2010 was a big step up for the team here at NWAS, and 2011 has been leaps & bounds more! We have really started to settle in to our new home off Ash Way in Lynnwood. The build progress of the shop spanned just around 10 weeks, not including a few more on top of that to construct the cyclorama to a point of functionality. Between the extra space & all new equipment, the new NWAS HQ is bigger & better than ever – so, let’s recap what 2011 had to offer!

NEW SPACE, NEW TOYS

There aren’t many full sized cyclo-rooms around to begin with, and although ours is a snug fit it’s plenty accommodating even for a large SUV like one of the Cats Lamborghini LMs. It’s an incredible resource to have at our disposal not only for detailing & visual inspections, but the flexibility of having a car-sized soft box for shooting finish quality photography is second to none.

Here’s a few of our favorite cyclorama shots from 2011:

Lynnwood Auto Detailing NorthWest Auto Salon Ford SVT Raptor Super Crew Matte Black Satin Wrap Custom Graphics Ken Block

Alderwood Auto Detailing NorthWest Auto Salon Ferrari F430 Matte White Vehicle Wrap Matte Black accents

Lynnwood Auto Detailing NorthWest Auto Salon Ford SVT Raptor Super Crew Matte Black Satin Wrap Custom Graphics Ken Block

TURN ‘EM UP

With the new cyclo also came the implementation of our LED light tunnel. While it functions primarily as a means to uncover surface flaws and illuminate a vehicle’s finer points with strong banded light & fine line reflections, the light tunnel also serves as a stylistic point of reference in many of our pictures from various detail write ups! If you see a spiderweb of LEDs over a mirror- like shine, it just might be from our light tunnel.

Check out some of our favorite light tunnel shots from the past year!

Lynnwood Auto Detailing NorthWest Auto Salon Bentley Continental GT Speed Black Mirror

Alderwood Auto Detailing NorthWest Auto Salon Ferrari F430 Matte White Vehicle Wrap Matte Black accents

Lynnwood Auto Detailing NorthWest Auto Salon Ford SVT Raptor Super Crew Matte Black Satin Wrap Custom Graphics Ken Block

Lynnwood Auto Detailing NorthWest Auto Salon Bentley Continental GT Speed Black Detail

THE HAPPENINGS

We’ve had a great time attending a handful of events over the last year as well, from vending out at Washington’s very own Dirtfish Rally School for the 2011 Global RallyCross and rolling out to Pebble Beach for the Concours d’Elegance & an incredible car weekend, it’s been quite the packed schedule. As usual, the Red Square Car Show at UW to benefit PAWS was a bit soggy - Stance Wars 2011 and Tailored Seattle lived up to their names in full, and SEMA went off with a bang as our friends at eGarage & Stance|Works debuted an incredible piece of machinery & craftsmanship – the 27 Unfvckwithable. Between expos & working at the shop in Lynnwood, we also took a brief excursion down to eGarage headquarters in California, and prepped a number of cars on mobile duty for display during the weekly Exotics@RTC showing – in case you missed out, here’s our abridged itinerary from 2011.

OPEN HOUSE

Nearing the end of summer, the new space came to life during the Open House party we shared with our neighbors over at Cats Exotics. The turn out for the event was solid despite the wet conditions, and everyone really enjoyed the automotive eye candy – just have a look at the montage for yourself!

UW’s Red Square Car Show benefiting PAWS

NWAS at Dirtfish for GRC ’11

Pebble Beach Car Weekend

Tailored Seattle [video by Speedline Film Werks]

NWAS at SEMA ’11

NWAS at eGarage HQ, California

A Ferrari line up during E@RTC

STYLE UPGRADES

2011 has also been quite the year for our in-house media development & design team – we’ve always been ones to try and elevate the level of quality not only in our work, but also in how we display and showcase what we do. As previously mentioned, the cyc room & LED tunnel have opened up new directions for us to pursue aesthetically, but the real beauty stems from the detailing itself. We’ve devoted more time to giving our viewers an inside look at what it’s like behind the bay doors of NWAS with detail write ups on everything from full wraps like Ford Raptor to a brief handwash on the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. This year alone we’ve pumped out multiple time lapse clips, a couple detail showcases & teasers, and even a full on GoPro 1st person detail on a rare Maserati Granturismo MC (still unreleased!) There’s always production value to be had and new editing techniques to be mastered, but we’re getting better and loving every minute of it.

