2013 VW Jetta TDI - New Car Prep

[zmcgovern45]

This 2013 Jetta was just purchased the day before it was brought to me. It was in overall good shape, as you would hope a new car would be. It had very light swirls all over the car that were easily corrected with an AIO polish. The car was the coated with 2 additional layers of sealant to give it an extremely glossy shine and great protection from the coming Winter. The interior was wiped down with 303 to give it a clean, slightly gloss finish to it. The engine was also dressed using 303 and CG Black on Black. Wheels and tires were cleaned, wheels were sealed, and tires were dressed. This car is nearly flawless and is ready to be enjoyed by the new owner!

Process
-Wheels: Cleaned with APC (10:1), Sealed with PBW Wheel Sealant (2 coats)
-Tires: Cleaned with APC (10:1), Dressed with Meg's Endurance Tire Gel
-Wash: CG Citrus Wash and Gloss
-Dry: DI Waffle Weave Microfiber
-Clay: DI Fine Clay with ONR
-Polish: BlackFire Total Polish and Seal (AIO) via PC7424XP with Black Pad
-Sealant: CG Black Light followed by CG V7 via 7424XP with Blue Pad
-Glass: Stoner IG

-Interior Leather, Vinyl, and Trim: 303
-Glass: Stoner IG

-Engine covers: 303
-Engine hoses: CG Black on Black



Before & During

The car had very fine swirls all over the paint from improper washing/drying while the dealer owned it. This was easily corrected.

After the paint was polished, the entire car was covered with CG Black Light and left to cure for a short period of time.

After

The wheels and tires look great. The machined face of these wheels gave it a great shine.

When the car was finished, the paint looked great... awesome reflections, even on a dreary, cloudy day!

After 3 layers of sealant, this car had an amazingly deep, wet shine to it. It looked great, even though there was no sun to really make it shine!

Photo Shoot

This car looked perfect, so we decided to head back to the dealer to have a proper photo shoot. I can easily say that it "looked better than when it was new!" because it was just purchased yesterday.

Other

The owner's previous vehicle did not receive the proper care (or any car at all) required to maintain a good shine, so he was lectured on how to keep his vehicle looking good. Quite an upgrade from his old Monte to the new Jetta.

Thanks for looking! Please leave your comments below!
Be sure to check us out on Facebook!

 

[Wors]

Nice job. The VW looks great.

 

[rider9195]

Fantastic job!

 

[cartman57]

Great results

 

[Charleston]

Good stuff!

Those TDI's get into the 40 MPG mark

 

[Johny B]

Great work as usual.

 

[chris.ganucheau]

were the pictures edited? they look amazingly crisp! if not what camera was used to capture the pics??????

 

[VWGLI]

Great job! I love the look of the new Jettas and that color:xyxthumbs:! Thank you for the motivation.

 

[zmcgovern45]

Nice job. The VW looks great.

Fantastic job!

Great results

Good stuff!

Those TDI's get into the 40 MPG mark

Great work as usual.

Great job! I love the look of the new Jettas and that color:xyxthumbs:! Thank you for the motivation.

^Thanks guys!

were the pictures edited? they look amazingly crisp! if not what camera was used to capture the pics??????

^The photos were processed because they were shot in RAW (rather than JPEG) therefore they all require post processing, however this is not what many people consider "editing" or "photoshopped" - those terms are overused and have taken on a negative meaning to many who are familiar with required processing for images. Nothing about these images were substituted for what was really there, nor were they "enhanced" to look like something they are not. The sharpness or "crispness" as you called it is from high quality equipment, plus the smaller images displayed in forums do not let you see any minute focus errors or small amount of incidental motion blur that may be visible in the actual size. The images from the "Photo Shoot" were all lit with off camera strobes which give them a very contrasty and edgy look compared to the typical "after" shots.

