Latest details

**Scottwax** · 09-11-2003, 12:02 AM

This is a 1998 Mercedes CLK320 I detailed this past Sunday. Paint was in decent shape, so all it needed was Vanilla Moose and Carnuba Moose.

This shot really shows the `wetness` of the combination, along with way too much orange peel.

The whole car:

**2wheelsx2** · 09-11-2003, 12:04 AM

Dang! That first shot is amazing! Both in the finish and the photograph itself!

**Scottwax** · 09-11-2003, 12:05 AM

This is a Mercedes AMG S55. Again, a regular customer so all it ever needs is a light polish/glaze and another coat of wax. Again, I used the Clearkote combo on this one.

**Scottwax** · 09-11-2003, 12:07 AM

Originally posted by 2wheelsx2

Dang! That first shot is amazing! Both in the finish and the photograph itself!

Thanks!

I shot that one at 1/60th of a second at an F-stop of 22 so the picture would stay sharp over the whole hood. Kodak`s new High Definition Film also helps. Amazingly low grain for a 400 speed film.

**Scottwax** · 09-11-2003, 12:14 AM

For this Chevy 1500, I took a different approach. He usually drives his BMW 746Li to work on the Wednesdays when I am out at his office washing cars, so I`ll probably only see the truck about once a month, if that often because he sometimes brings his wife`s Escalade on Wednesdays. Therefore, I wanted something a little more durable than a glaze/carnuba combination.

I used Winner`s Choice Gloss Restorer and Polymer Finishing Creme. I`d used that combination on a Mercedes 420 almost two months ago and last week when I washed it, the paint still felt slick and had a nice glow to it, so it seems the Finishing Creme is reasonably durable so far.

Back to the truck. It was made in May, but the guy bought it on August 30th, so it sat on a dealer`s lot for about 3 months and the whole top half had to be clayed prior to using the Gloss Restorer and Finishing Creme. Just claying it made a noticable difference. Once the ladies who works there said it was very obvious to her which side of the hood I`d been working on.

Anyway, I think it turned out pretty damn good!

**2wheelsx2** · 09-11-2003, 12:15 AM

Thanks for listing your settings, Scott. I am just starting to get back into photography, and have tried some shots, and not posted them to Autopia, because I couldn`t get them to look right. I just got a Nikon F80 with a 24-80 ED lens, but have not really had time to get used to it, and mostly have been shooting in full auto mode. That shot has inspired me to try some more shots! :up

**Scottwax** · 09-11-2003, 12:22 AM

On this car, it was very obvious it had not been waxed in a long time. However, his company was paying for it to be waxed and they have a strict budget (it was a sales contest prize) so I had to do what I could working within the price range they had okayed.

Further compounding the situation was the tar all down the sides of the car. The company he works for is construction related and he`d been out at some job sites.

I used Greased Lightning`s Orange Blast cut 4:1 to get the majority of the tar off the car, the rewashed the sides to make sure I didn`t leave any of the cleaner behind. I then went over the whole car with Moose Wax....the regular version with chemical cleaners in it. It looked pretty good at that point, but I could top it and remain in budget. It was about 90 degrees that day and no shade other than passing clouds. I decided to top it with Vanilla Moose since it does contain wax. Honestly, I thought it turned out really good, especially since you`d normally (according to Clearkote`s website) would use Vanilla Moose then Moose Wax, but I think reversing it works better. Obviously, if I had used Carnuba Moose, I wouldn`t have topped it with VM.

Yes, that is my car next to the Eclipse!

**Scottwax** · 09-11-2003, 12:25 AM

Originally posted by 2wheelsx2

Thanks for listing your settings, Scott. I am just starting to get back into photography, and have tried some shots, and not posted them to Autopia, because I couldn`t get them to look right. I just got a Nikon F80 with a 24-80 ED lens, but have not really had time to get used to it, and mostly have been shooting in full auto mode. That shot has inspired me to try some more shots! :up

Try using the `speed` setting for cars. It shoots at a slower speed but smaller apeture so the background remains sharp. Since most cars are at least 10 feet long, that helps keep the entire car sharply in focus.

**panapower** · 09-11-2003, 12:29 AM

scott,

what is vanilla moose? is that a glaze, polish, wax, sealant??? throw me a freggin bone here cause I love the results.

**Scottwax** · 09-11-2003, 12:35 AM

PanaPower-Vanilla Moose is called a glaze. It has very fine abrasives, so it won`t correct much beyond very light swirls or scratches but it also has a lot of oils and the same petroleum based wax that the regular Moose Wax has, so it will protect paint.

**Scottwax** · 09-11-2003, 12:41 AM

One last shot for now. This is the high top conversion van I wax about every 3-4 months. The owner was in a car accident about 20 years ago and is paralyzed from the top of his shoulders down, but you will never meet a more gracious and positive person in your life. I absolutely love cleaning this guy`s van because he and his wife are such good people and such an inspiration on how to overcome tragedy and end up stronger for it.

Like I said, I wax it every 3-4 months and his wife washes it herself every couple of weeks, so it stays in good shape. I used Vanilla Moose/Carnuba Moose combo on it. You will notice how shade affects how the gloss looks, especially when the sun is getting low on the horizon and shining directly on the back of the van, effectively washing out most of the gloss, while the side of the van is not getting direct sunlight and shows much stronger reflections.

**2wheelsx2** · 09-11-2003, 12:42 AM

Originally posted by Scottwax

Try using the `speed` setting for cars. It shoots at a slower speed but smaller apeture so the background remains sharp. Since most cars are at least 10 feet long, that helps keep the entire car sharply in focus.

Thanks for the tip...I`ll give it a go.

**thevolvoguy** · 09-11-2003, 09:07 PM

*rant* Whats with those rims on the early CLK`s? They really look like steel wheels and hubcaps, especially when dirty. It ruins the whole car.

Anyway, nice work Scotty.

**Scottwax** · 09-11-2003, 10:28 PM

Originally posted by thevolvoguy

*rant* Whats with those rims on the early CLK`s? They really look like steel wheels and hubcaps, especially when dirty. It ruins the whole car.

Anyway, nice work Scott.

No `y` on the end of my name.

Are the wheels ugly? Yes. Doesn`t matter to me though because they are easy to clean.