FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Yes! While many shops book multiple customers in one day or accept drop ins, at Stellar Finish we prefer to work on one vehicle at a time. This allows us to focus our complete attention on yours and yours only without the need to rush in order to get to the others waiting in line. We are a premium service, and with this comes longer periods spent on the vehicle. In order to keep our high standards, we cannot cut corners, and only having one project at a time allows us to achieve great results. Many detailers book weeks in advance, so pre-booking is a great way to manage your busy schedule. When you are setting up your appointment, some things to consider are:

• Can I do without my vehicle for an entire day?
• Can I be assured my detailer will complete the job on time?
• Can I drop off the day before instead of the morning of?
• If having a ceramic coating applied, can I wait to pick up the vehicle after the coating has had time to cure?

Consult with us to go over any other questions you might have. We aim to make your experience with us as stress free as possible. Let us work with you to make your appointment a breeze!

When looking for a professional detailer, there are many options to consider. There is a big difference between a professional detailer that works out of a home based shop and a stand alone detail shop that focuses on high volume services. Stellar Finish is a home based shop, and with that comes several benefits:

More time spent on your vehicle. We don't have to complete large quantities of details every day, so this gives us more time to make your vehicle look amazing.

Specialized services.  At Stellar Finish, we are not your average detailer, and this is because we provide above average results. We specialize in high level ceramic coatings, paint correction and vehicle protection, and are skilled at everything in between. We have made a considerable investment in products, equipment and training. We are CarPro Tier 1 certified , meaning we are trained by factory representatives on how to properly apply all their products, most importantly CQUARTZ Finest Reserve ceramic coating, and also uphold the best standards of quality and customer service in the industry.  Make sure your detailer is competent enough to properly work on your vehicle.

Experience. Unlike many detail shops, we have years of experience under our belts and know how to properly, safely and efficiently take care of your vehicle. Other businesses may have lesser trained staff, and this translates to less than professional results.

No frills. We invest in products that make your car look amazing, not gimmicks or a flashy premises. You can't judge a book by its cover!

Some cons include:

Higher prices. Although most home based detailers have lower overhead costs, they are the ones doing all the work themselves, must carry all the expenses, and often provide higher level work than production detail shops. Higher quality products also cost more compared to value brands, but enable us to achieve better results. "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten."

Less Availability.  High volume detail shops get people in faster and perform the service faster than home based shops. This means that while we try to accommodate everyone, sometimes we may be booked weeks in advance, as we are a low turnover, high calibre service. If you are in need of an "emergency detail" (large spill or quick wash), we may not be the best option for you.

At Stellar Finish, we strive to meet the needs of all our customers. We recognize the fact that the way our business is set up may not be convenient for some. We invite you to see how we are different from the rest!

A more detailed description of a ceramic coating is on the page Ceramic Coatings.

As far as the maintenance goes on a ceramic coated vehicle, its not any more difficult than normal.  They simply need to be hand washed regularly and occasionally decontaminated by your detailer. We strongly recommend an annual decontamination of the paint to remove embedded debris, as well as a touch up silica booster treatment. This will ensure the coating will last as long as possible with the best results and performance. This is offered for a flat rate of $175. 

Ask us to give you a lesson on proper washing technique to minimize marring and scratches to your newly coated vehicle. We also sell pre made wash kits too. You've invested in a superior product, now its time to protect that investment. If you are not able to wash it by hand yourself, we highly recommend using a detailer like us to maintain it for you, and to avoid any automatic/touchless style car washes these will severely damage the coating over time. 

We are always happy to wash your vehicle for you any time.

While ceramic coatings are very durable and have a hard surface, they are not, in most cases, able to prevent paint damage from rocks and other debris blasted at the car during driving. Paint protection films are the best solution in this department. Since they have an actual visible thickness and pliable composition, they can absorb and deflect the impact of small debris. But similarly they also have a weakness. Seeing as they aren't hard, they can be more susceptible to scratching, swirls, and marring.

For the best of both worlds, we can overcoat most PPF with a ceramic coating to add greater gloss, slickness, water beading and swirl resistance. We have a special PPF specific ceramic coating designed to increase the lifespan of the film and prevent yellowing. We have done many vehicles this way with superior results.

Many things go into a ceramic coating package. We want you to be fully informed about what is involved in this process before you decide to purchase one. You can view our full ceramic coating process.

On average, most take:

• 2 days or more
  
• 10-25+ hrs not including 12hr controlled curing period.
  
• Cost between $1000 and $2000+ (on average) but can be more depending on vehicle and product.
  

All include an exterior detail comprised of a full wash, touchless air dry, full paint decontamination process, customer determined level of paint correction, pre- coating wipe down and coating application. Other factors that affect the time and price of a coating application are: vehicle size, condition of the paint, if any extra interior detailing is desired, any other surfaces such as wheels, glass, leather or trim are to be coated, and type of coating installed, as all have specific guidelines and processes.

