Your detail could vary widely depending on the style of detailing & experience of the company or individual you have working on your vehicle.
You can segment the business into about four basic categories:
- The detailing industry in general has low barriers to entry & their are often hobbyists or a neighborhood kid who wouldn’t mind making a few exra bucks. Obviously this is hit & miss & you will often end up having to look for someone else as your detailer moves on to other pursuits. Likely cost: $0 -100
- The drive through car wash & vacuum. Often as cheap or cheaper than the hobbyist, this is an assembly-line style operation. Quick & dirty, but very inexpensive. Some of these operations will have full service operations available also. These operations will often do more than 300 cars on a bad day. Likely cost: $7-30
- The volume full service shop. These shops will often be able to offer just about everything under the detailing umbrella, but operate under the principle of business volume. They’re usually more concerned with getting cars in & out than getting every nook & cranny, but may be what you’re looking for if you’re not too picky, if time is a priority & as they are generally less expensive than a high-end detailer. Likely cost: $20-200 for listed packages. Possible price tag of $400-600 depending on additional services.
- High-end or top-service detailers usually are more concerned with the quality of the job & therefore do a much lower volume of cars per day. They are often able to do jobs in a short period of time if required, but this is not where they prefer to compete. If your primary priority is the meticulousness of the job or the quality of the product or result & time is, at least to a degree secondary, than the high-end detailer is for you. Package costs could be anywhere from $25 – $1,000 with add-ons like tint, bedliners & minor paint repairs possibly bringing it up another $120-500. Likely cost: $150-400
- Besides the four categories above, we can add a qualifier of sorts; Mobile, Shop or Both. Many shops also offer mobile(or on-location) as well as pick up & drop off service. There are also a few established businesses that are mobile only, though the majority of mobile businesses (that do not have a fixed location) are self-employed individuals. These detailers make convenience a priority. Depending on their experience & equipment, they may be able to do anything that could be done at a shop. A cautionary note, however. There are certain procedures (e.g. like removing hard water spots) that are best done under cover. If the material your detailer is working on is hot, they could run into trouble quickly if they are not used to working under those conditions & are not familiar with the necessary precautions, at the very least it could add considerable time. Of course rain could be another factor. If you are getting a bumper corner repainted, there is a much bigger likelihood of getting contaminants in the paint than if it was done in a paint booth. Still, for most people it’ll look just fine…as long as you’re not doing a whole hood or similar panel that will be right near face level. If you are receiving pick up & drop off service, or even if you are dropping off your vehicle at a shop & just want to be cautious a good question to ask would be, “Do you have a garage policy?” You are asking if they have insurance…just in case.
Thank you for your attention. As always, you may contact me directly if you have any questions.
