Professional detailer in Central NJ?

[Vikas]

Originally Posted By: flinter
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.
I am afraid that for that kind of money, it will be hard to get the job that you are expecting from a well known detailer under your budget. The price you are talking about would get you a hack detailer. I understand that you live in a condo and do not have access to a garage or water hose. There are some products which work quite well without water.

 

[sciphi]

A DA polisher and decent pads/polishes along with the other necessary items for a basic DA detail would run about $200-250. I got pretty good results on my Cruze with a HF DA, their pads, and a suitable backing plate. I also do not have a hose handy.

The two-bucket wash system using a rinseless car wash works wonders for getting garden-variety road grit off. It also does not need a hose, since the buckets can be filled (slowly) at the kitchen sink.

 

[gofast182]

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.

I'd still clay/Nanoskin it because cars on the lot can pick up rail dust and other things but it should not need polish whatsoever.

 

[RTexasF]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
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


I didn't make it clear. I was referring to a light machine polish. I do (or did) instruct folks how to properly wash & dry afterwards but if they did not follow instructions so what? They would be back even sooner so more $$$. If they cared they would listen and do it properly. If they paid no heed I couldn't care less, it was right when it left my premises.

 

[RTexasF]

Originally Posted By: flinter
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.


For what you are wanting I think that is doable. Best would be drive to some of the folks mentioned, let them see it, talk with you, and give you a bid. The telephone really won't help much. You could call, tell them what you expect, give them your price range, and ask if it is realistic for them. They'll obviously have to see it but they should be able to say if it is feasible or not within your budget. Forget fancy coatings as they are out of budget.

 

[flinter]

Vikas,
I find your comment VERY hard to believe that ANY exterior detail
job totaling $300.00 is ALL done by "hack" detailers. That statement, im sure, is pretty offensive to detailers on this forum.

 

[Vikas]

That was not my intent, however, I was under impression that the OP wanted coating or at least something which would be lasting. Even the dealer's prices for run of the mill detailing start at $250 and talented detailers don't work for dealers.

In any case, I am eager to know the outcome.

 

[eugenem]

There has been some great advice given in this thread.

One thing to consider - how picky are you when it comes to the finish on the car? Are you the kind of person who considers the new car prep out of most dealerships as "wow", or are you the kind of person who looks at your paint in the sun and with a Brinkman LED detailing lamp looking for swirls?

The Toyota and Infiniti dealers in my area advertise full vehicle details for about $200. There's also a mobile detailing outfit that comes around the corporate park I work in offering details between $100-200. These detailers are unlikely to take a LED light to look for additional swirls to correct and/or have the knowledge to put on a coating. They also knock out 10-15 vehicles a day versus the 1-2 a high-end detailer would do.

The professional detailer price points mentioned earlier in the thread are realistic. Should you consider one of the coatings (whether Opti-Coat, cQuartz, or another), many of them are "permanent" (meaning long-term/2+ years). They require proper prep beforehand (whether a 1 or 2 step correction as The Critic mentioned). Any surface imperfections remaining are sealed in with the coating. These products also require an IPA (isopropyl alcohol) wash following any correction to ensure that all polish residues are removed so that the coating can bond properly to the paint. All this work contributes to labor and cost.

I've been extremely pleased with Opti-Coat Pro on my vehicle. The expense was worth it as it makes future car washes fairly easy. Most dirt beads right off with water and a hose.

Last thing to consider for those who do not have access to hose hookups (or have water restrictions) -- Optimum No-Rinse is fantastic.

 

[gofast182]

eugenem, you're right that some "full details" can be had for that price or even less but you got so close to the biggest risk without saying it. The guy knocking out 3+ cars per day probably isn't taking the time to make sure any polish or one-step is broken down properly to do its maximum potential work, that's why you often see new new cars with horrid swirls when the sun hits the door broadside (body shops are even worse as they do it when paint is softer). Another reason not to polish a new car unless it's absolutely needed (it almost never is and I used to work at a dealership cleaning cars). Clay/nanoskin, yes, polish, no.

