Getting ready for the Annual Meet
 

Started the annual deep clean this weekend. First up was the paintwork, so here a a few photos of the bonnet, boot lid and rear wing. As you can see, we had a nice day for it!

+++

Looks lovely Jim

Shiny!
 

Looking great Jim! +++

I haven't got as far as the exterior yet; been working on the interior and the engine bay.

The engine bay is nice and clean now, complete with shiny new rings :)

The silver/grey paint had been flaking off the original engine cover rings and I was looking to repaint them. Instead, after a bit of research, I found the early Q7 rear badge (Part# 4L0 853 742 2ZZ) happens to be exactly the same size (to the millimetre in fact!).

I've also re-Woollied my driver's seat, which was beginning to look a little worn. Now it's like new again. I used a different technique this time which seems to have resulted in a much better (potentially harder-wearing) job. Ignoring the advice in Woollies' instructions (NOT to use brushes), I used a soft shoe polish brush to massage the dye in. I also used another shoe polish brush with a different leather cleaning product beforehand; I find that the blue Woollies' leather cleaner leaves the leather a little blue.


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:mad: Now I had just done the rings using an old set I had hanging about! Unfortunately there are 2 things wrong with mine which yours will show up - the rings (ex-bootlid) are a millimeter or 2 oversize and, secondly, I didnt want to drill out the plastic ones and so mounted the rings over the top of the plastic ones. It sort of works but yours make mine look amateurish :o

Very interesting. Did you manage to remove the old rings then?

:lol:

You could still remove the original and replace it with a Q7 badge -- it's easy to drill-out without any damage. If you (carefully and slowly) drill/countersink the fixings from the rear the badge pops off, with fixing posts intact, should you ever want to glue it back in. The Q7 badge doesn't have the fixing posts of course but it's a perfect fit, and it's properly chromed (unlike the original badge that's just silvery/grey painted). I can't see any reason you'd want to put the original back on, unless the Q7 boot badge proves to be unsuitable for the environment (ie if it melts!) .... time will tell! :eek3:

The Q7 badges can be had for about £17 inc postage:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252917182113

Yeah, I just used a large drill bit and (very carefully and slowly) removed the fixings from the rear, which essentially comprise of plastic posts that have been melted behind to hold it in place. You just have to be careful the drill doesn't snatch and go straight through. I suppose you could use a hand drill or countersink tool instead. There's enough left of the fixing posts that you could refit it with a little glue later, should you need/want to for any reason.

Is it fixed with 'double sided 3M VHB tape' that comes with the rings originally? A bit worried about the adhesive since its so hot there. Otherwise great mod!

It is. I just cleaned the area with alcohol first and stuck it down using the self-adhesive backing that it came with. Like I said, time will tell! ... I shall report back! :)

As long as the badge itself doesn't melt, if it does come unstuck or the badge begins to move around, I'll re-stick it using something more suitable.

Yes, please.

Would be great to know if it'll survive a 2-3 of months of summer driving.

Perhaps polyurethane adhesives will work, i.e.
1. Petec 94730 Car Body Sealant Adhesive Putty Black
2. Sikaflex by Sika
3. Sodudaflex by Soudal

Or super glue ...