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Cleaning a MK5 GTi- All you need to know (Other cars too)
25-11-2008, 10:24 AM
Post: #1
Cleaning a MK5 GTi- All you need to know (Other cars too)
Hello guys

Quite a few of you lot are pretty OCD about your vehicles so I figured I would create a write up of what to clean without becoming an OCD victim and yet still have an amazing GTI or any other car for that matter.

So here goes. I did this in as much detail as I could (Excuse the Pun) so I hope its undestandable. First off. To complete this you may want to have about two or so hours free. If you rough the job you can do it quicker but nobody likes rushing.

I have split this clean up into two sections. Both Exterior and interior will be focused on. So starting with the exterior:

The golf has bnot been cleaned for about a month now due to me writing my exams and telling my mom that I will murder her if she gets its cleaned elsewhere. So the car was pretty mucky with lots of salt and road grime.

The exterior:

The rims looking a bit sorry for themselves:

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Sand and dirt on the boot:

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Calipers that are filthy:

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Some pretty sooty exhaust pipes:

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And so the clean up began. Using a normal paint brush (Lets not be too posh about this) and some degreaser I began with spraying and rubbing each rim down. Im a tad OCD so did the insides of the rim too but most people dont bother really. While you are at give the tyre walls a good scrubbing as this helps the tyre gel to last longer and look better. Dont forget that the calipers also need some love.

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I then moved along to the engine bay. Although you dont need to do this I felt it needed some TLC. So using the same brush and some desgreaser I gave the engine bay a good wipe down. ATTENTION! If you have a high pressure washer then please do not spray the engine bay down with it. This leads to corrosion etc and damage. Just use a jug of water or normal tap pressure.

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The car was then foamed down with a product called APC 3000. Its a cleaner and degreaser my dad supplies that gets rid of grease stains etc and as you can imagine its pretty potent at destroying the Kamikaze flies and road grime without stripping the paint.

After leaving the car for five minutes (to allow the APC to really get working) I then blasted the car off paying close attention to the rims, arches and door linings. Also focus on the grille and badges to remove dirt trapped amongst them.

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Usually at this point you would dry the car off with a Microfibre cloth but I didnt do this... My dad has six bikes and keeps them in tip top condition (In one year his bikes have actually gained value) and has bought us a blower thing. Basically it blows hot air at extremely high pressures and is used mostly on bikes cos it is able to dry all the water etc which you normally cant reach. I used it on the golf and the results were fantastic.

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Getting a car looking good is not just about cleaning the obvious places. Attention to detail is needed. Focus on your door seals and arches and do as I did above. After drying the car and the door sills etc down leave the doors open so that the seals can dry properly and get some fresh air into the vehicle. Door sills:

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As I have already mentioned the small details are what gets a car looking good. Firstly the tyres need to be dressed. For this I used an ordinary tyre gel. As you can see below the results are fantastic giving the car a fresher, newer and deeper look.

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Due to the South African sun the bumpers on the GTi have a habit of fading very quickly. Once again. Dress the bumpers with some shoe polish or any other product you have, The difference is very much noticeable.

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The exhausts although a small part of the car can be what lets the entire car down. I often degrease the exhaust after doing the rims. For better results use a scrubbing brush and some Autosol or any other metal polish.

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And lastly the final touch to any vehicle like this is the badges. Using a soft cloth give each of the badges a good wipe so that they shine like the paint on Blues car. Of course some of you Edition 30 owners may have about ten badges to clean now depending on how trigger happy you got with the supplier Tongue The difference is very much noticeable.

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Now that the outside is complete move onto the interior.

Interior:

Transporting two kids, a teenager and others around can get the car looking pretty shoddy inside. The VW carpets seem to attract dirt like cr*ap attracts flies which is rather annoying. Some befores:

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I began with the actual dashboard itself. Using a dry brush and my little air blaster friend I blast most of the dust off the controls, knobs and gearstick surround. Then taking a damp microfibre I gave everything a good wipe making sure to remove everything out the door pockets, centre console and glove compartment.

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Before vacuuming make certain that you focus on the following. Slide the back seats forward as you will surprised at the amount of grime that gets trapped there especially if your family involves children sitting in the car.

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Attention to detail is also important with the interior. Using a damp microfibre cloth run your finger between the linings of the leather and remove the dirt trapped in there i.e the stitching lines.

