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Vinyl Wrap: '05 Saab 9-2x Aero

13K views 48 replies 30 participants last post by  chicago1 
#1 ·
Hey TSC! It’s been awhile since I’ve had the time to do a little write-up of my work, so I thought I’d share what went into this recent project of mine! Hope you all enjoy…. This is a long one ;)


Year - 2005
Make - Saab
Model - 9-2x Aero
Color - Desert Silver Metallic
Vinyl - Avery Dennison Lagoon Blue Matte Metallic


I purchased this car a couple months ago from Kirkland, Washington off of AutoTrader. Low miles, one owner, very clean, straight body, etc etc… I needed it. My biggest gripe about the car was that the paint that came on this thing from the factory is, in my opinion, Ugly. So before it arrived, I knew something had to be done about it and that’s when the vinyl was ordered. I chose Avery’s Lagoon Blue Matte Metallic simply to be completely different from what anyone would see on the road. It’s a very unique color, being Matte and having a Metallic flake in it, it almost changes color in different lighting. In addition to vinyl wrapping, other areas of the car needed attention to go with the entire “look”, so you will see that documented here as well.

This car is daily driven, and on top of that, I don’t have the time to spend maintaining (Waxing/Sealing etc.) the vinyl and every other surface on this car regularly, so it only made sense to protect it, top to bottom, with the best protection available and forget about it. For this, I chose CarPro’s CQuartz Nano-Coatings and Optimum Polymer Technologies’ Ceramic Coatings.

Recently, I became the first and only Authorized Installer in the State for CQuartz Finest. Now I won’t get too into describing this phenomenal product right now, as I’ll be working on this write-up all through the night if I did, so for now I’ll just say that it’s AMAZING! 


See below for some quick info and be sure to visit the links to find out more about these two Paint Protection Coatings:
- CQuartz Nanotech Ceramic Automotive Paint Coating
- Opti-coat.com


Unlike waxes and sealants, CQ Finest adds a measurable 2~3µm thick protective “glass” coating. While the durability of wax and sealants which is measured in months, CQFinest durability is measured in years!

CQ FINEST is the most exclusive automotive surface protection in the world! Only available to select detailers, Finest was designed specifically for those with discerning tastes for its exceedingly rich & glossy finish, as well as its ability to resist the elements and protect like no other. While its beauty is undeniable, that is only the start! Long term protection of that beauty and resistance to the environment is equally important. Utilizing a proprietary condensed nanotech material, FINEST adds a measurable 3µm tough, high gloss “glass” layer, which protects the paint from dirt, brake dust, bugs, bird bombs, and tar for a minimum of two years. To experience the glossiest finish and best protection on the market, visit CQuartz Nanotech Ceramic Automotive Paint Coating for more information.



Here she is upon arrival:



















Sun-Beaten, Dry, & Faded Trim


Rainbow Trim


More faded Trim that needs attention


Exhaust needs replacing


Stock wheels are nice and rash-less but wouldn’t fit the ‘New Look’


Ugly rusted rotors and calipers


Oxidized dull, dirty, and unprotected paint.


Water laying flat on the paint is not a good sign. I was fearing heavy amounts of contamination at this point…


The rain was clinging to the glass as well showing no signs of protection. This glass will be clayed, polished and protected later




I got lucky with the Interior being basically flawless. No smoke, pets, stains, tears, rips, or scratches! It did have a mild odor but that would be easily remedied later in the write-up








After initial inspection, the first thing I do with any used car I purchase is change the Cabin Filter! Before the New filter was installed, So2 Pure was applied to kill bacteria and odors before they enter the cabin.

47,000 miles of filth trying to make it’s way through the ventilation system!




Air filter was next. Almost like someone coated it with grease and oil


Next was getting rid of every bulb and replacing them with LEDs. Really cleans up the look, and very bright white light makes it much easier to see!

Before


After


Before


After


Before




After


Rotors, Pads, & Calipers were next!

I ended up breaking a caliper bracket bolt :(…. Shout out to BLVD Automotive for helping with the fix!


Everything ended up turning out just fine!

Before


After






The Brake Calipers and Rotors were coated with Opti-Coat. The pic below shows some water beading after it had cured…




-DiamondDetail
 
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39
#2 ·
*Continued*


Walked out in the morning after a full night of rain and saw that this poor car is seriously lacking some good protection on it's paint! Pic shows the rear portion of the roof on the Saab


And here's our other car parked right behind it. Same area on the roof, same angle. That's a great example of how water should act when your paint is protected with a durable product! If water on your paint doesn’t look like it does in the picture below, then you need at the very least, to wax it.


