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2015 Z06 Detail, CQuartz FINEST - Gilbert, Arizona

7K views 20 replies 11 participants last post by  Wills.WindowsAndWheelsAz 
#1 ·
Having done our fair share of C7's this past year, it was only appropriate to begin the new year with a supercharged Z06 Stingray Corvette! The owner came by for us to get a look at it prior to the detail and man...if you thought the C7's stood out, the Z06 will just take your breath away.









Plenty of new focal points...starting with the 3.5" width increase to the back in...accompanied by 4'..yes, 4' of rubber. The owner said if all 4 tires were lined up side by side, you end up with 4' of rubber...insane! Not surprising though with the rear tires measuring a fat 335. The carbon fiber targa, new vent design, rocker kit and wheels all make this one amazing looking ride.



This helps too:





Which delivers this:







Now, onto the detail. #As noted in the title, this z06 was in for our CQuartz Finest New Car Prep "Jump Start" package. First up would be a thorough exterior detail, which it definitely needed since the owner said he had it up to over 170mph prior to bringing it to us! (shhhh! don't tell!)







A little dirty...







And with 650 hp come some monster brakes...which create monster dust:







You can see where i did a small finger swipe to show what the color SHOULD be. I really like the multi-spoke look of the z06 wheels, though Dani HATED them (she liked the look, but hated coating all those little spokes!)



Serious cleaning going on. Wheel woolies were worth their weight in gold to reach to the very back of these fat wheel barrels.



Runs a little rich hehe





Wheel woolies work great for these too, as you can see.





Iron X was then used to dissolve any iron particles (rail dust, brake dust etc) that had bonded to the paint:











All the purple specks that are bleeding are the iron particles melting away.



Next up, a thick foam bath with Iron X Snow Foam Soap.











We then used a clay bar to remove any other bonded contaminates, and then it was time to inspect the paint. SO ..you have a new car...its a z06, msrp was near 100k....paint must be awesome right? Come on now....we all know better:









Yup, thats your z06 a-pillar right there! Its ok...that'll buff right out !







A little before and after shot....and then









Thats better! Now as for that carbon fiber targa, it unfortunately was damaged as well:











But again, that'll buff right out...









After snapping these pictures, i texted them over to Michael Stoops from Meguiars, informing him we used Meguiars 205 and Meguiars new foam polishing disc to remove those defects, he appropriately replied "Hot Diggity!" Yes, hot diggity indeed!



The damage however, was still #lingering elsewhere. The spoiler on the z06 is different than the base C7, it has hardware. Hardware is a perfect place to get polish stuck into...solution? Little pieces of tape:





Annnnd what lied under the light of truth?







Swirls...duh. And a VERY small sanding mark about the size of a thumb.








The same polishing combo was able to remove all this with a couple of passes:





Dani in the mean time was rockin the white paint:






Id say it was turning out quite nice:







The license plate cut out was polished as well











All that paint on the underside of the diffuser was polished as well. Always love crawling around on the ground to do that part, but its painted, so it gets polished.
 
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#2 ·
After polishing this baby top to bottom, it was time to wipe it down with Eraser, making sure no polishing oils were left on the surface...and then it was time to break out the good stuff, CQuartz FINEST.







Complete with a 2 year warranty, warranty card, sticker and a mirror hanger that says "Warning, DO NOT WASH..if you do, detailers will personally hunt you down and take your head!" Ok it doesn't say that, but it does say to not wash or else you will be held liable for any damage...a very nice touch if i say so myself. I can't tell you how many times customers come to us with tears in their eyes after they took their car in for service and got the dealerships complimentary "Swirl and Shine" wash. 5 minutes is all it takes those pros to ruin 10+ hours of hard work.





Swirl monkeys!!!



Time to apply the gloss sauce, 2 coats on all paint, paint protection film (clear bra), headlights and tail lights













You can tell who does all the work here and who just takes pictures! I made her do the wheels too, they were made for little fingers, not my fingers!







BOOM!







In all seriousness, we split the coating duties up...we have a good system down. I tackle the hood, roof and rear hatch - along with the whole drivers side. Dani gets the front/rear clips and passengers side. We finish nearly at the same time...remove the first coat, apply the second...remove the second and then bust out the infrared lights to hard cure the coating:





These babies get HOT, but insure that the coating is cured to its hardest and glossiest potential.



After going round and round making sure every panel was cured...it was time to get those beautiful after pictures that we live for..i hope you enjoy.













