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1997 VW Golf GTi - Black

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  • 1997 VW Golf GTi - Black

    It's been a few months but I was finally able to round up some work.

    My Wife's friend owns this 1997 VW Golf GTi.



    This is a project car for my wife's friend and her husband. They recently rebuilt the engine and are in the process of replacing lots of parts and general restoration.

    Although the horizontal surfaces suffer from clear coat failure, we did the best we could.

    My wife and I detailed this car as a birthday gift to her friend.

    The initial inspection revealed extensive swirling and scratching. It appeared as if sometime in it's life someone used a bath towel to wipe dirt off of the car. The horizontal surfaces were in the advanced stages of clear coat failure and there was lots of scratching around the door handles.

    The interior is fairly typical for a "multiple little kid hauler" - needed a good vacuum and a LGM extraction and it cleaned up pretty nicely.

    So here's the process:

    Exterior:
    - Powerwash w/Gold Class soap
    - Treat wheels with All Wheel Cleaner, brush and repeat
    - Clay with smooth surface clay kit
    - M105 @1700 on Solo heavy cut wool pad
    - D151 on PC @ Speed 6, finishing passes on speed 5
    - Exterior trim dressed with BlackWow

    Interior
    - Shop vac
    - pretreat carpets and upholstery w/ APC+ @ 10:1
    - Extract with LGM and hot water
    - Dash and vinyl wiped down with APC+ @ 10:1
    - Vinyl and plastics dressed with Natural Shine

    Engine
    - APC+ @ 4:1
    - Powerwash
    - Dressed with No Touch Tire Care
    - Meg's cleaner wax on painted surfaces

    Here's the befores and afters:

    Roof Before


    Roof After


    Hood Before


    Hood 50/50


    Hood After


    C-Pillar Before


    C-Pillar After


    Back Before


    Back After


    Side Before


    Side After


    Cockpit Before


    Cockpit After


    Backseat Before


    Backseat After


    Wheel Before


    Wheel After


    And some final after shots





  • #2
    Re: 1997 VW Golf GTi - Black

    Nice work... that thing was a mess both inside and out... looks like a new car now!

    Mike Phillips
    760-515-0444
    showcargarage@gmail.com

    "Find something you like and use it often"

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: 1997 VW Golf GTi - Black

      Originally posted by Mike Phillips View Post
      Nice work... that thing was a mess both inside and out... looks like a new car now!

      Thanks Mike

      I should also mention that the owners were very happy and grateful. They said when they pulled up to pick up the car, they didn't think it was theirs

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: 1997 VW Golf GTi - Black

        Amazing improvement!!
        That car was disgusting inside especially and outside.
        How long did it take you?
        Joel
        Firefighter/EMT-B
        Rejuvenation Auto Detailing
        "Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Dirt Back!!!"
        '99 F-150

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: 1997 VW Golf GTi - Black

          Stunning work. The car looks brilliant. And yeah, How long did it take?

          Thanks alot for sharing

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: 1997 VW Golf GTi - Black

            Thanks guys. We had about 25 man hours into it.

            The interior looked alot worse than it really was. Just alot of spilled dry cereal from kids, not unlike our minivan

            The owners had put alot of love into the car mechanically, and it just needed some TLC. They are a very busy young family working hard to get by like alot of us are, so it felt good to give them a little bit of joy

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: 1997 VW Golf GTi - Black

              FREAKIN' AWESOME!!!

              Great gift! Very cool! Great transformation & awesome reflections! It seriously looks like a different car!
              The only reason some people get lost in thought... is because it is unfamiliar territory for them.
              --VoicesInMyHead--
              0101011101100101001000000100000101110010011001010010000001000111011001010110010101101011

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: 1997 VW Golf GTi - Black

                Fantastic job, very nice.
                '05 Arctic Blue Pearl Acura TSX
                '03 Silver Lexus RX 300

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: 1997 VW Golf GTi - Black

                  superb work, it looks better than new

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: 1997 VW Golf GTi - Black

                    The car looks so much better now. That is a tremendous improvement. Great work as usual guys. Great job. Way to go.
                    quality creates its own demand

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: 1997 VW Golf GTi - Black

                      Great job Jeff!! That thing looks amazing. I guess Kerri is taking my place!!!
                      The power of the flex compells you!!!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: 1997 VW Golf GTi - Black

                        Wow. Much better! Good work on the restore.
                        Learning new things everyday

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: 1997 VW Golf GTi - Black

                          Great turn around!
                          Scott

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: 1997 VW Golf GTi - Black

                            Great results! What kind of pad and what size did you use with D151?

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: 1997 VW Golf GTi - Black

                              Originally posted by kty10 View Post
                              Great results! What kind of pad and what size did you use with D151?
                              Thanks I used a Lake Country 5.5" blue finishing pad on the PC with 151.

                              I was amazed at the level of clarity that 151 finished up with (on black no less) given that it has the same cut as 83.

                              I did testing with 80 and 151 using the PC, and the 151 actually finished up clearer and glossier than 80.

                              Here is my test spot:


                              The 151 test area is the middle square and the 80 test area is on the left.

                              151 is definitely one of my favorite products

                              Comment

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