# MK7 Golf GTI Spring Detailing Session



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Hi Folks,

Thought I'd just share a few pics of my Golf GTI after it's annual Spring Detail. It hasn't been polished since the New Car Protection I gave it when new (13 months ago) so had picked up some minor wash marring over the year (and 16k miles).

Further to that, some dozy driver smashed my O/S wing mirror off back in October which resulted in the drivers door being repainted, and neighbouring panels being blown in. The colour match was flawless (as was the orangepeel match) but there were just a few sanding marks that needed sorting out.

Here are a few pics beforehand (not too dirty)



It's picked up a couple of decent stone chips along the way too. These will need attention at some point.









Wheels are terrible. I must be honest and say they are the only aspect of the car I wish I could change. I really don't like the black inners, I'd much rather them all silver for the cleaner look but it isn't possible as I need to keep it standard. Brake dust just cakes to the black paint and the finish is very soft. They just never look clean.





The plan was to tackle the paint this weekend, and then get the wheels off and give them a mega deep clean and seal in the coming weeks.

Firstly, the car was smothered in Car-Chem Revolt as there was only a fine layer of dust lying on the paint.







Not easy to see, but it did pull some contaminants out.

The car was foamed with VP Advanced Neutral and a glug of APC to remove any previous protection, all nooks and crannies agitated and then it was washed 2BM using Britemax CleanMAX and an Adams wash pad.

Just a weak dose of foam used.



After a rinse, VP Citrus Tar & Glue was used.



I also used this to remove some transport wax I failed to do when it was new...



The final decon stage was to use a Carbon Collective Exfoli-Mitt to remove any stubborn bonded contaminants... I use this after applying another coat of foam to aid lubrication.



Clearly no protection left...



Red is quite hard to photograph with an iPhone, but here you can see the issues with the paint...





Sanding marks from the painting work...





My favourite polishing combination of Scholl S17+ with a dab of Sonax Perfect Finish on a Dodo FIN Medium (green) polishing pad was used, with a further refining set of Scholl S40 on a 3M blue pad... Looking much crisper with no marks...





I've been saying for years I should upgrade my rotary, but the old CYC SIM180 just will not give up the ghost!



A 50:50 or two...





After:



Looks very glossy from a distance:



Direct sunlight ensures no blemishes (Gyeon PREP was used as an alcohol wipe after each polishing set)



Small tool used to prop up the bootlid...



After polishing, before sealant application:



Sealant of choice was the rather incredible SiRamik Surface Coat. It's been on my wife's BMW 1-Series for 6 months and is mega. Water behaviour, ease of cleaning and general protection is better than anything I've previously come across. It's not the easiest to apply as it's quite sticky and easy to leave marks (which will not be removed if not caught before it cures - I learned the hard way!) but the effort is well worth it...



After applying to the whole car and buffing (followed by a light spritz of SC Mist detailer to aid removal), here are the results...



Gloss to the MAX!







Engine bay was also cleaned, degreased and dressed using the old Wax-Tec Mint Dress:



Buffed to a lovely finish:









So there we are. The SiRamik should keep the paint protected for at least 12 months with regular washing with their dedicated shampoo and detailer. Just the wheels to do now...

Thanks for reading!

Jon


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## Ns1980 (Jun 29, 2011)

Great work Jon, and as always - a pleasure to read.


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Ns1980 said:


> Great work Jon, and as always - a pleasure to read.


Thanks Nick. Was a bit of a shame it was nearly dark when you saw it, looks mega in the sun!


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## dailly92 (Mar 22, 2012)

Nice work and lovely car. I have been looking at buying one of these and this has certainly inspired me.


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

dailly92 said:


> Nice work and lovely car. I have been looking at buying one of these and this has certainly inspired me.


I'd highly recommend it. It's a wonderful car, I love it. Going to be very hard to find something to replace it with when I need to in about 18 months!


