Washed, Sealed, Waxed, and Photographed my Mk 7

"GTI MkVII" (gtimkvii)
07/14/2014 at 10:21 • Filed to: vw, gti, mk7, vwgti, volkswagen

Hey everyone. Long time browser and frequent commenter, but this is my first proper post. The weather here in south FL finally held out this weekend so it was the perfect opportunity to fully detail my MkVII for the first time =)

Started by washing as normal and then brought the car into the garage to cool off a bit. Then used Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection (a paint sealant) for the first time. VERY impressed with this stuff and according to others who have used it, it should last 3-6 months depending on weather and environment. Let that "cure" overnight and then waxed the car with Meguiar's Gold carnauba. The beauty of this regimen is that the wax is on top of the sealant so there's extra protection. Given that I park my car outside all the time, I'm very happy to have these extra layers.

But enough of the talking, you're all here for pics. Finally took my D7000 out for a couple of photos and very pleased with the results. Enjoy!

And for anyone interested in my other photography and creative work, my website/portfolio is !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

DISCUSSION (33)

Brian Silvestro > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 10:24

Looks sharp!

Vicente Esteve > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 10:26

Your Mk7 GTI is worthy of your first post.

Vimto > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 10:28

This isn't in Port St. Lucie is it? That parking garage looks very familiar.

$kaycog > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 10:29

Lovely car and photos! Nice first post!

GTI MkVII > Vimto
07/14/2014 at 10:32

Nope, Ft. Lauderdale area.

jkm7680 > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 10:33

Great looking car, and pictures! Hope to see more from you soon :)

quarterlifecrisis > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 10:47

Nice to see someone else that follows the synthetic sealant followed by carnuba regimine.

Nice photos as well. I've been itching to drive a Mk VII too.

liquid_popcorn > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 11:03

Gorgeous! Makes me want to detail my wife's car, haha.

MK7 GTI Autobahn DSG, light package, Deep Black Metallic.

GTI MkVII > liquid_popcorn
07/14/2014 at 11:06

Same as mine except the color!

GTI MkVII > quarterlifecrisis
07/14/2014 at 11:10

Highly recommend the Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection. It was my first time using it and I couldn't be more impressed. Was very easy to work with too - went on very easily and came off without any fuss.

quarterlifecrisis > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 11:18

Oddly enough, I just put in an autogeek order this morning.

Needed some new car wash, and remembered my Natty's Blue was getting a little low. Went for Natty's Red this time around. I'm pretty stocked on sealant, between Collinite, and a giant bottle of Poorboy's EX-P I bought when I still had a garage and was doing some detailing on the side. I'll keep that in mind for another order though.

Something I'd consider on your dark colored car, is something like Poorboy's Black Hole glaze. (I promise, I do use more than Poorboy's World products.) It has a few fillers in it, nothing like the Turtle Wax black box crap, but really does a good job of brining some depth to the paint, as well as hiding little micro swirls. I'm not advocating hiding things instead of fixing them, but just throwing it out there.

GTI MkVII > quarterlifecrisis
07/14/2014 at 11:20

Awesome to know. I'm just getting into the world of detailing and protecting paint so I'm eager to see what products work best. Will definitely look into all those things, thanks!

As for car soap, what do you recommend? I've been using Turtle Wax Ice, but there are surely better options out there.

Battery Tender Unnecessary > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 11:24

NICE. A friend just ordered a 2015 in the same color.

Tom McParland > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 11:29

Aw man...that looks great, this is not helping my patience to wait on the performance pack.

quarterlifecrisis > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 12:06

It's such a trial and error process...I get more excited about buying new products than I do using them at times.

I've been using a Chemical Guys wash as of late. I used the Poorboy's before, and prefer the Chemical Guys. I was actually hoping the Advance Auto Parts nearby would have the Griot's in stock, so I could save having to order and have one shipped...but they didn't.

I don't have a garage any more, so my detail regimine is a little stripped back; I layer wax a lot more frequently these days because of that. I usually tried to clay, polish, glaze, seal, and wax a couple times a year. Now it's getting the full treatment once, and will probably strip wax and reseal and wax again in the next month or so.

