Going to a Detailer

E

evan631

New member
I have a few questions hoping you all can help me with...

I plan on taking my 2019 Lexus RC300 (Nebula Grey) to a auto detailer to get it ready for winter here in NY..specifically Long Island.
The car is a few months old, and only has about 3k miles on it. Keep in mind this is a daily driver, and stays outside all the time.

My original plan was to do it my self (posted a few weeks ago about this), but I haven`t found the time. At this point i think i will let a pro handle it. Come spring time, i will give it a go myself.

My objective is to get the car protected for winter. This past weekend I stopped in a very respectable auto detailer here on Long Island, and asked for a price quote. I was told...wash, clay, and wax (carnuba) $65. Definitely sounds reasonable, but i thought i would ask if there was a higher level job and he said...it`s not necessary. All you need is wash, clay, and wax. If we find that something else is needed we will let you know. In no way at all did he try to up-sell me on anything.

Does this sound right to you for a new car? I was expecting needing more than just clay and wax.

As for this being a new car...someone at work mentioned that it is too early to be doing any detailing on the car. He said the paint is too fresh. Is that a thing?

Lastly...as for winter washing. Whats your thoughts on the best way of getting the car clean. I do live in an apartment complex, so hand washing is not feasible. I absolutely will not take it to the car wash. Although i do have a hand car wash that will use clean or new mitts for a charge, but who knows how they clean them, plus there was no mention of new drying towels.

What do you guys do in the winter? I was thinking of maybe a rinse less wash. Just don`t know how i would get the heavy grime, grit, and salt off. I do have a bottle of Sonax BSD that I purchased by accident from amazon. Maybe I can use that as a drying aid after doing a rinseless ONR or something like that.

Thanks for your input...greatly appreciated. And if any of you guys are on Long Island and looking for business let me know!

-Evan
 
Super cheap price if it’s a reputable Detailer. Ask to see his work and a few references. Check his reviews online.

If all checks out you got a deal.

Keep in mind wax is 3-12 weeks protection max. A sealant a little longer and coating will last longest. I depends on what your after. I only coat my cars because I do it myself and it is the most protective and creates and easy to car for vehicle.

Good luck. Where on Long Island are you located ?
 
I`m in Ottawa, Canada, and the only option I have for the winter is touchless car washes. No garage.... They don`t do much harm but their blow dryers suck LOL.

Chris
 
evan631- Noting that I realize you won`t like reading this :o ....

IMO that`s a too-low price for quality work and any Pro who`s talking about a "carnauba wax" for getting a Daily Driver through winter is on the wrong track (which shouldn`t happen with a Pro).

That "too soon" is utter nonsense and has been for decades. I hope you ignore any other "info/advice" from that individual.

For ongoing maintenance during the winter, if I didn`t have climate-controlled garage facilities, as in, if I were in your shoes, I`d find a *GOOD* Pro to wash it now and then, running it through a Touchless with a good undercarriage spray the rest of the time. My primary concern would be *NOT* letting salt stay packed in the nooks and crannies where it can lead to rust-out.

I`d talk with prospective shops about how they`d wash it, and I`d ask specific Qs about the salt/undercarriage issue and about anything else that concerns you, e.g., how they wash..I`d sure expect clean mitts/etc.!..ask how they`ll avoid "those little swirls most people don`t care about" and see what they say and/or whether they`re evasive.


In a major metropolitan area you oughta be able to find a *GOOD* Pro to take care of this for you. The trick will be finding that Pro...and footing the bill because quality work generally doesn`t come cheap ;)
 
You definitely want to go with something like a durable sealant (IW845) or a lite coating to last through the winter.
 
JSFM35X said:
Super cheap price if it’s a reputable Detailer. Ask to see his work and a few references. Check his reviews online.

If all checks out you got a deal.

Keep in mind wax is 3-12 weeks protection max. A sealant a little longer and coating will last longest. I depends on what your after. I only coat my cars because I do it myself and it is the most protective and creates and easy to car for vehicle.

