fair price

[nat3d]

whats a fair price for a exterior detail? and for a full detail? after clearing my plastidipped roof i have a thin film plastidip all over my car with smal flakes of it everywhere and it looks like s***.... i have been a very unhappy man for the past week looking at this crap.

 

[Pauly99to17]

$150 - $200 here in Quebec will get you full exterior detail. Car will look better than brand new when it leaves the bay.

BTW, have you tried clay bar to get the flakes off?

 

[nat3d]

$150 - $200 here in Quebec will get you full exterior detail. Car will look better than brand new when it leaves the bay.

BTW, have you tried clay bar to get the flakes off?

not yet i havent had the time. i feel with a d/a buffer itl be like a hot knife and butter but i dont have one. normally id do it myself but its so bad i think its beyond my scope of ability.

 

[Pauly99to17]

not yet i havent had the time. i feel with a d/a buffer itl be like a hot knife and butter but i dont have one. normally id do it myself but its so bad i think its beyond my scope of ability.

You will be amazed what the clay bar can do. I did my mom's Mini and it had specks of dried on tar that were impossible to wash off. Clay bar took them all off with minimal effort.

 

[webby]

Or spray more coats of plasti so it's thicker. It should have just pulled off in huge chunks.

 

[Nix]

Clay bar kit will run you $20. Try it first before you hand someone $200. Using a buffer will be unnecessary and very costly.

$15.99 + Shipping. Yea, shipping is a little steep from these guys but they are just outside Albany. If you get up early and order at like 8am I bet you might have it the same day. I think if you just get the order placed before 2pm you can still end up with it the next day. They ship FedEx. Albany to Adams is wicked short.

http://www.detailedimage.com/DI-Packages-M29/DI-Clay-Bar-and-Clay-Lube-Combo-P372/



If you really want to get something that is better than the claybar and you are thinking about getting into really maintaining your car, there are a lot of clay bar alternatives out there right now. I personally switched to the Nanoskin Autoscrub Wash Mitt. It's awesome. Clay is still needed here and there for tight spots but for a quick and easy way to hit big panels this is the best. It's $50 though.

http://www.detailedimage.com/NanoSkin-M54/AutoScrub-Fine-Wash-Mitt-P701/



EDIT: To answer your question though....

A full detail or exterior detail can range wildly in price depending on what you want to have done. I've seen just a clay bar service run an extra $100 on top of any other wash/wax package you have to buy also. I charge $80 for wash/wax. Decontamination is extra but I offer both chemical and mechanical decon. There are all sorts of ways to go about it. It really depends on what the car needs. I think you need clay bar/polymer mechanical decon to remove the bits of plasti. If you want me to get the buffer out it's gonna be over $300. We're also talking like 6+ hours of work at that point.

Mechanical Decon:

Clay bar - takes forever so its an extra $50. I hit small problem spots for free usually cause I hate doing a crappy job. I almost never have to clay an entire car anymore.

The new auto scrub mitt - I still charge $50 but it only takes me 15 min to do the whole car instead of a couple hours.

Chemical Deon:

CarPro Iron X: (Spray or Gel depending on what I feel like and how bad the car is) This is quick and easy so it's $25 and I usually tell people with light colored cars they need it most. Also you can see the Iron X working so its an easy upsell on the spot. "Here, watch what this does." Hahaha.

 

[nat3d]

every time i wash my car i clay so ill give it a shot but whats this carpro iron x?

 

[hey_mikey]

every time i wash my car i clay so ill give it a shot but whats this carpro iron x?

Basically you spray it on and if there's crap on your paint, it'll change colors. Then you wipe it off before it dries

 

[Nix]

Carpro Iron X is an industrial fallout remover and iron dissolver. Basically when you drive around little bits of iron filings from railroads and chemical soot from factories and whatever get lodged in your paint. Using clay just breaks the top off so the paint feels smooth but the under surface bits are still left behind. This stuff dissolves them.

Mikey is pretty close but... you just spray it on, it's easiest to see on white or light colors, wait until you see purple spots or blotches starting to appear, usually about 5 minutes, then rinse it off. Don't just wipe it off. Rinse it very very well with a hose. It will cut down on your clay time a lot also. Clay should really only need to be done once or twice a year. It's kinda hard on the paint and can leave additional marring.

Check out this review/howto from Ceedog. The guy makes really nice reviews.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/product-reviews/42651-review-carpro-iron-x.html

 

[nat3d]

so the clay bar will work but to get all of it but itl take a while. im kinda intrested in that iron x though because there are some spots that i wont be able to get with the bar. do you think that stuff would disolve plastidip?

edit* i just read the review.

what about that mitt you were talking about @Nix ?

 

[Nix]

Clay will definitely do the trick, but it's downfall is the amount of time it takes to cover any sort of large area. I don't think the Iron-X will dissolve the plasti. I've sprayed my car down with it and I have plasti on a couple parts. It didn't touch it one bit. Plasti-dip is pretty resilient stuff. The Iron-X will cut down your clay time significantly.


Ah yes, the new polymer mitt. People have been experimenting with all sorts of different clay alternatives for a while. There initially were these things called elstrofoam blocks that were a decent clay bar alternative. But they didn't work that well. Now there are a bunch of these new rubber polymer mitts/towels/foam pads out. The rubber side is supposed to work just like clay. I read and read and read on the detailing forums and a couple of products stuck out over the others as being a good product that worked well.

