jaypej

Taking delivery of a new Targa GTS. Narrowed down to 3 shops in Orange County California. Of course the first limiting factor was the ability to tint the Targa rear windshield. My plan is full PPF, all 4 windows tinted for UV protection (vs aesthetics), and ceramic coating to make my upkeep easier. Happy to discuss the decision making process and impressions.

1. XPel vs Kavaca. After a ton of reading and YouTube videos I came to the conclusion that they are very comparable and really what it comes down to is the shop that you want to work with. Orange peeling was not remarkable on either.

2. Shop and Owner Impressions
a. I chose Protective Film Solutions primarily for cost. The decision was cemented after seeing the shop, the equipment, the work on a GT3 RS, Apollo IE, several 911 and a Vantage. Extremely good. All around great. The only bad I could imagine would be quality control due to volume and size of shop. But reputation and clientele would indicate quality is not an issue.

b. My emotional favorite was Glistening Perfection because of the owner. He is meticulous, passionate and also does impeccable work. He does a lot of Porsche. A lot. After visiting him and his shop he was my first choice but cost was a little higher than the budget, and in fact the highest of all, so I decided to keep an open mind and visit some other shops.

c. Platinum Plus Detailing. Smallest shop of the 3. Ceramic Pro installer. Just won multiple Orange County business awards vetted through business owners, not the auto detailing world. So his Business is super solid. He is the shop you want if you are set on Kavaca. The only thing I would mention is I noticed more edges and corners here than the other two shops. I don't know if that is a function of film or artistry.

3. Costs. I started with 6 shops. The quotes were between 9 and 12k. I narrowed down to these 3 based on Targa experience and reviews. Ultimately the shop i would expect to be most expensive was the least expensive. However their work was amazing. One thing Jason kept saying was "I don't sell, I just educate. You decide what you want." That being said I never received any upsell pressure from the three shops. However, after discussing the ceramic options with Jason I actually decided to do downgrade my initial ceramic plan. Lastly, one thing I really liked about protective film Solutions was they don't have different levels of application. They put their best effort into one price. The results spoke for themselves.

Final thoughts. This is not going to be a garage queen. I plan on semi daily driving my new 911. Knowing the long-term wear and tear on a car, my goal is to slow down that process as much as possible. Hence the cost was not only worth it but actually essential for me. And because the cost was considerable, I wanted to make sure I was very comfortable with the decision. Ultimately I think you could go to any of these three shops and be very happy. Why? Because of the owners and staff. I tried to give a wave top overview on my research, but I think it's crucial to go visit the shops and meet the owners and get eyes on. Bottom line. These are all winners. We are in good hands in SOCAL.

MoeMistry

What an amazing review…it was a lot of fun and I’m glad you found a shop to meet your needs/budget

we all have different skill sets, but more importantly, a different value proposition with our service offerings

I’ve never experienced anyone putting in the effort and time to educate themself but more importantly, actually visit the multiple shops instead of online only research

congrats on your new Targa

jaypej

Thanks, Moe! You're passion and enthusiasm really added to my new 911 ownership experience! Other people probably wouldn't get it. But us enthusiasts really value people like you putting such great care into our childhood dreams!