Who has had their car detailed and did you think it was worth it?

[snareman]

I just got a free $200 several hour detail on my car from my dealer. I helped them out last year and they gave me a coupon for it so I've been waiting til the weather was nice. I always kind of thought detailing was a little pointless because, well, it's just going to get dirty again. I've never had a car detailed so I had no idea what to expect. I got it back and am floored at just how clean the thing is, carpets shampooed, ALL the leather or leather like surfaces clearly treated beyond what I've ever done. Waxed. My garage smells nice from the wax now. They took everything out of every little cubby and left it in a box in the trunk having cleaned all of the spots

In the end, compared to what I was envisioning, I was really impressed. I could see doing it maybe 1-2x/year, especially if I could find someone that does as good of a job for a little cheaper. I somewhat wonder if a guy with an individual business might take more pride in their work as it is the source of their income, vs the guy at the dealer who is being paid hourly.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by snareman

I somewhat wonder if a guy with an individual business might take more pride in their work as it is the source of their income, vs the guy at the dealer who is being paid hourly.

Personally I think it's super worth it given we're spending a lot on a fucking car, might as well make it look snazzy.

I used to do all of the detailing myself about once every 6 weeks back when I had a large garage and the full detail stall with tons of lights, all the tools, etc. These days, I'd have to do the wash at a u-wash place, which I might do someday but for now I have a dude that's great. He does a good 2 bucket hand wash / vacuum for $30 and everything you had done plus clay and LSP for $300. I usually do the big detail every spring (we don't have winters with snow and shit here)

So yeah, I'd definitely do it. That said, I'd recommend you ask Arcades or minn19 about ceramic coatings as they kick it up a notch and make it much easier to maintain yourself.

[snareman]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

So yeah, I'd definitely do it. That said, I'd recommend you ask Arcades or minn19 about ceramic coatings as they kick it up a notch and make it much easier to maintain yourself.

Can I put that on my leather seats??

[damnitBobby]

I wouldn't let the dealership wash my car even if they let me come weekly for free. They don't detail cars they run them through machines or have someone scrub the paint with a brush until your clear coat is marred.

Usually what I do is find someone locally who actually has real detailing experience (wash, clay, polish, wax, seal, etc.) and good reviews from locals. Typically I spend like $4-500 once or twice a year and the car comes back with every swirl mark polished out and paint as smooth as a baby's butt.

[Ever.]

It all would depend on what "detailing" you're talking about. Detailing can go as far as clay bar-ing, polishing, and removing swirls and maybe putting on coats of hydrophobic sealants that make your car shine and bring out its colour. Some people go all the way, some people don't. My car is white, and as soon as I received it from delivery, it went straight to my detailer. It looks better than it was brand new.

From a "colour perspective", your eyes are going to see the "shine" results better if your car is black or similar. On the other hand, you'll see the "effects" less on a white car. Not that white cars can't be detailed, black just tends to show results better, just how swirls are easier to see on a black car.

A lot would depend on the detailer as well, I suggest talking to a reputable one who can explain what you can expect from what you'd like to get out of a job. Every customer is different. And there are a lot of people out there who say they "detail" but be careful who you give your car to and the price they offer for their services. I've seen many horror stories which messed up the car's paint. Just like anything else, shop around.

And in my own humble opinion, the phrase "It's pointless because it's going to get dirty again." is just silly. Why take a shower, if you're going to get dirty again? Why clean your house? People like to protect and upkeep their investments.

[snareman]

Originally Posted by Ever.

It all would depend on what "detailing" you're talking about. Detailing can go as far as clay bar-ing, polishing, and removing swirls and maybe putting on coats of hydrophobic sealants that make your car shine and bring out its colour. Some people go all the way, some people don't. My car is white, and as soon as I received it from delivery, it went straight to my detailer. It looks better than it was brand new.

From a "colour perspective", your eyes are going to see the "shine" results better if your car is black or similar. On the other hand, you'll see the "effects" less on a white car. Not that white cars can't be detailed, black just tends to show results better, just how swirls are easier to see on a black car.

A lot would depend on the detailer as well, I suggest talking to a reputable one who can explain what you can expect from what you'd like to get out of a job. Every customer is different. And there are a lot of people out there who say they "detail" but be careful who you give your car to and the price they offer for their services. I've seen many horror stories which messed up the car's paint. Just like anything else, shop around.

And in my own humble opinion, the phrase "It's pointless because it's going to get dirty again." is just silly. Why take a shower, if you're going to get dirty again? Why clean your house? People like to protect and upkeep their investments.

Well, that was my thought beforehand. But, I can take a shower, and clean my house and even wash my car with minimal investment as compared to several hundred $ on a detail job. I could get my car adequately clean on my own, but the detailing took it to a whole new level of clean.