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The clocks need some cleaning too and the steering wheel coloumn.

The pedals. These seriously enhance the look of the car when clean and should be given a good wipe.

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After wards vacuum the vehicle and take the mats out too. You will be surprised at how much dirt is under those mats. If you want tyour leasther to last adn have the time. Give the leather a wipe down with some leather wipes etc and restore them to their former glory.

Some afters:

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And last but not least something that is important for both driver vision and cosmetic appereances... Please give the windows a good clean:

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And the last few finals that I have of the vehicle. I had to speed it up near the end as my dad returned after his 200 mile ride through cape Towns top Mountain passes and such (Only takes him two hours and thats with stopping for breakfast) and wanted the blue bike in the bakground cleaned too. And the Pajero :scared:.

Some general tips:

1. After spraying th car down open the boot and leave it open whilst drying the rest of the car. Water accumilates under the lining of the boot and window and when you open the boot drains on either side usually wetting the bumper and such all over again.
2. Clean the mirrors. Most people forget to clean the mirrors.
3. Dont bother about trying to dry the grill. Rather take the car for a spin and so some heavy braking. This removes the water on the grill and elsewhere on the vehicle.
4. Set your products etc out neatly before you start cleaning. This makes your turnover time much quicker and more organised.
5. Listen to some music when cleaning the car. It gets you into a good tempo and makes the time go quicker. Tongue :drinking:

Some general afters:

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I hope you guys can make some use of the information provided here and use it for a basic clean of a car that wont get you called OCD Clap

Mike

[Image: 64-1.jpg]

** Still thinking of something intelligent to say... **

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25-11-2008, 11:47 AM
Post: #2
RE: Cleaning a MK5 GTi- All you need to know (Other cars too)
Mike, hope you don’t take this the wrong way. But I would propose a few alterations to your wash guide before it becomes conventional wisdom

Engine cleaning
I would rather use a pressure washer to rinse the degreaser in the engine bay. A jet of water from a pressure washer releases less water than a stream from a garden hose or a jug. To that end, there should be less water being sprayed close to sensitive electronic components in your engine. Rather stick to a pressure washer when cleaning the engine bay.

Body wash
I am not familiar with APC 3000 however if it is a degreaser, then I would not recommend it for foaming a car especially for a routine / maintenance wash. A degrease will most like strip your previously applied protection (wax or sealant) thus leaving your car unprotected in the harsh African conditions.

I suspect that the APC 3000 is a highly concentrated cleaner because the car did not require a 2 bucket system hand wash after rinsing foam. If you were using a gentle (PH balanced / neutral) shampoo for foaming, you would most likely need to follow up with washing using a bucket and a wash mitt. Interesting to hear your thoughts on washing using car shampoo in a bucket or two.

Trim dressing
I wouldn’t recommend shoe polish for trim dressing. I have seen what shoe polish does to vinyl and tyres after protracted use. Shoe polish stains and it will advance the fading on your plastics. Rather use a dedicated vinyl dressing product.

General
The rest of the post is rather vague about accessories and products used (glass, trim dressing, rubber care) but I suspect that you are being objective and not trying to lead users to a particular brand. There are few detailing pr

Tanks for posting
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25-11-2008, 12:16 PM
Post: #3
RE: Cleaning a MK5 GTi- All you need to know (Other cars too)
Hello

Engine Cleaning:

The reason I didnt use a high pressure washer and rather a normal tap is because I was able to completely dry the engine bay after rinsing with the air blower. So no issues for me with that but for those that dont have it then good point. Keep in mind that most people reading this are UK residents who are going into winter. The last thing they want is water in spots they cant reach due to too much presure then freezing up in the engine bay.

Bodywash:

The APC 3000 cleaner has been used on all our cars since day one. My fathers Pajero is 8 years old and has no issues what so ever. Its simply a very strong degreaser and soap. My father is the only seller of it here in SA if I remember correctly and it will not damage your paint work at all or strip your polish. I agree that a second wash would have been good by hand but once again I didnt need to. I didnt touch the car once when drying it.

Interesting. The car in hand is a year and a half old and has been cleaned by a pressure washer from day one, with APC and dried with microfibre and I can safely say it has no swirls whatsoever compared to the Pajero which has been hand washed for about 5 years and is swirlishess.

