A-Class (W176) [Official] Mercedes-Benz A-Class (W176)

[Bknight]

Not only that, you wont have to wash it every 3 days. I'm over dark coloured cars, they are too hard to keep clean, and get hot in summer.

Totally agree, have a black car now and you can never keep them clean.

 

[Shillo]

I may have asked this earlier in this thread but does anyone know if the A Class comes with a Ceramic Clear Coat on the paintwork ?
When i picked my car up yesterday after getting some work done on it, i asked the guy who owns the paint shop if MB use a resin lacquer over their paint as the sales guy at my MB dealer said I did not need it when I was asking questions on the car prior to placing my order.

The paint guy said MB did use a ceramic clear coat but didn't know about the A Class.

I remember when I bought my 6, they tried to sell me a paint treatment to prolong the finish of the paint. I didn't go for it but I've since heard it I'd worth having if your car doesn't have that kind of protection ... But it's not cheap.

 

[TuNeS]

Paint protection is one of the biggest rip offs going around. All they do is either wax it, or apply a synthetic sealer. Either way, its all gone after a year. If you're too busy to wax it every six months with a good wax (not what you find at supercheap) and you want a nice shiny car, you need to get someone to do it once a year.

Paint protection is a valid option for many mb buyers due to time constraints and money not being an issue, just remember its not a one off.

 

[Frostee]

Paint protection is one of the biggest rip offs going around. All they do is either wax it, or apply a synthetic sealer. Either way, its all gone after a year. If you're too busy to wax it every six months with a good wax (not what you find at supercheap) and you want a nice shiny car, you need to get someone to do it once a year.

Paint protection is a valid option for many mb buyers due to time constraints and money not being an issue, just remember its not a one off.

I totally agree. Paint protection is an absolute rip-off. I use a product called Nanolex and it is excellent. It will cost you a fraction of the cost of getting anything offered by a Dealer

http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/product/nanolex/paint_and_alloy_protection_kit_ultra

http://www.nanolex.com.au/

I can also highly recommend their glass sealant.

In both paintwork and glass I tend to repeat an application every 6 months of so.

When I wash the car (always by hand, two bucket method using a mild automotive car wash shampoo) I maintain the shine using a detailing spray. The car always looks great and the whole detailing process takes no time at all. The dirt and grime just falls off the car.

 

[Shillo]

I totally agree. Paint protection is an absolute rip-off. I use a product called Nanolex and it is excellent. It will cost you a fraction of the cost of getting anything offered by a Dealer

http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/product/nanolex/paint_and_alloy_protection_kit_ultra

http://www.nanolex.com.au/

I can also highly recommend their glass sealant.

In both paintwork and glass I tend to repeat an application every 6 months of so.

When I wash the car (always by hand, two bucket method using a mild automotive car wash shampoo) I maintain the shine using a detailing spray. The car always looks great and the whole detailing process takes no time at all. The dirt and grime just falls off the car.

Some really useful info thanks, the guy who tried to sell it to me at Mazda said it would last for years ! later, while getting some paintwork done on my wife's car, I was told its good but a swine to remove if you need to get any paintwork touched up ( which I hope we all won't aye !)

The $$ "deal" on the protection from Mazda only stood for 1 week, they said it would then go up due to them having to remove the Road Grime. Another con !!

 

[Frostee]

Some really useful info thanks, the guy who tried to sell it to me at Mazda said it would last for years ! later, while getting some paintwork done on my wife's car, I was told its good but a swine to remove if you need to get any paintwork touched up ( which I hope we all won't aye !)

The $$ "deal" on the protection from Mazda only stood for 1 week, they said it would then go up due to them having to remove the Road Grime. Another con !!

Also, when I take delivery of a new car I strip back the polish that's on it before doing the paint protection. Simple process of a bit of dishwashing liquid in a bucket of water (yes regular dishwashing liquid) that will remove the was the polish etc that's on the car. Once rinsed and dried then claybar all the paintwork using a claybar lubricant. It's amazing how much grime actually comes off the so called new car. In my experience there's lost of residual crap from when the car was manufactured, covered in a protective wax, left to sit out in the open in the salt air until it gets it's ride over here. Beginning to end can be doe in an afternoon and you will have invested in a solid base on which to wash and polish for years to come.

I am in Melbourne and have no relationship with www.carcareproducts.com.au. I buy all my detailing stuff from them as despite them being in Sydney as they know what they're on about. They have heaps of useful info and instructions on the website and are more than please to talk to you on the phone and give advice, ask questions, etc.

Whilst on detailing, for those with leather interior you can't go past Zaino http://www.zainobros.com.au/prod5.htm

 

[joyjas77]

Note sure if this has been posted yet, I haven't thoroughly read all 87 pages of this thread...

If you can get your VIN from the dealer, it may help while away the time waiting for delivery.

Cargo Tracking - Enter the VIN in the right side 'Cargo ID' box

Mine left Zeebrugge on the 24th of April.

The dealer can also give you the name of the ship that it is being transported on as well to track it.

 

[joyjas77]

Quite informative thanks for the info on car care products. I will definitely try and do it myself, this will be my little baby so I should learn to take care of it myself I think.

