Auto detailing has come a long way from the wash & wax days. Professional auto detailers have become so much more than technicians, cleaning and “waxing” cars. I’d guess this happened when Meguiar’s started pushing a variety of car care products and offering a professional line, somewhere in the 70’s, meanwhile Southern California’s car scene (where Meguia’rs is located) was booming! With so many different car cultures and enthusiasts, opportunities arose for entrepreneurs to buy some products and get to work. Anyone who has done business or has hung around the SoCal automotive world knows that history runs deep, and it truly is a small world of its own.
Growing up in the 90’s, my family was keen on the car culture, and everyone had a classic car. I remember helping my uncles and their friends wash their lowriders before cruise nights and weekends. Pull into the self wash for few minutes, scrub them clean and Chamois towels dry; windows first! Windows always first! This was definitely routine and I got my lesson in keeping cars clean at an early age.
My first experience with an auto detailer was my neighbor Joe around 2001. I wouldn’t say he was a full blown professional, he worked from his driveway, but I saw him bring cars in and out, and he had a decent setup, albeit massive! Pneumatic tools powered by a big 60gal compressor, 7 and 10 inch polishing machine. The 10” was the two handed beast from the 90s, you remember the one! Big semi-portable vacuum cleaner and some type of shampoo/extraction machine, may have been a Kirby. Not sure how much he was charging at the time, but it seemed like he was doing ok.
Fastforward to 2024 and auto detailing looks completely different. Mobile detailing is very much the norm, especially for those that are just starting out, and menus of services look like books. Leather treatment, and shampoo ,and extraction, and clay bar treatment, and ceramic coating, and this and that! This is especially true if you go to a car wash/detailing place, they literally have a “menu” of services. You can select a La Carte.
So what is a full detail nowadays, and what is included in a full detail packages? And why can auto detailing be so expensive?
This will always depend the type of location you go to, but I will be speaking about professional auto detailing services of Sacramento. Most professional auto detailing in Sacramento and surrounding cities will have some type of tier system in their package structure, take ours for instance. We have an Express package, a Standard package, and an Ultimate package for mobile detailing in Sacramento. Essentially; Good, Better, Best. All three packages include interior and exterior services to keep things simple. Some companies will offer interior only and exterior only packages.
Because the main question of this article is asking, “what is a full detail”, I’ll speak mostly about our Ultimate package, or our top tier package. This package covers all the necessary bases:
On the interior, we’re diving deep with thorough vacuuming techniques getting Into all the tight areas, trunk included. Then do a deep clean of the upholstery, scrubbing doors, carpets, mats, seats, visors, headliner and the center console, followed by pressurized steam cleaning of all said components. This helps eliminate some stains and odors and creates a fresh feeling vehicle. We also shoot steam through the ventilation system to remove any bacterial buildup, then we follow that with pressurized air to remove any moisture. Once the upholstery is cleaned, we treat the leather with a sealant or conditioner, whichever is needed, followed by dressing all the vinyl and plastic components with a dressing to keep a coat of protection for uv damage. