# VW Scirocco End of Lease spruce up - Auto Finesse Illusion!



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Hi Guys,

You may have heard me muttering on for a few weeks that I've been looking forward to doing this detail. My soon to be Brother-In-Law, Dan, has had this Scirocco since new on a lease deal as his company car. It's a great spec 2.0 TSI GT Model which is basically a Golf GTI in a Scirocco bodyshell. It's now 4 years and 65,000 miles old and its going back to the lease company.

I offered to give it a spruce up and remove a few scratches to avoid him getting any charges when it was sent back. He's not washed it very often so i knew it was going to be a long haul!

Here are a few before pictures: Wheels already rinsed here







These need a bit of work!



So, after a pressure rinse, wheels were dealt with using Auto Finesse Iron Out:



Now I have to admit, pictures are a bit lax here and that's because I was washing the Range Rover, and Joe popped down to see me so he got stuck in to washing the Scirocco! Thanks Joe!

So, moving right on to the polishing pictures. I was expecting granite like paint but it was actually very nice to work with. Given that i had the car for a few days, I decided to do two stages, simply for practice. I wasn't bothered about getting the car perfect, but I wanted to try out a few more polish/pad combos.

The first set consisted of Scholl S17+ on a Green Dodo FIN pad. This combo provided a brilliant level of cut and removed most of the swirls, and even a few scratches too.

Here is a 50:50 under natural light of this combo in action on the bonnet:







Really impressed with this level of cut. The Dodo FIN pads are excellent at polishing over the whole surface of the pad making it much easier. Even the green pad finishes down well too, really impressed. They're a little harder than the 3M pads which i like personally, they will be my go-to pads for the forseeable future!

Carrying on round the car with some random before/50:50/after shots:

Before:



After:



Before:



50:50



Before:



After:



Smaller areas were polished using a Megs Yellow polishing spot pad and the S17+









Starting to look very glossy!



Once the whole car was polished, I refined the paint using Scholl S40 and a Black Dodo FIN pad. Yet another great combo with a decent working time, the black pad still has enough cut to remove any marring and it finishes down really crisp and clear.

After refining, the car was dusted down and Britemax BlackMAX was applied by DA and a Chem Guys Black Hex-Logic pad. It is going back after all so I wanted to fill any slight marks being left behind! Next up was a wax i'd tried a sample of and loved it so had to have the full pot. Auto Finesse Illusion. Again, I wasn't interested in making the car perfect, but I was dying to see what it looked like on this colour...



If anyone hasn't yet used this wax i highly recommend it! It's so wet that one firm dab in the pot loads the applicator like this:



First time I've used the Wax Mate too, fits perfectly in the pot and is easy to grip!



The only problem with the wax being so wet is that it's very easy to over apply. I actually found that a DefWax applicator made it easy to spread the wax a little thinner which made removal a little easier. The wax was applied to the whole car and left to cure for 25 mins or so while i cracked on giving the interior a once over.

Wolf's Insider APC was used on the leather and dash and did a fantastic job. Here's a 50:50 on the drivers seat:





I don't even think it's meant to be a leather cleaner but i was highly impressed with it! The car was hoovered with Henry, interior glass cleaned and that was that.

The wax was buffed leaving a stunning finish:



Exhausts were sorted using wire wool, Auto Finesse Mercury, MF cloths, plenty of elbow grease and a LOT of patience! Not perfect but much improved:



Tyres and arches were dressed with ValetPRO Traditional Tyre Dressing, Glass cleaned with Dodo Clearly Menthol and after a quick wipe down with AF Finale, we were good to go.

Here are some finished shots:



















Pretty stunning if i might say so myself! It looked great in the fading light but when i pulled it out to have a look in direct sun, there were a few wax smears. I took the photos anyway and then removed the smears using AF Finale and a fresh cloth. They look like holograms on the pics but I can assure you they're not!









It was a pleasure to do this actually, I really enjoyed it! Dan is gutted the car is going back as he's loved every minute of his 4 years with it. Unlike my VW, nothing has ever gone wrong with it and he says he'd keep it for years if he could. However, his heartbreak will be short-lived as when he comes back from holiday next week, there will be a BMW M135i waiting for him at the BMW dealer in Preston!

I'll be giving that a new car protection as soon as I can and I can't wait to see it in the flesh! Fully loaded too so it will look stunning!