[Ever.]

Originally Posted by snareman

Well, that was my thought beforehand. But, I can take a shower, and clean my house and even wash my car with minimal investment as compared to several hundred $ on a detail job.

Like I said, everyone is different. People put different values on different things. In the end, it's how much value you think it is TO YOU, to protect your car's paint. That's all. Some people don't care as much and that's totally fine. If you do decide to get your car detailed, I hope you find a trustworthy detailer. Good luck!

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by snareman

Can I put that on my leather seats??

ha, zing! well I hear great things about the c-quartz leather stuff ... I think ciaranob did it?

My seats are full of sunscreen and I'm re-upping in november so I'm having a hard time doing any more detailing, especially paying for it ... but I think I'll do one more big one and take pics before I turn it in.

funny thing is, I was thinking about the turn-in today and i don't think I'll have as hard a time turning in this car as I did the E93 ... that one was ... tough

[f83woody]

This was the first thing I did to my car when I got it (slightly used 12,000 miles). Even though the paint still looked perfect, I wanted to make sure it was actually perfect so I did a full 2 step paint correction and took it to an entire new level. Well worth the man hours and money spent.

[Arcades]

C-Quartz is more well known because they push very hard on social media but they aren't the best. I won't knock the product but I trust my detailer very much for what he tells me since he is around these things 24/7.

My go to product has been Modesta BC-04.

CQ and Modesta both have interior products to protect leather. They are specific versions of those two that will work on the interior.

Waxing will not last nor is it strong enough to prevent bird poop etching. You will still swirl your paint as well very easily. Doing waxing and stuff every here and then will do okay but if you care a lot for your paint, it won't be enough. Products like Modesta will make cleaning/washing very easy as things just comes off. Bird etching won't happen or most anything will just come off.

That being said though, the first and most important thing when it comes to coating is the person doing your coating has to do a very good job of paint correcting your car. As that is what takes the longest time to do. If you have a dark colored car, this is even more important since if they don't do a good job, you will see it very clearly.

Lastly, I should say do NOT let someone sell you a product BASED on Water Resistance. I HATE people who sell a product based on that. Just because it is Water resistant doesn't mean it is good against everything else (aka Opti-Coat). That is my biggest gripe against those who sell other coatings. Water Resistance means very little if it doesn't protect your paint against other things.

My detailer swears by Modesta and I do too now.

P.S. Just as a idea of how much coatings can help you. If I have coated my 3 series from the get go, I wouldn't have needed to pay 10k to respray the car (through insurance). It is absolutely worth doing. Even if you do not intent to keep your car.

[MFNATIK]

I coated mine with XPel Ultimate hahah

[minn19]

Mine has Suntek on the A pillar forward and then Ceramic Pro 9H over the entire car including wheels/calipers and the engine bay. So far it was completely worth it. Bugs don't stick as well and when they do they come off easily in the rain. You don't even have to use your wipers in a light rain and brake dust doesn't stick as well to the wheels. Even then you can just wipe them off. If I get a few years of longevity out of it I will say it is totally worth it. I'm done with claying/waxing etc. I used to enjoy it, but I've got other demands on my time now.

[snareman]

Originally Posted by Arcades

C-Quartz is more well known because they push very hard on social media but they aren't the best. I won't knock the product but I trust my detailer very much for what he tells me since he is around these things 24/7.

My go to product has been Modesta BC-04.

CQ and Modesta both have interior products to protect leather. They are specific versions of those two that will work on the interior.

Waxing will not last nor is it strong enough to prevent bird poop etching. You will still swirl your paint as well very easily. Doing waxing and stuff every here and then will do okay but if you care a lot for your paint, it won't be enough. Products like Modesta will make cleaning/washing very easy as things just comes off. Bird etching won't happen or most anything will just come off.

That being said though, the first and most important thing when it comes to coating is the person doing your coating has to do a very good job of paint correcting your car. As that is what takes the longest time to do. If you have a dark colored car, this is even more important since if they don't do a good job, you will see it very clearly.

Lastly, I should say do NOT let someone sell you a product BASED on Water Resistance. I HATE people who sell a product based on that. Just because it is Water resistant doesn't mean it is good against everything else (aka Opti-Coat). That is my biggest gripe against those who sell other coatings. Water Resistance means very little if it doesn't protect your paint against other things.

My detailer swears by Modesta and I do too now.

P.S. Just as a idea of how much coatings can help you. If I have coated my 3 series from the get go, I wouldn't have needed to pay 10k to respray the car (through insurance). It is absolutely worth doing. Even if you do not intent to keep your car.

I know it varies, but what is a ballpark cost for application of this stuff?

