# Miglior Detailing Ltd: Golf GTI Pirelli Edition - Major Correction - DEC 2010 Update



## Miglior (Feb 12, 2006)

Hello there guys,

Thanks for checking out another one of my write ups. Today we have another golf GTI! This time it is a 2008 GTI Pirelli Edition which came to us for a Major Correction Detail and Xenon headlight fitting.










So here is how the car arrived.

It didn't look to bad, not too much bonded on the car. Some swirls and scratches mind.





































Before i saw the car, the owner said he wanted me to arrange a repair on one of the front wheels. I assumed he had kerbed the wheel.










When i saw it, it was pretty clear the paint had failed and it wasn't up to the owner to pay for a fix. I suggested he speak to VW and arrange a warranty claim. So i had to tread careful around this area, it seemed the wind could take paint off this wheel.

What tyres do a Pirelli edition golf run?










Some interior shots. Pirelli tread pattern pressed into alcantara on the seats. Looking a lot better than some interiors i have seen!



















So now onto the headlight swap. These were to be replaced with genuine VW Xenon headlights, and coded with the car with my diagnostic software.

before










Front Bumper and old lights off










New lights on










All back together.










Now all coded up and running fine.










The colour in that picture isn't a true representation of the light output. they take a few seconds to warm up to the right colour and i think they sent my White balance out on the canon camera!

Now the lights were on, aligned and working perfectly, i started on the detailing work.

Outside for a snow foam and normal wash.










As said before, the car was quite clean on arrival. The wheels were cleaned with bilberry and arches with vikan brushes and super degreaser. All the shuts and fuel filler car were dealt with in the same way










The engine bay was also cleaned with Super degreaser and various brushes.



















looking pretty grimy!




























Nice soaking



















Now rinsed off with pressure washer on a low setting










After the wash stage was finished, and the car was still wet, i rolled it into the unit.

I started claying with sonus fine clay. It was pretty clean already. This is from the bonnet.










After it was clayed it was dried off using my favourite towels and a blow dryer.



















Now we had a clean dry car, i could get a better idea of the condition of the paint.

I took measurements from all over the car and didn't spot anything out of the ordinary. The readings were perhaps the most consistent I've ever seen on a golf like this.
Between 150 and 160 which was a surprise. Its usual to see highs of 160 and lows of 110 on golf of this age.

Some areas of swirling and defects



















Evidence of road side hand car washes. Quite a lot of deep straight scratches. Pretty clear to me a aqua blade had been used.
Some were even traceable by the finger nail. Quite worrying how much damage these things can do.





































After thinking i might get away with using something less harsh than FCP and a hard foam pad, i quit messing around. 
Even after a hit of FCP and a white gloss it Foam pad, there were still a few marks evident. The bonnet needed two hits of this combo.
Looking much better now!










The other side untouched for comparison. Still finding it hard to photograph defects on silver cars!



















I primed the pad with Gloss it EVP pad prime. This gave me slightly less cut as this was the first use after application, 
but my work time could be drastically increased due to less heat build up. 
It was also used as an effect to reduce dust. Fat chance of that with FCP!










looking much nicer now










Still a few marks left.










As you can see, these aqua blade marks mean business!










I did another pass on these with FCP. This particular one was marked out with the tape



















All gone!



















There was about 5 or 6 of these marks just on the bonnet!

Onto the other side

Before



















After



















Front drivers side bonnet.

before



















And after some 2 hits, letting the panel cool before starting the next.










Sun gun Check.



















I think i spent about two hours just on the bonnet. Anyway, i relieved to finish the bonnet, thinking those aqua blade scratches made it the worst panel. 
Oh how wrong was I!

Take a look at the roof!










Noticeably in worse condition. I have a feeling they has been a brush used on this roof!










After two passes of FCP





































Rear of the passenger side roof














































Onto the next side!





































And After










Further down the roof

Before










After




























Here are some after of other parts of the car! Mainly off the Sun Gun, and 400w Metal halide Lighting






























































































































































































So now all that the compounding had been done on most of the car (i had left black door trim and lights to do the next day with a less aggressive combo) 
i had to sort the dust out on the car!














































So outside with the snow foam!










And rinsed off. I love this point of the job. Obviously the car need its paint refining, but getting the dust off with a snow foam and rinse is always a joy.
You reveal the car in a swirl free bead fest!





































