We love a good challenge here at Meguiar’s, and it’s safe to say the latest car to grace our Detailing Bay has pushed us right to the limit! What you’re looking at here is a 1990 Mk2 Golf GTI originally finished in Tornado Red. However – as you can see from the images above – the past few years haven’t been too kind to its bodywork, reducing the vibrant paintwork into shades of pink instead…

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Recently acquired by James Howe @ Kenwood Electronics, the Mk2 Golf had spent the last five years sitting outside unused and exposed to all the elements. Don’t be fooled by the faded paint, though. Underneath the GTI remained rust-free and solid, with the engine running as smooth as the day it left the factory. Could it really be saved without the need for a re-spray?

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Most people would see paintwork in this condition and presume it would be unsalvageable. While this is an extreme case – even by Meguiar’s standards – the results you see below have been achieved using nothing more than our G220 Dual Action Polisher, a selection of Meguiar’s compounds to replenish the super-dry paintwork and some of our most-popular finishing agents including Endurance Tyre Gel and Gold Class Wax. Oh, and plenty of elbow grease!

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As you can see from the finished photo below, James’ Mk2 Golf GTI looks absolutely stunning – it’s almost like a completely different car to how it first entered the Detailing Bay. Bringing paintwork back from this level of damage isn’t something we’d recommend for beginners, but it shows just what the Meguiar’s product is capable of achieving when applied correctly.

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We’ll be bringing you a full step-by-step guide on how we achieved this and the products used early next week!