How many of you guys detail your car vs pay someone else?
 

So for the type of car people who wash their car at least once a month, wax 2-6 times a year, clay bar, etc, do you guys do it yourselves or go to a detailer?

Instinctively I think I'd rather do it myself cause I don't really know if they're doing as careful/good of a job as if I was doing it myself.

But it can be time consuming and be more productive and efficient to pay someone else to do it?

i do my own, but i'll do a full wash only like 2-3x a year.
i just do the touchless gas station washes in between maybe every month or so.

i used to wash every week or two in the summer, but aint nobody got time for that. takes 2 hours to wash, and you have to do it when the sun is in the right spot or on an overcast day. too much fuss for me these days to keep that up.

I do it myself, I have all the gear and supplies I need for paint correction so why not? Doing it yourself also lets you get close up and see where any imperfections, or damage is that you may otherwise miss. It's also pretty therapeutic for me to do.

I also do it myself. I started detailing over 16 years ago now as a hobby and now do it as a business for select clients.
It greatly enjoy it so it will always be something I do myself. Well worth it to as paying someone $300+ to do a detail makes no sense to me seeing as you can pick up the supplies to do it yourself for the same price but they would last you many years.

i have a black car. and no garage. the second i put down the wash mitt or buffer, it's dirty and scratched again, so i need all the help i can get... enuf said :cry:

I do it myself but increasingly would rather pay someone. I've got all the gear I need and it's not hard, just time consuming and I don't have as many free weekends anymore.

A full detail (wash, clay, polish, wax for outside, clean the insides, wax the wheels etc) is a full day of work and while I really enjoy it and get a lot of satisfaction out of it I'd rather be outside doing something else most of the time.

For hand washes I go to Ultra Shine or someone like that but even then it's time consuming since I have to wait in line so much.

Where do you go thumper? Or any recommendations anyone?

project detail
ProjectDetail - Vancouver's Premier Automotive Detailing Service

brendan does a really good job

I have a big black truck, i am very capable (Autobody experience) but nowadays my time is more important and dont mind to pay the right person to do a good job

I do my own, twice a year. Really not that difficult, much more rewarding to see the outcome anyway.

Funny this came up, I detailed my own car today.
While it looks worlds better, its no where near as good as a professional can do. I think its smart to make the decision depending on how far gone your paint is. I can make good paint look better, but I sure as shit can't make bad paint look great. My car could definitely use a pro detail, but I'll wait until I move and have indoor parking.
I spent 3.5 hours on the exterior, and didn't even get the bumpers done. It was more for fun on a beautiful midweek day off though.

This is purely based on how much time you have on your hand. I used to do it myself many years ago but now there's absolutely no time for it now that I have a family. Still have tons of supplies I gathered from the old days that are sitting there unused.

Spent two hours yesterday detailing. Lots of satisfaction when it's all done and a long stretch of nice weather is here.

I personally wash my car every month. If I find time more than twice a month. I no longer drive my car that much due to the proximity of my office from my home so it stays indoors when not in use. I used to detail (wax and polish) my car every Spring and Fall. Now, I just have professionals do it once a year during Fall simply because I no longer have the tools and chemicals to do my own polish work due to lack of space in my condo bldg.

I was just looking into using them for my black car. What services do you get from them? I noticed they changed their website to be mainly coating based.

I was thinking of Americoat as I can't justify the cost of the others.

i had to get a massive paint correction done after a lot boy washed it. after that it was coated with opticoat, which was one of the best things i spent $$$ on. i'm supposed to go back every year and have it inspected/touched up but i haven't because of time/distance. it's now been two years since it was done and it's weathered through two winters, but i still need to go back.

having said that, i keep hearing about project detail from others. i'm wondering if i should give brendan a try.

Has anyone had a bad experience with detailing? I'm just paranoid they won't care and will take shortcuts.

@thumper: i've read that opticoat is good for protection and making it easier to clean. but wax doesn't go on as well so the car won't shine as well. Any truth to that? Have a magnetic mustang GT. so like a shiny grey. think it looks best when it sparkles essentially.

Either of the two mentioned in this thread will take care of you. Detailers have a reputation to keep, just don't forget they need to eat too. If you only want to pay $20, you're only going to get a $20 job.

This is a good read
What is Opti-Coat and is it good for your car?

When I have a toy in the garage...*sigh*... I'll do a full detail of the interior and a full outside claybar and wax 2 maybe 3 times a year. With washes regularly in between with my mitt. As far as getting a buffer out going to town on my paint I'll leave that to a professional, all it takes is a couple seconds too long in one spot and you've burned it. I'll maybe do that once a year, but usually just stick to a really good claybar and hand wax, seems to workout pretty well.

both of the places listed above have good reputations. it's just a question of when you can get an appointment because spring is here and everyone wants their cars cleaned up after winter.

i don't think you're supposed to wax over opticoat, since it's supposed to negate the need for it. wax won't go on that well because opticoat won't let it stick.

Opti-Coat vs Wax - Page 2

the only reason i have opticoat was because two years ago it was one of the few that was available. a lot has changed since then and there are more products out there. ask the two shops discussed above what is currently available and recommended for what you want in mind.

I also don't see any cleaning services, just coating stuff for autowerkes.

But I may try brendan as well.

you have to call or talk to them in person. it's going to be part of the process because they are not going to apply it without prep work and every car is different depending on paint condition, so not everyone is going to get the same price unless it's a brand new car.