Formula Auto Care

I drove right in to my 10am appointment for tints and wash as expected which I made on Unilocal by Ariel. At about 12 it was done. So far the tints are looking good. I’ll give a couple of days for it to set. The wash was really good exterior and interior was clean more than I expected. The waiting room was comfortable with a nice view of the garage while your car is being serviced. It was my first time going here and I will be returning soon if I had any problems or need a wash.

I bring all my cars here for repairs at there repair shop and there detailing. They are amazing and everyone I recommend to them come back happy also. I will keep on using formula one and referring all my friends. Keep up the great work Ariel

I had my car paint corrected and ceramic coated by a detailer in New Jersey. I needed a local place that knew coatings/​car care to maintain and hand wash the car.
I contacted the owner who asked that I contact the detailer that had done the coating to ensure the proper products are used. This right here let me know I contacted the right place. He basically turned down my money to ensure the car would be done properly first!
After contacting my detailer I brought the car in. Let the formula one team know it was coated and needed a low PH soap.
The end result was fantastic. The owner met with me again after the car was done to discuss the car and the plan for its care moving forward.
I am very knowledgable about caring for a coated car and keeping the paint free of swirls and have a realistic expectation of the longevity of the coating itself. The owner and I clearly saw eye to eye on the risks of having multiple places caring for the car and the clear benefit of a single place. He has my business!
For those considering this place for your car care please do yourself and your car a favor and go. There are some negative reviews, I read them, evaluated the content and the owners response and knew some/​most were either not legit or didn’t give him a chance to correct it.
Thank you formula one for the great service.

I dont know about the one star reviews. I have been bringing my leased cars (2) here every time one of them is up on the lease, and needs to be inspected before I return it. One of the negative reviews is from a guy that has a total of one review, just one. Seems a bit fishy that he bothered to sign up for a Unilocal account to leave only 1 review. It seems personal, Just Saying!!! The owner Ariel is an honest and friendly guy. Every time I go there I feel like I am at an exoctic car show. Mercedes, BMW, Maserati, Ferrari, Lamborghini, you name a super expensive car, they service them. If they messed up wax jobs, Im sure they wouldnt have such repeat business from such discerning taste. I believe they have a twitter handle, look it up, and see the examples of the work they do there. You don’t have to take my word for it, but please dont take the word of one or two guys that just don’t seem credible.

Very friendly staff. However, I just got back from a hand car wash and noticed SWIRLS GALORE! I usually wash and wax w/​a RO buffer at home and know my paint well, and it wasn’t like this before going in.
I saw them spray it down w/​water, then the foam spray, and then use just 1 rag to wipe down the entire car without ever rinsing it out for any dirt. Also, the guy went top to bottom, back up to top and bottom again w/​the rag. This collects all the particles from the bottom part of the car where it’s usually dirtier and then brings it back to the top of the car where there are larger and cleaner panels. All this led to the swirls. Bummer, I really wanted to find a good handwash shop in the city that doesn’t do this.
—– EDIT — -
In Response to the comment by Ariel:
«1÷19÷2016 Hey Michael, thanks for the feedback. I’m the owner and I can assure you we do not use RAGS to wash cars. When was the last time your paint was corrected? what shop did the work? who maintains and details your car regularly? You mentioned you really wanted to find a good hand wash shop in the city that does not do this, so everywhere you go, your paints gets damaged right away? There are lots of variables that can cause your paint to look like that and is almost imposible to obtain deep scraches like the one in your picture with only one visit.»
—– Hi Ariel. By rags, I mean the microfiber cloths that is pretty standard in any shop. I do my own maintenance, and correct the paint myself. I use a foam sprayer, and two bucket method to rinse out dirt from the rag/​cloth/​mf towel. I also do a top down method, leaving the bottom of the car for last, as that has the most dirt particles, and I don’t want it to swirl it around on the top panels. I also use a Porter Cable random orbital buffer to apply wax/​polish. I know my cars condition.
This is definitively the second time I took it to a shop to get my car washed. The first time was also at your place earlier in 2015. They did a great job back then, no complaints. But this time I noticed the swirls b/​c it has never been this bad. They’re not deep deep scratches mind you, but they’re noticeable and they’re EVERYWHERE. And yes, this can happen in one wash. I have no reason to falsely blame you. I WANT to like you, as your shop is very friendly, and the facilities are great. But I can’t help but notice the swirls this time.
—-EDIT 1÷20÷16 —-
In response to comment by Ariel:
«1÷20÷16 You are a very knowledgeable customer. And for your only review are really interested in expressing your concerns about our shop. Are related to JOHN A as well?»
— – Who is John A? My having 1 review is irrelevant. I’ll say it again: the first time I ever took my car to a shop was to yours last year. They did a good job then. This time however, there are swirls everywhere. I normally do my own work, but needed a quick wash to get the salt off. That’s why I went back to you guys… b/​c I liked what you did the first time. I understand why we all get defensive whenever someone criticizes us, but don’t let that blind you to the fact that there is a chance that we are not always perfect in our services. I’m a legitimate customer, I have a legitimate complaint, enough so that I felt a need to leave a review.

