How Much Does it Cost to Get Your Car detailed?

Agh yes, the most important and frequently asked question, How much will my vehicle cost? Well to keep it short, It depends.

The reason I say that is because there are many different variables to a detail. It depends on the size of the vehicle, the condition of the vehicle, what exactly you want cleaned, what steps you'd like a detailer to take, etc. It is very difficult to give an exact dollar amount to a detail before laying eyes on it.

Most detailers have similar pricing but you can find someone that may be more expensive than others. The reason can be because they have more overhead, they need to dish out more money each month than someone detailing as a side business. They could also use more expensive products because it is easier to work with and does what it's supposed to do really well. The price of a detail doesn't always have to be reflected in how dirty your car is, so keep that in mind when working with someone. 

Another thing that can affect your detail bill is the size and condition of the vehicle. It's definitely the most important variable, I mean the bigger and dirtier it is the more time a detailer has to spend on cleaning it. 

How Much Will My Vehicle Cost?

Well, the answer is somewhere between $100-$500. To know exactly what your vehicle will cost you'll have to give us a call at (610-230-0904) and request a quote. But wait, before you do that you need to think about the condition of your vehicle and answer these questions before requesting a quote.

Do you have dog hair on the carpet? 

Are your seats cloth or leather?

Are there stains on the carpet or seats?

Did you spill something on the trim pieces?

When was the last time you got your car detailed or did it yourself?

Do you want any protection added like leather conditioner or trim coating?

Is there sand in the carpet?

Every question here is very good to keep in the back of your head when you're calling up your detailer because they will be asking most of these questions. An even better approach to getting a quote for your vehicle is to send pictures if they accept them because yah know "pictures speak a thousand words". Being prepared for a phone call is going to make everyone's life easier and cause fewer headaches at the end of the day. 

Let's talk about why detailing can get expensive. 

Instead of writing long sentences about why it can cost so much, I will leave bullet points instead. 

• Can take an extended amount of time

• Expensive Tools and Products

• Experienced detailers are more valuable

• Labor-intensive and personalized Work

• Can increase the resale value

After reading that list you should have a slight understanding of why a detail costs as much as it does. Detailing can be a very labor-intensive job and it is not meant for everyone. Some details can take up to 10 hours to get done which can cause a lot of strain on your body. 

At the end of the day, getting a detail is completely your decision and you aren't obligated to get one. If you think it's too expensive you can always do it yourself and if you think it's a good price and don't have the time to clean your car a detailer is always an option. I hope this article helped you figure out why a detail costs as much as it does.

How to know if a detail is right for you?

What happens when you get in your car in the morning and you look on the passenger side floor and see stacks of Poland Springs water bottles? You look to your right and see fingerprints all over your glass. You start to think "Hmm maybe I should clean my car this weekend" but you don't have the time. You need to watch your kids, do the dishes, fold napkins, finish your new show on Netflix and go grocery shopping. The point is, your car falls to the bottom of your to-do list.

But what if there was a solution to this problem...someone who can go to you, someone who can clean your car while you finish your Netflix show. Or even better, while you're working. No that can't be possible...can it?

It sure can, more and more people are starting mobile detailing businesses nowadays to help people like you; the people that don't have the time to do it themselves. There are multiple options when looking for a detailer. Some can go to you, some have a shop, and some can do ppf (paint protection film) to protect your paint. There are many options out there for you to pick from, but how do you know what's right for you?

If you're low on time and don't really care for the paint of your vehicle, a car wash may be helpful but you need to know the risks you're taking before going. You know that big spinning thing that goes over your entire car when it's washing it? How many cars do you think that touches every day, every hour even? The answer to that is enough to pick up a lot of dirt..... Where do you think that dirt goes? Inside the scary 12 ft long foam swirl creator. All that dirt can then be rubbed into your precious paint and cause micro scratches. Don't know what micro scratches are?

Here's a photo for reference:

I bet if you went to your car now and shined a light on it you'd see exactly this. No, it's not true damage to your vehicle and I know it's difficult to see but it's still ruining your investment. I bet you have a case on your brand-new iPhone because you don't want to scratch it right? Well, a car is 20x more expensive. Why do you send it through a swirl-creating portal?

Look, I get it, I'm a detailer and I barely take care of my own car's paint. But I still don't bring it through a car wash. I have a white car so it's much harder to see the micro scratches. Next time you go to send your car through a car wash, think about what you're reading and drive away. This isn't a tactic of me trying to take business away from a car wash so you spend money with a detailer. Yes, I make more money from more clients and trust me I'm not going to have clients spawn in because they came out of the swirl portal. I actually heavily promote cleaning your own car cause it's fun, you get the satisfaction of driving a shiny disco ball once you finish wiping it for hours. Seriously, there are not many things like it.

Now getting back to if a detail is right for you

If you're reading this article right now, the answer is probably yes. You're just trying to not have buyer's remorse. Figuring out that you need a detail is actually pretty simple. Figure out if you have the time to do it yourself. Do you have your own products? Do you have some knowledge of detailing? Something else to think about is getting all the detailing products you need can be expensive. You could spend up to $500to get all the products and tools you'd need to do the job I have experience doing and will make your vehicle look like new.

