Perfect Shine Auto Salon 1269 McBride Avenue, Woodland Park, NJ 07424

"This review is probably long overdue. I was having a conversation with one of my chums a few years ago, trying to make plans for an upcoming weekend. When I suggested a specific day/time, she said that wouldn't work because she had an appointment for an oil change that she had to schedule way in advance. I was blown away by that - I've been coming here for ages, and the biggest selling point by far is that I just drive in and they get to my oil change within a few minutes. I don't know if my friend's experience is atypical or mine is, but I'll take a minimal-wait oil change where I'm in and out in less than 25 minutes any day. The key to this experience (and this is true for a lot of consumer-based adventures) is getting in early. I usually go first thing on Saturday morning; I've driven by here later in the day and there definitely is a longer wait. It's first come, first serve. Yesterday (Friday) I went in a little after 8am, a few minutes after it opened. There was already a car going directly to the car wash, but I was the first oil change of the day. The attendant directed me in, and then to the adjoining waiting area to the left, which is spacious, clean with a TV on. They used to have NJ 12 playing but unfortunately yesterday they had some traffic court reality show on, which in terms of overall quality was no Finding Bigfoot, that's for sure. You have giant windows on both sides of the room, so you have a great view of your car getting worked on and also your car getting washed, should you choose that option (which is free with the oil change). One of my bougier friends recently found out that I regularly bypass the free car wash and insisted I needed to take advantage of the offer on my next visit. I reluctantly agreed (my reasoning for bypassing it is I just want to get in and out, and my car is always pretty clean, especially the interior). After about 20 minutes or so, the oil change guy hailed me down, showed me my clean oil, and instructed me to pay inside before driving around the building to the car wash. Never any issues with paying - I have a flashy blue Toyota Prius Prime named Charcuterie, and Charcoots always gets the Full Synthetic Treatment, so it's on the pricey side. But a few times the attendants have told me to stop coming in as much because it's not as necessary with a hybrid - appreciated that. The overall positive impression here is basely solely on the oil change, which is quick and painless. I've never had any issues with my cars after coming here, and while I'm by no means an expert in the field, I can't help but think that the regular oil changes are part of the overall reason that my transportation situation is drama free, knock on wood (unless NJ Transit is involved). However, the car wash aspect to me is not high quality and not something I'd get again, even though it's free. As you can see from my attached picture, there's a noticeable amount of dirt/schmutz in the pocket of the doorhandle for the back seat. They have close to 15 people throughout the car washing experience with cleaning materials going all over the vehicle, but they miss a ton of stuff. This was just a mild annoyance, but they didn't even bother to put the dust mats back in place; I had to clip those back on when I got home. There are also noticeable smears on the back window, and I'd prefer to just do this myself (which I usually do on the weekends with some wipes - takes about six or seven minutes). Love the oil change, but can do without the car wash. Besides - it always ends up raining at some point, right?"

"I just went to Perfect Shine Auto and the grill of my car is still dirty! The passenger side mirror is still dirty as well. This place needs to do better! Also I purchased the silver package for my car."

"Exterior car wash for $18 to give me it exactly how it came. I asked the workers to please get all the black stuff and they just looked at me , used their dry towels for 10 seconds and said done. Waste of money"

"Let me preface this by saying i've been coming here for 16+ Years. so i've got to see them evolve over time, and im sad to say they went the opposite way. i used to love coming here and for the longest time would anticipate my oil change + car wash combo. always felt good to knock 2 birds out with 1 stone. But over time the quality of work has degraded to a D- Experience. Oil changes take extra long even when theres no line. fluids are filled sloppily and sometimes overpoured, (good for your $ but its cheap stuff + against your MVs requirements ) for some reason theres a common complaint of missing items, they'll move your seat positions, steering wheel positions, mirror positions. and THIS is the good part. the bad part is the car wash. terrible. you spent 34-40$ on a car wash, even with the oil change. 8-20$ upcharge depending on your upgrades and everything is done so lazily, the equipment is out dated and is now scratching or chipping paint off of peoples cars, but whats even more out dated is the work force. by noon everyone is working slow, carelessly, and the overall demeanor is tired, and fed up. like they dont get paid enough to deal with the customers requests (which is just a car wash) the rags they use leave residue and scratches on your car, the wipe marks all that stuff. after 16+ years this is the last time im going after today 3/14/2024. actually have had enough. i just got a used car, looked great. figured id get it cleaned up to wash a bit of the dust off. somehow after the car wash , it looks dirtier. like the wipe marks are visible on the black paint, pretty sure they chipped the paint above my drivers door, cause it wasnt there before. super disappointed. i spent 136$ on this visit. between a full synthetic oil change, an upgraded car wash, and on accessories like valve caps and air freshers in the store. 2 stars for the pure fact that its convenient to knock out 2 birds with 1 stone. but i really want to give this 1 star. and im never returning unfortunately. ive never left a car wash before and regretted it, but i do this one. i truly wish a refund was possible. even the 9$ compensation would mean something cause it means *someone* at some point was held accountable for a mishap. no wonder all the police cars look dirty around here. this is where they come. shame. pictures coming when i update this post. updated with pictures."

"I recently had a truly disappointing experience at Perfect Shine Auto Salon. I paid for a Platinum service for what was supposed to be a thorough car cleaning, but what I received was far from satisfactory. Firstly, the exterior wash left streaks and dirt spots all over my car. It was clear they hadn’t taken the time to properly rinse and dry it. Secondly, the interior cleaning was lackluster at best. The service included vacuuming yet my car floors were still full of dirt. My all weather mats were put back dripping with water. There was still dust in the cup holders and on the dashboard. I expected much better from the “Platinum” service. This car wash was a complete waste of my time and money. I won’t be returning, and I strongly advise others to seek better options for their car cleaning needs."