Question about new car stuff

F

Figz

New member
The girlfriend just got a beautiful '03 Passat 4motion wagon and I, as the auto enthusiast in her life, would like to keep it in good shape. So I have some questions.





1) The wood trim on the door handle on one of the doors has suddenly become dull, and has a matte look and feel to it. Parts of the handle are still smooth and glossy, yet other parts are a mess. What can I do to get the whole handle glossy. I have heard that using regular car wax is good. Any advice?



2) The car will be in far upstate NY and I will be in PA. I will visit/wash her car about 3 times/semester. I am thinking that a few coats of Klasse now and a few in the spring would be a good way to go as far as protection is concerned. As the car is new, I am planning on washing with regular car soap and then going straight for the AIO/SG. We have had the car for about a month and when wet, there is no real beading. I am assuming any wax the car has is pretty much gone. Does my plan sound ok? Any advice?



Thanks,



Tom

94 VW Corrado SLC

86 Jetta coupe
 
Congrats to your GF on a great car purchase. I've got a 2001.5 Passat GLX...



As for the door trim, I haven't experienced this yet, but my woodgrain tiptronic shift knob can get rough/gritty feeling after a little use. I just use a damp MF to clean off any residue or dirt. Come to think of it, I may try a little AIO on it to see if it does anything.



I would only change one thing about your initial washing. I would use dawn instead of regular car soap. I know AIO will remove a little wax, and it sounds like there might not by much (if any) wax remaining, but I'd use dawn just to be sure. You want to give the Klasse a perfect surface to bond to.



Enjoy it!



BTW, If you can't be there to moniter day-to-day car care, you might want to leave a QD & MF in the trunk for bird bombs. My girlfriend likes to let them burn into the paint for about 3 weeks :scared
 
DrewD said:
BTW, If you can't be there to moniter day-to-day car care, you might want to leave a QD & MF in the trunk for bird bombs. My girlfriend likes to let them burn into the paint for about 3 weeks :scared
Click to expand...



Larry Reynolds had a great idea. Keep some no salt seltzer water in your trunk. For bird bombs, you can shake it up and spray it like a hose. This will get most of the solids off of the car and then you can use QD.
 
I appreciate the comments. I'm not sure how to really say this w/out upsetting even myself, but the gf really has no interest in really keeping her car in shape. Don't get me wrong, she likes it when I clean it, but will not be putting any elbow grease on her own. The other thing is that she will be going to med school in the fall and will have time for little else than an oil change, at least this first year.



She thinks I will never be up to visit her since I am also in school and we are going to be 6 hours apart, but I have a feeling that her car will be a motivating factor.



Drew, how do you like your car? Any problems? Her car has about 1800 miles on it and no problems so far. I have heard a number of annoying problems with these cars on vwvortex, but thankfully, nothing like this has happened. Any recommendations or observations for keeping the car in good shape (other than the basic, follow the maintenance intervals).



Tom

94 VW Corrado SLC

86 Jetta coupe
 
Figz said:
I appreciate the comments. I'm not sure how to really say this w/out upsetting even myself, but the gf really has no interest in really keeping her car in shape. Don't get me wrong, she likes it when I clean it, but will not be putting any elbow grease on her own. The other thing is that she will be going to med school in the fall and will have time for little else than an oil change, at least this first year.



She thinks I will never be up to visit her since I am also in school and we are going to be 6 hours apart, but I have a feeling that her car will be a motivating factor.



Drew, how do you like your car? Any problems? Her car has about 1800 miles on it and no problems so far. I have heard a number of annoying problems with these cars on vwvortex, but thankfully, nothing like this has happened. Any recommendations or observations for keeping the car in good shape (other than the basic, follow the maintenance intervals).



Tom

94 VW Corrado SLC

86 Jetta coupe
Click to expand...





If I you don't mind me asking, where is she going to med school?
 
Figz said:
I appreciate the comments. I'm not sure how to really say this w/out upsetting even myself, but the gf really has no interest in really keeping her car in shape. Don't get me wrong, she likes it when I clean it, but will not be putting any elbow grease on her own.
Click to expand...



I know exactly what you mean. My GF always wants to know why I don't put in equal "obsessive detailing" time into HER car, and I can't break it to her that I don't want hours of my time wasted by letting water spots and bird bombs destroy the finish when I'm not around to take care of it.



As for the Passat, only a few (very) minor problems to date. A buzzing speaker and a loose cupholder tab. It's a great car.



Back to detailing... anyone else have advice for Figz?
 
If the surface is rough, you can clay then do the Klasse twins. I find that Klasse applied twice a year is good.



For the wood trim, I like to use Zaino Z-6 quick detailer. It cleans it, shines it, and actually prevetns finger prints and dirt from sticking, below is a BMW with its trim done with Z-6 (not wood, but I think the finish is the same as on other coated trim, the BMW 528 I did had coated wood trim, Z-6 worked on this too.) Maybe any QD could work?



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I will have to give the Klasse stuff and QD method a try. I'll let you guys know which one is more effective. I think I definitely have a sickness because regardless of how poorly the cars she owns are taken care of, I still like to clean them. Who knows though, maybe I will just grow tired of being so anal about the cars. It is much different cleaning a small car like my Corrado, than it is her huge wagon. I was looking in a variety of car care places in my area and I surprised to see that no one appears to make stuff specifically for wood trim. Do you guys think something like End Dust or something used for wood furniture would work?



Tom

94 VW Corrado SLC

86 Jetta coupe
 
My fave product for interior wood trim is Plexus. Does a great job of polishing and protecting not only coated wood but coated carbon fiber, IP lenses, and plastic convertible windows.
 
Figz:



Just got my wife a Passat GLS sedan--1.8T about two months ago. She is heading out of town at the end of the month, so I have plans on detailing the car. I went ahead and detailed the outside rubber and plastic with 303 protectant. It really enhances the color of the trim and does not seem to attract dust or dirt. I only hand wash the car (weekly) using a two-bucket method suggested in many of the posts. Use Meguiars Gold Class and really like it.



I am still trying to make a decision as to what to put on the Passat. I will wash it with Dawn to remove the wax presently on it. Then clay it to remove any imbeded containments (using Mother's clay bar system). I had a friend of mine give me two bottles of Meguiar's #20 Polymer Sealant--he was going to detail his car but whimped out and is taking it to a local shop. I was going to buy a Klasse sample pack from yosteve.com, but now that I have the Meg's #20--I will most likely use it. I plan to put on a couple of coats and maybe top it with Megs #26, if I have time.



I have a ruby red 01 Olds Alero that I am going to use some 3M products on. It has some minor swirl marks, so going to hit it with 3M Swirl Remover, a coat of IHG, and then a couple of coats of Show car wax (again, after having washed with Dawn and claying).



If I were you, I would think about getting some 303 Fabric Protectant and doing the interior of your gf's car. Is she one to eat and drink in the car and use it as a "large purse?" If so, hitting the interior with 303 would be wise.



I wish you both the best. I was in a similar situation when I was an undergrad--going to school in Colorado and having a gf in Nebraska--eight hours across the plains one way. I made the trip about four times in one semester and that pretty much put an end to the relationship. The last trip I got caught in a blizzard in western NE and spent four days stranded at a truck stop.



Let us know how everythign works out and again, good luck:xyxthumbs
 
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