This Jetta was in definite need of some TLC. The interior was filled with a blinding smoke stench and other oddities while the outside was oxidized and smothered with clearcoat failure and swirls.
I washed the car and clayed off all the contaminants that were left behind, I was lucky as there weren’t too many. Next I made a test spot and discovered that since the clear coat had been damaged, that I could use my least abrasive polish and pad – Swirl on a white pad. The oxidation wand swirls were quickly removed, leaving behind the battle scars from the clear coat failure. As you can see in the pictures, the clear coat gets a small crack and the elements can get below the clear coat and into the paint, once this happens, cracks begin to appear underneath the clear coat and form massive paint damage that can only be repaired by repainting. Several hours later and the car was swirl free and smooth, so I waxed the car with Prima Epic and let it cure. Next, I dressed the plastic trim and set to work on the tires and wheels.
Then I began to work on the interior – I had let the interior air out while I was polishing and could now sit without watered eyes. I vacuumed out the debris and quickly noticed that there were a lot of drink spills, so I got my extractor plugged in and let it sit to heat up. While my extractor was heating to 200*, I started cleaning the interior vinyls. Smoke, sweat and dirt had layered itself onto every surface and made everything feel sticky. Once the grime was off the vinyls, I protected them to help prevent further damage. By this time, my extractor was heated and I extracted the carpets and removed all stains. The mats had to be shampooed to remove set in stains and smoke. I then cleaned the windows and let the car air out for another hour and returned the car to the owner smoke-free with a gleaming exterior shine it hadn’t seen in awhile.
I then explained clear coat failure and how it could be prevented in the future, as well as pointed out some interior care.