I'll leave you with this final shot...

Thanks for reading



Jon


----------



## AGRE (Sep 25, 2008)

Great results & write up :thumb: Looks a shame to give it back now...


----------



## cobra (Feb 18, 2012)

epic work there mate


----------



## Mads (Mar 8, 2013)

Top job!


----------



## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

nice work as usual Jon

really looking fresh out of the box now,bet he cant wait to show it off to returning garage

top work


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

steve from wath said:


> nice work as usual Jon
> 
> really looking fresh out of the box now,bet he cant wait to show it off to returning garage
> 
> top work


Thanks Steve! Unfortunately he wont even see it! The lease company are collecting it from me tomorrow at our work... Shame!


----------



## Mad Ad (Feb 7, 2011)

Nice work Jon, very wet looking finish


----------



## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

Great work and a very decent finish :thumb:, looks like I might need to invest in a pot of Illusion, looks very oily in the pictures.


----------



## Jonny_R (Oct 23, 2012)

Nice work Jon,

See youve found a AF wax you get on with 

Now the real question, in your eyes what would you go for vanilla ice or illusion? as there the 2 out of my possable list for moving up in the world from my HD wax as mentioned the other month on fb to you.

Also considering sherbert fizz


----------



## JMorty (Apr 25, 2011)

Great work! Gotta update the tread with what they say...bet they manage to find something wrong. Paint too glossy -£250


----------



## gibbo555 (May 3, 2011)

Great turnaround there, pity the dealers will prob give it a 'clean' next time it gets dusty.


----------



## TW15T3D (Apr 14, 2013)

amazing detail, top job. Can not wait to see the BMW


----------



## davo3587 (May 9, 2012)

Great work again Jon, would you rate Af illusion better than desire.


----------



## Swell.gr (May 7, 2008)

Great work us usual Jon :thumb:


----------



## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

Looks good, I started doing this with our fleet retuns too... extra practice for me, and stops them trying to con people out of hundreds of pounds for silly things...

great work.... 

:thumb:


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Jonny_R said:


> Nice work Jon,
> 
> See youve found a AF wax you get on with
> 
> ...


Thanks Jonny! Firstly, as much as I love the smell of Sherbet Fizz, Illusion and VI are in a different class. It's still a lovely wax but i'd stick with the other two.

Vanilla Ice is a pretty quick curing wax that gives a lot of gloss, and decent durability. I've seen 4-5 months and a mate of mine with the Silver Clio has just ordered a pot as he was so impressed with it.

Illusion is an out-and-out show wax which focuses on the looks, not durability. However, I reckon you'd still get 6-8 weeks out of it before needing to top up. You apply it to the whole car and leave for a while before buffing so it's a different style.

All down to what you prefer, they're both lovely waxes to use!



davo3587 said:


> Great work again Jon, would you rate Af illusion better than desire.


Thanks Carl, I've not tried Desire to be honest (although there is a sample pot on its way to me) so I couldn't answer that one.

Illusion is one of the nicest 'looking' waxes i've ever used, really adds something to the finish!



The Cueball said:


> Looks good, I started doing this with our fleet retuns too... extra practice for me, and stops them trying to con people out of hundreds of pounds for silly things...
> 
> great work....
> 
> :thumb:


Thanks Cueball, that's exactly what I did it for. I bet they will still try and do him for some wheel kerbing damage but other than that it's in pretty good nick!

Cheers! :thumb:


----------



## Clyde (Feb 15, 2012)

stunning finish mate. Prob better than when he got it four years ago!


----------



## meraredgti (Mar 13, 2011)

lex autolease?


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

meraredgti said:


> lex autolease?


Might be, how would you guess?


----------



## meraredgti (Mar 13, 2011)

thats who i work for


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

meraredgti said:


> thats who i work for


Interesting, are you coming to pick it up?!


----------



## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Great job:thumb:


----------



## meraredgti (Mar 13, 2011)

not collections team, finance and budget.

triple check what the collection agent notes down with regards to damage *if any. service book and spare key/s MUST be with the vehicle at the point of collection, basic stuff 

BVRLA Fair Wear & Tear Guide

david


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

meraredgti said:


> not collections team, finance and budget.
> 
> triple check what the collection agent notes down with regards to damage *if any. service book and spare key/s MUST be with the vehicle at the point of collection, basic stuff
> 
> ...