[Arcades]

Originally Posted by snareman

I know it varies, but what is a ballpark cost for application of this stuff?

In our area, 1k to 1.5k depending on how much paint correction you require.

[audioMeth]

Originally Posted by snareman

Can I put that on my leather seats??

leatherique twice a year. soft, supple, and matte.

[minn19]

Originally Posted by snareman

I know it varies, but what is a ballpark cost for application of this stuff?

I know you weren't asking me, but mine was about 3k, that included tint though as well, which isn't that much.

Prices vary depending on what you get. You can get ceramic coating for the entire car anywhere between 1-2k depending on what and who you go with. When you start adding in clear bra on big parts of the car the price really starts to climb.

As with everything like this, make sure you find a reputable installer/detailer because the prep work is where it matters. If they do shitty prep work then it won't matter what they put on it because it won't last or look good.

[ArieArie]

Originally Posted by snareman

I just got a free $200 several hour detail on my car from my dealer. I helped them out last year and they gave me a coupon for it so I've been waiting til the weather was nice. I always kind of thought detailing was a little pointless because, well, it's just going to get dirty again. I've never had a car detailed so I had no idea what to expect. I got it back and am floored at just how clean the thing is, carpets shampooed, ALL the leather or leather like surfaces clearly treated beyond what I've ever done. Waxed. My garage smells nice from the wax now. They took everything out of every little cubby and left it in a box in the trunk having cleaned all of the spots

In the end, compared to what I was envisioning, I was really impressed. I could see doing it maybe 1-2x/year, especially if I could find someone that does as good of a job for a little cheaper. I somewhat wonder if a guy with an individual business might take more pride in their work as it is the source of their income, vs the guy at the dealer who is being paid hourly.

I own my M5 for 17 years and I have it detailed every spring and fall.
A good clay bar polish and a good wax.

This picture is from November of last year, right after detailing..

[snareman]

Originally Posted by minn19

I know you weren't asking me, but mine was about 3k, that included tint though as well, which isn't that much.

Prices vary depending on what you get. You can get ceramic coating for the entire car anywhere between 1-2k depending on what and who you go with. When you start adding in clear bra on big parts of the car the price really starts to climb.

As with everything like this, make sure you find a reputable installer/detailer because the prep work is where it matters. If they do shitty prep work then it won't matter what they put on it because it won't last or look good.

thanks. I was fearing it was in that ballpark. I'm in the midst of building a new house and have discovered that all the costs with that keep Rising exponentially so I guess I will continue with my normal washes for now.

[ciaranob]

CQuartz have a product you can apply to the leather seats in your car - I did it early on as I noticed with sweaty Houston summers that I was getting some jeans blue dye on the seats. Have to say that after applying this stuff genuinely worked - used it as I was equally impressed with their external coating which I had on the whole car and wheels (including over the Xpel Ultimate covered front half!). Good reminder that I prob should reapply at some point!

Originally Posted by snareman

Can I put that on my leather seats??

Originally Posted by GrussGott

ha, zing! well I hear great things about the c-quartz leather stuff ... I think ciaranob did it?

My seats are full of sunscreen and I'm re-upping in november so I'm having a hard time doing any more detailing, especially paying for it ... but I think I'll do one more big one and take pics before I turn it in.

funny thing is, I was thinking about the turn-in today and i don't think I'll have as hard a time turning in this car as I did the E93 ... that one was ... tough

[styler69]

i think paying someone to do a coating is silly. i personally do not believe there is a substantial difference between the coatings you can buy versus ones that are only available from a pro. i put opticoat gloss on my car and it was less work than waxing it.

however, a good detail is expensive and it should be. if i go all out on my car its almost a full day job. if you want someone that cares about the job they do they are going to want more than min wage to do it. thus when you consider cost of high end products, polishing, waxing or coatings then 250-300 isn't unreasonable.

[minn19]

Originally Posted by snareman

thanks. I was fearing it was in that ballpark. I'm in the midst of building a new house and have discovered that all the costs with that keep Rising exponentially so I guess I will continue with my normal washes for now.

Yah it ain't cheap. It is very labor intensive. I brought them my car after only a week and didn't need that much paint correction. Even so they still spent a lot of hours (20ish?) on my car. I appreciated it because the results are amazing.

[Arcades]

Originally Posted by minn19

Yah it ain't cheap. It is very labor intensive. I brought them my car after only a week and didn't need that much paint correction. Even so they still spent a lot of hours (20ish?) on my car. I appreciated it because the results are amazing.

You have to even with new cars.

A lot of dealerships mess up your paint from the get go by "new car prepping" it. Which messes and swirls your paint.

You absolutely have to paint correct. Unless you told you dealer not to new car prep it, and they actually don't.