We measure before we polish
Every panel gets a paint-depth reading before a pad touches it. You see the numbers, and we know exactly how much clear coat there is to work with. No guessing on a car you love.
Ceramic coatings · Paint correction · PPF · Austin, TX
Paint that looks wet. For years.
Austin's correction-first detail studio. We take the swirls out before anything goes on top, then lock the finish under ceramic or film so it stays that way through a Texas summer. Or five.
- 4.9 on Google, 300+ reviews
- 1,200+ cars since 2020
- Mobile across Austin or studio on S Lamar
Photo: shop front from the street, daylight, bay doors open
Photo: inside the studio, wide, tidy, both bays lit
Photo: the best car, three-quarter front, after coating
Photo: the same car, close detail of the paint or a wheel
Photo: the after of one job, same angle as the before
Photo: somebody working, hands in frame, polisher on a panelWhat the coating takes instead of your paint
SwirlsWater spotsBird etchingUV fadeRoad filmBrake dustTree sapClear-coat haze
How we work
Correction first. Protection second. Nothing skipped in between.
6,000
lumens of inspection light over every studio bay
5-yr
written ceramic warranty, inspected free every 12 months
Photo: the studio bay under the inspection lights, a car mid-correction, wide
Two bays on S Lamar6,000-lumen inspection lighting and a dust-free room where every coating cures for 24 hours before it goes home.
A warranty you can hold
Our 5-year ceramic comes with a written warranty and a free inspection every 12 months. If it stops beading, we fix it. That is the whole policy.
Your driveway, or our lights
Washes and interiors happen at your place with our own water and power. Correction, coatings and film happen in the studio under 6,000-lumen inspection lighting, where swirls have nowhere to hide.
One panel, one pass
Swirls aren't dirt. They're damage.
This door arrived with ten years of automatic car washes in it. One step of machine correction and a ceramic coating later, the clear coat is flat enough to read a reflection in. Scroll and watch it happen.
Services
Pick the job. The price is the price.
Quoted prices are for a mid-size sedan or small SUV in average condition. Trucks, three-row SUVs and anything that has been to a music festival run 15–25% more. We will tell you before we start, not after.
Maintenance wash
MobileTwo-bucket hand wash, wheels and barrels, tires dressed, door jambs, glass inside and out, a quick interior wipe-down. About 90 minutes in your driveway.
$79Book
Full interior
Mobile or studioSteam on every hard surface, hot-water extraction on carpet and seats, leather cleaned and conditioned, every vent, seam and cupholder. Half a day. Kid and dog cars welcome.
$189Book
One-step paint correction
StudioDecontamination wash, clay, then a single machine-polish pass that removes 60–80% of swirls and brings the depth back. Includes a 6-month sealant. One day.
$449Book
Ceramic coating, 5-year
StudioOne-step correction plus a professional-grade coating on paint, trim and glass. Written 5-year warranty, free annual inspection. Two days, 24 hours of it curing under the lights.
from$1,299Book
PPF front end
StudioSelf-healing film on the full hood, both fenders, bumper, mirrors and headlights. Edges wrapped, no visible lines. 10-year film warranty against yellowing. Two to three days.
from$1,899Book
Not sure what the paint needs?
FreeText us two photos in daylight, or stop by the studio for a 15-minute inspection with a paint gauge. We will tell you what it needs and what it does not.
Packages
Three ways most people book.
Bundled because they belong together. Every package is still priced for a mid-size car; we confirm the exact number when we see it.
Reset
For the car you drive every day, the lease going back, or the one you just bought used.
$249
Save $19 against booking separately
- Maintenance wash, inside and out
- Full interior detail
- Headlights and glass polished
- Mobile, at your home or office
- Done in one visit, about 5 hours
Correct & Coat
For paint you want to stop worrying about. Our most common job by a wide margin.
from$1,599
Save $149 against booking separately
- One-step paint correction
- 5-year ceramic on paint, trim and glass
- Wheel faces coated
- Written warranty and yearly inspection
- First maintenance wash on us
Full Armor
For a new car, a dark color, or anyone with a long commute down I-35.
from$3,499
Save $300 against booking separately
- PPF on the full front end
- 5-year ceramic on every other panel
- Full interior detail
- Film and coating warranties in writing
- 12-month check-ins for both
Recent work
Eight from this month.
