2014 Mk6 GTI

[Desertnate]

Spring has finally arrived and it warmed up enough to work on the family fleet. First up was my GTI.

Products used:
Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo
Meguiars Clay
Meguiars Quick Detailer
Meguiars Trim Protectant
Duragloss #253 Tire Dressing
Blackfire SRC Compound
Blackfire SRC Finishing Polish
Klasse AIO
Eagle One Never Dull
Collinite 845
LC 5.5" Flat Pads

This was the first time the car had been corrected. I picked up the car in November and quickly hit it with Black Hole and 845 to get it through the winter. The swirls I knocked out were the result of the factory/dealer swirling, my poor waterless wash technique, and general mid-west winter life.

The lighting all weekend was hazy/flat/overcast which messed with the color balance in the camera. I didn't realize it until after it was too late...

After the first wash it didn't really look all that bad from a distance.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/IMG_5882.JPG

Giving it a closer look and the swirls appeared.
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http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/IMG_5885.JPG

Here is the 50/50 using just the Blackfire SRC Finishing Polish on a white pad. The swirls were gone, but if you look closely in the top left of the tape line, some of the deeper marks were still here. A quick pass of the SRC Compound on a pink pad knocked those out with ease. At this point I could have just stuck with the Finishing polish and achieved a 90% solution, but it was early in the morning and I decided to go for it and see how close to perfection I could get. I was pretty happy with the results.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/IMG_58921.JPG

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/IMG_5894.JPG

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/IMG_5894.JPG

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And the final product....

Interior was done the previous weekend. I simply wiped it all down and hit it with 303.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/IMG_58991.JPG

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/IMG_5902.JPG

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/IMG_5900.JPG


This was my first attempt at using the Blackfire products, or DAT products for that matter. I was really impressed by the results they delivered and the ease of use. I could easily have gone from the Compound straight to the LSP, but I thought I'd chase that little extra shine. The next go-around, I'll stick with the Finishing Polish and save some time.

The only discouraging thing is this entire process, was watching the pollen collect on the car WHILE I WAS SHOOTING THE PICTURES! Of course, the car has now been rained on twice and driven on wet roads this morning...Oh well...under the grime and pollen mud it looks really good!

Thanks for looking!

[jamesboyy]

Very nice work that ride looks amazing

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Looking good! What a great way to spend your birthday!

What are your thoughts on DAT based products?

[281]

Looks great! Throw some BlackICe on that bad boy :xyxthumbs:

[Desertnate]

What are your thoughts on DAT based products?

I don't know if I can do a true "apples-to-apples" comparison. I don't have any experience on a common platform, i.e. product or paint type.

I did like the fact the SRC Compound finished down to an LSP ready finish with no hazing at all. I could have easily skipped the Finishing Polish if I'd been pressed for time. I don't know if I could have done the same thing if I'd used a SMAT product. When I used UC on my daughters Subie, I noticed a significant difference in the shine and clarity when I followed up with UP. Of course we're talking very different paint types and products.

[CarolinasFinestDetailing]

Very nice results. Love the gti!!!

[jetta3guy8913]

What did up using on the grille? Those honeycombs are so tiny

[Desertnate]

What did up using on the grille? Those honeycombs are so tiny

There were a lot of un-family friendly thoughts going through my head while doing that honeycomb grill. The guy who came up with that design element obviously has never had to detail it.

Below the bumper the honeycomb is black trim-like plastic, so I just hit it with a MF towel and the Meguiars Trim Protectant. On the portion above the bumper on either side of the VW logo the plastic is painted so I used Klasse AIO. In both areas, I used the corner of a MF towel and my finger and went cell by cell. In a week or two when I put down a second coat of 854, I'll hit the painted portion of the grill and use q-tips.

[SYMAWD]

Looks great. The worst is getting salt out of the honey combs.

[jetta3guy8913]

There were a lot of un-family friendly thoughts going through my head while doing that honeycomb grill. The guy who came up with that design element obviously has never had to detail it.

Below the bumper the honeycomb is black trim-like plastic, so I just hit it with a MF towel and the Meguiars Trim Protectant. On the portion above the bumper on either side of the VW logo the plastic is painted so I used Klasse AIO. In both areas, I used the corner of a MF towel and my finger and went cell by cell. In a week or two when I put down a second coat of 854, I'll hit the painted portion of the grill and use q-tips.


That's exactly why I asked its a pain to do it looks great though.

[psdnuts]

Great job !!!