Trim dressing:

There are quite a few mixed feelings on this one on the few forums I have posted this write up on. Keeping in mind most of these forums are UK based. I personally would never use shoe polish myself (I use Holts Back to black bumper cream/ liquid stuff) but overseas it has become quite a trend. The words shoe polish were simply referring to any product you can use.

General:

I wanted to keep this write up rather simplified with regards to products.I dont want to seem loyal to certain brands and at the same time mentioning SA brands on UK sites just causes questions etc which I cant answer as they dont have the products we have.

Without sounding stuck up I have been using this wash method for at least three years now and have never had any issues. Its quick, relatively detailed and useful to the ordinary person who does not really want to spend an entire day detailing.

I hope that sort of explains my methods? Thanks for taking the time to write that up though.

Mike

[Image: 64-1.jpg]

** Still thinking of something intelligent to say... **

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25-11-2008, 12:31 PM
Post: #4
RE: Cleaning a MK5 GTi- All you need to know (Other cars too)
Was going to say the products and methods used (engine rinsing) are a tad unconventional but I didn't wanna be the 1st to say it....Now that Siya's gotten the nitty gritty out of the way we may proceed Rofl

Mike no offence but there are tried and tested products and methods that are better suited to the job at hand (wrt cleaning the car) than some that you have mentioned.

As far as rinsing the engine a fine mist from a pressure washer is alot safer than pouring a jug of water over the motor or rinsing it with the open end of a hose. Always cover sensitive components with a plastic or, as TOGWT mentioned aluminium foil to protect them from water ingress. I seldom do this and have yet to have any issues (touch wood) but I guess there is a 1st time for everything though Bluebiggrin

The APC for the wheels should be fine but be very carefull (especially so with the clear coat only GTI type wheels). On the engine and exhausts, etc it should pose no problems but using it to clean the entire car is not recommended IMHO. I have seen 1st hand how many APC type products strip all the oils from window seals/rubbers as well as staining many plastic parts. Always be carefull with harsh products on the exerior of the car Wink

Other than that the car looks really good, I hope you sealed up the paint again with a good quality wax or sealant to provide protection from the elements as Siya mentioned Wink

David : 083 642 2118
www.mobileimage.co.za

[Image: header2.jpg]



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26-11-2008, 06:42 AM
Post: #5
RE: Cleaning a MK5 GTi- All you need to know (Other cars too)
+1 on what was said above.

Well done on your write up and pics Clap

Your car looks great and "whatever floats your boat"

But I steer clear of high pressure washers particularly on paintwork. Not to be confused with foam guns/nozzles. I have seen too many clearcoats damaged by over jealous use of high pressure hoses. A gentle rinse to loosen and soften the dirt and lots of suds in a bucket with a wash mitt does it for me.

A degreaser is fine if you are about to do a full detail including claying, paint correction and sealing/waxing but I would not use it for an everyday wash.
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28-11-2008, 10:30 AM
Post: #6
RE: Cleaning a MK5 GTi- All you need to know (Other cars too)
First up.... thanks for taking the time to take the pics and do the write up...

Ok firstly... APC strips wax... no doubt in my mind of that. I have waxed my car before and used a diluted solution of Megs APC around a badge with a soft brush and instantly I can see where the wax has been broken down in that area... Unless you are planning to reseal the paint I would avoid such a strong detergent as an everyday wash. Sure it will pull virtually everything off the paint, but the wax too??? Uhoh2

On the subject of Autosol... If you really want to clean up the lips of those tailpipes try a piece of steelwool with the Sol to really pull off the carbonation thats baked on there. Trust me it works a charm and after u can refine the finish with some Sol on a cheap MF cloth...

I wouldnt use show polish on the modern rubber and plastic compounds that are on vehicles these days. A good trim dresser contains the necessary's to actually rejuvenate and protect them from the sun without smearing black pigment onto the buggers. Just my opinion.

You get good results with your process, so dont change it for me or anyone else here if u feel u dont need to. But if I were you, get yourself a good durable wax like collonite, petes or XXX or a good sealant to slap on that paint. Does water even bead at all on the surface anymore??? If not then seal it up properly. Nothing preserves and enhances your ride's finish better than protecting it properly.

Just my 2c
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