In case you haven’t seen the NWAS youtube page recently, here are a few of our favorites from 2011 to bring you up to speed:

Beyond the rolling shutter, we’re also amidst continuing to update our website with eye catching sliders, new graphic additions, and a cleaner user experience. We’ve been working along side brands like Lowly Gentlemen California to produce fresh merchandise for our appreciative fans and customers as well as develop engaging promotional campaigns with the team over at Gilt City Seattle. Our social media presence is growing as well – with an overhauled facebook fanpage featuring an interactive mini site for one-stop blog updates, pictures, and videos, we’ve managed to capture the eyes of 2,500 fans! If you haven’t yet, hit up our fan page with a ‘like’ so you can join us for weekly trivia, contests & giveaways!

Here’s the current build of our mini site on facebook:

WRAPS ON WRAPS ON WRAPS…

WRAPPED VEHICLE HIGHLIGHTS

New NWAS Courtesy Cube Matte Silver Wrap & Graphics

Red Ferrari F430 Spyder Stormtrooper Wrap

Ford SVT Raptor Satin Wrap & Custom Graphics

Matte White Wrap, Custom HRE wheels, Detailing and Tint on Koenigsegg CCX

Full Matte Silver Wrap on MBZ 220S Ponton

Porsche Cayenne VentureShield Satin Clear Wrap

Porsche GT3 RS VentureShield Satin Clear Wrap

Porsche GT3 RS VentureShield Complete Vehicle clear bra

Bentley Continental GT Speed clear bra

Cats Exotics matte black van wrap & graphics

The First Fiat 500s gets custom Ferrari Challenge Stripes

Fiat 500 gets custom white stripes

Ford Mustang GT receives matte black hood stripes

Ferrari 458 Matte Black Roof & Boot Wrap

Ferrari 458 Matte Black Roof Wrap & Full clear bra

Ariel Atom Matte White Wrap and Powder Coated Wheels

DETAILING HIGHLIGHTS

Get Fanatic, Get Fitted: Lowly Gentlemen x NWAS M3 Detail Showcase

Lamborghini Gallardo Headlight Restoration

Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Handwash

Gilt City Seattle x NWAS

Best In Show Buick Riviera

Frozen Silver Competition Edition BMW M3

Porsche 935 DP Slantnose Originally Owned By Mario Andretti

Bugatti Veyron Interior & Exterior Mobile Detail in preparation for Exotics@RTC

Lexus LFA Mobile Wash with an interior vac + wipe in preparation for Exotics@RTC

Motoring Unlimited’s Audi Sport Quattro Complete Detail

Motoring Unlimited’s Lotus Cortina Complete Detail

Motoring Unlimited’s Alfa Romeo 8c Complete Detail

Miura S + 400GT Show Prep

Matte Red Corvette with Swissvax Opaque application – our go- to for all matte finish vehicles, wrapped or otherwise!

Bendpak SSC Ultimate Aero / 458 Italia catalog spotlight

WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER…

2011 also graced us with another win in Evening Magazine’s “Best of Western Washington” viewers poll – for the 2nd year running we were nominated and won 1st place in Auto Detail, and even trailed the podium for “Best Car Wash.” We couldn’t have done it without our dedicated, appreciative customers & fans, and we’re definitely looking forward to bringing the hat trick home for 2012.

Since our social media platforms have started buzzing with engaged users & fan count is up, we’ve been trying to be more & more active with interactive give- aways and contests for our fans. Between original NWAS branded goods, comped sticker packs, Hoonigan swag from SEMA, oodles of movie tickets, Fast Five DVDs and even a copy of Forza Motorsport 4, the NorthWest Auto Salon fans have had quite the selection of hotness headed their way.

