Mercedes with egg stain on paint.

John Sharp

Mercedes with egg stain on paint.
January 02, 2004 07:41PM

Registered: 17 years ago
Posts: 634

<HTML> A potential customer just called me with a question. He wants me to do an exterior detail on a 69 Mercedes convertable. The problem he says isnt the condition of the car in general but a spot where he was hit with an egg. lol

Evidently the guy was driving his car in a Halloween parade in October and was hit by an egg thrown from the crowd. The old guy was somehow taken ill right after the parade and wasnt able to do wash it like he usually does before putting it back into storage. When he went out to look at it today he saw the egg splatter and now wants me to fix it.

My question is do any of you have experience cleaning dried egg splatter off older paint? What damage can eggs do to paint? Can it stain? I do know it has the original factory paint job if that helps.

Im probably going out to look at the car tonight to give him an estimate and im just trying to get as educated as possible before I go.

Thanks for the help,
John</HTML>

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Frank Canna

Re: Mercedes with egg stain on paint.
January 02, 2004 11:34PM

<HTML>John,

I really never had to directly deal with a situation like that, however, two months is a long time for that egg residue to be left on the surface. From what I've seen, eggs can cause quite a bit of staining if the residue isn't removed with a day or two.

Since you've probably already looked at it by now, you've probably got a better idea of what it'll take to get it right again.</HTML>

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Bud Abraham

Re: Mercedes with egg stain on paint.
January 03, 2004 12:16AM

Registered: 17 years ago
Posts: 3,550

<HTML>John:

With a car that old it no doubt has a single stage paint on it, unless it has been repainted.

If it is a clear coat (repainted) then you could have etching in the paint, that is, the acid in the egg after this long a time will have eaten into and maybe thru the clear coat. If that is the case you have to evalute the extent of the damage to the clear. Some surface etching you can remove by buffing and polishing and waxing. However, if the etching has eaten thru the clear you can only make it less visible, or it may even need to be repainted. You need to know what you can do before doing the car so you can let the customer know you cannot make a perfect repair.

If it is a single stage paint you will have the same problem other than the etching is "in the paint." This is better than with a clear coat because you have more paint film to work with in terms of being able to buff out the etching if it is not too deep.

Key here is that you have to be able to discern the extent of the damage. Remember, under-promise and over-deliver upfront.

Make sure you know the customer's expectations after you evaluate and explain what you can and cannot do.

Let us know what happened.

Bud A</HTML>

buda

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concoursgarage

Re: Mercedes with egg stain on paint.
January 03, 2004 12:43AM

Registered: 17 years ago
Posts: 585

<HTML>From my experience oftentimes the egg has etched the paint causing permanent damage to the paint finish. In addition you might see circular white hyphenated rings where the impact of the egg has also damaged and somewhat cracked the paint. If this is the case there is not much you can do except to minimize the effect.</HTML>

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John Sharp

Re: Mercedes with egg stain on paint.
January 03, 2004 06:34AM

Registered: 17 years ago
Posts: 634

<HTML> Well I went and looked at it. Like you all suggested it probably did etch the paint some. I had several M-F towels and some spray and wipe solution with me and I tried to clean a section off to get a good look.

It is the original factory paint. No clear coat is there its just the original brown paint only.

I didnt qoute the job with a set price instead I quoted him my hourly rate for this job and gave him a written estimate that was stated the rate and "not to exceed" $ 650.00. I told him that I was aiming to fix the damage but that it was very likely that the damage would need more repair that just buffing. I gave him my opinion and even the name of a local auto painter I prefer if he would rather go that way.

I appreciate what you said Bud when you said "under promise" up front. I told him I highly doubted that the price would go as high as 650 but I was covering my needs just to be sure. I figured with a tough job like this was looking to be he could like it or leave it. He liked it and I will do the job tomorow.

The worst part of the job might not be the buffing but rather cleaning the cracks and crevices that the egg got into. It will be fun. smiling smiley

I plan on washing, claying, then buffing it as my best option for repairing the damage.

Thanks for the replies guys and I will try to take some good pics with my new digital camera when its done.

Thanks,
John</HTML>

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Bud Abraham

Re: Mercedes with egg stain on paint.
January 03, 2004 07:00AM

Registered: 17 years ago
Posts: 3,550

<HTML>Glad to help John. Be sure and buff the areas with the etching with maybe a little more aggressive pad or compound than the other areas of the car. You might have to use a less aggressive compound a second time on those areas where the etching was to smooth out the scratches from the more aggressive compound.

Then use a swirl remover

Finally your wax/sealant of choice.

Look forward to the photos

Bud A</HTML>

buda

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John Sharp

Re: Mercedes with egg stain on paint.
January 05, 2004 07:26AM

Registered: 17 years ago
Posts: 634

<HTML> Well it turned out nicely. I did end up buffing it with a poly/wool pad and Meguiars diamond cut to start. I followed up with a foam polishing pad and High Temp light cut and I finished with a foam finishing pad and Meguiars Swirl Free polish.

I took away all noticable appearance of the flaw and left it looking like new. I will try to get the pics online soon when I figure out how to manage this new camera and pics. smiling smiley

Thanks everyone,
John</HTML>

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