How much does the assessment cost?
Nothing. The assessment is free, with no obligation. It is for two kinds of car: one you are not sure about and would rather have looked at in person, and one that is already well kept, whether garaged, seasonal, coated, recently bought or recently detailed by someone else. We look, then either start maintenance or recommend the right reset. If you already know what the car needs, build a package quote and skip it.
What happens after I send a quote?
Your build lands in our inbox and we reply by email within 24 hours with an estimate for your vehicle. Approve it and we confirm the date. Nothing is charged until you approve, and a 25% deposit then holds a package date.
How soon can you come?
Pick the date you prefer in the builder and we confirm our availability when we reply with the estimate. Every date is confirmed by hand, so the builder starts seven days out.
Will I be charged automatically?
No. Maintenance is billed after each visit, with no autodraft. Prepaying the full year upfront is the only advance-payment option, and it is entirely optional.
What area do you serve?
We are based in Frederick, Maryland and serve Maryland, the DC suburbs and Northern Virginia, most of it within about an hour of Frederick. Further out is a conversation: for the right customer and the right job we have gone as far as Chester, Maryland, across the Bay Bridge, and Front Royal, Virginia. If you are not sure, build the quote anyway and we confirm reach when we reach out.
Why not a 5 or 10 year coating?
Because hardness protects a daily driver more than longevity does. A 10 year coating asks for a 10 year maintenance commitment before it delivers what it says on the bottle. DQuartz GO asks for 3, which is a commitment most people actually keep, and its added paint hardness is doing more work day to day on a car that is driven, parked outside and washed regularly.
Which price class is my car?
You pick the shape closest to your car in the quote builder and the price follows. Coupes, sedans, hatchbacks and two-seat convertibles are Compact. Sedan-size convertibles, SUVs, crossovers and compact trucks are Standard. Full-size, large or custom trucks, large SUVs and vans are XLE. Exotics and vintage European cars are XLE as well, for a different reason, covered in the next answer. Something in between? Pick the closest and tell us in the notes. We confirm the class when we see the car.
Why are exotics and vintage cars priced as XLE when they are smaller than a truck?
Because size is only part of what sets the rate. An exotic or a vintage car asks for more time and more care, not more car. Older paint, single-stage finishes and original chrome and trim need the same kind of judgment as modern soft paint. Paint is often softer or thinner and is measured and worked panel by panel. Carbon fiber, exposed materials and intricate aero each have their own rules. Wheels and brakes take longer to clean and coat properly. And the margin for error is smaller, so every step gets extra attention. The XLE rate pays for that expertise and attention to detail, not the footprint. If you would like to talk it through first, the free assessment is the place.
How long does a visit take?
We are not a volume operation that turns several cars a day. The day has eight working hours in it and the car gets what it needs: a Minimum Package takes about half a day, an Intermediate or Maximum takes the full day, and a maintenance route is four cars at most. Quality over quantity. The point is a result that lasts, not a car that looks clean until the next rain.
Do you need my water and power? Is it loud?
We work from your hose bib and an outside outlet, so we do not haul a water tank or run a loud generator. The day is quiet enough for your neighbors and your HOA. What you will hear is a vacuum, a pressure washer, a polisher, and a crew that enjoys the work.