This review is on customer service only! I got into an accident, so I brought the car here to fix. I brought the car in yesterday for an estimate, brought the car in today for collision repairs.
I spoke to the owner on the phone, and he seemed friendly and welcoming. I brought it in for the estimate, I spoke to Willie. He was very friendly and welcoming as well. The whole crew knew the definition of customer service. And this is what I, as a customer, look for when I consume especially at a mechanical shop. I wanna make sure my sure is taken care of the right way just like yours.
I was recommended by a friend who comes to Formula One quit often. So I did not know anything about Formula One in advance, but Willie, the owner, or the crew gave me an positive impression and they seem knowledgable of what they need to do.
I will update on the result of the collision repair in about two weeks when I get my car back.
Late update: this is a really late update. But my vehicle came out to be near perfection. I was very satisfied with their customer service and their work. Now there is a slight issue with my lift gate which I will go back and speak to them about it. I suspected that the door doesn’t close properly so it creates certain noises when the vehicle is moving.

The term «you get what you pay for» couldn’t ring more true. While the price point is a bit higher for a car wash, the attention to detail and the quality of service is priceless. It’s very satisfying to know that our vehicle was in such good hands. There wasn’t a spot in the car overlooked! Thank you all again for your service. I won’t have to tell our friends because the work speaks for itself. If there were 5 more stars, we’d give it to you.
Cheers!

Took my 2015 Mercedes Benz E Class for the $ 70 Wax and Wash option. They obviously have no experience on using a motorized buffer on a black car. They destroyed my cars paint that has less than 8000 miles on it. I have these disgusting swirls on every single part of my car.
See the pictures yourself, car owners beware!
Response to owner 12÷22÷15
See picture for receipt, and to why do I only have one review? Because ur quality of work was so bad I was compelled to share this to other car owners.

Do the right work take time, so they do. If you want the best detailing work on your car, Formula 1, definitely is the place to go, while they take care of your car, have a sit and enjoy. I’m very happy with the result.

The gentleman who assisted me was very helpful but the service I paid for (full inside and outside detail) wasn’t worth the price of $ 400. I was originally quoted $ 500 but told him that was too high and I settled for $ 400. The car was dropped off on a Saturday and picked up on Tuesday so a full 2 days to do the job. The inside was nicely cleaned but the rear view mirror had water spots all over it (this is VERY VERY minor but if you pay $ 400 you expect perfection). The left front headlight was filled with condensation and moisture that wasn’t previously there. I was told it will go away and after a week it slowly has. My cousin had to tell me to leave the headlights on while driving and that will help evaporate it. I also asked for my license plate holder /​protector to be changed which they didn’t do. When I arrived and mentioned it wasn’t done, they kindly did it. I opened my car trunk and found a piece of rubber. I asked them what that was and we figured out it was the rubber they removed from the center console for cleaning that was never put back. Also, when I arrived (remember 2 days later) they were still cleaning and wiping down the car. Overall, spots inside the car, moisture in front headlight, forgetting to change license plate cover, console rubber left in trunk and still cleaning /​wiping car when I arrived two days later. These are all minor things and if the price was $ 250 I wouldn’t mind but at $ 400 they shouldn’t happen. They did a decent job but there are plenty of other detailing shops to choose from and that’s what I’ll be doing the next time my old car needs a good detail… definitely for less than $ 400 ;0)

tint job terribly done, waster $ 200+
tints has fiber strands stuck in between, air bubbles a inch long that wouldn’t go away.
i had a quote to remove the tints and redone somewhere else, cost $ 60 to remove and another $ 200 to apply new tints. which is unnecessary if done right the first time.
they messed up, wont be going back again.
detailing was okay

