Cleaning the beast?!

[amg merc]

Just washed R77 for the first time - can now see all of those 1-week old chips - luvverly!!!

A couple of general maintenance questions:

- What do I use to clean the dashboard area (the black 1-piece moulding) around the base of the windscreen - whatever I try it leaves marks and ends up looking a right state!

- Should I use a (gentle) hose spray to clean off the inside wheel arch areas of the clamshells - as it looks like the seaside in there! Should I also hose off the suspension areas or not?

Thanking you!

[BILLYWIZ]

Once you have finished leathering of those curves use the leather while still damp, does not leave any marks,
I lightly pressure wash arches.

[amg merc]

BILLYWIZ said:

Once you have finished leathering of those curves use the leather while still damp, does not leave any marks, I lightly pressure wash arches.

Thanks Billy, I tried that no good! All I did was use a cotton cloth with a mild interior cleaner (autoglym) as used on my Merc for the past 4 years and it seems to have "scratched" the entire top centre piece!!! And no, it didn't have grit in it! ;-(

[joust]

The dash is actually "painted" to give the effect.

I've used interior cleaner without any real effect so not sure what your problem is.

Safest is a "soapy" solution (not fairy, but real soap bar) using a soft cotton cloth to apply and then something like a chamis leather to finish off.

You shouldn't have scractched it, but if the cleaner has dried it may have left a residue that's stuck to the paint - try the soap or give the factory a ring.

J

[amg merc]

joust said:

The dash is actually "painted" to give the effect. Safest is a "soapy" solution (not fairy, but real soap bar) using a soft cotton cloth to apply and then something like a chamis leather to finish off. You shouldn't have scractched it, but if the cleaner has dried it may have left a residue that's stuck to the paint - try the soap or give the factory a ring. J

Thanks Justin, soap improved it a lot - that's a weird surface finish though!

[joust]

amg merc said:

Thanks Justin, soap improved it a lot - that's a weird surface finish though!

It is - I seem to remember Lee or someone else telling one of the magazines that it was completly by accident! They were looking for a "normal" finish but that one turned up.

It's similar to the Lotus Elise dash in texture - very weird!

J