NEW SQUAD MEMBERS

As the business continues to grow, so does our team – 2011 marked three new members finding their home here at the NWAS HQ,  little Olive Siebe the bulldog, detailing specialist Myron Herman and our new media dev/ content manager Danny Durkan. As head of Napping Coordination & Director of chew toys, Ms. Olive works hard at living a dog’s life to the fullest; Myron spends his days tending to all of the fine automobiles that come through the shop & taking care of the occasional mobile care service, and Danny can usually be spotted behind the lens or batching away on his laptop in the upper office, tending to the site, blog & social media outlets.

PACKAGE DEALS

This past year we also launched our new and improved detailing packages. In an effort to streamline our most popular interior & exterior options together so we might better serve customers, we have developed a number of new service package options that can be applied individually to any vehicle that comes in, while still offering up modifiers in the form of à la carte services just in case you’re seeking something specific. Just have a look at the updated options below!

For the full list of what’s available, head over to our Detailing Services page!

GOING MOBILE

Last but most certainly not least, we also acquired a brand new Nissan NV van – it’s currently being outfitted with the latest & greatest in mobile detailing equipment and we’ve got a custom wrap in the works as well. We’ll be expanding our mobile detailing services to reach the greater Pacific NorthWest in 2012, so be on the lookout for our NV on the road & more information on what NWAS Mobile has to offer!

MOST HONORABLE MENTION

Moki’s 12th Birthday happened in December!

Thanks again to everyone for making 2011 another fantastic year for the team here at NorthWest Auto Salon. We’re looking forward to what great things 2012 may bring us as we continue our efforts to provide a higher standard of auto detail!

Cheers,

The NWAS Team

As you may have heard, we are pleased to announce our latest partnership with California’s purveyors of fine goods, The Lowly Gentlemen. Starting today, any customer who receives our Fanatic Detail package on their vehicle will also be gifted a pair of driving gloves compliments of the fine gents at LG.

As a bit of a surprise to one lucky customer, we awarded the first pair to the owner of a newly purchased BMW M3 that was in dire need of some thorough automotive reconditioning – a perfect opportunity to showcase the incredible healing powers of the Fanatic Detail service! To help capture the spirit of the Fanatic & LG alike, we opted to shoot a short montage highlighting a few of the points of correction as well as shed some light on the gloves themselves.

Check it out!

While the video touches on most of the high points of the Fanatic Detail, it doesn’t capture every bit of correction. Technically, the Fanatic Detail package is assembled from some of the best parts of our available services.

It all starts with a Connoisseur Exterior Detail -  this includes an extensive 50 Step hand wash over the entire vehicle, wheels, fenders arches, lowers and door jams. We fully clean the undercarriage and engine bay including de-greasing as well as an optional engine bay dressing (by customer request.) Then, the vehicle is placed on scissor-lift to access and clean underside of bumpers, under carriage, rockers, suspension components, and fender liners for a proper scrub.

Next, the wheels are removed for cleaning to ensure maximum cleanliness of the barrels, while the faces are topped off with a coat of wheel wax inside and out to ease future hose downs and to prevent corrosion by brake dust, road grime, and other contaminants.

Nothing is spared in the interior. All leather surfaces receive 24 hour deep cleaning and reconditioning process. The Carpets get a full vacuum including trunk or bonnet before being steam cleaned with our hot water extraction system. All vinyl surfaces are treated for protection against UV damage and remain a factory-like matte look and feel. Every window is cleaned and edges “burped” to avoid that line many tend to overlook.

Once the wheels have been cleaned, it’s on to the full paint and window decontamination with Clay Bar treatment (removes embedded road grime, tar, paint splatter) before beginning the 3- Stage machine buff & polish to remove residual buildup, permanently remove paint defects, and restore brilliance and shine!

Finally, a synthetic sealant is applied over all the paintwork, headlights and rear lights, followed by a coat of Swissvax Crystal Rock (valued at $1400, this carnauba based wax is unparalleled in depth and glow) applied with bare hands! (Unless otherwise specified by customer)

Needless to say, the end result is a staggering difference from the swirled surface of what once was. Just look at the 50-50 shot below!

