We spent seven years doing it wrong
Then we found something better
For seven years, we protected thousands of vehicles using the same methods as every other shop. Ceramic coatings that fade after two years, and PPF that yellows and needs replacement. We were good at it, and our clients were happy.
But we couldn't ignore what we learned. The industry standard is built on temporary solutions and recurring revenue, not permanent protection.
In 2023, we discovered Icon Rocklear and everything changed. It's the only coating that actually works the way protection should. One application lasts 15+ years with no yellowing and no replacement. We're not just protecting cars, we're proving you don't have to choose between quality and permanence.
How we got here
I grew up in Milpitas, my grandparents moved here in 1978. My mom and aunts graduated from Milpitas High School. I'm class of 2015. This is my hometown. My dad was a mechanic and I was his "ultimate flashlight holder" growing up. High school was Initial D marathons and racing arcade sessions playing Initial D Stage 8 with my friends. In 2017, I spent every dollar I'd saved from minimum wage jobs to buy my dream car, a 2007 Mazdaspeed6. One of only 13,000 ever made. My obsession with protecting that car is what sparked Dragon Auto. I started in my grandparents' garage installing ceramic coatings. No VC funding, no loans, no mommy daddy money. This is all money we built through the years. Eventually the operation grew enough that I had to move into our first shop. It's not a looker, it's a sheet metal building, but it's where work gets done. I installed the floor tiles myself and did all the paint ourselves. Everything was DIY because we're bootstrapped from the ground up. After seven years of ceramic coatings and PPF, we discovered Icon Rocklear in 2023. That's when everything changed.
How we got here
I grew up in Milpitas, my grandparents moved here in 1978. My mom and aunts graduated from Milpitas High School. I'm class of 2015. This is my hometown. My dad was a mechanic and I was his "ultimate flashlight holder" growing up. High school was Initial D marathons and racing arcade sessions playing Initial D Stage 8 with my friends. In 2017, I spent every dollar I'd saved from minimum wage jobs to buy my dream car, a 2007 Mazdaspeed6. One of only 13,000 ever made. My obsession with protecting that car is what sparked Dragon Auto. I started in my grandparents' garage installing ceramic coatings. No VC funding, no loans, no mommy daddy money. This is all money we built through the years. Eventually the operation grew enough that I had to move into our first shop. It's not a looker, it's a sheet metal building, but it's where work gets done. I installed the floor tiles myself and did all the paint ourselves. Everything was DIY because we're bootstrapped from the ground up. After seven years of ceramic coatings and PPF, we discovered Icon Rocklear in 2023. That's when everything changed.
The team
Dragon Auto is the team. It's Jenn, my partner and COO. We've been together for eight years. She has a degree in pharmaceutical chemistry from UC Davis and left that career to build this with me. It's Kevin, my high school friend. We had ceramics class together and talked about starting a business back then. Now we're doing it. It's Hoang, my day one. I was his dragon boat team captain and coach in high school. He's been with me since the garage days. It's Sean and Chris who keep everything running. We treat all vehicles the same. $5,000 Honda or $200,000 Porsche. If you pay us for services, you get the same obsessive attention to detail because our job isn't just to protect paint, it's to preserve a vehicle's story.
The team
Dragon Auto is the team. It's Jenn, my partner and COO. We've been together for eight years. She has a degree in pharmaceutical chemistry from UC Davis and left that career to build this with me. It's Kevin, my high school friend. We had ceramics class together and talked about starting a business back then. Now we're doing it. It's Hoang, my day one. I was his dragon boat team captain and coach in high school. He's been with me since the garage days. It's Sean and Chris who keep everything running. We treat all vehicles the same. $5,000 Honda or $200,000 Porsche. If you pay us for services, you get the same obsessive attention to detail because our job isn't just to protect paint, it's to preserve a vehicle's story.
The Dragon Auto standard
We're not the fastest and we're not the cheapest, but we stop counting the minutes because good enough is an insult. When you bring us your car, we're not thinking about how fast we can get it done. We're thinking about how it's going to look in five years, or ten years. We're thinking about whether you'll still be happy with our work when you sell the car or pass it down to your kids. That's why we're appointment-only. That's why we limit how many vehicles we take each month. We built this business on obsessive, uncompromising craftsmanship, not volume and chasing profits. Your paint will outlive your car, that's the Dragon Auto standard.
The Dragon Auto standard
We're not the fastest and we're not the cheapest, but we stop counting the minutes because good enough is an insult. When you bring us your car, we're not thinking about how fast we can get it done. We're thinking about how it's going to look in five years, or ten years. We're thinking about whether you'll still be happy with our work when you sell the car or pass it down to your kids. That's why we're appointment-only. That's why we limit how many vehicles we take each month. We built this business on obsessive, uncompromising craftsmanship, not volume and chasing profits. Your paint will outlive your car, that's the Dragon Auto standard.