What's the difference between a car wash and a detail?
Aside from cost, which ranges, a typical car wash will only include a fraction of the cleaning that you can get from a detail, and so only achieves a fraction of the result.
A thorough car detailing consists of two main phases: interior detailing and exterior detailing. Performing a complete detail will bring your car to its best condition and allow you to perform general cleaning and detailing to keep your car looking as good as new.
Another benefit of auto detailing is the added protection against the elements. When a wax coat is routinely applied to the exterior painted surface, it protects the finish from contamination and oxidation (rust). Since detailing is an incredibly thorough process, you can expect the detailer to meticulously assess every crevice of your car to suggest customized solutions.
Want to know more about vehicle protection and coatings? Lear more here
How much does it cost?
You’re probably thinking ‘Alright, I’m sold… but I don’t know how much this is going to cost me’. Well, the condition and the size of your vehicle is a major factor in determining car detailing prices. So, a Humvee won’t cost the same as a Prius, and your work truck won't cost the same as a relatively clean weekend driver. Additionally, where the vehicle is parked, how often it's driven, how it's cleaned, what products is used, and what type of initial base protection the vehicle has (Wax, Sealant, Ceramic, Graphene) all come into play.
As a rule of thumb, a basic car detailing plan will generally start at $200 for an average sized vehicle. However, additional services like clay bar treatment, leather conditioning, and pet hair removal, paint correction, as well as the quality of these products, will increase the cost.