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## robinh112 (Sep 2, 2014)

Hi

Good finish there, how do you rate Britemax CleanMax just got myself a bottle but not had time to wash the car yet


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## Stu Mac (Aug 18, 2014)

Superb result mate & great write up. Lovely looking golf


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## GNshaving (Feb 13, 2014)

Very nice, love the look of the MK7! Stunning work.


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## Stu Mac (Aug 18, 2014)

Sorry mate , ment to ask where do you get SiRamik from? Cheers


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## VW Golf-Fan (Aug 3, 2010)

Very nice, looks great in Red. :thumb:


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## rtjc (Apr 19, 2009)

Great work Jon, and an honest look at maintenance details needed on cars we use daily. And need to wash all the time and not always perfectly. Also, i have a SIM180 and my original one was given to a friend who uses it at his bodyshop. Both are still working strongly and we can't fault them. Unlike a few others you would think were 'better'. Top polishers. Top work. Top car.


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## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

Excellent work JB.


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## MadOnVaux! (Jun 2, 2008)

I would keep an eye on those valve caps...the security grub screws look to be rusting, let it get worse and you'll have to cut them off.


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## AdamC (Jan 31, 2013)

Nice job, looks very good. Like this variant of the GTI.


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Stu Mac said:


> Sorry mate , ment to ask where do you get SiRamik from? Cheers


Thanks pal. SiRamik is available from Dooka, great service too.



MadOnVaux! said:


> I would keep an eye on those valve caps...the security grub screws look to be rusting, let it get worse and you'll have to cut them off.


Yeah thanks mate, you'll notice the grub screw is stuck out quite a bit. As soon as I saw them starting to rust I just undid them a touch so they are actually no longer doing the job. I have some more valve caps on order from eBay and will be replacing them shortly. I just didn't want to leave them totally exposed!


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## Jonny_R (Oct 23, 2012)

He Lives! not seen or heard from you in ages Jon!

Great work as usual. Not at the usual detailing cave either, new pad?

Whens the summer tyres going back on too? Winter tyre reviews all finished now?


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## giggs (May 20, 2011)

Lovely as always.

One question.
How would you rate your previous waxes used in your first detail of your MK7 GTI?

G


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Very nice job:thumb:


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## yetizone (Jun 25, 2008)

Beautifully done - superb finish achieved  I know what you mean about the black wheel inners, my MK6 has the same gloss black finish and they are nightmare to keep clean!


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## Tabbs (Aug 3, 2009)

Nice finish


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

giggs said:


> Lovely as always.
> 
> One question.
> How would you rate your previous waxes used in your first detail of your MK7 GTI?
> ...


Hi Giggs,

Thanks. I actually think waxes suit red cars and I always enjoy using them, the waxes I used in the new car detail worked well, but I decided that as free time is becoming less and less forthcoming, a ceramic sealant was the way to go for pure ease of maintenance!

Thanks again
Jon


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Lovely work fella on a nice GTI, I personally like the black wheels, they go well with the red paintwork. :thumb:


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## Jonny_R (Oct 23, 2012)

Jon are those pressed plates you've got too? or just gel domed plates?


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Jonny_R said:


> Jon are those pressed plates you've got too? or just gel domed plates?


Aluminium pressed mate. Got some for Rach's BM too. £21 delivered from eBay!


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## Jonny_R (Oct 23, 2012)

JBirchy said:


> Aluminium pressed mate. Got some for Rach's BM too. £21 delivered from eBay!


Im going to go with pressed too mate 

Going to get them from Elite car care though I think as want some Gtech bits for mats and leather and the plated will make the order up to free delivery haha


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Jonny_R said:


> Im going to go with pressed too mate
> 
> Going to get them from Elite car care though I think as want some Gtech bits for mats and leather and the plated will make the order up to free delivery haha


Yeah they do look good. I personally prefer them with no EU badging etc for the cleaner look but it's just a personal preference.

