1. Check the condition of the paint on your Mercedes. Look for the presence of rust, weld marks, misaligned body panels, cracks in the paint, fading, and bubbles in the paint's clear coat. If there is rust, cracking, fading, weld marks, or any combination of the four on any of the body panels, you will likely need to repaint the entire car. While you can repaint specific body panels instead of the whole car, you will run into some slight paint mismatching as other panels on the car will still have the factory paint, which may look faded in contrast to the shiny new paint that would be applied to specific body panels.
2. Replace any worn and defective interior parts of the Mercedes by obtaining new parts from a restoration parts dealer or junk yard. If there is chrome trim which has lost its shine, you can purchase chrome polish which can bring the luster back to the chrome trim. Many Mercedes Benz models, especially early models, feature genuine wood trim, which can crack over time. It is possible to remove the trim and refinish using a wood refinisher, or it can be restored by sending it to a speciality shop that focuses on wood trim restoration. Consider the condition of the upholstery and restore it as needed. You can bring your Mercedes to an automotive upholsterer, perform the work yourself, or replace the worn interior parts with newer ones that you have sourced.
3. Inspect the wheels of the car and determine their condition. If they have lost some of their shine, have a peeling finish, or are showing surface rust, you will likely need to get the wheels reconditioned. You can recondition some wheels on your own by using a material known as wheel putty, which can fill in scrapes. Allow it to dry, then sand it down before repainting and refinishing the wheel. You can also bring the wheels to a specialty repair shop that refinishes old wheels.
4. Check the condition of the engine. If it starts up smoothly and runs without issue, you can steam clean the engine bay to make it look as if it were new. Perform a fluid change on the car, replacing fluids such as engine oil, transmission fluid, and brake fluid. A fluid change can dramatically smooth the operation of older automotive components. If necessary, replace the engine parts and transmission parts to fully restore the car if it is not running smoothly at the time that you begin the restoration.
5. Check the windows and window seals for potential leaks. You can perform a quick leak test of your own by rolling up all of the windows and sunroof, then spraying the car down with water. After turning off the water, check the interior for any presence of water near any of the windows and sealing points. If you have leaks, then you should replace the worn rubber window seals with new window seals, which will help keep your restored interior safe from the elements.
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