The clouds decided to go away for a bit so I could see what the vinyl looked like in the Sun!



A Big Thank You goes out to Wayne (aka RatFink) for tossing my old rusted exhaust to the side and installing the Sti catback! Much better looking and a nice subtle rumble ;)


The Wheels arrived.
After they were washed and dried, they were coated with Optimum Opti-Coat.

Optimum’s Opti-Coat is a hard wearing, aftermarket, ceramic clear coat for superior resistance to scratching (9H) and chemical etching from environmental impacts. It provides permanent protection for all factory paints, and can also be applied to exterior glass, metal, and hard plastic surfaces. This coating is the perfect candidate for my wheels as I hate spending the time cleaning all the caked on brake dust that accumulates in such a short period of time. Opti-Coat makes it much more difficult for brake dust to adhere to the wheel and most importantly, makes cleaning much easier




Every inch was coated



Making sure to get behind the spokes




After the Coating cured, I tested the water beading on the center caps. Perfect spherical beads!


Carpro’s ReLoad Silica Spray Sealant was used to Top the Opti-Coat on the wheels


On to the Wash and Decontamination:

The car was Foamed and left to dwell to help loosen any dirt on the surface before we touch the paint. This helps reduce the chance of scratching/marring the surface while washing. Foam was rinsed off, re-Foamed, Hand Washed, Rinsed, then Dried via warm filtered air through a blower.


After the car was dried, the paint, glass, exhaust tip were Clay Bar’d.

Have you ever felt your paint after it has just been washed? Does the surface feel gritty, almost like sand paper? What you’re feeling are contaminants that have embedded themselves into your clear coat and they cannot be removed with a normal washing. A Clay Bar is used with a lubricant to remove these contaminants that are stuck on the clear coat! After a Clay Bar Treatment, your paint is left feeling smooth as glass!

*Important* By continually having a layer of protection on your paint, whether it be a wax, synthetic sealant, or coating, you will greatly reduce the accumulation of these contaminants over time! Clean paint not only looks and feels better, but your layer of protection will last much longer as well.

Clay Bar before


Clay Bar after claying a 2x2 foot section. The Clay has picked up an immense amount of contamination


After Claying, I gave all the paint and glass a thorough soaking of IronX and agitated every inch with a boar’s hair brush.
IronX is a chemical cleaner that works its way into the pores of the paint and dissolves the contamination that a Clay Bar cannot reach. While clay will remove Above surface bonded contaminants, IronX works to clean the paint even further Below the surface. After Claying and an IronX treatment, you are left with a super clean and smooth surface that is correctly and properly prep’d for polishing, a wax/sealant/coating, or in this case, Vinyl!





A chemical reaction occurs when IronX comes in contact with contamination, and the liquid will turn red/purple as it starts dissolves them.










After the final decontamination step (IronX), the car was pulled outside for another foam wash and rinse. Once again it was dried, and now that it is 100% clean, I was able to see the true condition of this paint. The Sun showed me that swirls, spider webs, and marring was present on all panels. Luckily I will be covering it up with vinyl!



Vinyl Wrap:

Here are some before and after shots of the wrap in progress














Bumper was finished and removed so that I could install the headlights and the New bulbs to go with them.

Stock Bulbs on the left, Replacements on the right


Parking lights, Before


And After


Stock HID and parking lights *Left, Replacements on the *Right


After the bulbs were in and tested, it was time for a minor headlight restoration. Below you can see by the reflection of the fluorescent lighting on the lens. The headlight lens doesn’t look bad, but still somewhat hazy/cloudy and pitted.

Before


After. Results are crystal clear




Once they were all cleaned up, Opti-Lens Coating was applied to the pair.

Optimum’s Opti-Lens Coating is the most advanced pre-polymer resin for headlight protection. Once applied to the headlight or other hard surfaces, the resin will form covalent bonds with the substrate and crosslinks to form a permanent film. Opti-Lens coating contains high levels of UV blockers to prevent headlights from fading over time.
In our harsh New Mexican environment, where our vehicles are exposed to extreme temperatures and enormous amounts of UV rays all year round, you can see even New vehicles’ headlights oxidizing in a very short time. This car will sit outside 24/7, so a product such as Opti-Lens is a must to keep my re-freshed headlights looking clean and clear.



All done




-DiamondDetail
 
#3 ·
*Continued*


Before reinstalling the front bumper, the fog lights needed some attention. The plastic surrounds were coated with CQuartz DLux Trim Coating.
Uncoated on Left, Coated on Right


Closer Look


CQuartz DLux is NOT a Trim dressing. It does not have a greasy/oily feel to it and does not attract dirt/dust like other products! It is a Silane-based glass coating that contains more than 50% pure silica. After application, the coating cures to form a super hard and extremely durable glass-like barrier that restores your faded trim to a Like-New appearance. It can withstand temperatures in excess of 800 degrees Fahrenheit and will last 12+ months!

The picture below shows a couple drops of the product that I let cure overnight in a plastic container to demonstrate it’s nature and the layer it will build on the surface it’s applied to.


One of my fog lights had a hole in the front so they were both tinted using a yellow film to lock out any moisture that could potentially cause problems down the road


The Front Grille was painted with Plasti-Dip to get rid of the chrome surrounds




Everything was then reinstalled




The single sheet of vinyl was wrapped completely under the bumper and tucked away


Weather stripping was removed to wrap the rear quarters and complete pillar








Rear Bumper Cover










Hatch








Doors








Rear Spoiler




The LED brake light on the spoiler was tinted




Hood Scoop




Exterior B-Pillars and side mirrors wrapped in Carbon Fiber






Side Skirts




Car was pulled outside to take advantage of the sun and bake for a few hours




Door cups and handles complete




-DiamondDetail
 
#4 ·
*Continued*


Wrap Complete:







Interior Detail:

The leather seats and door cards were thoroughly scrubbed down using a PH balanced leather cleaner and a gentle horse hair brush, rinsed with distilled water, then dried. After all leather was properly prepped, it was time to seal in the cleanliness with CQuartz Fabric and Leather Coating.

CQuartz F&L uses nano-technology to provide the leather with a very durable, long-lasting hydrophobic layer, that will protect against UV degradation, sweat, salt, water, liquids, dirt, bacteria and stains. Perfect for this cream colored leather that is very tough to maintain. Best of all, once this products cures, there is no greasy/oily feel to it like other leather “dressings” and it adds a slight sheen to the leather, making it look New, NOT wet and glossy.



Application


Leather seat, Before CQuartz F&L


After CQ F&L. You can see it added a nice satin finish and darkened the leather up a bit


To test the product’s hydrophobic properties, I sprayed distilled water onto an untreated leather door card. When I tried to wipe the area clean, the water just smeared/spread which took a few passes to dry completely


The same area was sprayed once more after it was treated with CQ F&L. You can see very tight water beads, which made clean-up effortless



After the leather was coated, I moved onto the carpeting and headliner to address the mild odor that remained in the fabric from the previous owner.

For this, CarPro’s So2 Pure Odor Eliminator was used. So2 Pure is an advanced high-end grade purification coating based on the latest nano-science technology.

The carpeting and headliner were thoroughly cleaned using various products before applying So2 Pure



Interior After:







Dash and Center console were cleaned of its old oily film, then all vinyl/plastics were dressed using a non-greasy satin finish UV Protectant



Exterior Surface Protection:

Entire Car was thoroughly cleaned with CarPro’s Eraser so that no body oils interfere with the Coatings’ bond to each surface


CQuartz DLux came back out to coat the rest of the Trim and Carbon Fiber vinyl


Before


After


Just to give an idea of how CQuartz Performs, The left side is untreated/raw Carbon Fiber vinyl and the right side was coated with CQuartz DLux Trim Coating. The results are nothing short of spectacular. Super hydrophobic


50/50 faded Trim


Finished up nicely



For all exterior glass, I went with CQuartz FlyBy30 Windshield and Glass Coating. The glass had already been clayed earlier in the write-up, so all that was left to do was polish and then apply the coating.

CQ FlyBy30 resists the friction and abrasion from road rash, wiper blades, dust, car washes, harsh cleansers, and the environment. With a high water droplet contact angle and low sliding angle, FlyBy30 promises fast repellency and glass that is easily cleared from rain, ice, snow, and bugs.



Applying FlyBy30 to windshield


After the exhaust tip was clayed, polished and cleaned, it was coated with Opti-Coat


Ambient and surfaces temperatures noted before application


CQuartz Finest Coating was applied in two thick coats to all vinyl


CQuartz Finest is warrantied to last a minimum of 2 years! Door Jambs were cleaned and coated as well


Then ReLoad was used to top the Coated surfaces


CQuartz Protected





I performed a similar test to the vinyl as I did with the leather earlier in this write-up. Below are a few pictures I took after distilled water was sprayed onto the raw untreated vinyl after the hood had been wrapped. You can see that vinyl naturally beads water fairly well, much better than raw unprotected paint





Closer look



The next set of photos show how the water acts to the vinyl surface after it has been Coated with CQuartz Finest. Nice, consistent, and uniform water beads



A closer look



Even closer. The water beads act as a magnifying glass in this photo and show off the metallic flake in the vinyl! Not bad!



