Terms of Service

Last updated 21 August 2026

These are the rules we work under. They're written to be read, not to hide anything — the whole selling point of this business is that the price is fixed before we start and nothing gets sprung on you afterwards.

01Agreeing to these terms

Booking a slot with Cipher Auto Lab LLC — through this site, by phone or by text — means you accept what's on this page. If something here doesn't work for you, call before booking rather than after.

You need to be 18 or older, and you need to be the vehicle's owner or have the owner's permission to have work done on it.

02Booking a slot

A booking isn't confirmed until the deposit is paid and we've replied to confirm. Until then the slot is still open to anyone.

Lead time is usually two to five days. Every booking carries a reference beginning CAL- — quote it when you call and we can find you instantly.

03Deposits

Every booking takes a refundable deposit to hold the slot. It comes off your total — it is not an extra charge on top.

Prices shown are for a sedan or coupe. Larger vehicles cost more and the full table is published on the pricing page. Deposits do not change with vehicle size — a sedan and a truck hold the same slot.

Add-ons do not carry a deposit of their own. Where a booking combines a detail with paint work, the larger of the two deposits applies, and only that one.

A mobile slot is several hours plus travel, and a same-day cancellation can't be refilled. The deposit is the smallest amount that makes that sting a little instead of not at all.

04Cancelling and rescheduling

Refunded in full

• You cancel or reschedule with 24 hours notice or more. No questions asked.
• We reschedule, for any reason at all, including weather.
• We arrive, find something that changes the price, and you'd rather not go ahead.
• The site turns out to be unworkable — no safe space, no access, nowhere to run a hose.

Forfeited

• You cancel with less than 24 hours notice.
• Nobody is there and the vehicle isn't accessible when we arrive.

Those two are the only ways to lose a deposit. Refunds go back to the original card and usually land within five to ten business days, depending on your bank.

05Pricing and re-quotes

Every price shown is a starting price for a sedan in normal condition. SUVs, trucks and three-row vehicles are priced higher. The estimate on the booking form is exactly that — an estimate.

06What we need on site

We bring our own water and power, so you don't need to supply either. What we do need:

• Roughly 15 feet of clear space around the vehicle, and legal parking for our van nearby.
• Permission to work there. If it's an apartment complex, an office lot or an HOA, please check first — some don't allow it.
• The vehicle emptied of personal belongings, child seats and rubbish. We'll work around a few items, but we can't clean what's buried and we're not responsible for anything left inside.
• Keys, if the interior is part of the job.

If we arrive and the site can't be worked safely — no room, no legal parking, no permission — that counts as our cancellation, and your deposit is refunded in full.

07Your vehicle's condition

We photograph vehicles on arrival as a record of condition. That protects both of us.

We're not responsible for pre-existing conditions, including:

• Failing, peeling or already-compromised clear coat, which can lift under polishing
• Existing rock chips, deep scratches through the paint, dents and rust
• Previously repainted or bodyfilled panels, which behave unpredictably under a machine
• Cracked or brittle trim, worn seals, and aftermarket parts or wraps
• Stains, burns, tears or odours that have set permanently into the interior

If we spot something during inspection that we think is a risk, we'll tell you before touching it and let you decide.

08What we can and can't promise

Detailing has real physical limits, and we'd rather set them here than disappoint you in a driveway.

• Paint correction removes defects, it doesn't resurface the car. Gloss Enhancement is a single machine step targeting roughly 50–60% of light swirling. Paint Correction is two stages targeting roughly 80–90%. Anything deeper than the clear coat can't be polished out at all — it needs paint.
• Paint has a finite thickness. We measure it and we stop when it's prudent. If your car's clear coat is too thin to correct safely, we'll say so and refund rather than take a risk with it.
• Some stains are permanent. Dye transfer, ink, bleach marks, sun-cracked dashboards and heat-set odours may improve without disappearing.
• Odour removal isn't guaranteed, particularly smoke, which soaks into foam and headliner.
• Clean is not new. We'll make your car look as good as it can look. That's not the same as making it a different car.

09Warranties we do give

• Headlight restoration — 12-month clarity warranty on the UV-sealed finish. 24 months with the ceramic topper. If they haze back inside that window, we redo them free.
• Ceramic coating — 3 to 5 years depending on the product, conditional on following the written care instructions we hand over, and on the free six-month check-up being carried out. Coatings are never applied over uncorrected paint.
• Everything else — if you're not happy with something we did, call within 48 hours and we'll come back and put it right.

Warranties cover our workmanship. They don't cover new damage, accidents, automatic car washes, or ordinary wear after we leave.

10Weather

Detailing outdoors depends on the weather. Rain, ice, high wind or extreme heat can force a reschedule, and paint correction in particular needs conditions we can control.

If we move your appointment for weather, you get first pick of the next available slot, and your deposit is refunded in full if the new date doesn't suit you. Covered or garage space, if you have it, means weather stops being a problem.

11Paying the balance

The balance is due when the work is finished, after you've walked round the vehicle with us — not before. We take card, and cash if you prefer.

Card payments are handled by Stripe. Card details go straight from your device to Stripe and never touch our systems.

12Damage and insurance

Cipher Auto Lab LLC is a registered Connecticut LLC and carries business liability insurance. Ask and we'll send the certificate before you book.

13Limit of liability

Except where damage is caused by our negligence — which insurance is there to cover — our total liability for any claim relating to a job is limited to the amount you paid us for that job.

We're not liable for indirect or consequential losses: time off work, a missed sale, rental costs, or loss of use of the vehicle.

Nothing in these terms limits any liability that can't lawfully be limited under Connecticut law.

14Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Connecticut. Any dispute goes to the state or federal courts located in New Haven County, Connecticut.

Before it ever gets that far: call us. Nearly everything is a misunderstanding that a phone conversation fixes.

15Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. The date at the top changes when we do. The terms that apply to your booking are the ones in force on the day you booked — we won't retroactively change the deal on a job you've already paid a deposit for.