Services: window tint, paint correction and ceramic coating on black truck…read more
Carlos, the owner, is a good guy. Returned phone calls and text messages promptly. Seemed knowledgeable on window tinting and paint correction.
Window tinting seemed to be done well. No issues, but will update review if that changes.
Paint correction and ceramic coating was a different story. While discussing window tinting, we were convinced to let them correct the paint and do a ceramic top coat for a reasonable price (red flag 1). The black truck, like most black vehicles, had some scratches from car washes and neglect, but we were assured those would disappear with clay, cutting, and polishing. There were a few deeper scratches that would not be correctable, and we understood. There were also a few rock chips that would be touched up.
We picked up the finished truck in the evening in low light. It looked fantastic. The areas that needed to be touched up were not done (red flag 2). However, the shop explained that they didn't think it would look good so they skipped it. With the rest of the truck looking great, I excepted the explanation. I was so impressed that I tipped an extra $100.
We arrived home and parked the truck in the garage. Instant regret. Our garage is very well lit and the spider webs and scratches were very apparent. To be honest, it seemed worse than when we took it in. I sent the shop pictures and they responded with a request to bring it back in the morning.
Sunrise proved to be even more disappointing. In daylight, the full result was evident. Scratches, maring, and haze were everywhere. Before heading back to the shop, I stopped at a well respected Auto Spa for a professional second option (should have just used them in the first place). Their response: "this was a hack job". The paint correction was subpar and the ceramic coating seemed to be low quality. They didn't see the truck before it was done, but suggested that the scratches were introduced by someone that does not know how to use a buffer. The pro can correct the failed correction. In other words, even if they did not introduce the scratches, they should have been removed by a standard paint correction process if it was done right.
Carlos offed to fix the issue with wet sanding. Given the previous result, there was no way I would trust an even more aggressive correction. In their defense, he did refund my money and mentioned that this was not up to his usual standards. However, I am still left with a mess. In his words, "it might be scratched but at least it is shinny".
Long story short, Carlos seems to be a good guy. I feel bad posting this review, but it's honest. Looking back, I should have been concerned when he could not tell me what ceramic product he used but that he got it from Amazon (red flag 3).
Pictures attached. However, trying to get pictures of black car in sunlight is nearly impossible. The rest of the truck is as bad as the hood.
PS- there are other reviews on here for black cars. Read them.