Finishing touch was dressing the rubber with a semi-gloss no-sling tire dressing




-DiamondDetail
 
#6 · (Edited)
Conner (aka Cwsly) and I recently took a short trip up the mountain for some killer snow shots. Couldn't have been a better day for it!
I just wanted to show off the photos he took of the car. Came out great IMO!

Thanks again, Conner! :beer:


One other thing I wanted to add, was that the car hadn't been washed in a couple weeks when we took these photos! It was rained on and still looks quite clean. CQuartz Finest along with all other coatings used, are making my life much easier! :)
































Of course we had to plug my pup in here! :lol:






Update: 12/27/13

I wanted to share a few photos showing how the vinyl looked after it had been rained on for a few hours. The car hadn't been washed in a couple weeks and thanks to the self-cleaning properties of CQuartz Finest, It basically washed itself!











-DiamondDetail
 
#32 ·
Thanks man! It's kind of scary how much different it looks. A few people that had seen the car before all the work was done, asked me if I had already got sick of it and bought a newer one! Then they were shocked to find out it is the same car, and it's not paint! :lol:

Wow, thats amazing.

I know I need to get my V done soon.
Thanks Hattori! I'd be happy to, just let me know whenever you're ready!

Great job looks 1000x better. Do you do this for a living? If so I would be interested on getting my car wrapped.
Thank you! And to answer your question, Yes, Detailing and Vinyl wrapping is my full time job. Shoot me a pm if you're interested in getting your car wrapped and I can go over some details with you.

That looks good
Thanks Troy!

Awesome car, and awesome job Elija, glad you like the pics! When I'm not completely broke I'm definitely having you do a full treatment of the GTO
Thanks Conner! Your pics are the icing on the cake in this thread no doubt!
We'll get that GTO looking proper when the time is right.

Great work once again bro!!
Thanks Chris!

Clean saaburu. Nice work
Thanks Giggle!

This is incredible. Do this for a living?
Thanks Uber, and yes I do!

Jesus christ! amazing job as always!
Thanks Nova, much appreciated :beer:

Bravo Elija! Damn good work as always
Thanks for the kind words Matt!

My turn my turn
We thinkin Matte White?? :lol:

He does amazing work !!!
Thanks a ton Mike!

Amazing...
Thanks Vincent!

Awesome. Hands down the best detail and wrap jobs I've seen on this forum!!
Thank you sir! :thumbsup:

Nice job! Do you plan on putting the badges back on?
Thanks man!
I ordered New badges while the wrap was in progress, and they weren't here in time when the pics were taken. Saab is known to have put on crappy badges (at least on these years) that delaminate and discolor. One of mine looked awful so in the trash both of them went!

Wow you do some great work...wish I liked in ABQ, my srt4 could really used the interior cleaned...can't figure out how to clean the seats....
Thanks Koda. PM me with your concerns and I may be able to help with recommending products to help you.

Very nice stuff. I had my hyundai opticoated the 1st day I got it. That stuff works great.
Thanks Unreal, You are a very smart man for doing that!

Very nice and those who are asking if he does it for a living he's a vendor so yes that's the business name. Diamond Detail...I could be wrong but it seems obvious...well maybe not to some I guess.
Thanks Chicago! :)

Holy hell that is an amazing job
Thanks Suicide!

Your attention to detail is one of the most meticulous I've ever seen! Car came out great! One of these days I'll get with you to restore the headlights on my STi.
Where do you source your LED bulbs from? I'd like to start replacing my old yellow-brown bulbs with some nice white LEDs.
Thanks a million for helping me out Wayne! It's the little things that make the difference! I'm ready when you are for the headlights!

I order all my LED lighting from High Performance LED Car Lighting, Light Bulbs, LED Headlights, Taillights, Turn Signals, and Brake Lights. I will get you part numbers for all the bulbs in your car so that you can replace them.

Phenomenal
Thanks VMan!

Nice job
What does something like this cost? I have a sunbeam and don't want to go to all the hassle of stripping paint off and painting and buffing.
Thank you TTT!
Cars run about $2k+
Of course the final price is determined by how far we take it with disassembly/reassembly etc etc. Also, which route we take to protect the wrap after installation will affect the cost as well.



-DiamondDetail
 
#12 ·
Awesome car, and awesome job Elija, glad you like the pics! When I'm not completely broke I'm definitely having you do a full treatment of the GTO
 
#15 ·
This is incredible. Do this for a living?
 
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