Thanks David, much appreciated. I've got both keys and the service book in my desk and i'll have a read through the guide right now!

Jon


----------



## Scrim-1- (Oct 8, 2008)

Nice work


----------



## Jonny_R (Oct 23, 2012)

JBirchy said:


> Thanks Jonny! Firstly, as much as I love the smell of Sherbet Fizz, Illusion and VI are in a different class. It's still a lovely wax but i'd stick with the other two.
> 
> Vanilla Ice is a pretty quick curing wax that gives a lot of gloss, and decent durability. I've seen 4-5 months and a mate of mine with the Silver Clio has just ordered a pot as he was so impressed with it.
> 
> ...


Cheers Jon,

VI and I similar in consistency as being soft? personally swaying towards VI due to it being abit cheaper and lasting abit longer at the min


----------



## meraredgti (Mar 13, 2011)

the collection agents vehicle condition report sheet is your ticket. should any damage occur during transit we wont know and possibly charge for. the report you sign is your back up matey. 

any issues, drop me a pm 
dd


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Jonny_R said:


> Cheers Jon,
> 
> VI and I similar in consistency as being soft? personally swaying towards VI due to it being abit cheaper and lasting abit longer at the min


They're a totally different consistency, Illusion is one of the softest waxes i've ever used!

VI is harder but still spreads for miles. It softens up when you spread it around the pot and a few swipes will easy cover half a door. The thing to remember with VI is it needs to be applied as thinly as humanly possible! Leave it too long on the panel and it is pretty tricky to remove but a panel at a time using a wax on/wax off approach is the way to go!

More to the point, Waxamomo have VI in stock and he's just put a bank holiday weekend 10% discount code up!

Get to the checkout and enter 'holiday10' in the discount box and you'll get it for £44.96 with free UPS delivery!

http://www.waxamomo.co.uk/ecom-prodshow/BouncerIce.html

Shipment deadline is 1pm though so it's unlikely you'll get it for the weekend now :thumb:


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

meraredgti said:


> the collection agents vehicle condition report sheet is your ticket. should any damage occur during transit we wont know and possibly charge for. the report you sign is your back up matey.
> 
> any issues, drop me a pm
> dd


Thanks very much for the heads up mate. I'm sure one of the wheels has 'unacceptable' damage but other than that, i'm sure we comply!


----------



## Acepage (Apr 29, 2013)

Looks lovely really good job shame he will never see it to appreciate it!


----------



## Norbreck21a (May 13, 2006)

Looks great (but then I'm biased as I'm a Rocco owner as well).

Out of interest, this must be a real early example, as I don't recall many GT's running the 17" alloys (thought the 18" Interlagos was standard from launch) ?


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Norbreck21a said:


> Looks great (but then I'm biased as I'm a Rocco owner as well).
> 
> Out of interest, this must be a real early example, as I don't recall many GT's running the 17" alloys (thought the 18" Interlagos was standard from launch) ?


You're absolutely right! Apparently this is one of a handful that came from Cheltenham VW with 17" wheels. Lex Autolease offered it on a really cheap deal because it didn't have the 18"s!

It never bothered him, but I think i'd have to have the Interlagos wheels. I have them on my CC and they really set the car off well!


----------



## TopSport+ (Jul 22, 2012)

very nice


----------



## jamesgti (Aug 9, 2007)

Great work.


----------



## TOMMY_RS (Aug 2, 2010)

Looks nice mate, shame to send it back really.


----------



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

Wow!

Stunning turnaround, what a nice looking car...looks like it's just rolled out the showroom! 

Do you know if this Solid Black/Metallic or Pearlescent paintwork?


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

VW Golf-Fan said:


> Wow!
> 
> Stunning turnaround, what a nice looking car...looks like it's just rolled out the showroom!
> 
> Do you know if this Solid Black/Metallic or Pearlescent paintwork?


Thanks matey! It's a metallic colour with silver flecks in the paint. I don't think it's pearlescent, looks nice in the sun though!

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Wout_RS (Jun 13, 2012)

Great work!

looks really wet! like all black cars should


----------



## colarado red (Jun 5, 2008)

Nice turnaround


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Cheers guys! Car is being collected today so i've just given it a final wipedown with Zaino Z8. Shame it's a dull day as it looks stunning sat outside in the car park!


----------

