They make exterior brushes as well that don't have risk of scratches

 

I've found that white stays clean looking for much longer than pretty much any other color. It might be one of the lowest maintenance colors there is. It covers up surface dirt and dust etc better then anything else IMO.

Black, on the other hand, isn't so much a color as it is a hobby. An absolutely constant nightmare to keep clean.

 

Respectfully, I have to disagree on white. As I pointed out earlier, it can, and often does, show a lot of stains. And I myself have owned several white vehicles in my lifetime...a Buick Skylark, Plymouth Barracuda, Chevy Citation, and Mazda 323, so I can speak from some experience.

 

That would be an interior detail brush, there are also detail brushes meant for the exterior, there are many types of detail brushes. An "old toothbrush" is going to scratch the paint.

What you want to do is use the right chemicals on painted surfaces and let the brush agitate those chemicals so the chemicals can do the work, not scrub away with a firm brush.

 

If I remember I saw a post that you once owned a Professional detail business, hope that's correct.

I know where I coming to if I need help on that kind of stuff and I do- may PM you sometime on that, yeah I messed up my paint on a spot
and made it even worse when trying to make it better! lol

Ok, real question while we are on the subject of colors.

You have a White SL500, was this your 1st choice from what was available?

 

I'll let Steve answer for himself on this one, but I think he said earlier that he got a big discount on that white one. I remember him saying around 25K, but I'm not sure if that referred to the particular car in question, or if it referred to a lease.

 

I don't have problem with most scratches, thanks to SCRATCH-OUT. I know you don't think much of it, but in my experience it's great stuff, though not magic for deep scratches. And I usually only use the toothbrush in places that don't show from the outside.

 

Its a fine hand scratch remover. But why scratch the paint in the first place?

 

I usually don't scratch the paint. I'm very careful...and have been doing this for many-years.

Anyhow, we may (?) be getting off-topic. Margate330 had an interesting question.....did you get a discount for choosing a white S-Class? I said I thought I heard you mention that once, but I'm not sure.

 

Trust me, a toothbrush will scratch the paint. Stay coachable my friend...

Yeah I chose the white because they offered me a great deal on this one, it was not the color I would have chosen...I would have gotten silver. But the white has grown on me a lot, I like it a lot in most lights. On a cloudy day it looks more cream colored and that I don't care for, but thats just how MB designo/manufaktur diamond white is. Mine was $750 more for this color, now its $1,750 more.

 

Yep, I did and I have remained a hobbyist detailer...

For sure! Anytime.

S560 but no, it was the color that was by default on the unit they offered me a deal I couldn't say no to. Another color would have cost $175-200 a month more.

 

Talk abut color and price....I just looked at the Build-Your-Own for the new 2024 S-Class sedan, and it shows 21 different colors, with price-premiums of up to $6500......yes, just for a paint job. The China Blue and Olive Green are, IMO, probably the nicest-looking...but also among the most expensive. Most of the rest of the palate (not all) looks like like something out a funeral home.


https://www.mbusa.com/en/vehicles/bu...dan/s580v4/dx0

 

I'm no paint expert but I think I heard some trypes of paint jobs are harder and more steps and more work.

I also remember hearing some paint colors cost more for materials for exotic colors.

Have no idea if this is really true tho.

 

They have added a bunch of very expensive extra cost paint options, almost all of which are hideous IMO

 

It makes a very big difference. Having worked in a couple of dealerships and watching the local car market, certain colors have lower resale values. During my time at Lexus I noticed that white and silver were the most popular colors for brand new cars, followed by grey and tan, then black, blue, and red.

On the used lot, it was easy to sell a car in white, silver, black, or grey. Despite the popularity on the new car lot, tan cars sat longer, traded in for less, and sold for less than other colors. Funky colors like Lexus’ Autumn Shimmer/brown would sit on the lot the longest. We had a stunning Autumn Shimmer GX460 on the used lot that sat for months that we lost money on.

It’s similar in the private market from my observation as well. Tan cars seemed to be the least desirable color, often selling for less than a comparable black or white car. I’ve seen similar situations with green, brown, and orange cars. Color is such a deal breaker for me on a car that I would only take an undesirable color if it was in near perfect shape or considerably cheaper.

This is all just my observation and my opinion. Could be different for other people in different regions with larger cities.