Frequently Asked Questions

What is detailing?

Detailing is the thorough cleaning and reconditioning of your vehicle's interior and exterior components. Detailing removes both visible and invisible contaminants and defects from your vehicle and protects it from the elements to ensure it can look its best for as long as possible.

Is detailing worth it and why should I do it?

While the value of detailing is subjective, it is worth it to get your vehicle detailed at least occasionally. Detailing serves as a way to have your vehicle cleaned to a level beyond what most people can accomplish, and this can serve many functions including but not limited to: increased value, extended lifespan, removing and restoring stains and defects, protection from the elements, and preventing damage from improper cleaning.

How much does detailing cost and how long does it take?

The cost and time that detailing can take or cost depends entirely on two factors: the condition of the vehicle, and what services are desired. As a general approximation, detailing usually falls between $50-150 an hour, and can take anywhere between an hour and a couple days. We have some estimated times for each of our services on our services pages.

How often should I get my car detailed?

We tell people that at least twice per year is a good place for most to keep their vehicle from getting too far gone. however this answer depends on the use case of the vehicle and how generally clean or messy the people using the vehicle are. A weekend vehicle that is only driven a few thousand miles a year and never sees rain might only need a detail once per year, but a family minivan that goes on trips or is eaten in might need a detail monthly. We recommend getting a major initial detail and setting up a maintenance plan to prevent your vehicle from getting too dirty. 

I don't know where to start or what to ask; help?

This is a valid feeling to have with all the buzzwords and conflicting information regarding detailing that goes around. Rest assured we are here to try to make this process as easy as possible and help you to understand the benefits and drawbacks to decisions before you make them. We can make it as easy as asking "what is your biggest concern?" and going from there. Usually what we will do for clients who are unsure is ask them to reach out to us and ask them a series of simple questions to get a list of what they are after and give them a plan of action. We can receive text messages so you can send us a text and say "I don't know what I'm after, help" and we will absolutely take care of you from there, we don't bite, we promise.

Do automatic car washes damage my car?

Yes. They absolutely do. It does not matter if it is a "soft touch" or "touchless" car wash, it will absolutely damage every material on the outside of your car every time. Tunnel washes (the ones with brushes that touch your car; think Mister or Tommy's) scratch your paint with all the dirt, rust, leaves, and other contaminants that are stuck in those brushes, not to mention the body damage that they cause: ripped off fuel doors, bent antennas, caved in hoods/roofs, and more (I have personally seen all of these). Touchless car washes are advertised as safer but can be almost worse than a tunnel wash for your car, this is because they use harsher chemicals in an attempt to clean the car without making contact. The problem is that these acidic chemicals will fade trims, degrade rubber seals, and if it is a carwash that "polishes" your car, it works by spraying a chemical on there that for lack of a better word "melts" your clear coat in an attempt to smooth it out and make it look shiny again. 

Does detailing remove scratches, stains, or paint chips?

Yes, kind of. All of these problems can be addressed by detailing, but all of them are generally add-on packages or upcharges. Also, all of these have limitations, sometimes scratches are too deep that they are through the paint, and a detailer can't correct what is no longer there. Likewise, some stains are too embedded that they will never come completely out. Paint chips can be touched up, but getting a perfect paint match is not always possible and it will never look as good as a respray. But no matter how severe any of these conditions are, we can definitely make them look infinitely better if we can not outright remove the issue.

What is included in a detail?

This depends on what service you get, as different services cover different areas, and different services can have different levels. We list the majority of what is covered in each level of each service on our services pages, but if you have any questions feel free to reach out to ask.

What products do you use?

We have selected our products very carefully to ensure that we use products that both work and are safe to use. Visit our Product Information page to see more information about specific products that we use.

What is the difference between wax/sealant/coating?

This is a very messy topic with very blurry lines in product advertising but we can easily answer it for you. While the very basic word "coating" generally means anything that is applied to your paint to protect it, there are differences between all of these products.

- Wax - A wax found in nature, usually in paste form that provides some of the highest levels of gloss and saturation, generally has the worst longevity and environmental protection of these three types of products, and is usually only recommended for show cars to look their absolute best on show day.