So the car was pulled back in the unit and blow dried. This pretty much dried it all, just needed a pat down in the centre of panels.

End of Day two!

The next day, the black door trim was then sorted out. To tackle this i used a Sonus yellow spot pad and 3m Extra fine compound.




























Much better! 










The lights needed some attention too!



















Now sorted










Now the car got a full wipe down with IPA. And i refined all the paintwork with Swissvax Cleaner Fluid Pro.

After that, it was ready to dress the car. I also tackled the interior!

The first thing i did was treat the dried out rubbers. Swissvax Seal was used for this




























The interior didn't really need a full detail. So i only spent about hour cleaning, hoovering and dressing. 
It was more than enough to turn it around to looking new again. The Drivers mat was extracted and hoovered.

The dash was wiped down and dressed with Werkstatt Satin.














































With the rest of the dressing still to complete, and time racing on, i didn't manage to photograph it all!

I dressed the arches and engine bay with 303.

The wheels were waxed with Swissvax autobahn and the tyres were treated with Swissvax Pneu

Exhaust was polished with wire wool and Blackfire polish. They were quite a mess!

The car was Sealed using Zaino Z2 then Two Coats of Swissvax Best of show

Here are the after's. I didn't have the opportunity to take as many shots as i would like, but I'm sure there is already enough in here! 












































































































































































Quick shot outside in the 8 AM sun!










Thanks for reading Guys! Time taken: 25 Hours!

Swissvax Detailer Covering Manchester and Lancashire 
​


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## S2 Ant (Jan 20, 2010)

Awesome car and an awesome job!!
Love those centre caps on the wheels too!

(Also pics hosted somewhere that work doesnt block - so one of the view i can admire from my desk  )


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## Edward101 (Jun 5, 2009)

Great write up and photos as usual :thumb:
Love the final shots in the unit, very very nice finish.

Never even knew there was a Pirelli edition.


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## Miglior (Feb 12, 2006)

S2 Ant said:


> Awesome car and an awesome job!!
> Love those centre caps on the wheels too!
> 
> (Also pics hosted somewhere that work doesnt block - so one of the view i can admire from my desk  )


I host all my own pictures on my own web server, that will be why!


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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

Awesome car and work to suit especialy the centre caps.

think i prefer the bbs alloys though


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## big ben (Aug 25, 2009)

love that golf. good work on it to


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## GlenStaff26 (Mar 10, 2007)

Really good job on that and a fantastic write up :thumb:


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## alexf (May 23, 2009)

Pirelli Editions are fantastic, top notch detailing right there!


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## Mike_182 (Mar 22, 2007)

Every time I see one of these I cry a little bit - I miss mine soooooo much! I'd be minted if I didn't get rid of it thinking I wanted something more economical, then have to get a toy because the 'economical' car was ****.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm171/MikeLarwood/Golf GTI Pirelli/DSC_0005.jpg

Stunning work on the silver one!


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## fitz (Jul 25, 2009)

Great work and write up!

Nice car aswell. Love the interior


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## Racer (Oct 27, 2005)

Perfect Job with a great write up :thumb:


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## rds1985 (Mar 7, 2009)

lovely job and would have to concur that interior looks gorgeous


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## Militia (Jul 22, 2007)

Nice job :thumb:


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## gb270 (Aug 22, 2008)

great work looks stunning


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## matt_83 (Apr 28, 2009)

Stunning work and fantastic write up!


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## RandomlySet (Jul 10, 2007)

very nice work mate


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## -tom- (Jan 27, 2009)

very very nice dont see many off these only ever seen one other


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## scottgm (Dec 27, 2009)

Amazing work mate :thumb:

very good write up also!


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## Ti22 (Mar 24, 2009)

Nice work and attention to detail buddy. 

What did you code the headlights with? Vag-Com? I use snap-on diagnostics, but i'm pretty sure it wouldn't do that. 

James


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## Guest (Mar 25, 2010)

jay.Your quality and work ethic is fantastic :thumb: really did enjoy that read .
Let me know what camera you use too (pm details)

Also are the phaeton wheels forsale i've been looking for a set for ages:thumb:

Ant


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## ALANSHR (Jun 29, 2007)

Superb job that, well done. Interior is much nicer than the ed30 imo but prefer wheels on ed30.