I bought the nanoskin autoscrub mitt. It seemed the easiest to use. There are two "grades" of aggressiveness. Just get the Fine grade. It's plenty. Unless you already have a ton of soap, like me, buy the recommended NANOSKIN BUBBLE BATH Wash & Shine Shampoo. Basically this mitt uses the soap as a lubricant. You could certainly use a very slippy clay lube also but the thing I like about the Mitt is that you essentially wash the car twice.

If you already have a soap that foams up a lot, it should be fine. The chemical guys citrus wash & clear is a great soap for this. So is their Mr.Pink or Maxi-Suds. Just wash the car like normal. Then mix up a new wash bucket with clean water and soap. I like to use a little extra soap than usual to make sure it is very well lubricated. You have to break the mitt in on the glass. Just dip it in the bucket and get a pile of foam on it. Then just rub it in circles on the window until this like white sludge? I can't really describe it, comes off the mitt. If you spend 5 minutes really rubbing down your windshield, use circular motions for this part, and getting a lot of soap suds all over it you should be good.

Then just carefully use the mitt to wash your car using straight line motions only. Do each panel section by section. Just glide the mitt across and area a few times. You should be able to feel the difference as it picks up the contaminates. If you drop the mitt, just rinse it off in the rinse bucket or with a hose. Dunk it a lot to keep the surface slick with soap and suds. I really liked it.



I would look into either the NanoSkin AutoScrub Mitt or the SM Arnold Speedy Prep Towel. Those were the two I had a real hard time deciding between. The mitt went on sale so I took that as a sign to try it.

http://www.detailedimage.com/NanoSkin-M54/AutoScrub-Fine-Wash-Mitt-P701/

A lot of the pros are using the Speedy Prep Towel but I haven't personally used it. You use it more like clay with a bottle of lube instead of a bucket and soap but it does the same thing as the mitt.

http://www.detailedimage.com/SM-Arnold-M61/Speedy-Surface-Prep-Towel-P743/Fine-Grade-S1/



This is a great time of year to buy detailing stuff as there will be some killer sales coming up. If you're thinking about pulling the trigger on one of these kinda expensive items, wait until the black friday/cyber monday/Christmas sales come up.


Edit: The steps I usually do for a full wash and decon.

First clean the wheels and tires so that dirt doesn't get flung all over the car once it's clean.This is a whole procedure on its own

1) All Purpose Cleaner and soft toothbrush to all the seals and crevices

2) Pre-Soak with foam gun (cause most of the time peoples cars are filthy as heck, but not always needed)

3) Wash it like normal.

4) Dont dry it. Spray it down with Iron-X. Wait 5 min or so. Basically prep the next step.

5) Rinse it really really good.

6) Don't dry it yet, mix up another bucket and use the clay/mitt/towel or whatever route you want.

7) Now you can dry it. This is when you would polish if you wanted/needed or just wax it up and you're done.

 

[RaskyR1]

whats a fair price for a exterior detail? and for a full detail? after clearing my plastidipped roof i have a thin film plastidip all over my car with smal flakes of it everywhere and it looks like s***.... i have been a very unhappy man for the past week looking at this crap.

You tend to get what you pay for with detailing. Your cheap Craigs List detailers, high volume shops, and dealerships can leave your care looking like this....

(Pic taken from Telsa forum)

And an experienced detailer car leave your car looking like this.





My "Base Exterior" starts at $400 and will take 6+ hours.




As far as the PlastiDip, you may want to check out Dip Dissolver.
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ1tZeJlrg8




Rasky

 

[nat3d]

@RaskyR1 if i had money id have you do my car lol but onething they fail to mention about the disolver is that the dip as your rinsing it will readhear to your car in a fine layer if your doing a large section. im just gonna have to take the time and clay it.

and @Nix thanks for the advise im really intersted in that mitt.

what do you guys use for soap? im intersted in getting a foam sprayer rather than soap and buckets

 

[RaskyR1]

I buy Meguiar's Hyper Wash by the gallon. I also like Optimum Car Wash and Chemical Guys Citrus Wash (or a few other CG soaps).

 

[nat3d]

I buy Meguiar's Hyper Wash by the gallon. I also like Optimum Car Wash and Chemical Guys Citrus Wash (or a few other CG soaps).

what do you use for a sprayer?

 

[RaskyR1]

what do you use for a sprayer?

I do have a foam cannon that hooks up to my pressure washer, but I don't use it that often. My car is coated with Opti-Coat Pro so a simple rinse with the pressure washer gets most the dirt off the paint and a simple 2 bucket wash is all that's needed....or ONR wash.

 

[nat3d]

onr? and i dont have a pressure washer

 

[Nix]

ONR = Optimum No Rinse. Its a great product. Once you get your car cleaned and waxed really good it's a lot easier to maintain. Stuff is perfect for maintenance washes.

Don't worry about the pressure washer. Just stick to the 2 bucket method and get some soaps that you like. Any "foam sprayer" that doesn't attach to a pressure washer is going to be a waste of time and money. They just don't work that good.

You been looking at the gilmour foam gun or maybe the Chemical guys version?

I like the CG citrus soaps when im doing a full strip. Mixing them strong will remove a lot of old wax and protection so you can start over. But you don't want that everytime. I have found that an ONR wash is perfect to do a once a week maintenance wash. It's very gentle and won't strip your protection. If I have the time I'll do a two bucket with Chemical Guys Glossworks soap. It won't strip wax and it works pretty good.

 

[nat3d]

im not as big on detailing my car as i wish i was.

 

[Nix]

Its a very fun, time, and money consuming hobby. I highly recommend it.