Car Detailing

[mp170.6]

I had my father's truck detailed as an early Christmas present.  This was interior detailing only, to shampoo the seats and carpeting.  The exterior was not washed, waxed, or detailed.

 

Final price = $125

 

Did I get ripped off?

[Blarg]

Did you want to do it yourself? If not then you paid what it costs others to clean French fries out from under the seats.

[deepdrive]

That's actually cheap compared to what some detailers charge. It all depends on how good they are.

[mp170.6]

Did you want to do it yourself? If not then you paid what it costs others to clean French fries out from under the seats.

 

I have no idea how much this is supposed to cost.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

I have never had a full detail done, but the place where I get my washes done charges $224.99 for a full detail. Doesn't sound out of line if they did a thorough job.

[Brandon]

Yeah, you got ripped.

At worst you should have paid for a full blown detail at that price. The main thing is the external waxings. The inside is usually a secondary cost that is a minimal add on.

I used to have a personal detailer that came to my office once a week and did everything perfect for that price and then I'd tip him on top.

Maybe they put some magical Meguiars on the interior that lasts a month.

[wopphil]

I used to have a personal detailer that came to my office once a week and did everything perfect for that price and then I'd tip him on top.

You used to have/spend way too much money.

[Brandon]

First sports car. He didn't always detail, but was a personal car wash guy.

Same thing as the Mexican dude that goes through the complex every week, I was just helping out a dude that was a start up and building his business.

[wopphil]

Hey if you got it, go for it. Always good to support small business, and I applaud your generosity. I can probably afford only one detail every couple of years, if that.

[Brandon]

But yeah, times were good back then.

[deepdrive]

You guys don't know much about car detailing (Which is why there's such a spectrum of skills and compensation that doesn't always match up). Like a lot of things, you need to know a lot to know whether or not you're getting value. $100, $200... you can't go by dollar amount. You have to go by what you want and what it costs to get it done right. There's guys out there that get $100/hr or more and are worth it. There's also guys getting $12 an hour who are worth it and others who you're being foolish if you let them touch your car.

Detailers are like painters in that they can do a lot of damage in a short period of time. Pick'em wisely.

[Brandon]

That was another reason I had a personal detailer. It was my first black car and you have to be careful with black....everything shows and swirl marks can be disastrous.

[deepdrive]

I have a red car right now. In the past I always bought white. Next car will be in the white to cream spectrum. Just too much effort keeping anything else looking good.

 

A couple FYI's that I know. Clearcoat is about the thickness of a post-it and like all finishes, thinner on edges. Don't let a guy use a rotary buffer to, what detailers call, 'wheel' your paint. A good detailer should use a random orbit polisher (probably either a Fein or a Rupes) and shouldn't run the polisher through edges/high points. Wax is for car enthusiasts, good detailers use quality sealants and coatings. Fabrics and carpet need to be cleaned with products that afterwards don't attract dirt. It might be better to have a carpet cleaner do these if your not sure your detailer is properly trained.