Originally Posted by UdubBadger
Hey I've got a few Acura guys who might be interested. Can you give me a detailed rundown of everything you are including and how much you'd charge for like exterior only, interior + exterior and any other variations or things you'd charge extra. Be descriptive and talk products and I'll just copy and paste it over to them on Acurazine.

Thanks Ben.
-Seth

Seth, here is what i send everyone who inquires...


Thanks for your inquiry about my detail service. Let me preface by saying i have been detailing on the side now for 2.5 years. i believe that it is an art more so than a hobby. Either way to business now. . .

People typically ask me how much does a detail cost and why is it so expensive? i can get it done down the road for 100 bucks?

Let me preface this by saying once again that detailing is an art. I do all work to my standards which is as close to perfection as i can get. I treat everyone's car as my own and i believe it is imperative to put my all into it to achieve the best results. Because i am so passionate about what i do it becomes very labor intensive and thus very time consuming.

Its hard for me to see how much a detail on your car would cost without doing a test panel but extensive work could take as much as 15-20 hours. i typically charge about 25-30 dollars an hour.

You have two choices: You can either come over to my place and leave the car with me for a day and then come back and get it (i can give you a ride home) or i can go to your place. If i am to mobilize i will charge traveling / mobilization fees (50-75 dollars depending on the location). I also need a garage or a covered space that is roughly 50+ degrees.

A full detail consists of the following:

- rinse
- foam cannon
- rinse
- hand wash
- dry
- claybar with detail spray
- remove swirls with different products depending on condition of paint - possibly a compound with a light cutting pad. (depending on condition of paint this step may be able to be omitted)
- finishing polish
- gloss polish
- seal - let sit for a couple of hours

i use the products that work best for me. I do not use a $2500 wax, i also do not use $10 dollar wax you can buy at walmart. I primarily use chemical guys, swissvax. I use a Flex orbital and blackfire polishes. I can use other products at the recommendation by you but i will have to adjust the price to reflect. Additionally i don't use the same products on every car. I have waxes specially formulated for different colors and different types of clear-coats.

from here we can either go with another 2 coats of seal (once a week) - needs to let cure for 24 hours and wax or go directly to a wax after one coat of sealant. I suggest doing 3 coats of sealant and a coat of wax and that will last much longer with the proper maintenance instead of just 1 coat of sealant and a coat of wax.

exterior runs about 250-300 (10-12 hours) but like i said it depends on the condition of the paint. If the car has been washed with a dirty mit and there are a lot of swirls it could be a 20 hour job which would put us close to 500 dollars on just the exterior. (let me say i have done that only once. it is very rare for a car to be in that condition)

I hope this answers all questions you may have had. If you want to schedule an appointment please let me know what dates work best for you and we'll arrange something. Thanks again and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Ben