Show & Shine: 2011 Black Jeep Grand Cherokee wrapped, CQ DLux, CQ Forte, CQ Finest - Picture HEAVY!

[Dr_Pain]

Now that things are finally slowing down a bit for me I think it is time for a Show & Shine.

The Story



This 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee shows up at the shop with close to 60k miles on the odometer. It was brought to us for a major transformation. The owner left the Jeep with us with a work order as to what was expected. The following was to occur

1) A 2 step compound/polish
2) Vinyl wrapping of all the chrome
3) Smoke vinyl wrapping of the tail lights
4) Paint Coating using CQuartz Finest
5) Glass Coating using CQuartz FlyByForte
6) Exterior plastic restoration and coating with CQuartz DLux
** Interior to be done at a later time (when the new rims and tires come in for coating)

A general inspection was done with the owner and paint thickness measurements were taken in a few spot to make sure we had enough clear to manipulate. A quote was given and a handshake was exchanged. Needless to say that our game plan changed a little after the initial wash and following a more thorough inspection.

Here are my "Always and Never teachable moment" for you guys. Always do a THOROUGH inspection and Never set a quote in stone thinking that this nonchalant attitude shows your customer that you "know your stuff". Wisdom dictates that the expert will give a quote, do his due diligence in further inspecting the vehicle and contact the customer to get a final agreement on the game plan.... but how many times do we actually follow wisdom??. Personally, I know my craft pretty well and am usually within less than $100 off on my initial quote (on the big paint correction). This does instill confidence with my customers that I am a "professional" and that I know my stuff, and it does facilitate a more positive experience when they come to pick up their car (as opposed to being hit with a large bill "due to unforseen"). But if I would have taken my preliminary findings on this job, I would have lost my tail on it. Here is why:

1) We did an initial inspection in less than stellar lighting condition (and on a dirty vehicle). Gouges, road rash, and typical scratch and swirls were found HOWEVER the buffer trail was missed on the rear passenger quarter (the only place with it)





So what does that mean?..... Well, only 2 things: #1 someone attempted to cosmetically improve the area #2 a repair was done. Taking the Defelsko PTG out again helped identify which case I was facing.... a repair!! The PTG would not register there was so much bondo and the surrounding paint thickness (which would register) was very thin, compared to the rest of the car which registered in the mid 130 microns. Before contacting the customer I opted to do a test spot. This paint for some reason was ROCK HARD and in order to achieve the results he wanted I had to add one more compounding step. I did contact the owner who was very apologetic about the oversight and a NEW game plan was devised.

The following was the state of the paint:




The test spots:





The "process" was simple:

#1 FG400 + purple wool pad on the Flex3401
#2 PF2500 + orange LC pad on Rupes 21
#3 CarPro Reflect + CarPro FlashPad on Rupes 21 (after the vinyl wrap was done)

Then came the vinyl wrapping. We purchased our supplies, disassembled the front end and began to wrap all the chrome pieces.... which is a REAL PAIN!!!, and "smoked" the tail lights







The last compounding step was done after the vinyl wrapping because of the associated marring that occurs when you wrap. Some may ask: "Why did you not wrap then compounding?" and the simple answer is because I found that I could be a lot more aggressive (going to and over the chrome trim) then if I was to wrap, tape etc.... There was very little marring so the 3rd step was a breeze! The hood did take 3 steps just from prior neglect and abuse but in all it spot polishing around the Jeep was all it took to bring it to my standards

The next step in the process was to apply the paint coating. We've selected CQuartz Finest which was to be baked on, and decided on a 3 layer process.







The next step in the transformation was the CQDLux and CQuartz FlyByForte. Then she was ready for the unveiling. Being that it is "yuk season" the lighting did not give true justice to how the Jeep came out. It is literally "glass like". She still has the "scars" but you quickly forget about those minor imperfections when blinded my the "flake pop" and glossy appearance.












https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/...53&oe=5542DA5C








I sure hope you enjoyed this little Show and Shine. As always I welcome comments, criticism and questions. In case I don't get a chance to post another one this year..... Happy New Year and see y'all next year!

[runrun411]

Very nice work. Labor intensive. How long did it take?

[Dr_Pain]

Very nice work. Labor intensive. How long did it take?

So far about 36 manhours!

Thanks for the comment runrun, I was getting concerned with the lack of responses this morning. I am going through the pics of my next big detail and was actually wondering why I should take 1 hr to put all that stuff together for another Show and Shine

[runrun411]

I am going through the pics of my next big detail and was actually wondering why I should take 1 hr to put all that stuff together for another Show and Shine

LOL, I could definitely understand your feeling that way. The detail itself is a lot of hard work. And then the extra work it takes to do the story and post the pictures. Whew.

Believe me, your work is not in vain in my eyes.

[haris300]

Awesome job, especially on the wrapping bits. That paint was a mess. Looks flawless now.

[Tato]

Holy Claude, when I saw you just placed a new thread I knew to expect something but in fact it's unbelievable what you just did!

Congratulations on your professionalism and talent, the before pics are horrendously beautiful, the after pictures express the beauty of sunshine - on black. You're great my friend,

Thanks a lot for sharing many other details and processes as well,

Happy new year!

[fly07sti]

Great work Claude! What vinyl did you use on the lights?

[JSou]

I always love your threads and how informative they are. Claude you are a detailing maestro! Love the work on this one.

Happy New Year to you and yours!

[FrankS]

Excellent work as always and very informative...thanks for sharing

[wdmaccord]

Very nice work on that one! What was your process and products for restoring the black plastic trim around the vehicle (other than CQDlux)...looks better than factory new!