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Lovely detail mate.:thumb:


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## glyn waxmaster (Dec 20, 2006)

Lovely write up Jay, well done fella


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## detailersdomain (Sep 13, 2006)

that's a crazy edition of the GTI! great job great write up.


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## GlynRS2 (Jan 21, 2006)

Great work with superb results :thumb:


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## andrewst500 (Nov 2, 2008)

stunning finish


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## ribena (May 14, 2006)

nice car, write up and finish 

Tidy !!


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## Miglior (Feb 12, 2006)

Ti22 said:


> Nice work and attention to detail buddy.
> 
> What did you code the headlights with? Vag-Com? I use snap-on diagnostics, but i'm pretty sure it wouldn't do that.
> 
> James


Yep, Or VCDS as its known now!


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## Miglior (Feb 12, 2006)

DETAIL said:


> jay.Your quality and work ethic is fantastic :thumb: really did enjoy that read .
> Let me know what camera you use too (pm details)
> 
> Also are the phaeton wheels forsale i've been looking for a set for ages:thumb:
> ...


They are not for sale im afraid Anthony! They are another customers.

They are ridiculously rare too. Surprisingly, a set sold last week for about 1500, which is cheap to say how rare they are.

Thanks for the comments mate! 

The Camera is a Canon 450d with the standard lense
:thumb:


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## Prism Detailing (Jun 8, 2006)

Excellent work


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## brinks (Jun 21, 2006)

Beautiful car and a great write up, love the detail on the interior of this one.

By the way, the number plate is propped up in the background of several of the photos in case you don't know and want to remove it :thumb:


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## jayr32 (Jan 10, 2010)

Great job. Love the golf, never seen one of those editions before!


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## Auto Detox (Dec 22, 2007)

Very nice I enjoyed that read mate, looks a very satisfying job & like the write up style. The seats looks fab' lovely car

Baz


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## MeganeChick (Apr 9, 2009)

wow looks excellent!  good work!


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## Andy_RX8 (Jun 6, 2008)

Nice work the mate.

I never knew there was this version of a gti made!

Seats are cracking!


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## chris141 (Jun 5, 2008)

Awesome finish on the silver


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## pcc (Oct 11, 2006)

Great work John, looks awesome in the after shots. Will the car stop working if he puts Michelins on it.


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## Guest (Mar 26, 2010)

JPC said:


> They are not for sale im afraid Anthony! They are another customers.
> 
> They are ridiculously rare too. Surprisingly, a set sold last week for about 1500, which is cheap to say how rare they are.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the camera info:thumb: yeh tell about i've been trying to get a set for about a year .


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## Big Bru (Apr 27, 2008)

That GTI looks ace! Top detail!:thumb:
Enjoyed reading the write up.


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## dsms (Feb 1, 2008)

Lovely work, love your shop!


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## Jon Allen (Dec 27, 2009)

wow i love them seats :argie:

Great work and write up

cheers for posting :thumb:

Jon


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## slrestoration (Nov 11, 2009)

Excellent work then & a fantastic write up. How do you not just stick to swissvax products being one of there approved centres?


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## Nanolex (Jun 8, 2008)

Stunning job, lovely car! :thumb:


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## Miglior (Feb 12, 2006)

Thanks guys! 

with regs swissvax products, I'm not tied to using every single product, even though I love them all. It's not that kind of arrangement.


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## Mouse (Oct 31, 2006)

Such a nice Golf, never knew they sold the Pirelli editions here


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## DubbedUP (Oct 2, 2007)

Excellent write up...

I love how the Helios wheels are totally symmetrical even though they are just lying against the wall...:thumb:

That's some real OCD going on there


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## colarado red (Jun 5, 2008)

Very nice work


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## WEDEL.1 (Aug 11, 2009)

Looks brilliant now, great job...


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## Miglior (Feb 12, 2006)

Discount Tech said:


> Excellent write up...
> 
> I love how the Helios wheels are totally symmetrical even though they are just lying against the wall...:thumb:
> 
> That's some real OCD going on there


that's just how I laid them there! didn't even notice!

That's subconcious OCD! I can only say that's a good thing in my job!

Haha!


