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Valued Contributor
Posts: 809
Registered: ‎12-28-2011

Re: Do you get your car detailed and how much is it?

DH does his own, takes him about 5 to 6 hours. 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 10,820
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Do you get your car detailed and how much is it?


@sunshine45 wrote:

@shoekitty wrote:

A true detailing is only done at car shops, usually.  It runs about 300-600 bucks depending.  They detail everything from front to back inside and out.  Also they clean part of engine. They can  fix inside scratches and repair leather.  I had it done once to my old suburban, which was not old back then. Lol!  They shampoo carpets, scotchguard, etc.  takes all day. My suburban cost 300 back in 2008. They also hand wax


 

 

 

for me and for what is being done, $300 to $600 is way too much. i do agree that getting it done at an automotive facility is best, but i have never had to spend that much for a full service detailing that is excellent. does that last you an entire year? i have mine done 2 -3 times a year.

 


Shoekitty said

i only had it detailed one time with the works.  It was beautiful.  We kept it up. Ourselves.  Most of the time we do the land rover ourself.  The fiat and suburban we run through the car wash, come home and do ot.  Once in a while I go to car wash that has detailers and car cleaners there.  But I will only have them do the hand wash.  I have had bad experience ewith the car wash there, it has scratched one car twice.  We go to that 7.95 car wash now ...where you sit in the car and go through.  It is fun too. Like a million octopusses cleaning the car.  It has strobe lights too!  The '60's revisited!!   Then we take it home to dry off, and detail it  ourself.  Once a year when we have land rover serviced they do a regular detail for free!  They should for the price they charge.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,070
Registered: ‎09-23-2010

Re: Do you get your car detailed and how much is it?

Years ago I worked in a car detail shop,yes we used Q-tips too. We did cars for dealerships. It was a very hard job. Our Boss was meticulous.

I have never heard of anyone having their personal cars detailed. This really surprises me so many of you do.  

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,583
Registered: ‎06-25-2012

Re: Do you get your car detailed and how much is it?

[ Edited ]

My goodness what has happened with our society that we can't wash our own cars?? Really?? I would NEVER give my hard earned money to have someone else do something I can do for free. We have never had anything "detailed". My dh is a car guy and has always done his own maintenance on our vehicles. We've taught our kids the same. How lazy have we become if we can't even wash something ourselves? Wow.

"Pure Michigan"
Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,107
Registered: ‎03-20-2010

Re: Do you get your car detailed and how much is it?

[ Edited ]

I wouldn’t spend the money. It’s not brain surgery... With $20 of supplies, a couple of hours and a vacuum, I can do 90% of what they do and save the rest of the money. 

I don’t pay for anything I can do myself. There are plenty of great, easy to use auto waxes available.  Besides that, I pretty much baby my car everyday (no kids around now so that helps). The car just isn’t that dirty!  

If I had some major incident that I couldn’t clean myself, I guess I would have it detailed. Here in CT it costs $200 and up! 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,955
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Do you get your car detailed and how much is it?

My husband details our 2 cars because he loves to and thinks it makes him feel like a teenager.

 

Once in a while, but not too often, I make him corn muffins, so not too much.

 

Our cars look like they just rolled off the showroom floor, and we bought the older one in 2009.

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 10,672
Registered: ‎05-13-2010

Re: Do you get your car detailed and how much is it?

I do love a great auto detailer. Had a friend who knows how to detail his own cars and has done others' too. Every once in a blue moon he'd do my cars too.

 

If you like having this work done AND you can find a good detailer, go for it.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,960
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Do you get your car detailed and how much is it?

I don't. My husband does it. buffs, paints all that stuff

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,985
Registered: ‎03-19-2010

Re: Do you get your car detailed and how much is it?

Yes.  We started about 6 years ago.  A friend of ours has been in the auto repair trade for 40+ years.  He charged us $100, which was 1/2 price.  We would get a detail in the early spring and then again in the fall.  Drive thru car washes in between.

 

When I took my car to him it was only a year old and hardly ever out of the garage.  I dropped it off the nite before and it wasn't done until the evening of the next day.  It looked better then when I purchased it.  I can honest say, as I was driving home, heads turned.

 

I think a lot of people may be confused about what a good auto detailing entails.  

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,706
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

Re: Do you get your car detailed and how much is it?

We have a family car wash that charges $30 for my sized car and takes about an hour or more. They do everything by hand and it is beautiful. That is the only "detailing" that I would do and it looks so great. My problem is that I am very short and can't reach all the windows or parts of the car myself, and I also think $30 ($40 with tip) is not too much to pay. I just have it done a couple times a year.