To schedule a Fanatic Detail package for your vehicle and receive your complimentary set of Lowly Gentlemen driving gloves, feel free to give us a call at the shop or drop a line to detail@nwautosalon.com! For more information about LG California and all of the quality products they offer, visit:
http://www.lowlygentlemen.com/

Thanks for watching & reading!

We are pleased to announce a new collaboration with our friends from Lowly Gentlemen. When two brands collaborate, it is of the highest importance that they share similar values and ethos. Here at Northwest Auto Salon we have built our business on delivering the highest quality of product in our industry of automotive detailing. Every car we touch we think of as our own and we operate with 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you know about NWAS, you’ll know that it was started from our love of cars – we love to drive them and get them dirty just as much as we love to clean them and show them off.

We only seek to collaborate with businesses who operate with similar passion and integrity; a brand which exemplifies these standards is Lowly Gentlemen - purveyors of fine goods and apparel with roots in our shared passion for everything automotive. In the words of LG, ”We forge ahead on the road less traveled to move beyond the status quo and strive for perfection in everything we do. We hold ‘quality’ in reverence and seek to discover it in every project and product we set our minds to.”  Truly a match made in automotive heaven!

So to kick off our collaboration, Lowly Gentlemen is generously providing our most dedicated customers, those choosing our “Fanatic“ detail services and above with a pair of their sumptuous driving gloves. Again to quote LG, “The driving glove exemplifies the essence of The Lowly Gentlemen. The perfect accessory to true driving enthusiasm – it is rooted in the history of racing, embracing the heyday of the open wheels and carburetors. The tradition of the driving glove is one that may have subsided in recent times but it is one that will never die, and it is the mentality behind the driving glove that represents who we are and what we strive for.”

It just so happens that we recently had a customer with a beautiful BMW M3 in the shop that was the very first to receive our Fanatic package with a fresh pair of LG driving gloves – if you want the complete breakdown of what the detail has to offer your vehicle & to see the exclusive LG x NWAS Fanatic montage, click through on the banner below!

If you haven’t joined already, we have a Facebook group setup for NorthWest Auto Salon and to be in the loop for upcoming deals, specials etc. Join here

Koenigsegg ccx NorthWest Auto Salon Seattle Auto Detailing

Typically, most manufactures limit their caliper schemes to red, yellow, black, white, or silver/metallic options, sometimes offering more bespoke color choices to customers who are willing to shell out a bit more for a lime green caliper. In this case, Porsche has opted to utilize red, yellow, black, and silver for identification purposes – black being the standard, red for various ‘S’ models, yellow to showcase their ultra-strong carbon ceramic option, and titanium silver for the Porsche Cayenne S model specifically.

Since the owner of this Cayenne S chose a titanium silver exterior finish overall and a factory brake package, it was requested that we refinish the matching metallic calipers for a inverted option of high gloss black and titanium lettering. First things first, Blake set to work removing the wheels & prepping the caliper surface for re-coating by roughing up the titanium a bit and removing the black branding .

Once a caliper had been cleaned, the well & arches were securely wrapped & masked off to ensure maximum coverage without running the risk of over spray.

After hitting the calipers with a few fresh coats of black and curing them out under a bit of heat, Blake carefully kerned & tracked on the new metallic silver Porsche lettering, sized identically to the factory spec application.

With the black gloss coats dry and the new Porsche lettering in place, it was time to throw down a couple coats of clear to further adhere the high- temp vinyl to the caliper, and give it that new brake shine!

Once the milkiness faded and the clear was cured, Blake went for one more pass with a bit of denatured alcohol to ensure maximum cleanliness before refitting the wheels.

The new look even has a nice embossed edge around the lettering! Easily mistakable to the untrained eye.

Although caliper painting isn’t particularly difficult in the spectrum of simple modification, it’s still easy to fish eye your finish, needing a bit of over spray removal, or end up with runs & drips which can result in a less than ideal aesthetic – so if you’ve got any hesitation, let a professional handle it! NWAS is fully prepared to give your calipers a like – new, factory look or even help you design a more original, one – off caliper coating to spice up your wheel package.

Looking for Ferrari red calipers and a matching manufacturer lettering? We can do that. Want purple cheetah print on your brakes? Not a problem. Contact NWAS for your brake caliper assessment today!