Good luck. Where on Long Island are you located ?
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I`m in Oakdale. I see you are from LI as well. The detailer i speak of is located in Huntington (Not sure we were are allowed to mention business` on here). The reviews are all good except for a few, but you will always get that. I figured wax was only a few months. I need to get a sealant on here to get me through November and the winter!

Thanks for the info!
 
Accumulator said:
evan631- Noting that I realize you won`t like reading this :o ....

IMO that`s a too-low price for quality work and any Pro who`s talking about a "carnauba wax" for getting a Daily Driver through winter is on the wrong track (which shouldn`t happen with a Pro).

That "too soon" is utter nonsense and has been for decades. I hope you ignore any other "info/advice" from that individual.

For ongoing maintenance during the winter, if I didn`t have climate-controlled garage facilities, as in, if I were in your shoes, I`d find a *GOOD* Pro to wash it now and then, running it through a Touchless with a good undercarriage spray the rest of the time. My primary concern would be *NOT* letting salt stay packed in the nooks and crannies where it can lead to rust-out.

I`d talk with prospective shops about how they`d wash it, and I`d ask specific Qs about the salt/undercarriage issue and about anything else that concerns you, e.g., how they wash..I`d sure expect clean mitts/etc.!..ask how they`ll avoid "those little swirls most people don`t care about" and see what they say and/or whether they`re evasive.


In a major metropolitan area you oughta be able to find a *GOOD* Pro to take care of this for you. The trick will be finding that Pro...and footing the bill because quality work generally doesn`t come cheap ;)
Click to expand...

I was surprised by the carnuba thing as well. This shop is definitely a reputable detailer. He has tons of high end vehicles in and out of the shop...I would think people bringing in their Maseratis, R8s, and Ferraris only go to the best, but who knows. Perhpas the guy i spoke with wasn`t their best guy.

As for the guy at work who told me about "too soon", he did state that was thing in the past, he just wasn`t sure if it was still a thing. He`s a classic car guy. He`s got a mint condition, 78 Trans AM (Smokey and the Bandit).

I will continue to look around for another detailer. Thanks for the info as always!
 
Dan said:
You definitely want to go with something like a durable sealant (IW845) or a lite coating to last through the winter.
Click to expand...
Thanks Dan! I will look into the IW845....i believe you speaking of the collinite 845...IW= insulator wax??? If so i used to use it along with the Klasse twins.
 
I will say this, if a customer asks about getting something better done, and the detailer tells him they don`t need it. I`m going to have to trust the detailer`s being honest. I too though would use a sealant over a carnuba, but this detailer had an up sale basically jump in his lap and he said no. So either he doesn`t like money, or this is what he feels is needed. Did you explain to him you won`t have access to wash with a hose? Rinseless or waterless is all I do. A well protected car waterless`ed on a bi weekly basis would be easy. Although I`m in So Cal where Winter will be a "chilly" 65 lol.

While I know he was being honest with you, I don`t think that would be the best route. I detail and I don`t push upsales unless I feel they`re needed. And I`ve talked people out of what they wanted to spending less when I felt it wasn`t necessary. But in your case after I spoke to you, I would`ve suggested a sealant or a lower end spray coating that would last 4-6 months. And a decent sealant shouldn`t add much to the price from that shop. Especially when you were quoted $65 for all that, which is a killer deal, if it`s not shoddy work. I`m not talking down on this guy or his shop, it`s highly unusual for a detailer to tell a potential customer "no, you don`t need to spend $200 on that. I have this $75 package that would be fine" But I don`t mean that in a bad way, it`s pretty refreshing actually. I`m not speaking on the great detailing folks on these forums. But, a lot of detailers out there will nickle and dime you to death with up-sales lol.
 
Carnauba for a New York winter and the car is always outside??? I`d say you need to keep looking.
 
evan631 said:
He has tons of high end vehicles in and out of the shop...I would think people bringing in their Maseratis, R8s, and Ferraris only go to the best, but who knows...
Click to expand...

The local-to-me "Pro" (scare-quotes intentional) is always booked with lots of really high-end (for my area) vehicles and has *lots* of satisfied customers...and/but I wouldn`t let him wash my lawnmower, much less Detail anything I cared about. I`ve learned to not pay any attention to somebody`s clientele for all sorts of reasons.
Perhpas the guy i spoke with wasn`t their best guy.
Click to expand...

