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Frequently Asked Questions

Detailing Packages

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Detailing is exactly what it sounds like — it’s the kind of vehicle care that pays attention to the details. The kind that gets into all the nooks and crannies. Car washes don’t pay the same attention to the vehicle’s appearance in the same way a professional detailer would. If you were to compare it to restaurants, car washes are like fast food, while Simon’s is fine dining.

Car Washes
  • Automatic exterior wash or express hand wash
  • Light interior cleaning
  • Fast wax and/or sealant application

Simon’s Shine Shop (Detailing)
  • Multi-stage snow foam hand wash
  • Intensive and meticulous interior detailing
  • Ceramic coating application
  • Paint protection film installation
  • Window tint installation
  • Paintwork correction services
  • Body work
  • Interior repairs
  • And more!
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Quite a bit! When detailing a vehicle, multiple team members work together meticulously to complete the service. They do this with the utmost care and attention to detail while using top-of-the-line equipment, supplies and products to address your needs.

These technicians are deeply experienced, some having worked for Simon’s a decade and a half plus. Inspections are also conducted before and after each job to ensure quality. All of these considerations are weighed and calculated so we can fairly price our services while maintaining the exacting standards you love.
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No worries! Come in for a free consultation and we’ll thoroughly inspect your vehicle. While we inspect, we’ll let you know what we’re seeing and what can be done to address the issues. Then you tell us what’s most important to you, and we’ll craft a custom service package to address your needs.
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If there’s a service you need that’s not included in our packages, please let us know and we can build a custom package that fits your needs!
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This is what people mean when they talk about “buffing out scratches”. Paintwork correction uses machines called buffers to level out scratches and other defects in the protective clear coat.

Depending on the severity of the defects and the softness of the paint, our paintwork technicians will use different combinations of buffing pads and correction products to address the defects to your satisfaction.
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Usually not long — in some cases, it can be as short as one day! It all depends on the size of the vehicle and the kind of condition it is in. Bring your vehicle in for a consultation and our staff can provide estimated service times based on these considerations!

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While it may sound surprising, vehicles are often hit with minor aesthetic damage while still in the factory, in-transit or at the dealership. Scratches, scuffs, dings and other annoyances are all too common in the process of delivery to the end user, even on luxury and exotic vehicles. For this reason, Simon’s offers dedicated New Car Detailing services to ensure any new vehicle looks as new as it actually is (if not better!).

Paint Protection Film

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Quite a bit! PPF will protect paintwork against rock chips, scratches, marring, staining and etching. 

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Paint protection film on its own remains susceptible contamination, yellowing and even disadhesion. For this reason we automatically apply a hydrophobic ceramic coating to every PPF install. In the case of LEGEND’s PPF Prime, this coating is pre-applied by the manufacturer. In the case of Llumar PPF, we apply Dr. Beasley’s Film Coating. Adding this additional protection makes the film easier to clean and more durable thanks to added UV protection and hydrophobicity.

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Usually not long — in some cases, it can be as short as one day! It all depends on the size of the vehicle and the kind of condition it is in. Bring your vehicle in for a consultation and our staff can provide estimated service times based on these considerations!

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This service can take anywhere from 1 to multiple days depending on the size of the vehicle and the amount of surface area to be protected. Our staff will provide estimated service times based on these considerations.
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We use Legend and Llumar PPF! Legend is known for for their paint protection films as they offer totally unobstructed clarity and a robust level of durability.

Llumar is an industry stalwart with decades of experience in manufacturing the highest quality films possible with a focus on durability and self-healing properties.
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Yes! Please ask our front desk staff about the warranties that come with LEGEND and Llumar PPF.

Matte Finish Care

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A matte paint finish is any finish that does not produce a mirror-like reflection. For the purposes of detailing, we consider any finish from matte to eggshell a matte finish.
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Matte finishes look the way they do because of their special clear coat. Glossy finishes are flat, so when light hits the finish, it reflects at the same angle and hits your eye all at once, creating a mirror-like image. A matte finish clear coat, on the other hand, is bumpy and scatters light at different angles, keeping them from hitting your eye all at once and therefore preventing a distinct image from reflecting.