The gear used for these shots is as follows: Nikon D5100 Body, 12-24 f/4, 35mm f/1.8, 60mm f/2.8 macro, 55-300 f/4.5-5.6, 2 YN-560ii speedlights, several YN-506 wireless triggers (I'm sure I'm forgetting some things). All photos were processes in Adobe Lightroom to adjust for proper white balance and exposure when needed. As part of my post processing, I also add a bit of contrast and a touch of sharpness as well, but it is nothing more than what your camera will add when shooting in JPEG format. (if you are unfamiliar with RAW vs. JPEG then the need for post processing vs. what your camera does for you may not make sense.)

Photography is a huge hobby of mine, so if you've got any questions about how to do things like that I would be more than happy to talk your ear off about photography :xyxthumbs:

You can also check out more of my photos on my Flickr page! You can view all of the settings used for some of these shots as well as higher res versions.

Thanks!

 

[zmcgovern45]

.

 

[Shone]

I have a jetta highline 2012 and i am interested in what products i can use for her leather seats. It's a new car so i am in some kind of a dilema. Here you used 303 only or some APC as well? If you can describe the steps i'd appreciate. Thanks.

 

[zmcgovern45]

I have a jetta highline 2012 and i am interested in what products i can use for her leather seats. It's a new car so i am in some kind of a dilema. Here you used 303 only or some APC as well? If you can describe the steps i'd appreciate. Thanks.

Spray microfiber towel with 303... Wipe seat with towel, reapply 303 as needed. If excess product remains on surface, wipe off with clean microfiber towel. Simple enough.

 

[Shone]

What 303 product exactly? Here->303 Aerospace Cleaner,303 Aerospace Protectant, 303 products
I do not see anything like leather and vinyl protectant/cleaner. Thanks.

 

[zmcgovern45]

Simply spray or wipe the 303 Aerospace Protectant on any vinyl, rubber, plastic and leather surface and you'll instantly have a richer looking finish with valuable UV protection. The superior protection this product provides is critical to the long term care of your vehicle. The 303 Protectant is great to use on your vehicle's rubber (tires, seals, hoses), vinyl (dashboard, doors, armrests, interior and exterior trim, engine casings, convertible tops), plastic (car bras, gauges, grills, trim, convertible's soft windows), leather (seats, trim) and so much more. This versatile product gives all of these surfaces valuable conditioners and protection that will keep each surface looking new and fresh for years to come with regular treatments. The tires, leather seats, exterior trim and dashboard often get prolonged exposure to harmful UV rays so it's important to thoroughly protect those surfaces. Keeping your interior looking clean and dust free can be challenging, but the 303 Protectant is up to the challenge. Applying the 303 Protectant to your dashboard, arm rests, seats and doors will help repel dust, dirt and human oils from collecting. Many other dressings are oily and greasy which can actually attract dust and dry out the surface. Any surface you apply Aerospace Protectant to will leave behind a beautiful matte finish. For best results just apply one nice thin coating and you'll instantly notice the beautiful finish it leaves behind!

See above

 

[Shone]

Thanks bud.

 

[zmcgovern45]

:xyxthumbs:

 

[Shone]

This is what I've obtained with APC+ and protect with 303. I applied it with No mess interior applicator and find it a bit long to buff off.

 

[zmcgovern45]

Looks like the right hand side (referring to the orientation of the photo) has been treated and the left hand side has not? If so, looks like a much darker finish!

In terms of "buffing it off"... I typically wipe the product on the surface and let it sit for a minute or so, and then gently wipe it with a clean towel if I feel that I applied it too heavily. I wouldn't say I ever need to "buff it off".

 

[Shone]

Yes right side was treated. Maybe i applied much more than needed? First time doing it. Maybe i should've just use an mf to apply and wipe with dry one. I am pretty satisfied with results. Will try next time with mf only. How do you know when to reapply?

 

[zmcgovern45]

You can simply make a habit of doing it every so often... every month or couple months? or, if you notice the leather looking dull and faded, that is also a good sign to reapply