Paid £800 to the Dealership for a Detail? How They Left This Mercedes GLE 400d in an Absolute State
- kyle
- Aug 18
- 2 min read
When a client brings their vehicle straight from the dealership to our studio, it is rarely in the pristine condition expected of a nearly new car. Recently, a new client trusted us with their Mercedes GLE 400d. Having paid a dealership £800 for an inferior machine polish and ceramic coating package, the outcome was an absolute state the obsidian black paintwork was heavily swirled and covered in buffer trails from poor polishing. Take a look at the state of the paintwork below.
As a high end SUV and a flagship vehicle for Mercedes, this GLE deserved a finish that actually reflected its status. We see things like this so often, please do not waste your money on anything the dealerships will sell you!
Over a dedicated three day period, we completely transformed this vehicle. Here is how we did this.
Day One: Decontamination, Wheels, and Glass Ceramic Coatings
The first step of our multi day detail focuses on thorough decontamination and prep work:
Wheels and Arches: We removed the gigantic 23 inch wheels to deep clean the faces, barrels, inners, calipers, and arches. Later, we applied a dedicated 2 year ceramic coating to the wheel faces and barrels.
Three Stage Exterior Wash: The paintwork went through an exterior wash to remove surface dirt, a chemical wash to clear tar spots and fallout, and a final clay bar treatment to remove bonded contaminants so the surface was surgically clean.
Engine Bay: We detailed and dressed the engine bay.
Glass Protection: We machine polished the exterior glass and installed a dedicated 2 year ceramic coating.
Day Two: Multi Stage Machine Polish Correction
Day two required a massive time investment, taking around 16 hours of intensive labour. To tackle the heavy defects, holograms, and severe swirl marks left behind by the dealership, we performed a multi stage machine polish. This will look to remove around 85-90% of the defects in the paint.
Heavy Cut: The first polishing stage removed the deeper paint defects.
Refinement Polish: The second stage refined the obsidian black finish, bringing back a deep, flawless gloss and mirror like clarity.
Day Three: Interior Reset and 5 Year Dual Layer Ceramic Coating
On the final day, we focused on interior protection and advanced paint shielding:
Interior Detail: Using professional tools, steam, and compressed air, we deep-cleaned the interior before protecting the fabric upholstery with G-Technic Smart Fabric and the leather with G-Technic Leather Guard.
Surface Prep: We wiped down the exterior with CarPro Eraser to strip any polishing oils, ensuring a proper physical bond for the coatings.
Ceramic Installation: The client selected our 5 year dual layered ceramic coating system. We installed CarPro D.Quartz as the base layer to harden the paint and add incredible gloss, followed by CarPro C.Quartz Professional on top.
The result is a stunning, highly glossed finish protected against bird lime and the elements, easily maintained by following our simple studio handover guide