 

[clip]

I have to agree on the Nanolex products. I've used them on last 2 cars and have found them great, especially on the black one. I washed that on average, once every 2 weeks and only reapplied it once in 2 years. The trick I found is to definitely use their shampoo too. Its expensive, but after two years I still have a quarter of it left - and its only a small bottle! Best thing with the paint treatment is it makes washing easier as the bugs don't seem to stick to the paintwork like they normally do. I bought the window treatment this time too. Have applied it, but haven't had it out in the rain yet. I'm hoping when I do have to use the wipers that the water won't ball like it does with rainex etc. Soon see I guess.

 

[TuNeS]

I also buy everything from carcareproducts.com.au. I used the nanolex on my runabout and used to use dodo premium wax on my skoda. Results were amazing but there is more work in applying a wax compared to a sealant like nanolex. Both provide great results.

 

[Frostee]

Quite informative thanks for the info on car care products. I will definitely try and do it myself, this will be my little baby so I should learn to take care of it myself I think.

Don't be apprehensive about doing it yourself. There is no easier detailing job than one on a brand new car, and very satisfying to have done it yourself. As I mentioned carcareproducts.com.au are very helpful and seems there's a bunch of people here with experience who will be happy to help with any advice you need. With the Nanolex the trick is to do it in small sections, say half a door panel size at a time. The only tricky thing if you can call it that is on a white car it can be difficult to see where you've applied this. The approach I have used is to do it in my garage with the use of a halogen work light on a stand (good light source and can be had cheaply from the likes of Bunnings, Master's etc hardware stores). This allows you to do it pretty much in any weather and have the benefit of a consistent light source.

I agree wholeheartedly with "Clip's" comments about the Nanolex car shampoo, it's brilliant and make maintenance a breeze.

It might cost you say $200 to set yourself up with a good detailing kit but it will serve you well at a fraction of the price of the paint treatments offered by the Dealers etc.

 

[joyjas77]

Cool I will definitely have to do it then. Having a bit of a read of their web-site. What brand of dishwashing liquid do you use for the first wash of your car? Reason I'm asking is that different brands might use different chemicals I would prefer to use a tried and tested brand.

 

[Frostee]

Cool I will definitely have to do it then. Having a bit of a read of their web-site. What brand of dishwashing liquid do you use for the first wash of your car? Reason I'm asking is that different brands might use different chemicals I would prefer to use a tried and tested brand.

I'd give car care products a call and get their current thinking on this. It's a few years since I did my last car and plan to do so myself to ensure that I have their current advice. Last time I recall I used morning fresh and it was absolutely fine. It's the Ph in the detergent that is actually stripping the existing wax. It may be that they now have specific pre-wax detergents that they recommend. Just got with their guidance, it's what i plan to do.

 

[Shillo]

Found this on youtube, I've always been fussy about how and who cleans my car but this clip will definatley change the way i do it from now on, although i thought i was taking the necessary precautions i don't think I was being careful enough

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[Bknight]

5th gear vids

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[Shillo]

Thanks Bknight, very useful info, and a bit of an eye opener.
Don't think I'm going to take the car down to the car wash any time soon or spend a grand on Some Wax lol but I will be investing in the clay and using the two buckets, and maybe a Buffing wheel, although that would definitely make me nervous using it.

 

[Frostee]

Thanks Bknight, very useful info, and a bit of an eye opener.
Don't think I'm going to take the car down to the car wash any time soon or spend a grand on Some Wax lol but I will be investing in the clay and using the two buckets, and maybe a Buffing wheel, although that would definitely make me nervous using it.

Indeed, some good video there. Thank you!

Re buffing wheel, I recommend you steer clear. I have never used one, have never needed to and they can be very damaging if in the wrong hands. With starting with a new car there is no effort at all in putting down the base coat of sealant. Thereafter you just use a quality formulated shampoo (like nanolex) and a detailing spray. Routine washing and polishing should only take about an hour or so of your time as everything just falls off.

 

[TuNeS]

Thanks Bknight, very useful info, and a bit of an eye opener.
Don't think I'm going to take the car down to the car wash any time soon or spend a grand on Some Wax lol but I will be investing in the clay and using the two buckets, and maybe a Buffing wheel, although that would definitely make me nervous using it.

I do everything by hand. Even though it might take longer, I just feel safer knowing that i cant do any damage. As others have said, the Nanolex solution is fast and requires little time. When you wax the car, it is about a day for me to do (every 6 months). This includes washing, removing old wax and then applying two coats of wax. Although time consuming, I am yet to see better results than a good wax

 

[clip]

Best thing with the nano protection and shampoo is when it comes to drying, the car basically dry after the final rinse - I take off the hose spray nossle for final rinse and hold the hose as parallel to the surface as I can. That way the water just sheets off, leaving the car dry. Using an average sized microfibre cloth (500x600mm), the cloth never gets wet enough to need to be rung out. Drying off takes about 30 seconds, and also reduces the risk of scratching. I should add that the nano shampoo seems to help with this process too, another reason I use it over anything else.

 

[Frostee]

Just got word from my Dealer revised dates for my car. ETA is now August 5th, which is almost two weeks earlier than the previous ETA. Not getting too excited as it's only an ETA but it's definitely going in the right direction!