I really loved this next picture:



















Now what some of you may notice there in the back, is our newly wrapped van. Same van...but it looks about 10 years newer with the wrap on it. It is the Arizona Detailing Bus! For those of you with really good eyes, you can see on the door, we have a C7...being that we are pretty well known for the extensive work we have done on quite a few GM cars. Well, i thought it would look cool to have this z06 on the other side (where the Ferrari is at towards the back of the van) to show two C7's, in black and white.













And of course, on the back of our van, we are representing only the Finest. Pretty sweet photo to end this write up. This was definitely another fun detail with an awesome outcome. This month so far has been filled with some pretty sweet cars and awesome details (just finished an Audi S3, BMW M235i and another Tesla this past week or so and have a 911 and Challenger lined up for the beginning of next week).



Obviously we dont always have time to post up extensive write ups like this, but we DO keep our social media pages up to date daily with whatever ride(s) we're working on. www.facebook.com/windowsandwheels is where we post the most often and we're also on instagram @WindowsAndWheelsDetailingAz ...just for any of you who may want to keep up on what we're working on.



Thank you all for taking the time to check this article out and for your continued support...it means a lot.



Take care.

 
#3 ·
Looks great! One curious question however, you said you can not wash your car after using CQuartz? If washing can damage CQuartz what about just driving it in the rain or is some parts of the country more like acid rain? If the car gets dirty how do you clean it?
 
#5 · (Edited)
most detailers I know use a rinseless wash like ONR for Cquartz. Or CarPro Reset, washed normally. I have been doing rinseless using the "garry dean method" for washes for a couple years...works perfect - See Garry's "how to" on you tube.

I'm sure the message was don't wash the car for 30 days after cquartz, as it is still curing....after that, you're fine.
 
#4 ·
I think is more of, they do not want you wiping the car down ( causes micro scratches), wash with water and light pressure washer and blow dry with a leaf blower or blaster.
 
#7 ·
Thanks again Wills!! I really enjoyed reading your post and seeing my car in your glamor shots! I couldn't be more pleased with the results of your work on my car and will recommend you to everyone I know. For anyone in Arizona looking to correct and protect your paint, Windows & Wheels is the real deal. Wills and his sister team up and sort through every square inch of your car and the improvements they make to your paint is substantial.

Derik
 
#8 ·
Had the pleasure of a long conversation with Wills and he is a really good, helpful guy. Yeah Wills and Dani! You two make a really skilled team!

You have an exquisite car "Derbo2!!!"
 
#9 ·
Thank you John. I am the luckiest guy I know!! I have never put a great deal of stock in paint sealants, but the Cquartz Finest is so slick and glassy, I'm a believer now. I hope that with love and care that these results are enduring. Time will tell, but the initial improvement in paint clarity and slickness can't be overstated. It has been one of those "discovered" necessities......that's what I told my wife and she's good with it :)

Derik
 
#11 ·
So far Derik after a year of c8k miles and most of it being in the harsh sun of the desert, the CQuartz Finest looks as good on RedHot as day one:

Red Orange Car Vehicle Hood
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Sports car Supercar
 
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#14 ·
How long it lasts depends on a lot of factors including how you use your car, how you maintain it, the type of environment you're in, etc.

Although the warranty for CQ Finest is only two years in length, I've heard reports of cars still exhibiting the properties of the coating well past that expiration date. All you can really do is keep an eye on it and if there's ever any question whether you're still protected or not, consult your installer (or, if you're using UK or Classic on your own, when in doubt do a quick polish and add another layer).
 
#16 ·
The best drying towels we've come across are the Dry Me Crazy carpro ones...super plush. We'll usually dry a bit of the windshield first to get a little bit of water on it and then wipe up the rest of whatever water/spots may be left over after blow drying. Its the only towel my sister will use on her personal car...and trust me, thats saying something!
 
#19 ·
Congrats on the new z06 :).

We have 3 different CQuartz Finest packages which you can find here: Services and Prices - Windows and Wheels Detailing -

The starting point is $1000 and includes a full exterior detail, clay bar / decontamination, 1-step polish to remove swirls and paint defects (assuming the paint is in like new condition this should be all thats needed, but we will inspect the car with you and point out to you what we see). The of course 2-coats of Finest, door jambs sealed, tips polished etc. Basically everything you saw here in the write up :)

The convertible top we would apply CQuartz Fabric coating to which will give it protection from UV damage and staining and help make it easy to keep clean.

Feel free to email me at windowsandwheels@aol.com or call me at 480-201-6270 if you'd like to discuss it further or would like to arrange a time for a consultation so we can check out the car.

By the way, what color is it?
 
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