Photo: black Porsche 992 after ceramic, three-quarter front, studio lights reflected in the hood
Photo: PPF being squeegeed onto a Model Y hood, hands in frame
Photo: 50/50 shot of a red hood, half corrected, half swirled, under a single light
Photo: tan leather interior after extraction, driver's seat, door open
Photo: the mobile van in a Travis Heights driveway, early morning
Photo: water beading on a coated blue hood, macro, after rain
Photo: Marcus with a paint-depth gauge on a white Tacoma fender
Photo: wide shot of the S Lamar studio at night, doors up, two cars insideEvery car here is a customer's, shot the day it left.
More on Instagram, @apexdetailatx →I had given up on the black paint. Apex got it to where I can see the trees in the hood again, and two Texas summers later it still beads like the day I picked it up.
What customers say
Rated by people who had to live with the result.
4.9Google rating, 300+ reviews
1,200+cars detailed, coated or filmed
6years on S Lamar
Booked the mobile wash for a Tacoma that had been through a week of Hill Country mud. Two guys, 90 minutes, and the driveway was cleaner when they left than before they came. Booked the interior on the spot.
Had the front end filmed on a new Model Y before a drive to Marfa. You cannot find the edges. Six months in, two rock hits I heard clearly, zero chips. Worth every dollar.
They talked me out of a two-step on an older Civic and did the one-step for less money, because that was all the clear coat could take. Honest shop. The car looks better than it has any right to.
Interior detail after three years of a toddler and a golden retriever. I did not know the seats were that color. Renee found a pacifier under the rail we had been looking for since 2023.
The team
Three people. The same three every time.
Photo: Marcus, head and shoulders, same wall as the othersMarcus Hale
Owner, lead corrector
Twelve years polishing paint, starting in a two-car garage in Buda. Still does every PPF install himself and has not lost a corner yet.
Photo: Renee, head and shoulders, same wall, same lightRenee Castillo
Interiors and mobile lead
Runs both mobile vans and the schedule. Has pulled things out of seat rails that you would not believe and will not tell you about.
Photo: Tyler, head and shoulders, same wall, same lightTyler Nguyen
Coatings and inspections
Does the paint-depth readings, the coating applications and the 12-month check-ins. Will show you the numbers whether you ask or not.
Questions
The things people always ask.
Mobile or studio: which do I pick?
Washes and interiors are mobile. We bring water, power and shade. Paint correction, ceramic coatings and film are studio only: they need controlled light to see the paint properly and 24 hours of dust-free curing afterwards. If you book a studio job, we can collect the car inside the loop for $40 each way.
How long does the ceramic coating really last?
Five years is the warranty, and we have cars from our first year that still bead. The variables are how it is washed and whether it is parked outside. Hand wash or touchless every two to four weeks and it will see the warranty out. Brush car washes will kill any coating in a season, which is why we do not warranty against them.
Do I need paint correction before a coating?
Yes, always, and anyone who says otherwise is selling you a coating over scratches. A coating locks in whatever is underneath it for years. On a brand-new car the correction is light, often an hour, and it is included in the coating price either way.
How long will you have the car?
Maintenance wash, about 90 minutes. Full interior, half a day. One-step correction, one day. Ceramic coating, two days including the cure. PPF front end, two to three days. We text you a photo when it is done and a video walk-around before you arrive.
Can I wash the car myself afterwards?
Please do. Two buckets, a pH-neutral soap, a clean microfiber mitt, and dry with a blower or a plush towel. No brush washes; touchless is fine. Every coated car leaves with a one-page method card and a bottle of the right soap.
What do you need from me for a mobile visit?
A legal place to park the van within about 60 feet of the car, and the keys. We bring our own water and power. Apartment garages are fine if the ceiling clears 7 feet. In July and August, a shaded spot makes the finish better and the crew happier.
Opening hours
Six days a week, starting early.
- Monday – Friday8:00am – 6:00pm
- Saturday8:00am – 6:00pm
- SundayClosed
Mobile appointments start at 8am sharp. Last studio drop-off for same-day washes is 3pm. Coatings and film are drop-off by 9am.
Find us
Apex Detailing2210 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
Open in Maps
Photo: map screenshot of S Lamar at Oltorf
Between Oltorf and Bluebonnet, same side as the taco truck. Pull into the second bay door; customer parking is on the right.
Get in touch
Ready when you are.
Text us two photos of the paint in daylight and we will reply with what it needs and a firm price, usually inside the hour during opening hours.
Studio
2210 S Lamar BlvdAustin, TX 78704
Second bay door. Customer parking on the right.