If he`s talking to a potential customer, he oughta know better.

..As for the guy at work who told me about "too soon", he did state that was thing in the past, he just wasn`t sure if it was still a thing. He`s a classic car guy. He`s got a mint condition, 78 Trans AM (Smokey and the Bandit).
Click to expand...

Hey, my first new car was a `77 T/A..black of course :D Lots has indeed changed since then!

I will continue to look around for another detailer.
Click to expand...

Now *that* is very good news :D

You mentioned that you`ve used the Klasse twins..those are still really good protection-wise (as long as you get many coats of KSG on there).

Note that I wouldn`t top the KSG with the 845 as it`d preclude adding more KSG later.

The 845 IW is good stuff (I`ve used it since forever and still do one one area of one car), and some find it lasts/protects long enough for their needs. I`ve moved on the FK1000P, which simply kills everything else I`ve ever tried (except a Coating) to the point that it`s what I use on the vehicles I really care about.
 
quebert said:
I will say this, if a customer asks about getting something better done, and the detailer tells him they don`t need it. I`m going to have to trust the detailer`s being honest..
Click to expand...

Well....completely different, and far less charitable, opinion here ;)

I can think of many reasons why an incompetent individual would say that, and coupled with the other [stuff] that was related, eh...I see zero credibility there.

EDIT: Aw gee, that sounds pretty harsh..but I`ve learned (often the hard, expensive way) to be very careful about whom I trust, in any context but especially when it comes to this Detailing stuff, where a lot of [individuals] lay claim to nonexistent expertise and many are used to getting paid for incredibly poor work.
 
Accumulator said:
The local-to-me "Pro" (scare-quotes intentional) is always booked with lots of really high-end (for my area) vehicles and has *lots* of satisfied customers...and/but I wouldn`t let him wash my lawnmower, much less Detail anything I cared about. I`ve learned to not pay any attention to somebody`s clientele for all sorts of reasons.
Click to expand...

This X100!

The type of vehicles they work on usually has very little to do with the quality of work.

Most high end reputable shops will priced a lot higher than what you were quoted and if they are claying without polishing I would personally look elsewhere too.
 
evan631 said:
Thanks Dan! I will look into the IW845....i believe you speaking of the collinite 845...IW= insulator wax??? If so i used to use it along with the Klasse twins.
Click to expand...
Yes. It`s still one of the longest lasting and easiest to use products out there. A bottle lasts forever.
 
Setec Astronomy- Nah, sigh... 403/auto. Hey, I was a kid and it was a HS graduation present (yeah, quite a biggie...I graduated early and killed the SAT, so maybe that was it) so I wasn`t gonna be picky and I didn`t learn a stick until I was older. It *was* a really cool thing to get at the time. Dumb thing to give a kid like me in hindsight, but eh...live to tell and all that.
 
Accumulator said:
Setec Astronomy- Nah, sigh... 403/auto
Click to expand...

I think it was just `77 & `78 that the T/A engine that was 220HP IIRC was available. In `78 they may have already been calling it the 6.6 T/A, but by `79 with the droop snoot it was the 403 with less HP and I think auto only (there may have been a few early 79`s with the 400). I`m sure F-body experts will correct me. I just remember C/D considering that car with the WS6 to be one of the best performance cars of the time (handling/power). Funny how the lens of 40 years makes that look.

EDIT: I just looked it up-- `78 was the only year for the 220HP, although they stockpiled some engines that were used in `79 models (4-spd only).

EDIT EDIT: As usual, my memory fails me...I think this was the article I must have been thinking about where they call the T/A the best handling American car: https://www.caranddriver.com/review...-best-handling-american-car-archived-feature/ , although there is no mention of the WS6 suspension, so I dunno. And Pontiac supplied a 302 which was lighter.

Accumulator said:
Dumb thing to give a kid like me in hindsight, but eh...live to tell and all that.
Click to expand...

Yeah, sometimes I marvel at still being alive and not having gone to jail with some of the things we all did (speaking for myself and people I knew).
 
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