GTI MkVII > Tom McParland
07/14/2014 at 12:10

I initially wanted to wait it out too. And I would have if I wasn't rear ended in my previous car, totaling it. That rapidly accelerated my purchase time frame and I fully expected I'd miss getting a Mk7 as they weren't out yet at the time. Managed to snag the first one off the truck in South FL and got crazy lucky that it was the right color, options, and trim. All told though, I can't even reach the limits of the car on a daily basis (and don't plant to track it), so the PP wouldn't have been worth it for me after all.

I definitely recommend you test drive a non PP version if you haven't already. You might be pleasantly surprised!

liquid_popcorn > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 12:21

Nice!

Tom McParland > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 12:26

I plan on keeping this car for awhile and since time is on my side I would rather wait until the PP is available. Also there are a few corners in my morning commute that if I really push my Mazda3 it will start to wash out, I'd like to have that extra traction. Especially in the winter here in NJ.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 12:51

Kinja'd!!!

if you told me this was a Forza5 screen shot I'd believe you.

GTI MkVII > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
07/14/2014 at 13:55

Plot twist: it's a Forza 5 screen shot.

BigRed03 > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 15:56

Nice! I'm really considering selling the SVT focus and going in on a MKVII Golf TDI.

PS. Got my MS from FIU ;)

GTI MkVII > BigRed03
07/14/2014 at 16:01

The TDIs are great, though I will warn you - the Mk7 TDI still has a twist beam rear axle compared to the full IRS on the Golf TSI and GTI. Europe gets the TDI with IRS, but only because they don't have the diesel urea tank in the rear. =/

BigRed03 > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 16:07

Yeah, I'm aware...stupid Urea system...it pains me but GTI is a bit out of my range for options I'd like....

*Flame Suit* not fond of interior of ST twins and how I fit the seats. I'm 5'10" and 180 lbs, and not fond of the seats. Its true.

GTI MkVII > BigRed03
07/14/2014 at 16:27

Why not look into the Golf TSI then? Fuel economy is still pretty good, and looks really sharp with the right wheels.

Also not a fan of the ST's. Love their performance, but they lack the maturity and refinement I want in a car.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 16:43

Welcome! As one of the few local VW fanatics, I can truly say you have one beautiful german machine sir!
...I like the MK6 more personally, but there's no denying that the MK7 is hot as all hell!
what part of FL are you in? I know there are quite a few opponauts down there

GTI MkVII > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
07/14/2014 at 17:12

Thanks! I also love the Mk6, especially the R. Was tempted to go for a pre-owned one, but they're still quite pricy. Very pleased with my 7 though =)

I'm in Ft. Lauderdale.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 17:15

I think the closest oppo to you is at least half a state away :/

Alex B > GTI MkVII
07/14/2014 at 19:56

Great car and pictures. Welcome to Oppo!

BigRed03 > GTI MkVII
07/15/2014 at 07:28

No TSI SE with manual trans options :(

Plus, in the area I live in now, TDI makes sense to to fuel economy. Add a tune and I'm back up to approximately the 170bhp+ of my SVTf with about 150 more tq....and that'd be all I ever plan on doing to this car short of short-throw shifter. I'm buying a car I plan to drive for 10+ years. My dad has bought 3 Mustangs since 1970/1971: A '69 with 351 with a 4-speed manual, 83 GT 5-speed, 01 Builltt. He sold the 69 to buy the 83 which he still has. I've inherited these genes...

MechInjuneer > GTI MkVII
07/15/2014 at 11:23

Good to see a clean Mk 7 in the UCF area!

GTI MkVII > MechInjuneer
07/15/2014 at 11:43

Ft. Lauderdale actually! I graduated from UCF last year.

MechInjuneer > GTI MkVII
07/15/2014 at 12:14

Ah ok. The garage looks exactly like the ones I used to longboard down at UCF. The license plate just led me to believe even more.

jacob > GTI MkVII
07/16/2014 at 13:47

Love the last shot. Looks like a picture VW would have taken