how long does it take you to detail your car (not just wash it but when you really want it to look good because you are going out or going to show off).

 

Since I usually do multi coats of Zaino, there is some down time when the polymer needs to cure. Elapse time, then, is pretty long. I sometimes even leave the last coat overnight and finish up in the morning.

 

one time is started at 7pm and didnt stop until 130am

 

Depends on how much time I have and how long it has been since I gave it a good cleaning. If it's just dirty from pollen or just driving, then about an hour or less, but every 6 months or so I will spend 6 hours detailing my car including Wash, 3 stage wax, Vacume, Shampoo and Condition Int, Engine Bay and at the end I break out the power washer and get the car in the air to clean the underbody along with taking off the wheels and polishing them front and back.

 

It depends on how clean I want it and what I am doing that night. Also, how warm it is outside. If i'm more comfortable, I'll be more apt to take more time to do a great job, but if it's too hot, I'll do what must be done and spend the rest of the time in the house chillin...

 

Depends on if I wax it or not... Usually I spend about 30 mins washing and drying it. Then I do the windows and wheels/tires (30 mins). Then ill polish up the headlights(15 mins). After that I vacuum the car and shine up the interior(30 mins). And then ill shine up everything under the hood (15 mins). Finally i'll wipe down the car real quick to get any spots I missed.

Whenever I do wax it, thats about another hour plus

 

I spend quite a bit of time on my LS. I just can't leave any water spots or bugs on my car when I do it myself. I'd say I spend about 3 hours or so.

 

Right around the 4 hour mark time is the key to a perfect detail

 

It's usually a 2 day affair when I break out the clay bar, swirl mark remover, carpet extractor, etc. Zaino is not a slow process, unless you have zfx.

 

Usually a weekend job and takes 6+ hours.

 

2 hours not counting the trip to local car wash.

1.5 hours on waxing (or 20 minutes waxing just the front, hood, and mirrors. I'm so lazy.)
5 minutes on vaccuming (or simply dump the mats into the washer)
5 minutes on conditioning seats
10 minutes on inside glass
10 minutes on dusting the dash, clean interior door panels, toss out trash, etc.

no tire dressing for me.... yet.

 

The IS300 only took a few hours including polishing, I'm missing that car more every day.

This big friggin GX took a full day, 8 hours. Includes wash, clay, polish with SSR2.5, polish with 1ZMP, Klasse AIO, 1 layer of Zaino Z2PRO. Dressed the tires and wheel wells and polished the glass. And 2 days later it rained for a week straight

 

probably around 4-5 hours on just exterior. Thats wash, clay, polish, glaze and wax. Then I'll do wheels and any exterior vinyl and windows. I'm very meticulous (spelling) Thats why its called detail! The inside is always kept very clean so just vacuum carpets, leather clean and condition, along with some black magic on the dash and doors. I usually break it down into 2 days. Exterior for one interior for another. I really do enjoy the outcome though, it makes it all worth it except when my arm is too tired to hold the friggin steering wheel.

 

I second that!! 2-3 times a year I'll do 2-3 step polish with a PC, clay, Zaino, and finally wax. Hand wash engine compartment. Pull wheels to do wheel wells, and hand polish, wax rims. Clean and condition leather, etc..

It's usually in the 16-20 hour range. I let my wife know a couple of weeks in advance so she can make "other" plans for that weekend.