There are different degrees of auto detailing. The cheapest level might be only washing the outside, like a car wash; the next degree might incorporate doing the interior and the boot too and the top degree may include the inside, outside and the engine.
Then there are degrees of cleanliness within these categories as well. for instance, the lowest level might be to merely vacuum the carpets, but the highest degree may include taking them out and actually washing them.
Needless to say the amount of auto detailing you get will (or ought to) be reflected in the price. The lowest level may cost $75 and the highest degree $300 for an averagely dirty average car.
Larger and dirtier cars cost more. However, the car will be restored to its condition if that is at all feasible, so a good detailing before selling your car may reap rewards.
It is not too hard to learn how to clean the exterior of a car well, but it is more of a problem to do the inside because you will require specialist tools and small vacuum cleaner heads to get into all the nooks and crannies.
You might also like to wash the carpets without removing them which can become a royal pain, if you do not have that specialist apparatus.
You can certainly buy the waxes, polishes, vinyl and leather cleaners and you can even buy the apparatus, it is only that you may find it expensive to purchase and time-consuming to use.
Cleaning the engine is more or less just a matter of blasting the grease off the engine with a quite weak pressure gun using degreaser in the (warm) water, so this means more specialist equipment.
The brushes and sponges are all fairly normal as are the liquids and detergents, polishes and waxes.
Some auto detailing firms will also take care of small repairs like a stitch that has come loose in the upholstery or a slight scratch on the coachwork.
However, I think that all businesses ought to at least bring these defects to the owner's attention even if repair is not in the price. Repairing a minor scratch on a wing can save that wing from having to be replaced in the future. Similarly with tyres, if an operative spots difficulties and reports it, it could save a puncture.
Waxing is an important issue. I think that there should be a wax included in the shampoo, because it will run into all the crevices and create a seal against rainwater. I am all for applying a second coat of wax by hand to the larger areas as well both for protection and appearance.
Do not bother applying a cheap wax by hand, because it will come off after a couple of rain showers. If you are going to do the job, do it properly using a high quality wax that will protect your paintwork from the sun's bleaching rays, from the abrasion of wind-blown dust and from the oxidizing rain.
Then there are degrees of cleanliness within these categories as well. for instance, the lowest level might be to merely vacuum the carpets, but the highest degree may include taking them out and actually washing them.
Needless to say the amount of auto detailing you get will (or ought to) be reflected in the price. The lowest level may cost $75 and the highest degree $300 for an averagely dirty average car.
Larger and dirtier cars cost more. However, the car will be restored to its condition if that is at all feasible, so a good detailing before selling your car may reap rewards.
It is not too hard to learn how to clean the exterior of a car well, but it is more of a problem to do the inside because you will require specialist tools and small vacuum cleaner heads to get into all the nooks and crannies.
You might also like to wash the carpets without removing them which can become a royal pain, if you do not have that specialist apparatus.
You can certainly buy the waxes, polishes, vinyl and leather cleaners and you can even buy the apparatus, it is only that you may find it expensive to purchase and time-consuming to use.
Cleaning the engine is more or less just a matter of blasting the grease off the engine with a quite weak pressure gun using degreaser in the (warm) water, so this means more specialist equipment.
The brushes and sponges are all fairly normal as are the liquids and detergents, polishes and waxes.
Some auto detailing firms will also take care of small repairs like a stitch that has come loose in the upholstery or a slight scratch on the coachwork.
However, I think that all businesses ought to at least bring these defects to the owner's attention even if repair is not in the price. Repairing a minor scratch on a wing can save that wing from having to be replaced in the future. Similarly with tyres, if an operative spots difficulties and reports it, it could save a puncture.
Waxing is an important issue. I think that there should be a wax included in the shampoo, because it will run into all the crevices and create a seal against rainwater. I am all for applying a second coat of wax by hand to the larger areas as well both for protection and appearance.
Do not bother applying a cheap wax by hand, because it will come off after a couple of rain showers. If you are going to do the job, do it properly using a high quality wax that will protect your paintwork from the sun's bleaching rays, from the abrasion of wind-blown dust and from the oxidizing rain.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is at present involved with auto interior detailing. If you want some suggestions on detailing cars come over to our website now at Detailing Car Interiors.
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