Please don't hesitate to speak to us about a ceramic coating for your vehicle. We can answer any questions you may have and help you make an informed, non pressured decision. We offer free, no obligation in person consultations to go over the vehicle and speak with you about options and price

Believe it or not, ceramic coatings are not impenetrable force fields surrounding your car. The are, in fact, some of the most durable coatings one can have applied to their vehicle. But as with anything, there are limitations. As transparency is something we are proud of, we want to inform you about the negatives of ceramic coatings:

Upfront Cost. Yes, the cost of having a ceramic coating applied isn't cheap, and its difficult for some to wrap their head around. Spending $1000+ on a coating that will last a few years, $2000+ for a 3+ year? It might seem like a bad trade off, but it all comes down to how much lifetime value you are adding to the vehicle as well as the enjoyment you get every time you drive it. Just think, an entry level ceramic coating costs a little over $1 a day. That's pretty affordable for outstanding protection and piece of mind for your investment, don't you think? If the coating performs how it says it will, you are locking in that "like new" appearance that it had when it was on the showroom floor for the duration of the coatings lifespan. This increase in overall value, or retention of value is going to easily surpass the up front cost of the coating. Consider having your vehicle detailed and waxed  2-4 times a year by a professional. Lets say each detail costs $250. In a little over a year, you've already recouped the cost of the coating and gained much, much better protection and added great value to your vehicle!

Water Spotting. Susceptibility to water spotting is one of the limitations of a ceramic coating, but also every other vehicle as well. Proper maintenance is key to preventing this, and with proper technique and education, you can eliminate this issue completely. Ceramic coatings are constantly becoming better each year, and new advances in water spot resistance are remarkable. Our CarPro coatings have the best real world water spot resistance, bar none. Not washing in direct sunlight, using a rinseless wash, completely drying your vehicle when washing, parking inside/ under cover or regularly having it detailed are all ways to reduce the chances of water spots forming. In most cases, these spots aren't permanent and can be removed with the right product or technique if addressed soon. But if left for long periods or exposed to hard water, the spots can begin to etch the paint and damage it. But this is also why you had a coating applied, to protect the clear coat from such issues.  Ask us about proper maintenance of your coating and enjoy peace of mind, while letting the coating itself do the hard work.

Coating Failure.  This doesn't sound good. I've paid lots of money for something that can fail? Yes, like with anything, there is a possibility of a failure or malfunction. That being said, most failures of ceramic coatings are not actually failures from poor workmanship or manufacturing issues, but rather the coating has reached the end of its lifespan. This can be fixed by properly reapplying the coating once again, or even "unclogging" the surface with a special treatment. Coatings are so thin that there is virtually no chance of it "flaking/ chipping" off or peeling up as they are bonded to the paint itself. We have never seen this in our personal experience. In rare cases, it can actually be the paint failing from the inside out, which is rooted from more serious causes. More often than not, they will not even be visible flaws, but instead one might notice the water beading effect has lessened or completely diminished, or that marring or swirl marks are starting to form more easily or in a concentrated area.. Remember, ceramic coatings are essentially a sacrificial barrier between the environment and your paint, so they will degrade over time. How long depends on the product applied and the environment they are in as well as care.. On the off chance that a coating does prematurely fail due to workmanship or a known manufacturing defect, we stand behind what we sell 100%. Allow us the opportunity to fix the issue, as we value happy, satisfied customers more than anything!

The word 'hydrophobic" is a word used to describe something that is great at shedding or repelling a liquid. Think of a high quality rain jacket; when it rains the water droplets bead up and roll off with ease, instead of absorbing into the fabric. This process is identical when talking about a ceramic coating. After a coating has been applied to the vehicle's paint, water does not stick to the surface, but tightly beads up and/or rolls off extremely easily, especially when driving. During a rainfall, its not uncommon for water to be completely blown off the paint when driving at normal speeds.This is what enables the coatings to "self clean" themselves.  This feature helps cut down on dirt accumulation and wash times, as well as keeps harmful bird droppings and other contaminants from sticking to the paint as much compared to an uncoated vehicle.

Paint correction or "buffing/machine polishing/cut polishing" as it is commonly referred to is the process of finely polishing and smoothing out the  top layer of paint on a vehicle. This process can be done with a combination of machine polishing, wet sanding and other finesse techniques. This process removes small layers of paint to smooth out and remove defects and imperfections like swirl marks, marring, water spots and scratches.

This process can be the single most satisfying service to have done to your vehicle, as the results are usually night and day compared to before. We specialize in paint correction of all vehicles, either single stage or clear coated paints. We have the correct tools, products, training, experience and skill to safely prep, sand, cut, polish, and finish your cars paint to near perfect condition.

