Volkswagen Golf R32 mkiv – Deep Blue Pearl. 53 plate, 76k miles.
3 day major paint correction detail. 26 hours.
The Golf originally came to me for a quote for a single day’s protection detail. After my PDI (pre-detail inspection!) however, it was clear much more would be needed!
The car is the owner’s absolute pride and joy. For a few years, a third-party valeting/detailing company had taken care of the vehicle as part of their maintenance program. After leaving WhiteDetails however, the owner assures me it will go nowhere else!
General inspection:
If anything, ready for a bloody good wash!!!
It’s now at this point my SLR failed me. Dead battery… My plan was to document this one start to finish with HD footage. An hour in however, *dead*. Brilliant.
We re-join the action on day 2. In the early stages of paint correction.
It was clear to see (if the paint thickness readings weren’t enough), that both sides of the car had seen paint at some point.
I’m seeing this more and more now… Poor finishing by bodyshops and the owners are (usually) completely unaware. Sanding marks, DA pigtails, lacquer peel, machine buffertrails, paint drips and fish eyes… All of which robbing the car of its true finish (the brilliance, lustre and true colour hidden beneath an array of defects)
After trialling various polish/pad combinations, I settled on a 3 step machine correction and continued around the car.
Level of correction required (90%+)
O/S/F wing after two cutting sets, a polishing set and waiting further refinement.
50/50 on O/S door:
Before/After
Even the smallest of areas receive the same treatment:
Before/After:
Rear quarter.
Deep Blue Pearl has to be one of my favourite colours:
A few deeper scratches/scuffs were found on the roof.
…I’m putting this one down to a ball of some sort. Hitting the car and scoring nasty marks deep into the clear coat.
After a single cutting pass (3M wool and Scholl S3 Gold) the scuff was improved but still visible.
Healthy thickness readings allowed me to perform two-three more cutting sets.
Unfortunately 100% correction was not possible in this instance. Vastly improved but not perfect.
A and B pillars also suffering from rough finishing and sanding marks:
After:
Mirrors caps correcting nicely:
Before/Afters on N/S/R:
Passenger door probably the worst affected area:
50/50 between two panels:
Finalising work on the rest of the bonnet and front NS wing:
Once the correction was complete, we’re left with a rather dusty looking Golf. Taken outside for a quick blast and maneuverer back inside for blow drying.
After an IPA wipe to help remove any remaining polishing oils, a deep blue pearl touch-up stick was used to tidy up a few obvious areas:
With the glass, wheels, tyres and exhaust sorted and AMDetails’ Premium Wax applied to the paintwork, we’re about finished!
As standard, the mkiv R32 is a beautiful car!
Owner was over the moon. An extremely happy customer!
Considering the car was deemed to be “mint” already, it just goes to show what a good detail can achieve.
Thanks for reading.
Jim.
