Car Detailing Services have been around for many years and seemed to crop up about the same time Game Consoles sucked kids inside instead of earning a few dollars allowance keeping the yard and cars in good condition….
No, honestly there are reasons to have your car professionally detailed other then the average cleaning that we do at home. Professionals have the tools and ability to not only clean your car but restore and repair wear conditions both inside and outside of your vehicle.
A detail job no matter how good won’t make your car look show room perfect but it can give you a much better feeling when you are driving your car.
When do you know a Professional Detail is needed?
For exterior surfaces a professional buff and wax can remove oxidation on paint and many small scratches in your clear coat. Also when you need to remove stickers, tar or stains a buffing can often restore the surface and bring back that shine.
If your paint is damaged a detail can not fix problems like flaking clear coat, scratches that enter into the base or color coat of the paint or other heavy damage.
Some professional detailers may also offer paintless dent removal for small dents but you will probably need a dedicated body repair technician to do this work.
On your interior it is a good idea to have your car detailed if you have stains in the upholstery or carpet, Some small tears or seam stitching may also be performed by a professional detailer and color restoration where an air brush is used to restore color.
Some detailers can also remove or repair burn marks from cigarettes but the repair is never perfect. Expect to see the work although it will be 90% better then looking at a hole.
What is the cost of Professional Car Detailing?
Cost will depend on the condition and size of the vehicle. Obviously larger vehicles or high dollar vehicles will cost more then the average commuter vehicle.
Remember when we are talking a professional detail job we’re talking about people that do this as their main occupation not simply driving to a car wash and having the kid empty your ash trays.
Professional exterior Buff and Wax jobs with no real damage to the paint will start at $200 for an average car.
Interior Detailing can start at $75 and go up to $150 or more if you have damage, stains or bad odors that need to be removed.
A full sized vehicle that needs an overall detail can expect to pay $400 or more. Higher dollar vehicles are always more and large SUVs can expect to cost at least double that of a standard car.
Scotch Guard can cost $150 and will require cleaning first.
Odor Removal is usually an additional $50 but may be more.
Final Note
The skills that are needed for a Professional Detail Job verses a standard cleaning at your local car wash.
Most of the techniques require professional or hand held training and to execute them well will take a year or more.