Chris Cowherd

I created a time lapse movie of me washing my sexy 030 SLK55. It took me 90 minutes to wash but the video is compressed down to only 4 minutes!

Yes I have different colored cloths for different jobs Notice the blue ones for drying the wheels.

That’s actually not a sponge but a really soft sheepskin mit. I’m SUPER paranoid about grit scratching the paint.

Here is my approximate process:

- Start with the wheels. I have four different brushes I use. First, spray them off. Then use a bucket of clean soapy water I start with a wheel and tire brush. I scrub the tires and the large surfaces of the wheels. Then with a spoke brush clean in between each spoke. The third brush is used to get behind the spokes and the brake calipers. Then the lug nut brush. Rinse and check for spots I missed. Next wheel.

- After the wheels, I rinse the whole thing down really well to knock off as much loose dirt as I can. Dump, rinse and refill bucket with clean water. LOTS of soap. Start with the top surfaces and work down.

- Rinse the mit periodically or after cleaning dirty surfaces to remove any traces of dirt. Keep plenty of soapy water on it. Very important especially for black paint.

- Rinse periodically from the top down. Never leave the soap on too long to dry. I wash the back and bottom of the car last. It’s the dirtiest.

- Rinse Rinse Rinse

- I’ve tried everything I can find for drying. The best thing I’ve found is those “Super Absorber” rubbery feeling artificial chamois things. It’s super soft, easy to see if you got it dirty, machine washable and absorbs water like crazy.

- Dry the door jams, trunk jams and wheels using their own towels.

- Throw everything in the washing machine so it is nice and clean for the next car wash.

My new SLK55 AMG arrived today!! I’ve been wanting a convertible for some time now. When Mercedes-Benz redesigned the SLK I fell in love with it. Just look at that Formula 1 style nose. It’s much more of a meaty car than it ever was, and with the weather the way it is here in Seattle, the hard top convertible certainly makes it feel like a real car when mother nature doesn’t want to cooperate.

I didn’t start seriously looking for one until 2006. I went to test drive them to see if I even liked how the car felt. I started with the 350 model which has a 3.5L V6. The 350 is certainly no slouch. It has some really good pep and I would have been very happy to have one. While I was at the dealer, though, I asked to drive the AMG version. The salesman warned me, if you drive that one your going to want it. He was right.

“That’s five-thousand five-hundred cc in a car the size of a shoe!” 

The AMG factory’s philosophy is “One Man, One Engine.” At AMG’s engine-building HQ in Affalterbach, Germany, a workforce of 45 master builders is responsible for constructing the big-power engines for every AMG-modified vehicle. The SLK55 AMG version comes with a 5.5L V8, lovingly hand-built by one person in the AMG factory. The engine actually has his signature on it. When that V8 roared to life, holy cow, it sent chills down my back. It made me nervous. Car & Driver had clocked a 0-60 time of 4.3 seconds. That’s pretty dang fast. The AMG is significantly more expensive, starting at $63,275, that’s nearly $20,000 more than the base 280, but after driving it, I was determined to get the exact car I wanted and I was willing to wait.

“You really have to think of this thing as a lighting jet fighter; just a HUGE engine, and a steering wheel. And that’s it.”

The SLK55 AMG has a significant number of improvements over the standard SLK. The body modifications give it a more aggressive, aerodynamic and lower appearance. Two tone leather interior, smoked tail lights and quad, chrome exhaust with AMG emblazoned on everything. Of course the real reason for getting AMG is that HUGE motor!

Here’s a great video comparing the Porsche Boxter S vs the SLK55 AMG:

In my research, I found out about the 030 Performance Package that could be added as an option to your AMG. The sexiest thing about the 030 is definitely the wheels. They are multi piece light weight wheels with the AMG stamp on them. They certainly make your car distinctive. On top of that, the 030 package includes Nurburgring tuned suspension (as if it needed more). The damping and compression weights are increased 20% (read stiffer). The standard SLK55 is restrained at 155 mph but the 030 increases that to 176mph. Even better compound brakes and rotors to bring you back to earth. Inside, the steering wheel has been wrapped with Alcantara and the wood trim has been exchanged for a very racy carbon fiber. Among most of the other options, I decided I had to have this too. This option was nearly $7,000 alone and at this rate, the chances of Carol justifying me getting this thing are getting slimmer and slimmer!

“…that engine sits in the mix like a giant anchovy on a mini pizza; it dominates everything.“

You Can Find it on eBay!

The local dealers didn’t have what I wanted and even when they did a search they told me there was nothing. I started doing my own research and lo and behold, the exact car I wanted was being sold by a Mercedes dealer in Colorado. I contacted them and two weeks later, the car arrived at my house.

The Dirty driver…ugh!

The driver finally made it today. These last couple of days of waiting have been torture! He pulls up and there is my car! Right there on the top rack! The driver gets out and let me tell you something, this guys does not bathe. No, I don’t mean a few days or even weeks of not bathing from being on the road, they guy was so dirty it was caked on. What was worse was the thought that he had been in my car! Ugh I don’t want to think about it anymore. He got my car down safely and after an inspection, I signed off on it and took it to the garage. It arrived with 63 miles on it, just as the dealer said.

After the 1300 mile trek to Seattle, it was pretty dirty so Carol and I gave it a nice bath and cleaned the interior.

As you can see, it has the ash/black two-tone leather. This was tougher to find than you would think. It’s hard to see in this picture but the door handles, emergency brake, behind the steering wheel and on the dash are all trimmed in carbon fiber. Both driver and passenger seats are heated and power adjustable of course. It also has the Air-Scarf option which is a heater vent in the head rest that wafts warm air over you when the top is down like a blanket. It adjusts itself depending on how cold it is outside. We went for a drive after washing it. It was quite cold out but the car keeps this layer of heat on the inside when the top is down. We were so comfortable we didn’t even need a coat!

I also have satellite radio (SIRIUS) and the top of the line Harmon/Kardon stereo / head unit. The stereo is so cool; it listens to the ambient noise in the cockpit and adjusts the stereo to compensate so it always sounds great, top up or down.

Hey check out this really awesome key! There are no teeth or anything! The squared end with the red “Panic” button is the part that goes in and activates the ignition.

Here you can see the retractable hard top coming out.

The car has the lighting package which is really nice. Self adjusting bi-xenon headlights with heated washers and corner illuminating fog lamps.