As some of you might have read, my boyfriend's 1999 BMW 328i is unfortunately no longer cost-effective to keep--it needs a new transmission and suspension, fixes that would cost well over what he paid for the car. So, he's trading it in on a 2005 Volkswagen Passat wagon with 115K miles on it. We are actually trading in the BMW today and picking up the Passat. Before making the deal I took it to a reputable shop in town. It needs a few small repairs, but the most pressing being the timing belt (never replaced in 115K :yikes: ) and the brake fluid reservoir, which is cracked. Those are getting fixed at a reputable shop tomorrow. The rest are small things that I can fix over time as they wear out. Anyway, I'm posting a few of the pics of it the dealer has, and I will be posting more as I work on it. For a station wagon it's really clean, doesn't look like the previous owners used it to cart around kids and pets. I've always loved these wagons, and I'm glad he's getting one and I can't wait to get to work on it!
Great run around car. Now, once you win the lottery, stance it, get some nice BBS LM's and make it FLUSH! Nice purchase though, kudos to you guys, still a shame about the BMW.
Sweet. I see you had the VW influence on your BF. I did the same when it came time to buy my wife a new car. Not to threadjack, but his and hers:
Chase, looking good! I need to get a photo like that with both of our cars whenever I can get them both clean at the same time. haha. I haven't had time to detail it yet, right now it's in the shop getting a new timing belt and brake fluid reservoir. Hopefully it'll be done tomorrow early afternoon when I get out of class, so I can work on detailing it then. The car has some minor scratches that I'm going to try and hand polish out. Since I don't have paint correction stuff yet, I'm just going to wash/clay/wax it for now. He and I are going to pool our money to buy some stuff next spring though, so both of our cars can look their best At some point someone has gone at this thing with a buffer and way too much polish...there's splatters of it on various areas (including under the hood) on the car and buffer trails. One question though, it has this clear wrap material near the rear wheels, and on the driver's side it's coming off. I feel like it's served its useful purpose on both sides, so I guess it's time to peel it off. How would you recommend me get the sticky residue off? I've got a few different types of APC's/degreasers, as well as Stoner Tarminator.
Might not hurt to get some 3M adehsive remover once the film does come off to get any residual adhesive product off the paint.
I do have some updates to report, although no pictures as of yet. The timing belt and brake fluid reservoir have both been replaced. We've already taken it on a trip to Louisville and back and I have to say its quite a car! Very comfortable, and fun to drive. A little down on power in some situations, but that doesn't really bother my boyfriend...I'm more of a sporty driver than he is Detailing on this car is going to be sporadic, mostly due to conflicting schedules and lack of a garage to allow my preferred late night detailing. I've got the interior mostly cleaned up (save for some headliner spot treating and some pet hair removal in the trunk). For now I just washed, clayed, and waxed the exterior. Correction will probably have to wait till spring, when I've got some more money to buy the necessary materials and more time to work with. I rotated the tires but had no time to clean them, however that should be done soon. When I'm not on my phone ill post some pics.
Okay so I had a good post typed out but my computer froze and I don't feel like retyping it. Basically, I've done a wash/clay/wax on it, and a good interior detail. Paint correction will occur after I get the supplies, hopefully for Christmas. Wheel barrels still need a deep cleaning, a few interior bits need a little extra attention. Engine bay will get a detail when I have access to a hose and finish working in the engine bay, I've gotta replace the coolant temperature sensor and if that doesn't solve the problem, the thermostat. A few other little things need attention, but it's a fantastic car. I've got a soft spot for station wagons, my mom got a brand new 2001 Volvo V70 T5 when I was growing up, and I have many memories in that car. The Passat is great to drive, especially on long trips. It's comfortable, economical, and has loads of room. Someone took care of this car...maybe not in the way we try to but they did nonetheless. There were no signs of serious spills on the interior, wheels look decent, all scratches on the exterior were touched up, the headlights have been corrected. They did carry a dog in it though, and I have still not managed to get all the damn dog hair out of the back. On to some pictures...Just taken after an ONR wash yesterday. Interior was just vacuumed out and other than that hasn't been touched since I detailed it a few weeks ago. I love the floormats my boyfriend just got as well. I took close-ups of some areas that will need special attention, if anyone has any tips on how to tackle these (both interior and exterior areas) please let me know. I know the scratches will probably require wetsanding.
Thanks! And considering the fact that I've heard we may have quite a nasty winter, I'd rather wait till after that to put hours of hard work into this car
