Methods of paintwork repair - AH98.00-P-9408-01A

Model 124, 126, 129, 140, 163, 164, 166, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 199, 201, 202, 203, 204, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 215, 216, 218, 219, 220, 221, 230, 240, 245.2, 251, 463

The automotive industry, paint manufacturers, various specialist associations and automotive insurance companies have, in recent years, taken a closer interest in improved painting techniques, new painting materials and cost-effective repair methods.

Because of this development there are sometimes differences of opinion in the assessment and definition of painting work.

According to the trial results and practical experience available to us, we therefore consider it necessary to describe the various repair methods.

By complying with the instructions below and reaching a clear agreement with the customers, erroneous assessments and differences of opinion regarding the type and scope of necessary paintwork repairs can be avoided.

Partial painting 

Single-layer finish (single color) 

Partial paint jobs (painting areas demarcated by panel edges, beads or trim strips) are no longer a problem today.

With the aid of the new paint materials and painting techniques, it is possible to perform cost-effective partial paint jobs so that they are comparable to the original paint job.

Variations in the luster of adjacent surfaces can be evened out by touching-up the old paintwork. An absolute, total color match is just not possible with paintwork repairs. In special cases the color can be subtly shaded (refer to the paint supplier's instructions).

Two-coat top coat 

Several methods are available for the partial touch up of a two-coat top coat that can be applied depending on the damage case (scope of damage, affected part, condition and age of the vehicle, paint). We urgently recommend that the customer be advised accordingly.

If necessary service adviser should consult a paint specialist.

• Method 1 (paint "on edge") 

  Paint complete part using base coat and clear varnish.

  This is a low-cost repair. Major color differences may occur with this method. These differences in shade generally occur in the base coat. Mat spots and luster differences in the clear varnish can usually be buffed out.

• Method 2 (effect blending in part) 

  Coating of base coat on faulty positions in part and runout into other area. Painting the entire part with clear varnish.

  This method should always be used wherever possible.

• Method 3 (effect blending on adjacent parts) 

  Either paint the complete part using base coat and runout adjacent parts of paint the complete part and the complete adjacent parts using clear varnish.

  When painting one (or more) entire parts, this method provides the best results with regard to color matching. With a smooth transition from standard paintwork to blending to standard paintwork, any color difference is no longer visible.

• Method 4 (touch-up painting) 

  Runout of base coat and overlapping of clear varnish. After drying, touching up the blended clear lacquer.

  Touch-up painting is only applicable to old vehicles in terms of the long-term quality concerns of Daimler AG.

  The use of lower quality painting methods must be coordinated or agreed with the owner after a corresponding specialist and financial consultation.

• An absolute, total color match is just not possible with paintwork repairs. A difference that is detectable to the human eye is far more likely to occur with metallic finishes than with solid colors. This depends especially on the color mixing, manufacture and blending of the paint etc. Slight detectable off shades must therefore be accepted.

Gloss finishes 

When the damage to the vehicle's paintwork is so extensive that a sectional repair using the methods described above is no longer cost-effective, a complete paint job will be necessary.

• Only the materials tested and approved by Daimler and manufactured by the following companies may be used for paint repairs:

Du Pont Performance Coatings 

Standox

Spies Hecker

BASF Coatings AG 

Glasurit

RM

PPG Industries International 

PPG Auto Refinish

The working specifications must be strictly complied with.

Furthermore, specialist skills and experience are essential Even so, color differences are still possible with paintwork repairs. This must be taken into account when selecting the repair method.

For clearcoat systems with higher scratch resistance, observe the corresponding notes (Service Information).