Professional detailer in Central NJ?

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flinter

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Hi,

I just purchased a brand new 2013 Honda Civic EX in Crimson Pearl, which is a burgundy/wine
color. I would like to get my car professionally detailed (clayed, polished, wax) by a professional detailer in Central Jersey area, or the Princeton/Trenton Bucks Co PA area.

Can anyone here recommend someone?

Thanks
 
Originally Posted By: flinter
Hi,

I just purchased a brand new 2013 Honda Civic EX in Crimson Pearl, which is a burgundy/wine
color. I would like to get my car professionally detailed (clayed, polished, wax) by a professional detailer in Central Jersey area, or the Princeton/Trenton Bucks Co PA area.

Can anyone here recommend someone?

Thanks


I recommend "YOU" do it. Save some money and gain some pride of ownership.

Regards, JC.
 
Barry Theal is out in Lancaster, but he is where I took my 135i to when it got scuffed by a tarp in a parking lot. Highly recommended (he was recommended to me) and I was extremely satisfied.

There are a lot of folks that do this from their garage and do an awesome job - I interviewed a few before having Barry do my full correction.
 
EUG,

Thanks for the suggestion of Signature, but after looking at this
site, I do not think a Honda Civics are the cars he does! He would
probably laugh at me with all the high end exotic cars he does!
 
Originally Posted By: flinter
EUG,

Thanks for the suggestion of Signature, but after looking at this
site, I do not think a Honda Civics are the cars he does! He would
probably laugh at me with all the high end exotic cars he does!


It's hardly fair to make that assumption without making any sort of inquiry. I know a few guys who do detailing work (and only two I would call good) but they all work on cars that range from high end down to things like I would drive.
 
Originally Posted By: eugenem
Greg Gellas (Signature Detailing) based out of Hillsborough, NJ.
http://signaturedetailing.com/

He did the Opti-Coat Pro on my new Infiniti. (I am anal retentive on my vehicles and he did a fantastic job.) Also, my Infiniti was a similar color to your CR-V.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show...-detailing.html

+1, Greg Gellas and Barry are both top detailers nationwide and are very well respected.

You can expect to pay for 10-15 hours at $50-$75/hr.

If you want to undertake the project yourself (and are OK with the result being less than completely perfect), $500 should get you a DA polisher, some pads, nanoskin mitt, iron-x, a syringe of Opti-Coat 2.0, 10-20 quality towels, and some compounds and polishes. Yes, I realize that you do not have your own facilities, but find a friend with a garage that you can use for a day or two....and offer to do their car in return.
 
Originally Posted By: yonyon
Originally Posted By: flinter
EUG,

Thanks for the suggestion of Signature, but after looking at this
site, I do not think a Honda Civics are the cars he does! He would
probably laugh at me with all the high end exotic cars he does!


It's hardly fair to make that assumption without making any sort of inquiry. I know a few guys who do detailing work (and only two I would call good) but they all work on cars that range from high end down to things like I would drive.


+1. Labor is labor. If something needs work, it takes a person's time. That time is really just a mathematical function of surface area and number of coats. Whether the vehicle is worth it to the person shelling out the funds is the big question. If a lamborghini and a pinto had the same surface area and same jobs done to them, the cost would notionally be the same.
 
My biggest question is why you'd want a new car polished? Polishing is something you don't do unless you have to and something a brand new car shouldn't need.
I'm in Monmouth county and could get you washed and put a coat of Collinite 845 on with a DA in under 2hrs. If you're not polishing this really isn't a heavy lift, you could go to one of the drive in bays for your wash and do the rest back at your place. If you want any supplies I suggest www.detailersdomain.com, they're in North Jersey and also do detailing. Phil runs a great business and is also one of the best in the nation. Orders for supplies placed in the AM sometimes come next day with ground shipping in NJ.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: flinter
EUG,

Thanks for the suggestion of Signature, but after looking at this
site, I do not think a Honda Civics are the cars he does! He would
probably laugh at me with all the high end exotic cars he does!


