Calgary Detailing & PPF, Answered Straight.

Appointment only. We take one car at a time so it gets our full attention and nothing gets rushed — that's the whole point of how we work. A quick detail you can usually get in within a few days; for PPF or a ceramic coating, book a week or two ahead so we can order the right film and block off the bay.

We're at #2, 239 61 Ave SE, Calgary, AB — a proper climate-controlled shop in the SE, not a driveway operation. Hours are Sat–Thu 9am–5pm · Closed Fri. Yes, we're closed Fridays and open weekends, which is backwards from most shops but works out great for people who can only drop off on a Saturday.

Credit, debit, or cash, due when the car's done and you've looked it over. For the bigger jobs — PPF, ceramic, anything multi-day — we take a deposit to hold your date and cover the film we cut specifically for your car. It comes off the final total.

All of it — NE, NW, SE, and SW, plus Airdrie, Cochrane, Okotoks, and the surrounding towns. The shop sits just off Calgary's SE core near 61 Ave, so we're an easy hop from downtown, Deerfoot, and the south communities. If you searched "detailing near me" and you're anywhere in the Calgary area, you're in range.

No — we've retired our mobile detailing service. Every detail now happens at our climate-controlled studio at #2, 239 61 Ave SE, which is also why paint correction, PPF, and ceramic coating turn out better: those need controlled temperature, dust control, and proper lighting that no driveway gives you. We don't offer pickup or delivery either: you drop the car at the studio and collect it when it's done, and most standard details are finished the same day.

A standard interior or exterior detail runs about 2–4 hours. A full interior-and-exterior combo is usually 4–6 hours. Paint correction and ceramic coatings are a different animal — plan on 1–3 days, because the coating needs time to cure properly before the car goes back out into Calgary weather.

Most of them, yes. Steam, extraction, and proper enzyme cleaners lift the vast majority of stains, pet smells, and ground-in grime. I'll be straight with you though: some things — permanent dye transfer, bleach marks, burns, or a stain that's been baking in the sun for years — won't come fully back. We'll tell you what we can and can't fix before we start, not after.

Not a problem, but it might be an add-on. Heavy pet hair, caked mud, mould, or anything biohazard takes real extra time, so we'll quote it up front rather than surprise you on the invoice. Send a couple of photos when you book and we'll tell you straight whether it's a standard detail or a bigger job.

Yes, as an add-on. We cover the sensitive electronics, degrease and rinse carefully, then dress the plastics so it looks clean without that greasy over-shine. It's the kind of thing that quietly helps at resale, too.

Honestly? A full interior detail once or twice a year keeps most daily drivers ahead of the mess. For the exterior, the bigger deal here is winter — road salt and salt brine sit on your paint and undercarriage for months. Regular maintenance washes through the cold season matter more than one big detail. If your car's ceramic-coated, those washes get a lot easier.

PPF (paint protection film) is a thick urethane film you can feel — it physically takes the hit from rock chips, scratches, and road debris so your paint doesn't. Ceramic coating is a thin liquid layer that bonds to the paint for gloss, UV resistance, and easy-clean water beading. Here's the short version for Calgary: PPF stops rocks; ceramic makes the car easier to keep clean and look wet. They do different jobs, and a lot of people end up wanting both.

At Obsidian Auto, PPF starts at $399 for partial coverage on the leading edges, and full front coverage — hood, fenders, bumper, mirrors, headlights, wrapped edges — starts at $1,499. Full-vehicle coverage starts at $4,999 and includes ceramic on top. My honest take: if you're on Deerfoot or Stoney most days, or the car's new, the full front is the one worth paying for — that's where the vast majority of chips actually land.

Ceramic coating starts at $899 and moves up with durability and the number of correction stages we do first. A quick, cheap "spray coating" isn't the same thing — a real multi-year coating means we correct the paint properly before we seal it, because whatever swirls are there when we coat get locked in. We'll match the tier to how long you're keeping the car and how you drive it, not to the biggest number.

Depends on the package and, honestly, on how you look after it — anywhere from about a year for an entry coating to several years for the higher tiers. None of them are truly maintenance-free; they're low-maintenance. Wash it properly (no automatic brush tunnels), and top it up when we suggest, and it'll go the distance. Neglect it and salt-spray it all winter, and any coating fades faster.

We can, but the film contours to whatever's underneath, so an existing chip is still faintly visible — just sealed and protected from getting worse. For a clean result we'll touch in any chips first. On a brand-new car this is a non-issue, which is exactly why getting PPF on early is the smart move.

It's not permanent. Quality film comes off cleanly when a trained installer heats and peels it, leaving your factory paint untouched underneath — assuming it was installed properly and the paint was sound to begin with. That's the beauty of it versus a respray: protect the car now, peel it later with no commitment to the paint.

PPF first, ceramic second. Put the film on the front end where the rock chips land, then lay ceramic over the whole car — including on top of the film. The coating adds gloss and makes both the film and the bare paint easier to wash. If your budget only stretches to one right now, protect the front with PPF; you can always add ceramic later.

We install 3M, STEK, SunTek, and GSWF — STEK and 3M are our featured films. XPEL is a fine brand you'll see around town; it's just not what we run. What matters more than the label on the box is the install: digitally cut patterns, wrapped edges, no blades near your paint, and a warranty that actually gets honored. That's the part cheaper shops skip.

Yes — we install STEK and 3M carbon and ceramic tint; the rear windows start at $399. On the law: Alberta doesn't allow any tinting film on the windshield or on the front side windows beside the driver unless you hold a medical exemption permit from the Government of Alberta, and that permit only allows clear UV film with a combined visible light transmittance of 50% or more. The rear side windows and the rear window can take any shade, as long as the vehicle has outside mirrors on both sides. We'll tell you what the law says for each window before we quote — a ticket and a removal cost way more than getting it right the first time.

Yes — colour-change and satin PPF let you switch up the look and protect the paint in one layer, and because it's film, we can peel it off down the road with your factory paint untouched underneath. It's a smarter move than a permanent respray if there's any chance you'll sell the car. Full-body colour change runs from $4,999, ceramic included.

It depends on the service. Paint protection film carries its full 10-year manufacturer warranty (12 on SunTek Reaction) against yellowing, cracking, and peeling, and we back our own PPF installation with a lifetime workmanship guarantee — if our install ever fails, we make it right. Window tint comes with a lifetime warranty. Ceramic coating has no shop warranty: each coating is rated for a set number of years by its maker (1, 4 or 8 years across our packages), and how long it really lasts depends on how you wash it.

Fair question — cheaper is tempting. Here's the case: 696+ Google reviews at 4.9 stars, Consumer Choice Award winner 2022–2025, 3M, STEK, SunTek, GSWF films, and a climate-controlled shop that installs year-round instead of shutting down every time it snows. But the real reason people send their friends is that we tell them the truth — including when they don't need the expensive package. Do it once, do it right, and don't pay for protection your car doesn't need.