Because most automotive paint finishes are glossy, most products for cleaning and protecting vehicles are designed to produce a gloss by smoothing out the finish. This is why Dr. Beasley’s first developed matte finish care products — Simon’s needed care products that would preserve the appearance of matte finish vehicles coming into the shop.
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All matte vehicles receiving a wash as part of their service are sent directly to a dedicated matte wash bay. Our detailers then use a designated foam cannon that only dispenses Dr. Beasley’s Matte Body Wash, in order to avoid any appearance changes caused by regular wash products.

We also use a special tire dressing from Dr. Beasley’s, Matte Tire Conditioner, which won’t stain the paint should any excess product sling on to the finish while applying or driving.

Dedicated wheel cleansers and light stain removal products are used as well, like Dr. Beasley’s Matte Wheel Cleanser and Matte Paint Cleanser. We can even remove the toughest bonded contaminants with our Matte Stain Removal service using Dr. Beasley’s Matte Paint Coating Pro.

Finally, Simon’s only uses Dr. Beasley’s matte ceramic coatings to protect matte vehicles. These coatings, unlike others, don’t fill in the imperfections that produce the matte appearance. Instead, they adhere to the “hills and valleys” in the finish to maintain the diffused look.
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Scratches in matte finishes can be minimized in appearance through thorough cleaning. For total scratch removal, however, touch-up paint will need to be applied as matte finishes cannot be buffed. Buffing sands down the bumpy texture that produces the diffuse appearance, resulting in a sickly semi-gloss. Thankfully Simon’s can source a variety of touch-up paints from both body shops and OEMs to perfectly match your finish.
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Yes! We can safely remove stains from matte, even the most difficult-to-remove bonded contaminants like sap or tar. Please refer to our Matte Stain Removal service for more details.
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Not necessarily! As long as you’re bringing the vehicle to a detailing center with matte care capabilities like Simon’s, things will be easy. And if you need to maintain the vehicle from home, we have all of the Dr. Beasley’s products we use in-house available in the waiting area — just ask the front desk staff for assistance.
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Yes — matte vinyl is made of an entirely different material than matte clear coat. For this reason we use specific cleansers and protection products that are designed to work with vinyl and PPF. We use Dr. Beasley’s Film Cleanser for stain removal, which is glossy and matte compatible and is gentle enough not to harm the film or vinyl surface being addressed. For coating, we use Dr. Beasley’s Matte Film Coating, which is specifically designed to bond with vinyl material and adds additional UV protection to maximize the lifespan of the PPF.
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Any detailing service or package we offer can be adapted for matte finishes! Special pricing will applied to account for the specialized products necessary to maintain the matte finish.
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Yes! All of our matte detailing packages come with a matte-safe prep wash and decontamination prior to coating.

Paintwork Correction

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This is what people mean when they talk about “buffing out scratches”. Paintwork correction uses machines called buffers to level out scratches and other defects in the protective clear coat.

Depending on the severity of the defects and the softness of the paint, our paintwork technicians will use different combinations of buffing pads and correction products to address the defects to your satisfaction.
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Thankfully no! Paintwork correction only levels out imperfections in the clear coat and does not go deep enough into the paint to require repainting. That being said, we do offer body shop services if a repainting is needed!
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Not the way we correct paint! As Dr. Beasley’s detailing studio, we use the Nano Surface Primer system when correcting, which restores the clear coat with nanotechnology as defects are leveled out.
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Once paintwork is corrected, an additional layer of durable protection should be applied to ensure the finish remains in the corrected condition. Ceramic coatings make the paint easier to clean, which reduces the amount of wash scratching introduced. Ceramic coatings also provide a sacrificial barrier against chemical etching from bird droppings and insects, as well as oxidation (color hazing) from the sun’s UV rays.
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Absolutely — come to one of the Ales & Details workshops Dr. Beasley’s hosts at Simon’s and we’ll get you trained!
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Absolutely — holograms and other defects caused by poor quality of work are unfortunately all to common, so we’re prepared to address any detailer’s mistakes.

Window Tint

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As quickly as one day in most cases! Our staff will provide estimated service times based on the number of windows to be tinted.

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We use Llumar Window Film because of the nanoceramic technology they use! This technology delivers a high level of heat rejection, adjustable glare control and UV-inhibiting protection that won’t affect electronic signals coming from your devices.
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Absolutely! Clear window film has all the same protective properties as tinted film — tinting is mostly there for privacy.

