Wood Trim Care

[Mike Pritzl]

Wondering if anyone could suggest how to best maintain the burl walnut wood trim in our '03 C240 Wagon? Thanks.

Mike Pritzl

[mbzjag8090]

I use Pledge, makes the wood looks great.

[dolebludger]

Mike:

I was having a smudging and dust problem on the interior wood trim in our '04 C 320 sedan. I found that a wipe down with "Endust For Electronics" helped. This product consists of moist disposable towellets in a plastic dispenser. Seems to repell dust and doesn't smudge.

Thanks,
Richard:) :) :)

[mark cummins]

I Use Meguiars Plastx on my Black Birds Eye Maple Wood ..it Works better than any polish I Have Tried...Works Great on Headlight / Fog light covers also!Then a coat of Black fire...

http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/product_detailpage.cfm?sku=g-123&store=meg

[Mike Pritzl]

Dear Richard:

Thanks for the tip. Can you suggest where to purchase "Endust for Electronics"?

Mike.

[dolebludger]

Mike:

Actually, I think we bought "Endust for Electronics" at a store like Target or Wal-Mart. It's not a "dedicated" automotive product, so you probably won't find it at an auto parts store. Also, perhaps stores where TV's and computers are sold might have it.

Hope this helps,
Richard:) :) :)

[Mike Pritzl]

Thanks Richard and Mark for the info! I'll purchase both products and report back when I can get the car out of the garage without it being too cold to work with here in wintery Wisconsin. (Temp as I'm writing is a balmy +14)

[Allen]

Burrrrrrrrrrr! You can have it ol' boy, I like it down south where it's a tad warmer. It's going to be down to 15 tonight, that's pretty cold for Coastal NC. I've gotta know, how do you manage keeping your cars clean, with the frigid temps and all the snow. I guess it gives a new meaning to "spring cleaning".

[dolebludger]

Allen:

Not much car washing can be done below freezing --- unless you have an indoor place to do it where it's above freezing. Even then, it is risky because any water left under trim pieces can freeze and pop the trim off when you drive outside. I bought a boars hair brush on a handle that attaches to a hose from Griot's garage that can be used if there is a few days when it doesn't freeze.

On the subject of "Endust for Electronics", I just bought some today at Wal-Mart. By the way, this product is also great for cleaning the car radio face, along with the plastic cover on the speedometer and guages. It will also clean brake dust off wheels, if it is not too bad.

Thanks,
Richard:) :) :)

[560 SEC]

The wood is coated with urethane just like clear coat on paint. Use a wax cleaner to clean and then wax.

John

[Roger St.Pierre]

Martin guitar polish works great. If it is good enough to use on guitar tops, it's good enough for Benz's.
Roger

[regisphilbin]

Anyone know if the older MBZ also have a urethane coat over the wood trim? If not, any idea as what the clear coat is? I'm looking into stripping the clear coat, then re-coating due to cracks in the finish. If anyone has any suggestions here, please let me know...=)


Regis

[marlinspike]

As I understand it refinishing this wood is hard even for the pros.
Richard

[Erich Borden]

Regis,

I have refinished the wood console piece on my 190E. This is a plywood and has a very thin top layer. Be careful not to sand through the first ply. Following this I used a "special Walnut" color stain and clear Urthane (5 coats) to cover. This process takes a long time. If you have the time thats great. If I had to do this again, I would buy one. Either used on ebay or new from the dealer. Check with Caliber Motors in California for new pricing.

Erich

[marlinspike]

I'm told maderacustoms.com does good refinishing work. They told me it would cost somewhere from $135 to $165 to refinish the wood around the shifter in my 380 depending on if the veneer is cracked. That's $100 cheaper than new wood plus since it's from the same batch as the rest of the wood I won't have any matching problems.
Richard

[regisphilbin]

Eric,

Thanks for your info....I'll weigh the options...i'll have time to do the trim and its something that would be cool to learn...I guess i could always buy another set if i screw up....

how did you know when to stop sanding? did the top coat peel off at all? or did you have to sand all the way to the wood?

what grit sandpaper did you use?

Regis

[tiggerfink]

The wood is coated with urethane just like clear coat on paint. Use a wax cleaner to clean and then wax.

John

The CEO Optimum told me the same about the leather in my car. 6 different leather companies told me the same thing.


Dear Mr. Fuquay:

There are two types of automotive leather; tanned, and polyurethane
coated
(which is very similar to the vinyl). Products rich in oils work well
with
tanned leather since the oils penetrate into it. However, with
polyurethane
coated leather, which comprises about 90% of automotive leather, the
oils
stay on top of the coating and get rubbed off.

Optimum Protectant Plus works far better than traditional oils for
urethane
coated leather since it adheres to the surface providing long-lasting
protection. The sealant oils in Optimum Protectant Plus are also used
by
manufacturers of tanned leather for lasting protection and to keep it
supple. Therefore this product works great on either type of leather as
well
as vinyl.

Please let me know if I can be of any assistance. Thank you.

Best Regards,
David Ghodoussi, CEO
Optimum Polymer Technologies, Inc.
Phone: (901) 363-4955
Fax: (901) 363-4956

[dolebludger]

As one of my long term hobbies has been antique furniture rebuilding and refinishing, I'd like to comment on the matter of interior automotive wood that needs "some love." To back up for a moment, if the wood is just dirty and/or greasy, the Endust for Electronics I previously suggested will do the trick. If this doesn't work, and the wood is found to be in need of a bit of polishing, Roger St. Pierre's idea of using Martin guitar polish is an excellent one, along with other wax/polish suggestions above. But if these things don't work, you may want to go to a professional under some circumstances.