- Sealant - Manmade version wax, usually in a liquid or spray form that provides a range of visual qualities, generally lasts 3-12 months, provides good environmental protection, and is a good choice for the majority of people who do not want to spend the money on, or upkeep a true ceramic coating.

- Ceramic Coating - A coating made from Silicon Carbide (SiC) that creates a hard, clear layer over your paint to provide the best environmental protection and longevity of these three types of products. Ceramic coatings typically come in 30mL glass bottles, so if a product says ceramic coating and it is a spray bottle (or anything not made of glass) then it is not actually a ceramic coating. These products would be ceramic sealants made of Silicon Dioxide (SiO2), are not true ceramic coatings, and do not have the same properties or protection.

Is it good to wax my car and how long does it last?

Sure, any level of protection is good for your car, however traditional paste wax does not last very long (typically a couple weeks at best) and does not protect your car nearly as much as a modern sealant does. Also, if applied improperly or to a dirty or dusty car, you can cause damage to your paint when doing so.

Does using a clay bar remove scratches?

No, actually it is the other way around, a clay bar causes marring on your paint while removing bonded contaminants. For this reason, it is not recommended to use clay on your car often, and is typically only advised to be done once per year, or prior to performing a paint correction.

Can I use dish soap to wash my car?

No, you should not use dish soap to clean any surface on your vehicle. Dish soaps contain solvents to break down organic greases and will degrade materials on your vehicle. They will also remove any protective coatings you might have on your car and can cause clear coat damage. Even an inexpensive car wash soap will be better for your vehicle than dish soap. At the very least, we recommend using Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash soap if you are unsure of what to use instead. It can be found almost everywhere for around $10 and will last the average person around 30-40 washes.

What is the 2 or 3 bucket method? Multi-mitt method?

These are different methods that detailers use during the contact wash stage of cleaning the exterior of a vehicle, and they all aim to prevent scratches or swirls while cleaning your vehicle. The two bucket method is where you have one bucket with wash soap to wash the car with and a second bucket with clean water in it to dunk the wash mitt in every couple of panels to knock the dirt out of it before adding more soap and continuing washing the car. the idea is that you are removing the dirt from the wash mitt as you work to prevent pushing that removed dirt back into the paint. The three bucket method is the same as the two bucket but adds a separate third bucket for the wheels alone since wheels tend to be dirtiest and have the most aggressive contamination. The multi mitt method utilizes one bucket with wash soap and instead of using a water bucket every couple of panels, you just use a new wash mitt instead. This tends to be more expensive as you are using potentially over a dozen wash mitts instead of one to a few.

Do you use tire shine?

We use a tire dressing that leaves more of a matte to satin finish rather than glossy as these glossy products tend to sling off the tire all over the side of your car. Also, new tires come with more of a dark and matte look and we try to match that appearance more than making it look greasy. View our Product Information page to read more about the products we use.

What is a quick detail spray and is it safe for my paint?

A quick detail spray is a spray used to lessen the friction between a microfiber rag and your vehicle's paint while removing light contamination such as dust and occasionally bird droppings. These products sometimes add a very negligible amount of gloss and protection to your paint as well. However, these products do not prevent scratches and should never be used in place of an actual wash if the vehicle actually needs it. They are just used to help maintain a fresh clean or remove very light dust.

Can I use Armor All wipes to keep my vehicle clean?

No. Please do not. Armor All is known to cause damage to many surfaces on your vehicle and overall every product they offer is the absolute bottom of the barrel in terms of both quality, and functionality. They are known to dry out interior materials causing them to crack, cause acidic burns on wheels and paint, and on top of that just do not do their job well. We would rather recommend you to pick up some inexpensive detailing rags, a simple interior detailer spray, glass cleaner such as Invisible Glass or Sprayway (never Windex), and wash soap to keep your vehicle clean before your next detail.

Does a coating protect against bird droppings?

No. Due to the acidity of bird droppings, they will eat through anything that currently exists and will etch into your clear coat the same as they would without a coating. A coating can provide slight protection and delay this outcome, but bird droppings must be removed as fast as possible in any case.