For All of Those Who Love Their Car
San Antonio–If you’re a car person, you know there is no doubt diesel Volkswagen owners are crazy about their TDi’s. Most will drive them hundreds of thousands of miles with no major issues. What most owners tend to neglect is the appearance of their vehicle. Personally, I see TDi’s all the time that look as if they were abandoned but still run strong! I’m sure when it was new hours were spent washing, waxing, and picking bits of lint from the nooks and crannies of the interior. With any relationship, you can tend to neglect it over the years. The owner of this Volkswagen purchased it new in 2003, so we’re sure he remembers the look and feel of it when he drove it away from the dealer lot.
You may think spending what some would see as the vehicle’s total resale value on detailing it and repairing some minor door ding somewhat foolish. Why not take the money, sell the car and apply it towards a new modern one with heated seat navigation and a backup camera. Have you ever heard the saying “the best vehicle is one that is paid for?” Not having a car payment is a huge financial relief and allows an owner to use that money to pay other bills or build a nice retirement fund.
Let’s talk about the condition of this Volkswagen. When we first looked at it we felt that the paint on the hood, roof, and trunk was failing. We could only do so much for the paint so we also focused heavily on the interior. He asked for us to do whatever we felt necessary to bring the car back to life again.
We started with a thorough cleaning of the paint. This included a decontamination wash followed by a clay treatment. We tested several spots with various compounds and polishes and decided that sanding the oxidation off the paint was the best plan prior to the compound and polish steps.
While the paint was being restored by Cam and Chase. Anthony removed all four wheels for thorough cleaning of the outside and inside of the fender wells.
The black trim was looking weathered so we decided to refinish it with a special automotive trim paint. The front lower grills, lower valance, and rear lower valance were cleaned prepped and refinished.
The interior of the Volkswagen was fairly dirty with leaves, dust, spills, and stains. We started with a 24-hour treatment of the leather with Leatherique restoration oil. This product is generously wiped on then based and allowed to penetrate. After this we pretreated all the carpets, steamed and then extracted them with a hot water extractor. Hot vapor steam was used to clean all of the hard surfaces like the door panels, dash, cup holders as well as the nooks and crannies.
With all the cleaning, polishing and painting finished it was time to protect the paint. We decided to give the paint a good protective coating from Nanolex. The Si3D coating is a very hydrophobic coating that will help the owner keep his freshly detailed car clean and looking really good for up to 3 years.
Every one in the shop truly enjoyed transforming this Volkswagen!