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## Select Detailing (Feb 19, 2009)

Fantastic wrk, love the way in which you present your pictures. very Professional 

Gareth..


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## Clb Ltd (Apr 24, 2007)

cracking job


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## rallyman1978 (Aug 8, 2007)

stunning looking result

I've never see one before


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## steven (Jan 10, 2010)

top work, lovely car too


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## Miglior (Feb 12, 2006)

Select Detailing said:


> Fantastic wrk, love the way in which you present your pictures. very Professional
> 
> Gareth..


Cheers gareth! Takes some time, but I like to do an indepth review on my correction work now and again.


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## Brian. (Sep 21, 2009)

Cracking work mate and what a stunning looking machine - I didn't realise that there was such an edition of the Golf out. 

I really like your unit too - it looks pretty peaceful and clean ...ideal for doing delicate work


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## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

Nice work :thumb:

Interesting car too


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## Guest (Mar 30, 2010)

great job; just what you would expect from a Swissvax authorised detailer!


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## Miglior (Feb 12, 2006)

cheers Samantha!


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## Miglior (Feb 12, 2006)

*EDIT*

bear with me, sorry just deleted the write-up update!


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## 123quackers (Jan 29, 2009)

fantastic read as ever.. Always a something to be learned from your write ups...:thumb:

Great interior the grey and yellow stitching.........

thanks :thumb:


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## rgDetail (Jul 16, 2009)

That looks brilliant


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Very, very nice work on a car that I didn't know Pirelli had put their name on, liking the interior..............:thumb:

Very well detailed write-up and excellent final result, have to say I have been looking for a set of those Helios wheels for a long time, really look the part on most things VAG............:car:

Thanks for sharing...........


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## Miglior (Feb 12, 2006)

Hi guys, bit of an Update on the VW GTi Pirelli I look after.

The owner had the first work done from me in March 2010. He brought the car back to me from Wakefield so give it an enhancement detail and seal it all up again! with the dreadful weather on the way, it wasn't a moment too soon!

The owner does a good job of keeping it swirl free. He'd rather have it dirty for an extra week until he can dedicate time to washing it properly. opposed to doing a rushed job on late on a Sunday afternoon for example.

So here is how the car arrived!














































So I cracked on with the wash down.

This was pretty much the job in hand...

Brake calipers & alloy wheel faces, backs and inners are cleaned with acid free wheel cleaner.
Wheel arches & tyres are scrubbed and cleaned with citrus based degreaser.
Door/boot shuts are thoroughly cleaned and rinsed.
Soak car in snow foam and high pressure rinse to remove surface grit.
safe wash using two buckets & sheep skin wash mitt.
Tar remover to remove bonded contaminants.
Blow dry & towel dry.
Machine polish the car to rejuvenate paintwork and add gloss
Protect paint with specialist sealant or carnauba wax to protect against future contamination.
Windows polished inside & out and sealed
Wheels protected with PTFE protect against brake dust and build up.
Tyres & arches dressed.
Polish & protect any exterior metal work.

Being snow foamed










After a blow and towel dry, this is the condition of the paint that greeted me!



















The finger is there to prove the paint surface is in full focus.

Some of the lower areas had some marring from what looked like a drying towel. After 9 months, it could do with a single stage machine polish, just to freshen up the surface and bring back the gloss!

So, on I cracked.....

I was using some new pads I am testing for Swissvax. From the pad tower, this is the finishing pad.



















Swissvax cleaner fluid pro was to be used to polish the car.










The new exhaust the owner had fitted was looking a little worse for wear, so we polished that.




























Subtle sticker added in the back window










Seals treated with Swissvax seal feed










And the after post sealant LSP....

A reminder of how each area looked...










after










before










after










Before










after










Before










after










Some more after shots...




























Final shot...










Thanks for reading this little update guys!









​


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## "SkY" (Apr 21, 2009)

nice work, looks good:thumb:


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## Miglior (Feb 12, 2006)

Cheers mate. I forgot to mention the owner was yet again over the moon with the results.


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## scooby73 (Mar 20, 2007)

Nice work!:thumb:


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## John-Cupra_TDI (Apr 13, 2009)

Looking good, nice work!


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## woodymbr (Mar 8, 2009)

I'm still thinking I need to drop my Abarth off to you! I pick my grey one up in March so a new car prep might be in order.


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