:)

there is no real answer to this. There are several different levels of 'real detail jobs.' If you pay a single person to do it himself, it will probably cost 150+ and take at least 4 hours. If you take it to a place that details several cars a day it might be a bit cheaper and only take 2 hours or so.

It really depends on what all you want done. If you want a COMPLETE detail, which may include full exterior wash, polish, wax, sealant, wheels, wheel wells, engine compartment, etc and full interior detailing with high quality products could take a long time and a lot of money. If you paid some guy to do it, it could take 4 or more hours and maybe more than 150, depending on what kind of products he uses and how good a job he does.

make good friends that know detailing and like beer ;)

Around here it's $150 at the best place in town A.J.s auto detail...That's for a "complete" detail in/out but not under the hood ($50 more) They do an exellent job by most peoples standards.....Not mine!

Well in a business like that you cannot afford to be AS detailed/anal about the quality you are doing. If you tried to do as good a job as most of us do then it would take longer and cost way more to be as picky. We have all the time in the world to detail our own cars but they aer trying to turn a profit and push as many cars through the line as possible in the shortest time allowed. Probably setting up an assembly line where the vaccuum is done, then the exterrior wash while someone inside is working on windows, dash, vents. Then the wheel wells and wheels and a strip,polish,wax job, and out it goes.

so if you want a real good job do it yourself. I have seen places here who calim to be the best detail a ford explorer. The things looks great until we went mudding in it and took it to the car wash afterwards. Then the oxidation came right back the red faded to pink right away within a weeks time. So what did that shop do? I don't know how they made it look so deep red like new again only to have it wash off at the car wash and streak badly. They say "Never powerwash" and blamed that instead of their $6/hr high school summer intern. So we took a little hand action with some rubbing compound and a whole saturday and it looked better than they did for $200. AND it didnt streak after a power wash.

If I had that attitude in my business I'd be out of business! I do all jobs as though it were my own vehicle. Actually I probably do better on customers vehicles than on my own.

That may be true in your case but around here people get by with as little as possible but good enough to beat the next guy.

I personally don't like that mentality but it's everywhere you turn.

Those that put forth the extra effort however are rewarded with loyal customers and referral business.

All it is attention to DETAIL, thats why they call it detailing. I have done a few cars that werent mine, and i have tried to do a better job than i would on my car.

Originally posted by elwesso
All it is attention to DETAIL, thats why they call it detailing. I have done a few cars that werent mine, and i have tried to do a better job than i would on my car.

You should talk to some of my friends that do (win) conours events. Talk about attention to detail. Not only do they park the car so the text on the wheels face upwards, but one guy i know goes (had an old jag, was a 50's something, completly restored from a pile of junk to a car that usually scored in the %99.5-%99.7 range and won many jag events), under the hood and makes sure all the screws/bolts are turned so they line up the same.

Try doing that with allen screws! I have...And then painted the inside of the socket on each one the same color as the body of the vehicle. it's painstaking work but a points getter!

someone has a little too much free time........

To the contrary....I have very little free time! I like to build my products to perfection! My costomers expect no less and get no less. I'm VERY expensive... but worth it because of that very attention to detail. If you're gonna build a competitive show vehicle you MUST pay attention to EVERYTHING! Judges do! If you're gonna build a 90 c.i. motor for a show bike at a cost of $5,000 or more or a motor for a show car that can run into many thousands of dollars You'd better take the time to pay attention to the most insignificant details 'cause you never know who else might! That attention to detail must extend to the cleaning and preperation of the vehicle for showing right down to making sure that bolt heads are all turned the same way and screws all have the slots pointing the same direction and allen heads all are the same color inside the socket. I extend that kind of attention to detail to my own vehicles because it becomes a habit after a while. I just can't walk by one of my vehicles and see something that's not exactly right and not fix it....A little anal? Yes...A problem? Not at resale time!

Like the bike builder Jesse James says" If you do something, do it right, Make it look like you give a damn" I have heard that "anal stuff" usually from people who aren't up to the task. When I do something, I'm not done untill I feel it can't be done better, I step back, check it out again, then I'm done. I guess that's having a GOAL in mind. With out a goal, how do you know when you're done? I like hitting the target. BTW, LOL, even my outlet covers, switch plates, in the house, have the screws dressed...KC, you ain't anal, you are alive.

It's a sickness dude! But I don't need or want a cure!

I did the same thing on all my switch plates. The screws are all slotted vertically and painted to match the walls same as the plates. Where it is wall papered I matched the paters exactly so it hides the switches and outlets.

Originally posted by seduxion
I did the same thing on all my switch plates. The screws are all slotted vertically and painted to match the walls same as the plates. Where it is wall papered I matched the paters exactly so it hides the switches and outlets.

wheew I though I was the only one :D lol

I'm not a big fan of Jesse James or any of the so called Bike builders that build virtually unridable motorcycles! I've also bought some of his sheet metal and found it to be CRAP! Through and through! He's a detail freak, True! But I can't get too enthusiastic about $300 fenders that have to be completely reworked to make them fit ANYTHING!

It was about $175.00 here in New York.. I don't recall how much it costed...

I know a guy in NY that does a really great job... not sure where, but i think his website is www.nyperfectdetailing.com If you let me know i might be able to get you a little bit of a deal.

Tough question, and obviously varies. I had an exterior/interior detailing (no engine cleaning) done last fall - it was $179 + tax.

Detailing:
Unless you know all the ins and out of your vehicle, my suggestion is to go early to some car shows and spend some time hanging out with some of them. You will start to pick up bits and pieces from some people, both by observing and by talking to them.
I myself would probably be classified as an `ol' geezer' and anal retentive because of my habits. However, I bought a Vette and then I linked up with more of my kind!!! It's really amazing that the things you did to your parents cars as a kid come back to pay great dividends when you finally get a chance to re-line your youth at mid-life ( via the Vette). i keep all my cars nice, but I now devote the bulk of my detailing time to the Vette.
If anyone is in the Wash D.C. metro area and wants to get together for a detailing session, I would be happy to join and/or host. One of the guys in our Vette club is a good detail person and gives "how to" sessions at Shop Nite in Gaithersburg at least once a year. I have most of his written instructions and I would be glad to share them.