I took my father down to his Mercedes dealer to get his car serviced. As we left we took a quick walk through the showroom and I noticed they had one of their high-end SL roadsters in the far corner but there was something different about it that made me want to have a closer look.

As I approached it became clear what drew me in. It was the paint! It was a whitish pearl but it wasn't shiny and it wasn't dead flat either like you see on custom car TV shows like "Street Customs". It was like a semi-gloss! My father was in a hurry (like always even though he's been retired for many years already ) so I didn't get a chance to read the sticker as carefully as I would have liked but I did see the price which was a shocking 170K and that it had 500+ HP and a 0-60 time of 4.7 seconds. That's .2 faster than my base 997 but it's A LOT heavier car so I guess it needs another 160+ HP to accomplish that.

I've never really been a big fan of the Mercedes SL series. They're OK but to me they are more sports car "wannabe" rather than true sports cars like a Porsche. It's for a different kind of market I guess. Still, I can't stop thinking about that semi-gloss paint and how cool it was. I wonder how something like that would hold up to the elements. How does one care for this type of paint. You certainly can't polish it and I wonder what kind of wax (if any) can be used. Also, what happens if you get into an accident? Is there anyone other than hot rod and custom guys like Chip Foose or Ryan Friedlinghaus who would be able to properly repair and re-spray this kind of finish?

Since Mercedes is offering this kind of finish I imagine it's only a matter of time until other high-end Germany manufacturers hop on board. I for one would definitely be interested in owning a car with this type of paint finish. It's different and very cool! Would anyone else be interested in this?

 

Is that what MB calls Ceramic Clear Coat Paint (or something like that?)

 

BMW is also starting to offer a finish like that called Frozen Grey.. I think

 

I looked up ceramic clear coat and I don't think that's it. Evidently Mercedes Benz have been using that stuff for several years now although I'm not sure if they are using it on their entire range or just the higher end models.

I'll have to take my father back there to pick up his car in a day or so and then I'll stop in and ask about it. By the way, not to hijack my own thread but his service bill is going to be a whopping $3800 before tax - OUCH! It's all a bunch of "little stuff" too, there are no major engine or transmission repairs.

Full disclosure here his car is a 1999 E430 with 70K on the clock. He hasn't kept up with the maintenance schedule as much as he should have and he kept using this private mechanic who wasn't able to fix many of the issues and yet still kept charging him for his time. Now he's paying the price - literally - for years of improper care from this incompetent mechanic.

 

look very closed to their write ups,

I caught them ripping me off in service when I had my SLK55 back in 06.

 

Thanks for your advice, we did that and even asked if they could offer us any kind of discount but they shrugged us off. They also claimed the MAF sensor was bad and nailed him for another few hundred. This is why I have to sell my 997 when the warrantee is up. I'm simply not in the financial position to handle this kind of a repair bill. I'd be totally screwed.

Back on topic . . . I spoke to one of the slick MB salespeople when we went to pick up my father's car. They told me the SL in the showroom has what they call a "flat finish". He said it's one of 75 cars worldwide that was produced with this finish by the factory. Surprisingly, there is no extra charge for this paint but you pay the price by having to purchase this special edition of the AMG SL which like I said above stickers at a whopping 170K.

Sorry Mercedes but if I ever had that much to drop on a ride I would go with a 997 TT which will wipe the AMG SL's a$$ as far as performance is concerned and as a bonus I'd also be able to keep 20K in my pocket.