The word is out, the pictures have started to pop up on forums & social platforms abound, and we’re just as excited as you are… it’s official, NWAS is now a proud sponsor of the 2012 Audi Cycling Team presented by Kryki Sports!
Last week, we took in a very special Audi Q7 TDI courtesy of team rider Mike Hone and performed a full satin clear vehicle wrap, installed custom reflective sponsorship decals on nearly every panel, and a printed vinyl window banner to tie the whole look together. This is the first major commercially branded vehicle wrap that we’ve had under our roof, and despite working within a rather tight timeline we managed to pull off something aesthetically staggering.
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
The paint on the Q7 is a bit deceiving – although it’s marketed as an Orca Black Metallic, under hard lighting the paint reflects so much flake it has a bit of a navy hue. As soon as the surface is covered with our VentureShield satin clear however, it flattens out to the nice, desaturated black satin that really accentuates all of the Q7’s body lines.
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
The VentureShield transparent film requires a wet installation process as opposed to the standard heat & pull method with most opaque vinyl wraps. The surface of the Q7 must be saturated and all of the cracks & crevasses are blown out with compressed air to ensure that no contaminants are left hiding once the wrap application begins.
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
It’s a very delicate task trimming custom fitment for wrap installs. Matt worked meticulously over every inch of the vehicle making precision cuts along the cracks of the Q7 to ensure the satin film was going to cover & wrap around every lip. Visible seams are not something to be desired, and one of the best parts of the finished product is the amazement of viewers who can’t tell the car is wrapped in the first place!
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
We implement a very sophisticated technique to re-align all of the freshly coated matte black badges on the exterior of the Q7, more commonly referred to as the “tape.” Note the plots for intersecting body lines as well as both vertical & horizontal axes for keeping the badges coordinates on lock- these are essential to proper placement.
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
With a majority of the film applied, it was time to start digging into the reflective graphics. We posted the mock up on the vehicle and set to work with staging all of the vehicle branding for adherence. Most of the typographic pieces are individual cuts, so alignment is key to really keeping placement clean and correct. Even the slightest layer shift can throw off appearances, physical placement is incredibly important and since this is one of the more subtly styled commercial wraps out there, even the littlest amount of offset in text can make the whole thing look wonky.
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
Starting with the doors and working our way around the vehicle, we carefully laid out more tape schematics for each of the Audi Cycling Team, Kryki Sports, Adobe, Specialized, Barrier, Chef’n, Nest Collective, Red Hook, Helly Hansen and NWAS decals.
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
The last piece of the graphics to go on was the front Audi Cycling Team printed window banner. Blake and Matt lined the banner up dead center, riding just low enough so the text wouldn’t be obscured by the Yakima roof box.
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
The Q7’s hood was definitely the trickiest part to wrap. Once the film had been stretched to fit, Blake began taping out more markers for the large Audi hood rings, cycling team side banners, and the Kryki Sports front banner. The grid system never fails!
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
With every panel wrapped, all the decals applied and edges sealed up, we rolled the Q7 into the cyclorama so that Blake could comb over it with some of our matte-friendly quick detail spray.
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
The end result the VentureShield satin clear is a sight to behold. It’s exciting to see a wrapped vehicle come together, and even more so when the transformation goes from a stock appearance to one that looks competition ready! Mike stopped on the delivery day riding his Specialized bike geared up and sporting the uniform, creating the perfect opportunity to showcase how well the newly wrapped Q7 fits the team aesthetic.
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
Lynnwood Vehicle Wraps NorthWest Auto Salon Audi Cycling Team Q7
Have a commercial vehicle wrap inquiry or just want your Audi Q7 to look this good? Contact us with more information about the project and how we can assist you in creating a completely customized & branded auto!