Is the Dodge Challenger the last surviving American Muscle Car? We’ll leave that for you to decide. Regardless of your conclusion, we were very excited to spend some time with this 717-horsepower beast. We will be protecting this 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody with a Driver’s Package in XPEL Clear Bra and GYEON Ceramic Coatings.
Step 1: Decontamination Wash
As is the case with every one of our projects, we won’t start on any kind of protection until the vehicle is completely clean and decontaminated by our professional detailers. In order to remove surface grime and chemically decontaminate the paint, we will apply GYEON Q²M Iron and Q²M Foam to the entire car.
All new cars are exposed to a ton of paint contaminants during transport to their new owner. These contaminants include but are not limited to rail and brake dust and metal filaments. This first step will remove all of those things before we ever touch the vehicle.
Utilizing GYEON Q²M Bathe and the three-bucket method, we’ll move on to doing a gentle contact wash. It’s also important to clay bar the entire vehicle to remove any remaining embedded contaminants. Finally, we’ll use a BLO Car Dryer to perform a touchless dry on this vehicle. This Hellcat is now prepped and ready for proper protection.
Step 2: Paint Protection Film (PPF)
The owner of this vehicle opted for our most popular Clear Bra coverage system: The Driver’s Package. This is a near-perfect package for those looking to protect their enthusiast car. From years of experience protecting vehicles, we know exactly which parts of the car’s paint are most susceptible to paint damage like rock chips or bird droppings. Those are the areas that are protected as part of the Driver’s Package.
Before we start installing the PPF, it’s important that we use the XPEL Design Access Program to customize and print the clear bra pattern for individual panels. Because we are able to custom design patterns, we can ensure a seamless PPF installation before we even touch the vehicle.
Now that we have customized and printed our paint protection film, we can begin the installation. First things first, we’ll spray XPEL Installation Gel onto the panel we’ll be working with. The clear bra is then positioned on top and using a squeegee, the gel is pushed out from underneath the film. Without the gel separating the film and the paint, the adhesive on the clear bra is able to stick to the surface of the vehicle, protecting it for years to come.
Step 3: Paint Correction and Ceramic Coating
As mentioned above, this Hellcat will also be receiving a ceramic coating courtesy of GYEON. More specifically, we’ll be applying our Level 2 Ceramic Coating System. This is our highest-end, professional grade package, providing exceptional protection from chemical damage and UV rays as well as incredibly easy cleaning due to the hydrophobic properties from the silicon dioxide coating.
For all of the paint that isn’t covered with clear bra, it’s important that we polish out all of the imperfections in the paint using a machine polisher. This includes removing light scratches, swirl marks and water spots. While the ceramic coating does provide significant gloss, it’s worth noting that a lot of the gloss and shine that comes from a ceramic coating system actually comes from the paint correction stage.
When we’re done polishing any exposed paint, we’ll wipe the car down with Q²M Prep to clean off any remaining lubricants or grease on both the paint and PPF. Using a specialized applicator, the coating will be applied onto the paint and any excess will be removed with both a long and short fiber towel to reduce the risk of a high spot appearing on the paint.
Our Level 2 Ceramic Coating System includes GYEON Q² Infinite Base Type 1 as the base layer and GYEON Q² Infinite EVO TopCoat Type 1 as a second coat. The wheel faces and windshield will also be coated with GYEON Q² Rim and Q² View respectively.
Check out these finished shots! This Challenger is sure to be the glossiest cat in town while staying protected, no matter the conditions.
If you’re interested in protecting your automotive investment, please feel free to give us a call at 720-662-8520 or an email at info@denverautoshield.com.
