of detail I wanted. This spring I will clay the car lightly again, get that trunk lid, and wheel it with a couple compounds.

The details you guys complete are awesome. The way everything gets taped up or removed shows how much you guys care. I wish I had the kind of patience to detail my own cars like that. I always start off on a good note, then kinda hurry it up at the end. :lol: I guess getting paid for it is the trick!! I would love to have a small business on the side, but I know I do not have the time for it with my full time job.

Your products looks pretty expensive also. Those are probably all special order items, right? I used pretty good stuff from my paint supplier. Many different Meguiars and/or 3M products, Wizards, Dura-Gloss, etc...

 

[Marc@AutoLavish]

It was. Worst car I have ever worked on. The bottom corners of the rear doors, the doglegs and the front fenders were just covered orange/brown. It felt like sand paper. I did this outside in the shade. I spent almost the whole day and still did not get to touch the trunk lid and I did a half-ass job on the rear bumper. I did a light wheel on the car, but not the type of detail I wanted. This spring I will clay the car lightly again, get that trunk lid, and wheel it with a couple compounds.

The details you guys complete are awesome. The way everything gets taped up or removed shows how much you guys care. I wish I had the kind of patience to detail my own cars like that. I always start off on a good note, then kinda hurry it up at the end. :lol: I guess getting paid for it is the trick!! I would love to have a small business on the side, but I know I do not have the time for it with my full time job.

Your products looks pretty expensive also. Those are probably all special order items, right? I used pretty good stuff from my paint supplier. Many different Meguiars and/or 3M products, Wizards, Dura-Gloss, etc...

I think it helps that we only work to one standard and always try to do everything to the best of our ability. If you never end up rushing towards the end, you don't get in that habit. We've come to expect things to be marathons rather than sprints, and having another person working next to you certainly helps.
For a lot of hobbyists I recommend doing exactly what you did: split the car into sections and make it a project in which you do a little at a time. While some people have no problem putting in a lot of hours to get it done right, it can be a drag at time. If you don't enjoy taking care of your car or learn to hate it, you won't want to do it as often or as thoroughly.
I wish you luck as the rear end of cars (especially the rear bumper due to aerodynamics) are usually the worst sections to clay. Hang in there!!!

Some of our products do get quite expensive compared to what people are used to I suppose. Of course we list what we use in the write-up, so if you want to look up any particular products you certainly can. We have nothing to hide. Not everything that costs more is better although a lot of manufacturers would like people to believe you always get better stuff for the money. We don't use what we use based off price - rather we use what we use for the result.
A lot of car owners aren't used to spending good money on keeping their car clean, but that shows after 5-10 years of ownership. Guys that are serious about car care will see the benefits of using better products with the right techniques over time. I'm still happy to report that my own car seriously looks better today (7.5 years old, 84k miles) than it did when I purchased it (had 4,6xx miles when I bought it in the Spring of '05).

BTW, those brands you listed have a lot of popularity for a reason.

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

I think it helps that we only work to one standard and always try to do everything to the best of our ability. If you never end up rushing towards the end, you don't get in that habit. We've come to expect things to be marathons rather than sprints, and having another person working next to you certainly helps.
For a lot of hobbyists I recommend doing exactly what you did: split the car into sections and make it a project in which you do a little at a time. While some people have no problem putting in a lot of hours to get it done right, it can be a drag at time. If you don't enjoy taking care of your car or learn to hate it, you won't want to do it as often or as thoroughly.
I wish you luck as the rear end of cars (especially the rear bumper due to aerodynamics) are usually the worst sections to clay. Hang in there!!!

Some of our products do get quite expensive compared to what people are used to I suppose. Of course we list what we use in the write-up, so if you want to look up any particular products you certainly can. We have nothing to hide. Not everything that costs more is better although a lot of manufacturers would like people to believe you always get better stuff for the money. We don't use what we use based off price - rather we use what we use for the result.
A lot of car owners aren't used to spending good money on keeping their car clean, but that shows after 5-10 years of ownership. Guys that are serious about car care will see the benefits of using better products with the right techniques over time. I'm still happy to report that my own car seriously looks better today (7.5 years old, 84k miles) than it did when I purchased it (had 4,6xx miles when I bought it in the Spring of '05).

BTW, those brands you listed have a lot of popularity for a reason.

Definately shows when people take care of their cars. I do my best. My DD, I don't care about. I have not washed it since September or October. Sad, but the doors are poppin and so is the bed, so why bother? Typical F150 trucks from 97-03. Runs like a top though. You and your guys would have a field day with my truck. :lol: My summer car only has 10,000 miles and I bought it with 5,400 miles. I haven't touched it. This will be the 3rd summer. I might do a lil something with that car this summer.

 

[DetroitMach]

but we have some nice plans for this year in which we hope to reach an even bigger market.
Thanks for taking a look!

I love your guys write ups, you guys do an amazing job! I am a commercial real estate broker for one of the largest commercial firms. If you guys are looking for space for auto lavish in the future would love to help you guys out. There are some great deals now a days. Just thowing that out there!!

 

[DetroitStyle]

Better than new... impressive as always

 

[cjmatt]

where can I get the iron-x at? Ive always used a diluted wheel acid to remove rail dust, but know thats not ideal and always scares me that ill screw up the paint. My new mustang I picked up looks yellow it has so many embedded particles.

 

[Marc@AutoLavish]

Definately shows when people take care of their cars. I do my best. My DD, I don't care about. I have not washed it since September or October. Sad, but the doors are poppin and so is the bed, so why bother? Typical F150 trucks from 97-03. Runs like a top though. You and your guys would have a field day with my truck. :lol: My summer car only has 10,000 miles and I bought it with 5,400 miles. I haven't touched it. This will be the 3rd summer. I might do a lil something with that car this summer.

Surely. I completely understand what you're saying: my poor '94 Prizm doesn't look so good... but of course I don't really care much about her physical appeal and rather just want her to be mechanically fine.
Sounds like its time to get your Summer ride looking perfect!

I love your guys write ups, you guys do an amazing job! I am a commercial real estate broker for one of the largest commercial firms. If you guys are looking for space for auto lavish in the future would love to help you guys out. There are some great deals now a days. Just thowing that out there!!

Much appreciated and we surely might be interested. We've been in talks with a couple of clients regarding this exact matter. If you have any information you can send us, we'd appreciate it: [email protected]

Better than new... impressive as always

Thank you!

where can I get the iron-x at? Ive always used a diluted wheel acid to remove rail dust, but know thats not ideal and always scares me that ill screw up the paint. My new mustang I picked up looks yellow it has so many embedded particles.

We ordered it from Europe along with a couple of other products. http://www.cquartz.com/iron-cut.html
Not the easiest product to get your hands on, but it's been completely worth it for us.