mk4 VW Golf GTI - Jazz Blue - 1 Stage Paint Correction Detail

mk4 Golf GTI Jazz Blue – Stage 1 Paint Correction Detail

I keep saying “this is the worst one yet” then another car comes along and shocks me. My good friend Kenny (got me to detail his 500BHP Escort Cosworth couple of years back) wanted his Golf rejuvenated as it was looking a little worse for wear. I said to him many times over the years that if it was detailed properly it would look amazing.

I also knew that it would be very hard work as it would be filled with Swirls and RDS. 11 years of car washes has certainly made its mark on the paintwork.

WE THOUGHT THE PAINT WAS A SOLID BLUE….how wrong I was!

Products
Wash n Drying

• Dodo Juice Supernatural [body work and wheels]
• AutoSmart G101 All Purpose Cleaner [Plastics and Rubbers]
• AutoSmart Tardis [body and wheels]
• Valet Pro Snowfoam [body]
• Chemical Guys Strong Wash [bugs]
• Chemical Guys Orange Degreaser [arch liners]
• Wolfs Chemicals De-ironiser [wheels]
• PB Super Plush Drying Towel [body]
• Chemical Guys microfibers [body]

Body Work

• Dodo Juice fine polyclay [body]
• AutoSmart Reglaze [everything]
• Menzerna Intensive Polish (P3.02)
• Menzerna Final Finish Polish (85RD)
• AutoFinesse Trpple [hard to reach areas]

Sealants and Waxes

• Chemical Guys XXX Hardcore Wax [LSP]
• AutoFinesse Tripple [Door shuts and wing mirror]

Plastics, Rubbers and Glass

• Megs Tyre Endurance Gel [tyres]
• Megs NXT Metal Polish [exhaust]
• Autoglym Fast Glass [glass inside and out]
• AutoSmart Finish [Plastics and arch liners]

Tools

• Dodo Juice Spin Doctor Rotary
• Karcher Pressure washer + Snow foam Lance
• Elite Car Care Heavy Polishing Pad
• Sonus SwirlBuster
• Swissvax Detail Brush
• EZ Detail Wheel Brush
• 3M 3434 Masking Tape

BEFORE DETAIL PICS

Apologise for the lack of before pictures and the quality of them. It just stopped raining so it was a rush to get as much done as possible in a very small time window before it rained again.








CLEAN STAGE

Wheels were cleaned with Bilberry Wheel cleaner and then treated with Wolfs Deironiser. They hardly ever get cleaned and had a very very hard life. They are due for a refurb which is good news for the wheels as I think they suit the car.






SNOWFOAM



This was a good picture because the sticker of the AMD Essex was removed! The snowfoam stuck itself to the glue!

INSPECTION

The car was rushed into my workshop as it started to chuck it down again!














CLAYING

Car was de-tarred with Autosmart Tardis.





Now this was a complete shock. The car felt like sandpaper and although the car was much smoother after the clay it didn’t really pick anything up? Very strange! I must say even after claying the car felt rough to the touch still.

Before


After 1 hit with Menz IP.




Second hit of Menz IP


As we only had the day only a 1 stage paint correction detail was possible. We just had to let some of the RDS stay. I would have loved to have the car for 2-3 days as it would have been a real good challenge with big rewards.


LEFT SIDE WING

SHOCK HORROR – the paint is metallic!

Before


After


50/50


Before


After

BONNET CONT…

Before


After 1 Hit. Still Deep RDS on there


Before


After

I just couldn’t leave the bonnet in this state so I hit it again with Menz IP.





Still deep RDS after 2 passes. I had to move on at this stage.


Before


After

RIGHT SIDE WING

Before


Pad was picking up bit of dirt by this stage. I had to change to twice during course of the detail.


After


50/50





Drivers Door

50/50




Before


After

RIGHT REAR QUARTER

Before

After




50/50 – As you can see I over used the polish product on this panel and it went everywhere lol.


Before


After


Before


After

REAR BUMPER AND TAILGATE

Before


After


Before


After


After Second Hit


Rear Bumper After

50/50


Before


After


Before


After



LEFT REAR QUARTER

Before


After


50/50


Before


After

PASSENGER DOOR

Before


After


Reflections were looking pretty good at this stage. Picture of me using the FOURTH spot pad of the day as they were getting very dirty.




ROOF SPOILER

Before

After


50/50



EXHAUST

Megs NXT doing its thing.

Before


After

RESULTS

This is one of those cars that I wish I had more time on. Really would have benefited from a stage 2 or stage 3 correction so get those RIDS and really add gloss and depth the colour deserves. Bring on his Cossie! Finally thanks to my good friend Kenny@AmD for letting me detail his car!


Detailers Notes
- Some scratches are just too deep
- Time has to be on your side when tackling a car like this for best results.
- Having various pads, polishes and tools helps a lot.

4937Liam said:

Wow how bad was that!

More great work Maz - your so lucky to have a unit to tuck yourself away in.

I do have a question for you - ive recently brought some 500watt halogen site lamps and while working on my own car outside today i was struggling to pick up the swirls on my car even though i know they are defiantly there. The weather was dull and overcast (i dont know whether this would play a part however).

Any advice you could give me on positioning them correctly to get the best out of them would be great!

Thanks - Liam.

Click to expand...

Cheers Liam, glad you like my bat cave.

Sometimes you can have to much light. I am assuming you have 2x 500w halogens? Try switching one off and setting the light a little further away. If this doesnt work go and get some 300w or 400w bulbs and see if that helps. I actually found 400w shows swirls more than 500w...

butler2.8i said:

Top class work Maz, the cars looks dripping wet in the afters matey

Click to expand...

Cheers Shaun. Apart from the finish, the CG XXX wax is very underrated imo. For £14 quid you get a very good balance between looks, ease of use and value.

t0m said:

Great work as per usual mate! I can't believe this car is metallic though, I've seen it enough times to think it was solid paint haha!

Looks to have come up a treat. Think I'll have to get mine over to you one day for sure

Click to expand...

Yea it was mental, I couldn't believe it either. I gave Kenny some stick that day lol.

Sure Tom, look forward to it.