Area Detailing Info

[girlfriendal]

Just a question for all you experts out there....
In my first quest for more knowledge I ask about detailing.
After the most horrendous experience ever at Flagship car wash (back in Sept., I shiver to remember it) I have given up on traditional car washes....they don't seem to get off the stuff I want most anyhow, like little tar specks and such. And have had only mediocre luck at self serve deals...and the hose in my driveway isn't much to talk about and is currently turned off for the winter. Then I start looking into detailing, but it costs so much, and my car is only half a year old still and not all that dirty I don't think...
Basically my questions are these...is detailing worth it? I was looking at a place in Gaithersburg called Elite Car Detailing Services that does a full detailing for $165. Is this a good price? Are there better places in the area to get it done? Should I even be thinking about detailing a car as new as mine or is it a waste? I put this question in our MD folder because if getting it done is not a waste of my time and money, I really would like recommendations of places in the area that do such things well.
Or, on the flip side, should I just get off my lazy butt, turn the water for the hose back on and do the deed myself as best I can...and does anyone have recommendations on stuff I can buy to get off tar specks and rub marks (because even the darn hose leaves rub marks on my car)?
Thanks all.

Edit: Just to point out the OBVIOUS :) I had originally posted this thread in the MD NECO forum, but obviously the greater mind out there thought that it would fit quite nicely into this new forum, Car Care! Thankie and good idea.

[Patrick]

my g/f gets hers done some place in balto for cheap. I'll try to remember to ask her what they are called and where they are located. She really likes them, but I don't know if they do a full detail anyway.

[Drenalin]

a full detailing ( including the underside & engine bay) is nice for the end of the snow and salt season. it ensures that all the salt has been removed from the car and your risk of salt corrosion in reduced drastically.
plus with the beginning of the Show season on its way it will reduce the level of maintenance it will take to freshen up your ride for each show.

[NorCalCoug]

What I would suggest is that if your car hasn't been well-cleaned or detailed in a long time (Like, since you bought it), and you live in an area where they salt the roads, have it fully detailed at the end of the salting season like Drenalin said. After that, you should probably maintain the cleanliness of your car on your own. :)

1- You don't need a high pressure hose to clean your car. In fact, it's not recommended by many detailers or expensive car manufacturers such as Bentley, Rolls Royce, and so on. The water should just be cold and clean, and there to rinse off what you've got on the car. High pressure water can actually pound dirt/dust/nasties into your paint and damage it (on an almost microscopic level, sure, but why damage it at all? :biggrin:)

2- Cleaning stuff off your car should be the job of the soap and sponge or mitt that you use. Don't use high-pressure water just cuz you think it's easier. :) It's like trying to run over that damn paperclip in the carpet with the vacuum cleaner 10 times to suck it up when you could've just bent down and picked it up alot easier.

3- To remove tar and rubber marks, use a clay bar product. Several companies make one, Mothers, Meguiars, Zymol, and so on. That should remove the tar and rubber marks, as well as most other 'impurities' in your paint job.

But to answer your main question, yes, detailing is DEFINITELY worth it at the end of your salt season, and then maintaining it is up to you. :) The detailer will probably get rid of your tar and rubber marks, but you can remove them later on (When you get them) with clay bar.

[Phantom]

Hey Krissi, you beat me too it... that's the first question I thought of asking when I saw this section. :) Anyway, nother question, does detailing usually include the inside of the car? Like shampoo carpets, removing the seats to get the hard to reach places... getting the dirt out of the crevices of the dash? etc?

[NorCalCoug]

To me, detailing the car is the whole 9 yards, from shampooing carpets to waxing the car. But detail shops have different ideas. ;) They usually offer different levels of service (At least the few dozen around here do) from just exterior work and cleaning your windows in&out to the whole shebang.

[girlfriendal]

Yes, the inside is included - that's just what they call a full detail. I just have trust issues with having other people touch my car. :) I have given it a pretty good inside detail myself but since I've got the outdoor water shut off at my house for the winter my little yellow car looks more brownish with some green and white bird decorations and black tar polka dots all along the bottom. Not a pretty site. She's looking forward to a spring cleaning!

[Sunni]

I know here in Austin, I called around to several places.....most were right around $160. That does include the inside, full shampooing, cleaning and mink oil on leather interior, underbody, engine.........and normally a three to four step cleaning, waxing, polishing, buffing thing on the outside. :)

[NorCalCoug]

AIYEE! Never let bird poop stay on your car that long! :( The acids in it eat through your paint, seriously. Invest in Meguiar's Quik Detailer (Red spray bottle) and a rag so you can clean bird poop off right away.

[girlfriendal]

Um....I didn't mean she wasn't getting cleaned at all till spring...! Just waiting on detailing till then. She gets runs through the Chevron touchless car wash when I get gas. And before a monthly NECO meet I turn the water back on just to spiff her up pretty to show off. Although the nuclear green colored bird doo dripping down the window right now has been amusing while it's lasted. :biggrin: