It’s no surprise that detailing videos have been on the rise lately. Whether it be cleaning up filthy interiors, painstaking paint correction, or even a full respray, the automotive sub-genre has been booming. In his latest video, Alex Palmeri of LegitStreetCars features the transformation of his 2005 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG from zero to hero.
Here’s What A $4,000, 40-Hour Paint Restoration Looks Like On A DAILY DRIVEN Black E55 AMG Wagon.
After purchasing a 146,000 mile (234,964 kilometer) Mercedes-Benz, it was clear from the get-go that the paint on the hood was too far gone to correct back to its factory finish. Following a detailed inspection from the workers at Chicago Auto Pros detailing shop, the workers began removing body panels. The first big job was swapping the front facia for a slightly newer unit from an E63. We’ll let you decide on the new look but the original front facia was in a dire state of disrepair.
With a fresh coat of paint, the new panels on the car immediately received minor corrections and were prepped for paint protection film. After seeing the rock chips from the original front facia, another layer of protection seemed like a no brainer. The workers at Chicago Auto Pro’s proceeded to fit a layer of XPEL film and set to work on the rest of the car.
After the new panels were matched to the vehicle’s original color, the workers could begin correcting the original paint. After quite a lot of work compounding the remaining panels of the car, things were beginning to look a lot better. The transition from the front facia to the rest of the car was no longer as obvious.
Before the outdoor reveal at the end of the video, every millimeter of the car received a fresh layer of ceramic coating. While Palmeri was blown away at the final result, let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
