Hi Guys,
We've had a busy past few weeks working on various VW's, some in the lead up to Ultimate Dubs which we attended last weekend alongside Dodo Juice, you can check out some pictures of the event on our Facebook page, see the link in my signature below!
We were contacted by the owner of this 2008, VW Golf GTI Edition 30, in Solid Black who was keen to improve the appearance of the car after its previous owner had left the car looking a little sorry for itself. The owner promptly travelled up from London to drop the car with us, and luckily we had just over a week or so to carry out all of the work!
It was agreed we would refurbish the alloy wheels, remove dents on 4 panels, carry out a light correction detail including interior, as well as address a few smaller issues including replacement of centre caps, wheel bolt covers and adding an Edition 30 badge to the front grille.
We also agreed to tend to some of the larger stone chips.
Some shots of the car on arrival:
Vehicle was first fully washed and decontaminated, starting with a citrus pre-wash, and foam, vehicle was washed using 2BM, Lambswool Mitts and Auto Finesse Lather. Door shuts, gaps, badges etc were cleaned using G101. Wheels were cleaned using Smart Wheels, and G101 for the tyres/arches. Vehicle was then clayed with Polyclay, and de-tarred with Tardis. Car was pulled inside and dried off as it had started to rain!
A few pics of the wash stage:
Once the car had been pulled in, it was evident the paintwork needed some serious attention!
The owner had requested for the wheels to be refurbished in the original VW OEM finish, which is a 'smoked' silver effect, apposed to a standard silver finish which is brighter/glossier. Work on these began, whilst dents on various panels around the car were removed.
The paintwork was evidently soft from the defects around the car, some marks simply appeared to be finger marks, as well as various RDS, swirl marks and haze. Various combinations were carried out on the bonnet to try and ensure the best results from a light correction detail. Due to the softness of the paint, in the end we settled with Meguiars DA Microfibre System, which gave impressive results and left little in the way of refinement to be carried out, few holograms etc were left behind, which makes life a lot easier compared to correction via Rotary, particularly on softer paints when carrying out correction.
The paintwork was corrected using 1-2 sets of DA Microfibre System, followed by refinement using 3M Perfect-It (Yellow Top), on a light polishing pad. Paintwork was then cleansed with Dodo Juice Lime Prime prior to waxing, before being waxed with Dodo Juice Supernatural.
Various before shots:
Some before/after, and 50/50 showing the extent of the damage, and correction achieved. Please note some shots are pre-refinement!
Bonnet 50/50:
Wing corrected, left bonnet not:
Rear quarter before:
Rear quarter after:
It was starting to get late, however almost all the correction was complete after many hours!
Once the wheels were completed, tyres re-fitted, balanced and metal valves/valve caps etc fitted, they were sealed with Poor Boys Wheel Sealent and a final coat of Auto Finesse Mint Rims, tyres were also dressed. The brake calipers were also cleaned up and sealed using Mint Rims, as well as rusty hubs/bells painted gloss black.
Some new centre caps/bolt covers etc also arrived which were fitted with the freshly refurbished alloys:
Edition 30 badge was also fitted:
Much better!
Exhaust tips were also in need of some serious attention!
Before:
50/50:
After:
And, some after pictures of the completed car, unfortunately no outside shots as it was dark between completion and the owner collecting!
Thanks for looking, as always questions/comments welcome! :)
More to come!
Nathan & Gaz
