"Growth" doesn't even begin to describe 2014 for us here at the shop. Although we have essentially lived in the shop over the course of the last 12 months, the business is going full steam and our reach seems to be growing larger each and every day. In 2014 we expanded our reconditioning options, added new paint protection systems to our line-up, established relationships with great local shops, started breaking fresh ground with dealers, and have really tried to step up our imaging as much as possible. As a whole we have been humbled and honored by all that Rochester and Western New York has given us. We are proud to say that we are Rochester's premiere paint correction and coatings specialists.

We have plenty of interesting projects scheduled for the weeks and months ahead but let's check out some of the projects that really stood out to us over the course of the last 12.

New Products for 2014

This was truly a year of growth in terms of our paint protection offerings. We teamed up with Hi-line Tint to bring out customers the best in window tint and paint protection films. The most significant developments in paint protection were our introductions of CQuartz Finest and Modesta Glass Coatings to Rochester and Western New York as a whole. When we picked up Finest in December of last year we knew it was going to be something special. It now graces many of our customers' vehicles to keep them protected and supremely glossy for years to come. We really pride ourselves with our abilities to hand select the worlds absolute best coating options for our customers. CQuartz Finest is one of the best-of-the-best options out there in the market today, period. After bringing Finest into the Rochester market it was clear that we needed to extend our top-tier coating options to include Modesta which is relatively new to the US. Modesta brings cutting edge technology and mind-boggling optical clarity to the table. We look forward to what new advancements the market will bring us in 2015 but you can always count on the team at Arete to bring you nothing but the best of what it has to offer. That's why people have chosen use so many times this year.

In addition to those two fine paint protection systems we also picked up AmeriCoat as a high-quality, long term sealant option to make long term protection more affordable for all of our customers. We also launched our own line of focused detail products to help our customers locally and beyond care for their vehicles in between services. Stay tuned for more in the months to come!

2012 Ferrari FF & Modesta Glass Coatings

Here at the shop we constantly strive to bring western New York the absolute best in coating technology. That's why the Modesta line is a natural extension to our already top-notch coating offerings. Modesta is widely regarded as the most advanced coating technology on the market today by detailers all over the globe. We are so honored to be included in the group of master detailers that are authorized to install this fine product as well as being the only detailers in WNY to offer Modesta.

This job was an absolute pleasure. There is nothing like taking a car as unique as this FF and turning it into the best version of itself. This car received an extensive reconditioning with a multi-step correction, wheels off detail, and more. Over the course of this four-day detail, we polished every surface possible and really brought this Ferrari to where it needed to be. It received Modesta's BC-09 coating on the wheels for a serious, long-lasting solution to keep them looking new for as long as possible. For the paint we applied BC-04, an incredibly glossy while also very tough, titanium glass coating. It was truly a case of meeting your heroes and standing on equal footing. Detailing and reconditioning such a unique vehicle is an experience we won't soon forget.

2014 Chevrolet Corvette & Opti-Coat Pro

The C7 Corvette has proven to be a true world-beating car. The styling is aggressive yet elegant and the interior is the best it's ever been. Chevrolet has shown with this car they can make truly great automobiles again and is really a milestone in how far the American car industry has come in the last 5 years.

The owner of this Lime Rock green example opted for great shine and long term protection with Opti-Coat Pro. She also opted for a wheels-off detail along with coating of the complete wheel as well as coating of all jambs. It didn't have many miles when it rolled in the door and it had been well cared for but the finish had some random scratching and wash marring we needed to address before locking in the finish with Opti-Coat Pro. It was really a pleasure to get to work on a car that was clearly so beloved. The owners were fantastic to work with and had this insane custom engine bay done completely in stainless steel and LED lighting. I don't think we'll be seeing such a unique engine bay for a while!

The Audi RS5s & CQuartz Finest

This car came to us with 76 miles on the odometer for a full frontal wrap with paint protection film, application of CQuartz Finest, and some performance treatment from RocEuro. CQuartz Finest is a top of the line ceramic nano-coating that creates absolutely out-of-this-world shine and offers an incredible amount of protection lasting 2+ years. We are so honored to say we brought this fine product into the Rochester market for the first time and we are so happy that the owner elected to have this coating installed. It turned out to be the first of many!

After that lovely Nogaro example, we were fortunate enough to install CQuartz Finest on two more of these wonderful machines! To the left you see the RS5 looking sultry in Sepang blue, and in Panther black to the right. Audi really has an amazing line of paint options for these cars and we hope to see even more over the course of the next year.

AAS & Media

Here at the shop we take our media presence seriously and we really do our best to give you an inside look at what we have going on day-to-day. Whether it's on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Instagram or here on our features page, we strive to bring you high-quality images and interesting content. We love hearing from detailers, enthusiasts, and anyone else no matter where you are. We also spend a lot of time looking at and considering your comments & critiques and always appreciate feedback of all varieties, so never hesitate to chime in when something grabs your attention and we’ll do our best to respond in real time. Embedded photo comments & “reaction” images are highly appreciated, and all of our pages are always open for messages, reviews, or just sharing something with us that you think we might like. Don't ever be afraid to interact with us online, we don't bite! On Twitter and Instagram we're @AreteAutoSalon and just look for the shop name everywhere else.

Our Facebook page has really exploded over the past year. Considering we are a young shop it's so humbling to see we have 1,100+ fans today that look at and regularly interact with our content. We appreciate each and every one of you and we look forward to sharing more of what we love with everyone over the course of the next few months. Google+ and Facebook are the places to see all our images in larger format and higher resolution that most outlets.

On Instagram we try to post as frequently as possible to give you an inside look at where we are and what we're doing. Whether it be at SEMA or Waterfest 20 we posted plenty of personal coverage of events and happenings at the shop this year. Don't be afraid to tag us with @areteautosalon if you want to grab our attention or give us some feedback!

Outside of social media we've also had the pleasure of having some mentions in online publications such as Stance Works through the work we've done on customer cars. Check out those features below!

In Closing

It has really be an astonishing year for us and we have some big, fun changes on the horizon for 2015. We expect this coming year to be even better than 2014 has been and we have you to thank! We hope everyone has a great holiday season and a happy new year no matter what you celebrate or where you are. From the bottom of our hearts the Arete team thanks everyone who helped us be who we are today.

AAS 2014: Year in Review