There is one guy in Queens who does fantastic work around that price-point and is reputable, his business is Big A Detailing (A for Andrew). I used him myself before I bought my own equipment and learned how to polish with a DA. Here's a link to one of his threads, this should bring up a 40th Anniv. Mustang, it's not his most in-depth work but it's a good example that a high-quality detail need not cost $800.00+. http://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/657481-big-a-detailing/page__st__825

ONR gets some decent reviews and while I'm sure the reviews are accurate it's so counter-intuitive to me I can't bring myself to use something like that. Even using a two bucket method with grit guards and a clean rinse bucket for my chamois and seeing the dirt that can sometimes be left in either of those rinse buckets (esp the chamois bucket) after washing the car doesn't allow ONR to compute with me.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: RTexasF

I didn't make it clear. I was referring to a light machine polish. I do (or did) instruct folks how to properly wash & dry afterwards but if they did not follow instructions so what? They would be back even sooner so more $$$. If they cared they would listen and do it properly. If they paid no heed I couldn't care less, it was right when it left my premises.


The issue is that there's a finite amount of clear. Each time you polish, you are removing life from the paint system. If the client has no intention of properly maintaining the paint, then it would not be in their best interest to continue compounding/polishing for a short-lived appearance improvement.

 

[RTexasF]

Quote:
The issue is that there's a finite amount of clear. Each time you polish, you are removing life from the paint system. If the client has no intention of properly maintaining the paint, then it would not be in their best interest to continue compounding/polishing for a short-lived appearance improvement.


While I agree, I never mentioned it as a continuous thing nor did I mention compound. Having said that I've machine polished all my cars annually since 1996 and have yet to ever remove the clear coat. You are under the impression that some huge amount is removed which simply isn't true. We're not talking about rocks in a bottle compound here merely a light finishing polish with a white pad. My RAV4 will undergo it's FIFTH machine polish as soon as it cools down outside. I use Menzerna Final Polish exclusively.

 

[Vikas]

Bottom line:- Are we going to get OP to bite?

 

[flinter]

I found a private, professional, one man operation detailer in
Hamilton NJ who I am very comfortable with after a rather lengthy
phone conversation about his recommendations for my new 2013 Civic.
I have an appt with him on Oct 5th for a full exterior detail.

www.graysautodetailing.com

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: flinter
I found a private, professional, one man operation detailer in
Hamilton NJ who I am very comfortable with after a rather lengthy
phone conversation about his recommendations for my new 2013 Civic.
I have an appt with him on Oct 5th for a full exterior detail.

www.graysautodetailing.com


This guy seems to know what he's doing.

I would highly consider this service though: http://www.graysautodetailing.com/services-and-pricing/protective-coatings/

It is a better value that a one-time application of sealant. Opti-Coat 2.0 or Opti-Coat Pro has the potential to last 5+ years.

 

[flinter]

Crtic,
I understand, but I need to stay within my budget and be financially responsible. Lets be honest here, this is a 19,000.00
economy Honda Civic, its NOT a Bugatti! For a daily coummuter,
im sure I will be MORE that happy with this guy's results. I would
bet that 90% of Civic owner would NEVER even think of spending $300+
on detailing!

 

[gofast182]

Are you going for the luxury wash and protect? That's what you need IMO, nothing more.

 

[flinter]

gofast182,
I was going to go with his "basic machine polishing" option. you
think that may be overkill for a brand new car?

 

[SatinSilver]

Yes, since you're not diy I'd go with the Luxury protect package at $150. The light machining package at $350 doesn't seem worth it on a daily driver. At the bottom of that page He states "most customers do this package twice a year". That comes off a bit outlandish which imo hurts his credibility. So he's recommending you pay $700/year on polishing the car twice per year. Something seems a little fishy here. I'd wait till the car is a year to two years old before paying to have it polished. Which is when it will need it. When you have your own polisher and the car is new then go for it. But since you're paying for the service I'd wait till it NEEDS it.

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted By: flinter
gofast182,
I was going to go with his "basic machine polishing" option. you
think that may be overkill for a brand new car?

Yes, I really do. Unless you can look at the finish in the sun and see lots of swirls, hazing, or other imperfections (which you shouldn't be able to on a car this new) you're not ready for a polish. If you feel the need to do more/spend more have him do a double coat of the final product/top inspection.

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Yes, since you're not diy I'd go with the Luxury protect package at $150. The light machining package at $350 doesn't seem worth it on a daily driver. At the bottom of that page He states "most customers do this package twice a year". That comes off a bit outlandish which imo hurts his credibility. So he's recommending you pay $700/year on polishing the car twice per year. Something seems a little fishy here. I'd wait till the car is a year to two years old before paying to have it polished. Which is when it will need it. When you have your own polisher and the car is new then go for it. But since you're paying for the service I'd wait till it NEEDS it.

Not only that but for a car to require polish twice a year it would have to be subjected to some terribly harsh car washes, either hand washes with dirty water and wash mitt -or- old worn out automatic car washes.