Most of us feel pretty good just getting our daily drivers through a touchless automated car wash every once in a while, but this video should appeal to meticulous hand-waxers and dirty-car owners alike. Because watching real detailing professionals, like Larry Kosilla and the AMMO NYC crew, transform a filthy car into a sparkling gem is always rewarding. And this Mercedes-Benz 280 SL the detailing team handled proved to be a serious cleanup challenge.
The Benz’s owner daily drove it for 10 years before retiring it to a small garage in 1982. It never came out. That’s right, the Mercedes-Benz has spent 37 years in storage. And while a garage has to be better than a barn for unintentional long-term storage, the damage is significant, especially inside. In its bid to clean the car up, AMMO NYC battles mold; grime; and most seriously lots of rat detritus such as droppings, nests, and even mummified rodent carcasses.
We always get some great ideas about how to clean cars from AMMO NYC, and this video is no exception. The angle head attachment for the power washer is a great idea, especially if you’re working on a car that’s been in the woods or up to its axles in oily rat poop. We’ve bought some project cars that, in retrospect, an underbody power wash before digging into the undercarriage fixes would have been really nice! And thinking critically about the order of operations is really key. As Kosilla says in the video, you don’t want to start buffing and have some hidden grime you missed get in the pad and start chewing up the paint. Thoroughness and patience are your friends.
It’s hard to detail your car at the level of these admittedly obsessive cleaning pros, and this initial deep cleaning ahead of a restoration took all day. But if nothing else, hopefully the owner’s reaction to seeing his old daily driver emerge from 37 years in his garage inspires you to give your own ride a little TLC, whether you already keep your ride fresh or your car looks like it’s spent a few decades in a barn . . .
