I finally got my 2026 Hysteria Purple about a month ago and it has been in the shop getting PPF, ceramic coating, windiow tinting and windshield covering. Accutint Bellevue did that work. Bellevue Car, Commercial, & Residential Window Tinting & Film | Accutint Bellevue.

Then I took it to get a custom installed BlackVue and Radenso/ALP Ultimate 2 combination installed at Systems Unlimited. Amazing job where you would hardly know there were there and impeccable craftmanship! Systems Unlimited | Mobile Electronics Experts. You can see the shop with doing some of the install here. (20+) Facebook.

The videos I have of the car are too big to upload but you can try to see them here. 20260505_220356000_iOS.MOV and 20260505_220556000_iOS.MOV.

Long story on this Z06. If you go back in my posts, I had the incredible privilege of taking my then 10 year old out to the factory and watched my C7 Laguna Blue Z51 get built and then come back to BG to do the R8C pickup and drive back to Seattle with him.

I tried to do this with my second son, but it wasn't meant to be. When the C8 was starting to come out, you are all aware that the factory tours stopped. Then COVID, Then all the variants of the C8 and the fact that the factory went to two shifts never brought back the factory tours. I was on MM's Stingray list and then on their Z06 list oncet he Z06 was officially announced. It was years before I got far enough on the list to place an order with MM for the Z06 and when I could, my kid was in school. When I found out about the new interior for the C8 with teh 2026 MY, I waited. Then there were two options that I kept waiting for that never became available. The CF8 and the R88. Given that I was dead set on Hysteria Purple I had to make a choice, Wait for those options to come out and not get Hysteria Purple or get the color. Since Hysteria purple was discontinued in MY2027, I went with the color. Shane at NCM was clear that the factory tour was not an option and the engine build experience just became an orderable option when I placed the order with MM, but it wasn't clear that I could take my kid with me due to him being in school. So, I took the courtesy delivery option from MM to a dealer in WA. Of all years that GM decides to go back to a MY really in June, it had to be this year as if it went to the September dates with the C8 and COVID, I would have had a series of more allocations to at least do the engine build experience when he wasn't in school.

I'm going to make it up to my kid by driving the Corvette @ Carlisle this year with him, flying him back so he can start school and then driving back half way and have my wife meet me in MSP to go all the way back to WA.

If you are interested in my build, I've attached the build sheet.

 

Did the PPF/Ceramic shop recommend paint correction at all? Are you happy with there work? Any other shop you were considering? I am also in WA and wanted basically your same build as I live purple but couldn’t get an allocation in time for it.

 

Yes, they had to do paint correction. The "cover" that was on the car caused all sorts of swirl marks in a bunch of areas on the car. It was horrific! I knew the courtesy delivery dealer couldn't have done that. I am positive it was from the truck, train, truck ride. The engine bay was filthy. Given that all my previous Corvette's were all R8C, I never had that experience as they only went across the street.

If I wouldn't have already known that Accutint would be able to paint correct those swirl marks out, I would have been livid. Who would find that amount of swirl marks on a brand new car is amazing, but it is probably why they ship the ZR1X in it's own container to prevent exactly what happened to my Z06. There isn't a swirl mark on the entire car after Acutint did their paint correction, PPF and ceramic coat.

 

It was interesting that my PPF person said not to do paint correction on my last car which was a M850i. I did the full car because it was black and was pleasantly surprised that the PPF filled in all the light swirls and marks from the dealer even though it was brand new. I appreciated 1 that he didn’t try to over charge me and 2 he saved my clear coat.

 

Acutint doesn't charge for paint correction. It is standard with either PPF, Ceramic coating or both. So, there was no overselling, it's just what they do before they apply anything. AFIAK, that is the manufacturers recommendation for both the PPF and ceramic coating they do. I've have five cars done from them, all got paint corrected, even though I didn't believe that the other cars needed it.

 

Great choice on the ALP set up and super high end install shop--did you put a TX in the rear as well, did you get it tested after install because those rear heads are recessed into the bumper like that may cause issues on some off center shots--I would have them flush with the edge just like the parking sensor!

 

There is a "general" belief (which i don't subscribe to) that PPF will "hide" light swirl marks and that paint correction is not necessary "needed" when PPFing the whole car....I would never not do a paint correction....

 

The package data is here. Radenso Ultimate Edition 2.0 Radar Detector & Laser Defense. I got an extra TX G2 head as the package only came with one. The front and rear has two RX heads and one TX-G2 head. They are very meticulous on the install and are only one of two Platinum Radenso installers in the country (the other one is in Florida).

They test across all the known brands of Laser guns and demonstrate for you that it is jamming, including the most difficult one tow jam .. the DragonEye.