Detailing the Si

[heron126]

I have the Si for almost 1 year now I think it might be time for a nice detail

There is this guy who comes to your place of work or Home and does it all, few questions:

1- How much should I be paying for a detail?
2- I spoke to him about the process, he says he would
-clay the car
-Wax
-clean in and out of the car
Thats it-
And he wants $100 for it - is that a good/Fair/or too expensive

3- Also I was wondering.. Are they not suppose to also Buff the car????????????

Please Elaborate on the BuFFING Situiation???

Thanks

[hamerad]

100 is a pretty fair price for all of that work...

It appears you refer to "buffing" in the context of a polish. This is when a polish is applied with a buffer to smooth out light scratches. However, wax is often applied with a buffer...what exactly do you mean? Ideally, your detailer would need to clay, polish, seal, and then wax, but that is a lot more work and will most def. be higher than $100. Let's see what some of our pros on here say though...

[RaskyR1]

Originally Posted by heron126

I have the Si for almost 1 year now I think it might be time for a nice detail

There is this guy who comes to your place of work or Home and does it all, few questions:

1- How much should I be paying for a detail?
2- I spoke to him about the process, he says he would
-clay the car
-Wax
-clean in and out of the car
Thats it-
And he wants $100 for it - is that a good/Fair/or too expensive

3- Also I was wondering.. Are they not suppose to also Buff the car????????????

Please Elaborate on the BuFFING Situiation???

Thanks

Price doesn't seem too bad....IMO he should be polishing it after the clay bar. Cleaning in and out of the car is pretty vague...there is a lot more to it than just vacuuming the interior and wiping a few things off.

My full detail job price "inside and out" starts at $200...keep in mind I don't do mobile.

Buffing should include a high-speed buffer. This is used to remove oxidation and scratches. It's a rotary buffer that usually spins between 1500 and 3000rpm's. There are LOTS of different pad types that can be used depending on the application.

Find out if he uses a high-speed or an orbital polisher. An orbital polisher basically does the same job you can do by hand in a fraction of the time. The orbital oscillates, as opposed to rotating like the high-speed. This is good for waxing, light polish and swirl removal.

[heron126]

Originally Posted by RaskyR1

Price doesn't seem too bad....IMO he should be polishing it after the clay bar. Cleaning in and out of the car is pretty vague...there is a lot more to it than just vacuuming the interior and wiping a few things off.

My full detail job price "inside and out" starts at $200...keep in mind I don't do mobile.

Buffing should include a high-speed buffer. This is used to remove oxidation and scratches. It's a rotary buffer that usually spins between 1500 and 3000rpm's. There are LOTS of different pad types that can be used depending on the application.

Find out if he uses a high-speed or an orbital polisher. An orbital polisher basically does the same job you can do by hand in a fraction of the time. The orbital oscillates, as opposed to rotating like the high-speed. This is good for waxing, light polish and swirl removal.

Yeah I know for a fact he is Not using any polisher..
as far as the in and out - he is shampooing the carpets and making ithe rest crystal clear and nice ...lol haha

He worked on my other car M3 e36- last year and I was impressed with the work - just surprised that he did use a polisher/ and or buffer!!!

For that job I paid 150 Plus tip and lunch- he is a kool guy and we talk so I guess he is taking care of me...

[heron126]

Also the Mobil thing is a plus- so I guess $100 is very fair...

But At what point should someone get the buffer/polishing situation done?

[RaskyR1]

Originally Posted by heron126

Also the Mobil thing is a plus- so I guess $100 is very fair...

But At what point should someone get the buffer/polishing situation done?

Yeah it sounds like you're getting a good deal. When your paint starts to look like this it's time for the high-speed.



With proper maintenece you should be able to get away with a light polish once a year...especially since your car is white.

[dextor]

If your car only has minor swirls a proper sealant will hide a lot of it without using polish.
$100 is pretty good considering he's claybarring the whole car, and claybarring is a bitch to do.

[youchasedafterme]

I do mobile detailing with a friend and we include a high speed buff with ours. We charge $150 for cars and $175 for SUVs for a full detail job. So I suppose he is charging about the right amount.

[Skylinegtr06]

Nah I say its too much, Im starting to detail for some extra cash
I do
-Through wash(with gold class)
-Degrease wheels and underbody
-Dry
-Clay
-#7 Meguairs glaze
-two coats #26
-All interior cleaning
I only charge 50 bucks
I charge that because I do not offer rotary buffing

[RaskyR1]

Originally Posted by Skylinegtr06

Nah I say its too much, Im starting to detail for some extra cash
I do
-Through wash(with gold class)
-Degrease wheels and underbody
-Dry
-Clay
-#7 Meguairs glaze
-two coats #26
-All interior cleaning
I only charge 50 bucks
I charge that because I do not offer rotary buffing

After the cost of materials and the amount of time it takes to do all that are you making money? I feel charging $200 for a full detail is not enough when I'm spendning 4-5 hrs on the vehicle....keeping in mind I have costs that you would not...(like $160 a month for the business insurance.)

[RaskyR1]

Originally Posted by dextor

If your car only has minor swirls a proper sealant will hide a lot of it without using polish.
$100 is pretty good considering he's claybarring the whole car, and claybarring is a bitch to do.

Hide being the key work there...

[Skylinegtr06]

Originally Posted by RaskyR1

After the cost of materials and the amount of time it takes to do all that are you making money? I feel charging $200 for a full detail is not enough when I'm spendning 4-5 hrs on the vehicle....keeping in mind I have costs that you would not...(like $160 a month for the business insurance.)

SHould I charge more? How much more? I am mostly doing relatives and coworkers of my parents. But yeah I love molesting cars I hope from the money I get i can buy my 7424. Hey rasky what kind of wax do you prefer for long lasting protection?

[RaskyR1]

Originally Posted by Skylinegtr06

SHould I charge more? How much more? I am mostly doing relatives and coworkers of my parents. But yeah I love molesting cars I hope from the money I get i can buy my 7424. Hey rasky what kind of wax do you prefer for long lasting protection?

Yeah I think you could probably get a little more. Long lasting wax I guess I'd have to say Zaino...though how long a wax last is not really important to me.

[NickC89]

I work as a mobile detailer, and we charge about $120 to:

Vacuum
Wipe down interior, and use air compressor in all cracks
Steam clean carpets/floormats and seats (if they are cloth)
Revacuum
Hand Wash
Dry
Clay
Wash and Dry
Apply wax with orbital
Wheels and Tires

[Jluda]

Rasky i see your in minneapolis, where exactly?

[RaskyR1]

Originally Posted by Jluda

Rasky i see your in minneapolis, where exactly?

Shakopee

[SiliconX]

Originally Posted by heron126

I have the Si for almost 1 year now I think it might be time for a nice detail

There is this guy who comes to your place of work or Home and does it all, few questions:

1- How much should I be paying for a detail?
2- I spoke to him about the process, he says he would
-clay the car
-Wax
-clean in and out of the car
Thats it-
And he wants $100 for it - is that a good/Fair/or too expensive

3- Also I was wondering.. Are they not suppose to also Buff the car????????????

Please Elaborate on the BuFFING Situiation???

Thanks

Find out what kind of wax he uses.