Name: Jeff Kale
Rating: 5
Review: Here’s the bottom line up front: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! If you want an “okay” result, use the guy down the street or the mobile detailer who will come to your house that are NOT an accredited installer like Brian’s team at American Shine is. If you want the best possible outcome, reach out to Brian or stop by his shop and he will give you advice and recommend the best course of action to preserve your vehicle’s beauty at a price that meets your budget.I first reached out to Brian summer 2024 when I decided to sell my Lexus sedan and buy a new or CPO SUV. I was all over the place starting with the Genesis GV 70 which Brian gave me a quote for. Then I switched to the Genesis GV 80 and Brian gave me another quote. Then I switched gears to the BMW X5 which Brian gave me yet another quote for. When a stop sale/safety recall was put on the BMW X5 my purchase was put on hold. I took my Lexus sedan in for routine service at the dealer and ended up trading it in for a 2023 CPO Lexus RX 350 F Sport. I contacted Brian and told him I’d need an estimate for the Lexus SUV. This was now the 4th quote I asked Brian to put together for me and he agreed to do so without hesitation. However, since this car was not brand new he said I would need me to bring it in so he could see how much paint correction was needed. That is what is so great about Brian and American Shine; transparency and honesty. Two qualities that are hard to find these days. Brian is always upfront and sets expectations properly. I brought the Lexus in but unfortunately there was a lot of damage to the paint and it required extensive (heavy) paint correction. Brian is skilled at explaining the entire process and I quickly understood that the preparation (iron removal, clay bar and buffing) aka “paint correction” is essential before applying ceramic coating and a huge part of the overall process if you want the best possible results. Turned out there was about 20 plus hours of paint correction required to get my Lexus prepared properly for ceramic coating. This is where Joey and his team comes in. Joey is the project manager/team leader and he personally did most of the buffing and wet sanding to get all of the swirls and scratches out of the clear coat of my paint. Joey is a rock star!This was an extensive project that was estimated to take a minimum of 3-5 days. Brian kept me updated throughout the process and towards the end asked if I wanted to have the RX 350 emblem removed so Joey could buff out the paint under the emblems. I really appreciated Brian giving me the option and I chose to have it removed and order a new one from the Lexus dealer. Since I was going to the Lexus dealer I decided to buy an “F Sport” badge since Lexus stopped applying the F Sport badge in 2022 and asked Brian if they could apply the F Sport badge on the opposite side. “No Problem!” Brian responded. Brian’s team also deleted the “AWD” underneath the RX 350 as it seemed more symmetrical without it. Turned out awesome! (see pics)About a day before my car was ready Brian told me I was going to need a chair to sit down on when I came in to see my car because the improvement was so dramatic. I laughed but let me tell you, when I saw my Lexus parked in front of American Shine I was blown away! It looked like a brand new car that was worthy of sitting in a dealership’s showroom. The paint was flawless, the swirl marks were gone and the ceramic coating amplified the beauty of my “Nightfall Mica” paint. Customer satisfaction? Hell yeah!I couldn’t be happier with the results and cannot recommend anyone higher than American Shine. In my opinion, American Shine is THE highest quality professional detailing organization in Northern Virginia hands down and Brian is everything you want when dealing with a business owner: He is courteous, responsive, honest, transparent, fair, sets expectations and provides his customers with an extensive education on car detailing and car care after they detail or install ceramic or PPF on your car. Remember this: You get what you pay for!
Date: 4 months ago