sharmila19

I bought my car six months ago never got it washed. The Northeast weather has caused the thin film of salt to accumulate. What are my options? I called the local detailer shop and for $80 he said he would clean the car use a Claybar and then polish the car.
All of this is done by hand. This is reasonable?

Phinatic

Seems very reasonable, took me about 4 hours (actual work time) to do my car by hand: wash, clay, wax.

I gave my car a good wash and brought it into the garage. Used Griot's clay with speed shine, then followed-up with a coat of their Poly Wax. Let it dry for 24 hours then buffed it out, turned out GREAT!!

Any reason why you don't do it yourself? Time, skills, facility?

VTsuckah

iTrader: (1)

You ought to shoot Phil from Detailers Domain a PM. Their shop is in NJ as well. $80 seems pretty cheap to me..a little too good to be true in my opionion.

Something to be weary of: Claying your car can introduce quite a bit of clear coat marring and will require polishing to get rid of. If it's not necessary, I would not do it. I prefer first to try products like IronX/TarX to get rid of minor contaminants that are left after washing. Also, most "waxes" typically only last a few weeks depending on conditions. Sealants are much more durable and provide better/longer proetction than carnuba waxes these days. Blackfire Crystal Seal and CarPro Re-load are great DIY products. I also use CarPro Hydr02 for those in-between details.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Using detailing clay to decontaminate your paint is part of routine maintenance. It is something you can DIY very easily. However, it is just a small part of the detailing process.


Please read the following articles for more information about the decontamination process.

Explaining the Decontamination Process (Part 1) by Zach McGovern
Explaining the Decontamination Process (Part 2) by Zach McGovern



It is also worth mentioning that there are many different types of "detailers" out there. There are the basic guys who will simply clean your vehicle for a low cost, then there are the guys who are artists/scientists when it comes to detailing. Fine detailing really can be an art, and if you find the right detailer your vehicle will look better than it ever has before... but it will certainly not cost $80, and perhaps might cost more than $800 depending on what your vehicle needs to get it back to a 'like new' condition.

There is tons of great information out there on proper detailing and maintenance... check out the Detailed Image Ask-A-Pro Blog and Detailing Guide if you want to learn more

-Zach