Let me further explain. Some wood trim on MB and other cars is finished with a very "flat" varnish or other coating, so as to look rather like "raw wood." To see what I mean, look at the wood dash on the CLS, and the wood on the new BMW 7 series. Wood car trim with this finish could be somewhat easily refreshed by removing it, rubbing it down with very fine (OOOO) steel wool dipped in a bit of furniiture refinisher product, then aplying a bit of matching stain. When the stain is dry, rub lightly with the same steel wool, and wipe off all the dust. Then apply the selected "flat" varnish or other coating and allow to dry. Then buff very lightly with the same steel wool. Then apply carnauba wax sparingly and buff off, and install.

BUT, some wood trim (as on my '04 C 320) has a very high gloss on its finish. IMO, this would be too difficult for an amateur (even an "experienced" one like me) to duplicate the original finish, with the kind of even and bright sheen it presents. If I found that the interior wood on a car that originally had this "high gloss" finish were in need of complete refinishing, I'd leave that matter to a credentialed "pro" IF I wanted it restored to the original high gloss. However, if originality were not an issue, the wood could be given the kind of "flat", "raw" finsih described above by substituting a mild furniture stripper for the furniture refinisher described above.

Because these wood trim pieces may have thin surface verneers, I would NEVER use sandpaper of any kind on them. There is no "warning system" to tell you when your next stroke will take you through the top layer and into a totally different kind of wood ---- in which case you might as well throw the piece away. So I'd never use anything more abrasive than "OOO" steel wool on this wood, for this reason.

Hope this helps,
Richard :) :) :)

[ALUEB]

Mike:

I was having a smudging and dust problem on the interior wood trim in our '04 C 320 sedan. I found that a wipe down with "Endust For Electronics" helped. This product consists of moist disposable towellets in a plastic dispenser. Seems to repell dust and doesn't smudge.

Thanks,
Richard:) :) :)

wood. This product is made of acholol and finished wood and alcohol don't mix. There are several much better products to use, Orange Glo, makes a cleaner/polish for all types of wood surfaces, it works great. 303 Protectant is also very good and Old English Wipes are another good product. These can be bought in any supermarket and I have seem them at ACE hardware. Using endust for electronic is going to dry out the finish then the wood and crackville here you come.

[dolebludger]

Al:

Thanks for the correction. The label on "Endust for Electronics" does list alcohol as an ingredient, and therefore this product SHOULD NOT BE USED ON WOOD.

Thanks,
Richard

[dolebludger]

I called the Sara Lee company, makers of all Endust products, for further info. Here's what I was told. The Endust for Electronic wipes do contain some alcohol, and therefore should not be used on wood. However, the regular Endust that comes in an aeorsol can contains no alcohol and is made and recommended for use on wood. I tired some of this on my interior wood, applied with a "felt type" microfiber cloth. It did a good job of cleaning and polishing.

I almost always recommend 303 for everything! It is one of my favorite car care products. However, it is water-based, and water on wood can also be harmful.

Hope this helps,
Richard

[ALUEB]

spraying regular Endust on your wheels to cut down on the brake dust, didn't seem to do anything.

I like 303 myself, but I hesitate to put it on my dash due the water content. I use Griot's Leather rejuvenator. I called Griot's and asked them if it would be OK on the Benz vinyl. I was told to use it on the dash as it is safe for vinyl. Also it makes the car smell so nice.

[dolebludger]

Al:

I recommended using "Endust for Electronics" wipes on wheels, because it supposedly contains a dust-repellent. It does work, but just a little bit. Certainly no miracle cure for MB's worst problem, which I believe is the "ever dusting" brake pads. I don't think this product will harm the wheels, but thank you again for showing us all that this product is not appropriate for wood. I doubt that anybody has damaged their wood since I first suggested this, and I think it would take long-term repeated applications to cause damage. But this is a case where "don't go there" is the best advice as to this product on wood.

Thanks,
Richard

[ALUEB]

and I had to have the wheels painted, don't know if it was from the regular Endust. But I don't use it any longer.

Your welcome. Personnally I don't use Endust for Electronics, I tried it and didn't like it and it really didn't keep the dust off the 7 computers, 4 TV, a ss sound system, etc, we have at home. There are a bunch of products you can find in stores like compuserve, circuit city and such, that much better then Endust on electronics.

Al

[dolebludger]

I doubt that any endust product caused the paint on the wheels to peel. But it is true that the dust repellant value of any endust product is minimal, at best. Also offering minimal dust repellant value is Rain-X Wheel Protectant. Maybe as good as, but no better than, a good coat of HARD-FINISH wax or polish. I have seen a Michelen product on the shelves that is supposed to repell brake dust, but haven't tried it.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

[ALUEB]

a chance to field test it either.

I did buy a gallon of Griot's car wash, as they had a special, the gallon wash, plus a Griot's draying towels and a small bottle of speed shine. $39.95 for all. The car wash does a good job, lots of suds and leaves a nice "brightness" to the finish. It is very highly concentrated, so a capfull or two is enough to do my car. I have a couple of Griot's Dray towels, IMHO these are the best drying towels, better then any chamois real or other wise.

Friday I ordered a Griot's "Ultimate Paint Squeegee" and a trigger pistol for my hose nozzle. The squeegee is used to remove water from your car, like the California Squeegee, which I am not particularly carzy about. The Griot's one is made of a foam instead of the medical grade plastic the California is made out of. I post a field test when I get it.

[dolebludger]

Al:

I certainly would not hesitate to use 303 on the vinyl part of my dash. In fact, that's where its UV ray blockers will do the most good.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

[ALUEB]

inside that is constantly exposed to the sun, ie top of door panels, visors, rear deck speake4 covers, such the frame not the grilles