One star beacuse that is the lowest rating. I came to Formula one on a sunday and there was only one car in the facility. I wanted an interior detail and the rep quoted me $ 250 for just doing that. I would be fine if they said $ 80 – 100. I think being honest is probably the most important thing doing business in the city. I dont feel like trusting them anymore.

Very nice detailing job on the Escalade. Better than when was first day new.
Quick and excellent shiny work. Keep it up guys.

I tried Formula 1 for the first time. The place is nice and spacious and can handle 6 – 7 cars the same time. The waiting room is in the back where you have great lighting and a constant view of your car as they work on it.
I took my car here to get a wash and wax after seeing lots of positive reviews on Unilocal.I liked the attention to drying after a thorough wash. They even used a high pressure air pump to blow off all the water droplets before waxing.
The service guys are efficient and friendly. They seem to be all business and gets the job done quickly.

As heard from previous reviews, the wash and detailing services here are great. This review is solely regarding the suntek tints i had done here. The side windows came out fine besides a long scratch on one. The smaller portal windows behind the rear side windows were not cut correctly and are very noticeable. Granted they are hard to maneuver in, i think it could’ve been done better. Also, the back windshield has some bubbling going on that will not go away. Costing $ 230, i expected it to come out near perfect. It has a lifetime warranty so i assume i can have it redone at no charge. Some pictures will be posted.

Ariel and his team completely delivered the highest level of trust, customer service, and professional is when I found my self in a pinch. My X5 was hit by a irresponsible cab driver on the first day of the year! Talk about luck. A family member told me call his friend Ariel who he’s been taking his M3 for years and just leave it in his hands.
I was very skeptical as to who I take my vehicle to and did lots of research. Overall after a consultation with Ariel all of my worries where eliminated! It showed great dedication and passion for what he does in the way that Ariel as a business owner handled my collision claim/​fixtures from beginning to end.
Honesty speaking my car looks better now than when I bought from BMW themselves! Paint correction, lip kit install, and my entire front driver side was replaced with new parts. These guys get it done! Always good to be valued as a customer!

LIC seem to be full of gems.
The past winter has been brutal, the first thing I did on a sunny February day was to bring my car here for a wash + clay + wax based on the reviews
I was not disappointed. Being ungaraged, my car had quite some containments, the salt and grime on the road also took a toll on my car, that why I opted for the clay. Turned out fabulous. I left for some food and came back watching Kevin finishing up, nice and slow with the wash, which is key to a good job.
The staffs know what they are doing and take their time doing it, which is not found in many other places. The products they use are also brand names.
Highly recommended if you care about your car and its paint job. The only thing is the price is a little high, but I’m a firm believer of you get what you pay for.

Been coming here since 2005.
It’s the best hand car wash place in astoria.
I once a week take an hour drive to get my car wash here only.
I recommend it if you want to have a great hand car wash.

Without a doubt the best car wash/​wax in all of NYC. Very attentive staff and exceptional customer service. I had my windows recently tinted and requested that the inside windows be cleaned. The staff recognized that it was too new to clean and skipped it so as not to potentially ruin the tint. Highly recommended and the only car wash (that term is actually below them) that will ever touch my car. Black MB C300 Sport 2015.

This is my first review…
These guys really take care of you. They’re meticulous and pay attention to detail. I’ve had my car washed here at least 10 times over the last couple months. A couple times they’ve even gone further than a normal car wash and buffed out a few scratches from minor scuffs with idiots on the road. They’re a couple dollars more than your quick in and out hand washes, but it’s beyond worth it. Come here above all others in Astoria of you need a good wash.