We offer several packages of Paint Correction, see our Paint Correction page for more details. 

Swirl marks are tiny scratches that have been introduced to the car's paint from various methods of contact with the paint itself. The most common cause is improper washing technique. Washing a car with a dirty wash mitt or brush, old school chamois', not using a grit guard or two bucket system, improper drying practices, or cheap soaps and cleaning products can all introduce swirl marks to your paint.

We can effectively remove most swirl marks and medium defects from you paint, restoring its gloss, depth and colour!

See our Paint Correction page for more details.

During a wheels off coating package, we carefully remove the wheels from the vehicle to completely clean, decontaminate and coat all surfaces of the wheel and painted brake calipers if applicable and then remount and re torque to factory specs. (Note: we are not able to provide this service for all wheels.) This package is not for everyone, especially if you have a daily driver that doesn't have visible wheel barrels. But, if your car has large diameter or premium wheels that show off the barrels and calipers, this service is great for completely protecting the entire wheel surface. Fend off corrosive brake dust, grime and road debris which can start to etch the wheel itself if left untreated by having us ceramic coat all areas, even behind the spokes. This package is in addition to any other service. Contact us to see if this service is right for your vehicle.

A clay bar is exactly what it sounds like, a bar of clay. These tools are extremely good at removing embedded particles from the painted surface, such as brake dust, iron filings, sap, over spray, and industrial fallout. When used with a lubricant to help the bar glide smoothly over the paint, the grippy clay grabs onto and pulls up the contaminants, resulting in a more smooth, clean surface. This step is essential in prepping the paint for a correction or any type of coating including ceramic. How do you tell if your car needs a clay bar? Grab a Ziploc bag and place it over your hand. Now run your hand over the hood of your car lightly and carefully and you should be able to feel how bumpy or rough it is. These are all the contaminants stuck in your paint! We have multiple packages that include a clay bar service to give you ultra smooth paint.

See Paint Correction for more details.

Once a vehicle has been ceramic coated, any water droplets that land on the surface of the paint become tightly grouped spheres. Because of the incredible surface hydrophobics, these droplets are unable to "sheet" or lay flat in their attempt to run off the surface. Because of the amount of these spheres, as opposed to an uncoated surface which would heavily sheet water, the tendency for spotting is increased. If the droplet has time to dry in place on the surface, it can leave behind it's mineral or contamination content in the form a water spot. These white, ring- like spots are mostly comprised of minerals found in city water, like magnesium, calcium and chlorine deposits.

They can also appear from rain water as the rain absorbs airborne particles such as pollutants and dust/ pollen.  If left behind, they can etch the surface and cause damage to a vehicle's finish. While all water has a tendency to leave these spots on a car, city water and especially well water are the worst culprits. Rain water is more pure in it's composition of minerals, so has less chance of leaving heavy deposits, but can still leave small amounts. As one of the only drawbacks to a ceramic coating, water spots can be managed and avoided in most cases with some simple options:

• Wash the car in the shade to minimize sun drying, and drying with a soft microfiber towel or air dryer. Do not air dry unless you have de-ionized water.
  
• Use a rinseless washing method and product, such as Optimum No- Rinse.
• Install a spotless water filter to de-ionize the water source. Then the car can be air dried in the sun with no spotting. See our shop for an example.
  
• If you can't wash it properly or don't have time to dry it, DON'T WASH IT!
• Avoid letting dealerships, repair shops or similar businesses do courtesy washes for your car. They are usually rushed and not well trained. 
• Don't park next to sprinklers.

If you do happen to get water spotting, and it will eventually happen to most ceramic coated cars at some point, they can be removed with certain removal chemicals and mechanical means. We would be happy to advise on a solution.

Headlights come from the factory with a clear UV protection coating. This is applied to the front of the headlight to slow down the effects of aging due to wear and sun exposure. When a vehicle's headlight begins to yellow and become hazy and dull, it's an indication that the UV layer has failed and is not oxidizing. This doesn't mean you need new headlights though! We can safely and effectively remove this layer of failed coating to reveal crystal clear poly carbonate behind it.

Through various methods of wet sanding and polishing, we can restore the clarity and gloss of your lenses to factory levels in most cases. After this has been achieved, a ceramic coating or layer of Paint Protection Film (clear film) is applied to give added UV protection again and protect the lens. This process is time efficient and takes about an hour or two depending on the lens type and final layer.

The straight answer is absolutely. We have gone to great lengths to ensure that each and every vehicle is well looked after, secure and monitored while in our care. We have full 24/7 surveillance monitoring systems in place, including remote fire alarms to notify us fast if trouble arises. We also have full smart security features that enable us to keep tabs on any entry to our shop. We are fully licensed and fully insured for any value of vehicle in our shop as well