That's exactly the kind of detailer you want. Only the top 1-2% of detailers out there are any good. Most want to bang out the job quickly and move to the next one. I remember Detailers Domain working on an old Civic, a 2000 I believe and they are one of the best out there. Plus they work on a lot of exotic cars. Link:

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/showthread.php?p=1065819#post1065819
 
Gofast,
Thats why I am asking, I am a novice about exterior detailing. So for a brand new car, clay and polish is not necessary, just a wax and a sealant? I just want to start off right and get a good protective coat and the paint's surface.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: flinter
Gofast,
Thats why I am asking, I am a novice about exterior detailing. So for a brand new car, clay and polish is not necessary, just a wax and a sealant? I just want to start off right and get a good protective coat and the paint's surface.


An Iron-X and clay (or nanoskin) decontamination is absolutely necessary. A polish is not - 99% of cars on the road have imperfections in their paint and it will stay this way.

If you're going to pay someone, have opticoat 2.0 or opticoat pro applied. This is a semi-permanent coating that should last many years. Sealants only last 2-4 months on average, so there's little reason to pay a good detailer for that.
 
I have been hanging out in many different detailing forums. One thing which will strike you is that the incredible results which are often shown on the forums never give out the associated pricing information. As TheCritic has pointed out, professional detailing worth paying money is NOT cheap. First determine what is your comfort level for the cost and then decide what you want to do. For example, would you be willing to shell out $1000 for detailing your brand new Civic?
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: flinter
Gofast,
Thats why I am asking, I am a novice about exterior detailing. So for a brand new car, clay and polish is not necessary, just a wax and a sealant? I just want to start off right and get a good protective coat and the paint's surface.


An Iron-X and clay (or nanoskin) decontamination is absolutely necessary. A polish is not - 99% of cars on the road have imperfections in their paint and it will stay this way.

If you're going to pay someone, have opticoat 2.0 or opticoat pro applied. This is a semi-permanent coating that should last many years. Sealants only last 2-4 months on average, so there's little reason to pay a good detailer for that.



I disagree that a polish is not a must on a new car. I have yet to ever seen one that did not need it and much of my income came from prepping new cars. I do agree that Opticoat is the way to go if the owner wants any type of real durability. Coming up with a budget is a must but any detailer worth his salt will be asking questions to a potential client to find out what they expect...no pricing can be done until that talk session/information exchange.

As a former detailer I would take my car to Detailer's Domain in Norwood,NJ. Philip Yiu the owner is the consummate professional. The work from his shop is simply breathtaking be it a Civic or a Ferrari.
 
Vikas,

$1000.00 to professionally detail a Honda Cvic?? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Lets be realistic here, this is a $19,000.00 economy car! My comfort level for a full exterior detail is $275.00 to $300.00 MAX.
 
Last edited:
I'd say $300-400 for a new Civic with a durable sealant. If you upgrade the protection to opticoat you're probably pushing $500-600.

The old beat up Civic, that needed compounding, polishing and opticoat was $800(no interior work).

Edit: As of a year ago opti-coat new car prep ran $650.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: RTexasF

I disagree that a polish is not a must on a new car. I have yet to ever seen one that did not need it and much of my income came from prepping new cars. I do agree that Opticoat is the way to go if the owner wants any type of real durability. Coming up with a budget is a must but any detailer worth his salt will be asking questions to a potential client to find

I agree that the car's paint is probably not in near-perfect condition, but getting a one or two-step correction requires commitment from the owner to wash meticulously using the two-bucket method, and freshly laundered mitts and MF towels each time. Otherwise, the car is going to get swirled up again in a month or two. And even in proper washing is followed, a soft paint (such as on Hondas) is going to need another polishing in about a year (unless Opti-Coat is applied).

He may as well just save the clear
 
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