today was the second time I got a flyer on my windsheild and im thinking about taking my car there for cleaning(I mean full cleaning insidea and out and the engine bay) NOT my trunk! my babies are in there but how much can i expect to pay $150? and is it really that worth it? I would think it would be a ounce a year type thing...I can keep it clean after that.

 

I am the pro at my job, so I do it myself!

$150 is a reasonable price, but they don't do your trunk? .....oh nvm, your audio is back there drrrr on my part.

If I were to ever pay to get my car detailed, I would be an **** **** and a half about it.

Paint wise, inspect the areas by the wheels and the front end to see if they actually clayed it properly and got all the crap off of it.

Interior wise, check under the seats to make sure they actually blew all of the crap out that the vacuum couldn't reach and check all the little areas, such as cup holders, vents, and the little cracks in the center console and all. Oh, and put the car out in the sun and see if the windows are still hazy from a ****ty technique!

Those are just brief main points to look out for imo.

Good luck
dan

 

$150 is a reasonable price, if they do a good job. I do detail work on the side. I know I do a better job than the shops. I do a full 8-10 hour detail on my Max twice a year and shorter a monthly detail in between. And wash the car and clean the interior each week.

Is it worth it? Well, to me it is. 1st place at Maxus for the past 3 years.

 

You have to be careful with random detailing shops though...they can damage your paint if they're not experienced, or just don't use good technique. I'd say it's worth putting that $150 towards a Porter Cable/Pads/Polish to do it yourself and know that the paint is corrected and not damaged further.

 

Where you at Chicago's Maxus? Can't recall seeing WI plates. Not trying to be a smart-***, I just can't remember you.

 

Hey Guys, Will Any Of You'se Be Willing To Detail My Car. I Have A 2000 Maxima. By The Sound Of It Seems Like You'se Would Do A Better Job Than Any Local Shop. Let Me Know, I'm In The Chicago Area.

 

well I called the guy today and he said he does the following (sorry I may forget some things):

Shampoo the inside
clean the interior
wash
compund the the paint
polish then wax

he also all jams will be wash and compund nad wax?
also the engine will be cleaned(minor stuff he doesnt really get into detail with that)

I know im missing some stuff but from what he was say it seem like it'll be good and its all for $150...I think ill get it done every spring...

 

This is the "process" that I use at work

Engine bay-spray degreaser and rinse off thoroughly, blow all water off with air hose, spray with a "shine"

Wheels/tires-spray degreaser, scrub, same with wheel wells

Wash-use a mitt to do so, while claying all of the paint then rinse

Tire shine-wipe down wheels and wells, then tire shine

Dry-squeegee, then chamois it down and do door jams

Interior-air hose-blow everything forward and out, scrub all carpets, scrub seats, scrub doors and panels, finger-**** dashboard area, windex inside windows

Dry inside-turn car on with heat on full blast on floor to dry the carpets

Exterior-

• use bug&tar to remove any spots you missed while claying
• use "instant shine" on all plastic parts to re-gain shine
• now buff at about 1,400 rpm with a swirl remover
• wipe down
• out-side windows

Touch-up- drive it for a short distance so that any and all water escapes where it's going to drip from, wipe it all down again and you be done


dat me my process

 

it was the 5th gen that got first place overall, the black one

 

Here's a pic without the front plate. I put it back on for Maxus so I wouldn't get stopped at Busse. I was parked next to the red Sentra SE-R for the show.

 

Nice max bro.

 

I already don't trust the guy, I would never tell a customer I am going to compound the paint, even very badly swirled paint can be taken care of with a polish before resorting to a compound. If he tells this to all his customers and that's what he's been doing than he is doing it as a shortcut, it's a quick way to get all the swirls out, but unfortunately he's taking off more clear than he should be and most customers don't realize it.

 

Don't expect a swirl free finish for $150. Sure for that much, you can get an overall nice job done, but if you want a swirl free finish, expect to pay anywhere from $300-500.

 

I had this done on the MX-6 I used to own. They really brought back the oxidized paint. Plus, they did it while I worked. It looked like a new car when they were done with it.

 

very simple the folks I used last week turned my 12 yo max into a new car fer 150 bucks.

 

better off doing it yourself. Go to a local professional detailing shop if theres one around you and ask question about products anything that you wonna do to your car and they will help you. Never got my car detailed dont see any reason to. If its your baby then you should be the only one cleanin it

 

Yup, I cleaned mine today. The joys of working at a Nissan Dealership

 

This is kind of why I wouldn't trust a shop to do a detail on my cars. No offense to you, Prjctmax, you're probably just doing what you've been told and taught.

For starters, I would never, ever use Windex in a car, I really hope you don't detail any cars with an installed tint, or else it has already cut down on the lifespan of a non bubbly, non faded tint due to the ammonia content (unless you're talking about a car specific windex that doesn't have ammonia in it).

Secondly, I would never use a squeegee to dry the painted surfaces, because any and all dirt particles that didn't get cleaned have now been pulled along the surface of the paint, and has been marred.

Third, Paint correction is not as cut and dry as "buffing at 1400rpms". Some cars would require harsher paint correction, although, I'm sure there's a good number that don't need that aggressive of paint correction, and now it has clear that didn't need to be removed in order to get the same effect.

Not trying to point fingers, and I really don't mean any offense by what I said, I'm just trying to show a point.

btw, you don't use any type of wax/sealant/paint protection after all that?

 

 

Hmm....I use the California Water Blade on my Black Max and haven't had any problems with scratches/marring.

 

Prjct -- I'm really glad you understood what I was trying to accomplish, and I absolutely expected the process you use at work to be on a "get it done" basis, which doesn't reflect poorly on you.

I'm just iffy about the CA water blade...I guess if you've just clayed, then there shouldn't be anything left to be marred on the paint, but for every-wash use, I would feel very hesitant about it. Bluesbrekr, you seem to do a great job with whatever you do detailing wise, so continue that if you feel it's not harming anything. You would be the best person to ask, seeing as you have a nearly perfect finish and use the blade.

 

lol on this topic now that I think of it.............

every Friday is "Carwash Friday" at my work. There's about 10 guys and we all have chamois and one of those water blades. One guy wets every car and another guy uses the blade to get most of the water off and everyone else uses the chamois to SMEAR all of the dust/dirt particles around and **** with the paint.

First time we did this I was like we don't use soap, and wtf is the point of buffing these things when they get ****ed up the *** with scratches every Friday?

lol, thought I might share that one.

 

^^ugh...you just keep on proving the point I'm trying to make...thanks again for the understanding.

It just ALWAYS goes back to a) you get what you pay for, or b) if you want it done right, do it yourself.

 

I always chose 'B' for myself!

I at how dealerships work...been with them for about 2 years now

 

so what kind of soap and wax would you guys recommend?

 

what do you guys mean by claying?!

 

question about the engine bay degreaser, wont that stuff do harm to your engine?!.

has anyone used gunk away before on their engine bays, i have seen my co-worker use it once at the shop i used to work at, but never knew the outcome of the car since it was towed away by the owner

 

whats the fun if you are paying someone else to do what you can do yourself?

 

yeah, where is the fun in that?

 

i've had a bad experience with that! my rear bumper was chipped baad when it came out of the wash. they didnt even say a thing about it after drying the car off. just do it yourself. pick up a couple tips in here and enjoy doing it yourself. Advantage: you know what's goin on with ur car. i dont trust anybody now

 

Very true. For $150, I will two step the paint but unless it is in already good condition, I can't promise full paint correction at that price.