Car detailing

[Canehdianman]

Originally Posted by Kiran403

Detailz does a good job. They are located in the Manchester industrial area.

Originally Posted by TheGrimm

I'll second Detailz. Had my car done there a couple months ago and they used a clay bar. Looked brand new they did a great job.

Detailz loses my business automatically for having a video that auto-plays (with sound) as soon as their page loads.

It might be petty, but I, as an internet consumer, need to do everything in my power to stop this senseless act of auditory violence.

[polak]

Anyone have an idea of how much I'd be looking at for a full interior detail? I spilt an ice cap under my seat like a week after I got my car and I'm hoping they can get to it.

I'd give it a shot myself but it's a coupe and it's annoying as hell to do any thing in it.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by polak

I'd give it a shot myself but it's a coupe and it's annoying as hell to do any thing in it.

Even if you take the seat out?

Full seems to be around the 300-400 mark. I've seen interior only for around $150. That's a couple years ago now.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Canehdianman

Detailz loses my business automatically for having a video that auto-plays (with sound) as soon as their page loads.

Actually they totally redeem themselves by having all their prices listed, and details about what each service includes. No guess work, no calling around.

Originally Posted by polak

Anyone have an idea of how much I'd be looking at for a full interior detail?

As mentioned, http://www.detailz.ca/detailing.cfm

[polak]

Mr. Detail seems like it's cheapest so far. Any one try them out before?

I bought my rims from them before and the service was great. Wouldn't mind throwing some of my business their way but only if they're not crap.

[CarlLester]

Originally Posted by polak

Mr. Detail seems like it's cheapest so far. Any one try them out before?

I bought my rims from them before and the service was great. Wouldn't mind throwing some of my business their way but only if they're not crap.

I dropped in at lunch time to get some info. They are booking into the first week of July already if that matters to you

[ken0042]

Well I was supposed to have my appointment with Detailz this morning. I show up and as they mentioned they wanted to look at my car first to give me the final price; as I mentioned I have a dog. The car isn't that bad; the only reason there is any dog hair at all in the back (just on the carpet) is that I don't have a way to get my central vacuum out to the car to let the power brush do it's thing.

They wanted an extra $60 on top of the $220 due to my car being "extra dirty."

Sorry, but if your price is only to clean cars that are already pretty clean, then I will go somewhere else.

[MelBridgeman]

my car is at detailz as we speak, will report back

[Huntingwhale]

I just got mine done at Kramer Mazda last month. It was about $280, but that includes paying $30 for a deodorizing bomb to clean out my stench. I got the gold level package and it still looks awesome. The interior looks brand new all over again. Even got the gum stains out of my passenger side floor mats someone left in it. I'll be doing this every year once spring rolls around. Kramer has different prices for different levels of services, but I would recommend them if you live in the South.

[MelBridgeman]

Spent 210 -the car is clean

[FCAV]

Now that it's spring (hopefully) does anyone have any recommendations on a full-on detail? I'm talking buff and wax on the outside, and bringing back to showroom condition on the inside.

Anyone you'd recommend? Anyone you'd used without having to give up a first-born?

[browna]

Toss this in here as well, though not quite detailing. 8 year old vehicle, well taken care of, but last couple years (winters especially) I am noticing little rust spots on tailgate, and lower half of the doors and then on the chrome peices. In the winter, I just rinse the car off every couple weeks to remove salt. Those rust marks I can usually rub off with some elbow grease, and are only visible when a foot or so away, but they are there and this winter becoming more plentiful.

Am guessing a good clay barring, then wax, Polish (some in that regard, will look for suggestions) , but any other tips to prevent those from coming back on a longer term basis.

[Canehdianman]

Iron-x the vehicle.

[Travis Munroe]

I called some guy off kijiji the other day, he came to my place and spent a couple hours working on the interior only.
Cost me $120 all in and he came to me.
Car looks really good.... he didnt get "remove the seats" detailed but it was better than what I expected for $120 and him coming to me.

[speed_69]

I also need to find somewhere to do an exterior detail - clay bar, polish and wax.
I'd like to spend max $300.

[pylon]

Just a few little tips for anyone who wants to avoid spending a fortune on the outside of their car. I have run a detail shop in the past, and worked in the car business for 15 years.

- Touchless wand washing every single time. Never use anything to rub the finish. Ever. That is where all scratches and swirls come from.

- Pre-soak the hell out of it, soap and rinse. Most people ignore the pre-soak because it isn't high pressure. Without pre-soak it won't get clean enough for the next step.

- Let the car air dry and use use Norton liquid ice on the car. Mist it on, wipe it off. Use a clean BRAND NEW micro fiber rag each time. Make sure you remove any tags from the rag as well they are scratch monsters. It will get rid of all film and water spots. I also use it on the glass, and it works just as good as rain-x. Liquid-ice is what almost every single dealer uses to touch up their shop room cars. This stuff is frikking amazing, and a bottle should last you a couple years:



I have been using this same process on all my cars for over a decade, in all colors, even black. Never once has the car needed to be polished, they still look brand new at 3-4 years old, with vritually no scratches or swirls. If you use this process from day one on a car, you should be able to go a decade without polishing it.

I cannot emphasize.... NEVER rub the finish with anything except a final polish. NEVER, EVER use the brush hanging on the wall of the car wash. I use that thing to clean mud off the frame of my Jeep, and so does every other guy. And then you go and sand your car with that dirt and mud.

Dealers will try and sell you all sorts of coatings and products, the one that is 100% worth the money is a full 3M wrap on the front.

Lastly, find a good car wash with heated cycles all around. I have mentioned it before, and I really don't want it getting too busy, but the Servpro wash by Heninger Toyota is the best in the city. I promised the gal there I would help them drum up a little business. I would hate it to get so slow, they shut it down. It is the self-serve carwash of the gods.

[DownhillGoat]

Where can one find that Norton Liquid Ice?

[wooohooo]

It seems if I don't use the brush the dirt stays on or dries with a dirt film.

I've tried pre-soaking, blasting it with soap then rinsing it off but doesn't look clean afterwards.

What would you suggest for a car that has scratches and swirly marks?

[Jude]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

It seems if I don't use the brush the dirt stays on or dries with a dirt film.

I've tried pre-soaking, blasting it with soap then rinsing it off but doesn't look clean afterwards.

What would you suggest for a car that has scratches and swirly marks?

After washing your car and you are still left with that film of grime, you need to clay bar it.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by Jude

After washing your car and you are still left with that film of grime, you need to clay bar it.

Well no, that's not what he's getting at. He's talking more about the fact that a standard wand wash doesn't really get it clean. Which it never really does as no wand wash will get it fully clean as they don't provide enough direct friction to remove everything. You'll need to wash it by hand or add a hand wash final step to your cleaning process to do that. Normally if it I'm using a wand wash, its more of just a clean up to get it mostly clean in between proper cleanings.

What you could do (similar to what Pylon posted) is after the wand wash, mist it with a quick detailer and then dry it. The quick detailer will act as a lubricant and surfactant to help pickup the last of the dirt when you dry. Always using a clean microfiber cloth or drying cloth, never using the same "dirty" spot twice.

But for clay bar, I'll usually do that once or twice a year when I wax.