Ceramic Coatings

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A ceramic coating is a kind of invisible shield for automotive paint. They physically bond with the clear coat, which unlike wax makes them incredibly durable and long lasting. They repel water, resist contaminants, help prevent scratches and in some cases (like Dr. Beasley’s Nano-Resin Pro coating) naturally self-heal. We recommend this kind of protection for every Simon’s client — this is the “wax” of the future.
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As Dr. Beasley’s in-house detailing studio, we exclusively offer their Nano-Resin line for our ceramic coating packages. Our paintwork correction services also use exclusively Dr. Beasley’s Nano Surface Primers, which in addition to removing defects also ensure a long lasting bond between the coating and the paint.
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We do — Dr. Beasley’s offers warranties on many of our coating services, with some lasting up to 25 years. We’re happy to both register the warranties and assist in maintaining them through our Membership program, which provides free maintenance services for ceramic coated vehicles.
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A ceramic coating will help protect against wash marks, scratches, etching, UV oxidation and contamination.
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Yes — ceramic coatings do require occasional maintenance like washing and reinforcement to ensure durability and consistent water repellency. We’re happy to assist in maintaining the coating through our Membership program, which provides free maintenance services for ceramic coated vehicles.
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We don’t recommend it! While a ceramic coating will hold up even under the coarse bristles seen at automatic washes, after a few times even the most durable coating will begin to wear away. For this reason we recommend sticking to hand washes if at all possible.
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Absolutely — unfortunately, mis-applied or outright failed ceramic coatings are all too common among less reputable detailing shops. We’re happy to either repair the existing coating or remove and re-apply a new one.

Interior Detailing

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Yes! We use the PermaSafe Surface & Air Sanitation System to kill up to 99.999% of bacteria and viruses (including COVID) in both the cabin and HVAC systems. Our PermaSafe technology will also add antimicrobial protection to inhibit the future growth of any mold or mildew.
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Yes! We’re experts at stain removal and can address many kinds of stains. Let our staff know and we’ll inspect the stain and find the best way to remove it!

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Yes we can! Our expert interior technicians are trained to address a variety of odors using different removal methods based on the extent of the offending smells, including OZONE treatments and Dr. Beasley’s Neutra-Scent spray.

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We can indeed! We’ve had a lot of success removing cigarette smoke odors at many levels of severeness. Schedule a consultation with our staff to get an evaluation, and we’ll let you know what we can do!

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Absolutely — we made our name with our thorough pet hair removal services! Ask our front desk staff about adding this service to your interior package.

Simon's Memberships

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Simon’s Members receive free maintenance services for their coated vehicle, with the number of free services varying based on your Membership tier. They also get 10% off non-maintenance services, priority booking for appointments and at the highest level standing appointment booking.
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To become a Simon’s Member, ask the front desk for details.

Appointments & Scheduling

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Because of the extensive and meticulous work put into our detailing services, advance scheduling is crucial to getting the right results while delivering the vehicle on time to the owner. This requires us to use an appointment-only system to ensure our clients’ needs are met (if not exceeded) in a timely fashion. If you need priority booking for appointments, ask the front desk about our Membership options.
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Contact Simon’s via phone or email!

For non-Members, we ask appointments be made at least a week in advance to avoid conflicts with our Membership services.

For Members, appointments can be made up to 24 hours in advance.
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Contact Simon’s via phone or email! For both Members and non-Members we ask that any cancellations be made at least 24 hours in advance of the appointment time.

Cancellations made outside this window may be subject to a cancellation fee.

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Please call and let us know as soon as possible so we may adjust our schedule. If you are running more than 30 minutes late for your appointment, a late fee may be applied.

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Due to the meticulous nature of our detailing services we cannot expedite work without sacrificing our high standard for quality. If we are not allowed the necessary time to complete a service, the results will be inferior. With this in mind, please plan ahead and schedule accordingly so your requested service(s) are allowed the necessary time to achieve the best possible results.

Please remember that while our team will make every effort to ensure that deadlines are met, there may be some circumstances that will require more time than originally estimated. If the initial diagnosis has changed, we will keep you informed throughout the process and recommend a different course of action, if necessary.

Training and Events

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We offer classes for enthusiasts through our Ales & Details series! Please see our events page for more information.

We also offer classes for up-and-coming professionals through Dr. Beasley’s Future of Detailing clinic series. Please visit the Dr. Beasley’s events page for more details.

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CONTACT

  • (773) 348-2000
  • simon@simonsshineshop.com
  • 1439 W. Shakespeare Ave.
    Chicago, IL 60614

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