My recommendation would be, if you have the money to spend on a detailer, then get your car detailed. If you don't, then buy some basic products and clean your car yourself. If you want to clean your car yourself, I would recommend watching a YouTube video that goes over everything.

Here is a list of Youtube videos I would recommend

ACSDetailing - How to detail a car inside and out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BAFps5EN90&t=172s

How I Do My Full Detail Step by Step - Hunter's Mobile Detailing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyMCG-jr3MY

How To Wash Your Car Like A Pro (Guide) - Detailing Beyond Limits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjFHdtKCHMw

Chris Fix - How to super clean the interior of your car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pctzq_pT2MU

The Detail Hunters - 15 Stages to detailing for beginners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRTGnf3uJ0M

Pan The Organizer - How to wash your car like a

pro:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Koj5j2Es5U&t=3s

IMJOSHV - How to wash your car using a foam cannon:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuTQJ9AXXCs

Summary of this article

No matter who you are or what car you drive, please do not bring your car through a car wash because you're low on time or don't care. At least use self-serve car washes if you're low on time. I figured out how to clean an entire car in 4 minutes with the self-serve car wash. Do you have 4 minutes?

Imagine buying a brand new iPhone straight from the apple store then you walk right out of the store and drag the screen face down across the pavement. Makes you cringe right? So why are you doing that to your car that costs 20x more? This is basically what that 10 ft long spinning welcome mat is doing to your car.

If you decide to go with a detailer, shop around a bit and figure out if you want a mobile detailer or one with a shop. Figure out what you want to be done to your car (inside or outside or both). Check out their reviews and look into their website. Ask for a quote with questions prepared.

Taking care of your vehicle is very important. It's either the most expensive or second most expensive thing you own, so why let it get nasty? You have to take care if you're in the salt belt so the body doesn't rust into the ground.

Please refer to my pricing article to find out how much your vehicle will cost!

The good ole scratch N shine

So you walk out of your house in the morning and just to see your brand new black Mercedes C-class is covered in maple syrup, don't ask questions...

Immediately you think "how am I going to get all this off?" Do you know what's convenient, a car wash, So you hit a car wash on the way to work. Not thinking about the guy that spent 11 hours painting and correcting it before you bought it. You drive right into that 10 ft long welcome home mat and let it eat away all the hard work that was spent paint correcting your car. In your mind, you're thinking you're being productive but your bank account is screaming at you cause you just lost thousands of dollars worth of resale value. Hey, but thank god you saved money on that $3 car wash. 

Okay but you may be reading all this and thinking "So it's just a car why do I care about these micro scratches?" and you are right, to an extent. It's your car and your money so, at the end of the day, it's your option to get your car detailed or bring it through a car wash. But at least understand the effects of a car wash before you go and get your car "cleaned".

The Effects Of An Automatic Car Wash

You may think that bringing your car to an automatic car wash is perfectly fine, I used to. I mean "wash" is literally in the name but it really should be an automatic dirt scrub. Thousands of cars go through an automatic car wash every week and to be honest with you I don't know how often they clean that 10ft long scrub daddy, if they do at all. Think about all these people that go to a carwash with a nasty muddy car and get it cleaned up. Where do you think all that dirt goes? Right in the big foam thing...whatever it's called. So then you pull up in your car and get all that mud that's embedded in the 10ft cleaning stick rubbing all up in your paint. It's simply not a good idea.

The other important thing to remember about an automatic car wash is that it doesn't clean every surface of the vehicle. Having a human do it can make it come out much better because they can get into those spots than an automatic car wash can't. I mean think about it, it just sprays high pressure water then high concentrated soap, then water, then blows air at it and BAM. Imagine you went to take a shower in the brand new "automatic human washer 9000" and this was the process, wouldn't feel too good if I do say so myself.

Why A Detailer Is a Better Option

Like I said in the previous section, a human can get into spots that a robot can't. Detailers can also do things with much better results. Of course, it will take longer but do you know that saying "quality over quantity". I understand detailers aren't for everyone due to the price but they can definitely help you when you need it. 

I'm not writing this article to bash on the people that own car washes, of course there's people out there that simply don't care about their car because they got it for $500. But this article isn't made for those people, it's made for the people that care about their vehicle and want to know how to properly take care of it. 

Some people just have no idea what goes into an automatic car wash and could think it's a great idea to save time and money rather than hiring a detailer.

Summary Of This Article

By now you should know that automatic car washes are not good for your vehicle as they can reduce the value, they can make it look worse and they put micro scratches in your car. I've even seen people say that it doesn't put micro scratches in your car, they're not correct. Unless they change out that 10ft rock filled scrub ninja after every vehicle or thoroughly clean it after every use, that thing is ready to scratch up your vehicle.

There are multiple ways to get your car cleaned, whether it's you, a detailer or a robot with foam arms it's your decision at the end of the day…