Out of interest, are you restricted to the mods you can make with it being a company car? What's the spec you've gone for? S-Tronic or Manual?


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## Jonny_R (Oct 23, 2012)

JBirchy said:


> Yeah they do look good. I personally prefer them with no EU badging etc for the cleaner look but it's just a personal preference.
> 
> Out of interest, are you restricted to the mods you can make with it being a company car? What's the spec you've gone for? S-Tronic or Manual?


Yeah mate im going to get them without the GB banding, and then if end up going for a trip round Europe then will buy some GB bands to stick on temporarily

Yeah I can mod the car as although I have to stick to the company car limitations and rules, I take the allowance so that its my car and not a company car. Couldn't cope with a standard car and being unable to touch it for 3-4 years haha.

Hoping to be able to save up enough for air ride on the A1 though for practicality with my job and the speed bumps up Higgins lane!

Spec ive gone for is:
6 speed manual 1.4TFSI cylinder on demand 150ps Audi A1 S Line (3 Door)
Daytona Grey
Black styling pack
Full leather Super Sports Seats
Design pack (glass sun roof, tints, led interior etc)
Deletion of model and engine technology badges
Flat bottom steering wheel
Luggage package (12V socket in boot, boot tie down net and under floor storage)
Armrest
Sat Nav
Cruise control
Advance Key

Left the standard wheels as although I don't think there that great I will be changing them eventually haha

Tbh gone abit mad with the options, but with the vxr as p/x and some savings put down too it works out alot less then the vxr was costing me even with all the options.


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## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

superb write up and car looks fantastic :thumb:


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Jonny_R said:


> Yeah mate im going to get them without the GB banding, and then if end up going for a trip round Europe then will buy some GB bands to stick on temporarily
> 
> Yeah I can mod the car as although I have to stick to the company car limitations and rules, I take the allowance so that its my car and not a company car. Couldn't cope with a standard car and being unable to touch it for 3-4 years haha.
> 
> ...


That's a mega spec mate, nicely done! I have the Advanced Key on the GTI and I love it. Couldn't be without it now.

Same as me too, I take a company car allowance and as long as I have something within certain mpg figures, I can have/do what I want which is great.


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## Jonny_R (Oct 23, 2012)

JBirchy said:


> That's a mega spec mate, nicely done! I have the Advanced Key on the GTI and I love it. Couldn't be without it now.
> 
> Same as me too, I take a company car allowance and as long as I have something within certain mpg figures, I can have/do what I want which is great.


I was going to drop the advanced key if im honest, but Sam said as ive had it on the vxr and got used to it, its probably something im really going to miss. So decided to keep it for what it costs.

Cheers mate, the super sport seats are so tasty looking too, cant wait!

Glass roof means one less panel to polish too haha


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## bazz (May 15, 2007)

great job


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## Reflectology (Jul 29, 2009)

looking well JB, just a quick Q is the bottle older than 6 months and been open for that amount of time, or did you get this off Steve, if you did then that may be a factor in the sticky and tricky application, shouldnt reduce its ability to work and live up to the max but can become stickier when an older bottle is used, its the moisture in the air that allows it to start the curing process and as they are sealed with nitrogen in the factory this is something we cant duplicate to extend life.

But should still be fine.


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

The VW looks great as always Jon. Fantastic work.


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Reflectology said:


> looking well JB, just a quick Q is the bottle older than 6 months and been open for that amount of time, or did you get this off Steve, if you did then that may be a factor in the sticky and tricky application, shouldnt reduce its ability to work and live up to the max but can become stickier when an older bottle is used, its the moisture in the air that allows it to start the curing process and as they are sealed with nitrogen in the factory this is something we cant duplicate to extend life.
> 
> But should still be fine.


Thanks Russ, no this was the bottle I bought from youself back in August last year, so yes it is longer than 6 months old. It hasn't been out in the rain yet since applied so all should be tip top. I just found it a little tricky to buff.

Mega product though!


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