The Audi Rebuild
As you can see, the Audi was an outdoor vehicle — which is always a tough situation, especially for something this well built.
Such a shame, because it was a beautiful build by Pinnacle, one of the finest coach builders in the world.
The vehicle had been neglected — delaminated windows, water intrusion, and most of the electrical system was completely compromised.
But even through all of that, the bones of the vehicle were still strong.
And that’s something you learn over time — if the foundation is right, you can bring almost anything back. I knew from the moment I saw it… I could rebuild it.
Stripping It Down to Build It Back Right
We started by gutting both the exterior and the interior completely, breaking the vehicle down to its core to properly prepare it for refinishing.
There is no shortcut when you’re dealing with something like this. If you want it done right, it has to come apart first — every panel, every surface, every component.
The refinishing process was extensive, but the Audi deserved it. This wasn’t just another vehicle — it was a rare, beautifully engineered build that needed to be brought back properly.
When you’re working on something like this, you start to appreciate the craftsmanship that went into it originally. And at the same time, you feel the responsibility to match that level of work — or exceed it.
Piece by piece, layer by layer, the process begins. It’s not fast. It’s not easy. But this is where the transformation really starts to take shape.
Reinstalling the Audi Glass
Next, it was time to reinstall the glass in the Audi. The original glass from the builder had delaminated, and as you know, that is what saturated the interior with water.
I take a completely different approach to glass installation. From my experience, many coach builders use very minimal urethane, and often not the highest quality material either.
I personally use 3M urethane on all of my builds, along with an etching glass primer to make sure everything adheres exactly the way it should.
A lot of people think it is okay to clean and prep glass with alcohol, but glass is very porous and that is not the correct way to do it. You should be using the proper materials made specifically for the installation.
Instead of what often looks like a one-inch bead, I use nearly a two-and-a-half inch bead all the way around. That means I spend nearly double, sometimes almost triple, on urethane.
But in the 15 years I have been installing glass, I have never had one come loose and never had one leak. That is the right way to do it. There is no cutting corners in my book.
Bringing the Interior Back to Life
The outer interior from the electrical surge burnt out every RGB LED system — disco floor, rails, bars, divider — everything.
Every RGB lighting system had to be rebuilt — every strip, every run, every connection throughout the limousine.
The most demanding part was the disco floor. It had to be raised and rebuilt using double-sided tape along the edges, placing RGB strips precisely so the light reflects correctly through the acrylic.
These systems are not built to last, especially with water intrusion. So I went further and sealed everything as best as possible to protect it moving forward.
The bars were redone, the lighting restored, and in the end the interior came out exactly how it should have — vibrant, clean, and alive again.
The Final Outcome
The outcome… absolutely gorgeous. Period.
This is what I love to do — bring them back, bring them back to life, and bring them here to Second Nature where they belong.
I’m incredibly grateful for the talent and skills I’ve been blessed with — because without that, none of this would even be possible.
The cost to bring something like this back professionally wouldn’t make sense for most people.
But when you’re able to do 90% — and sometimes 100% — of the work yourself… this is the result.
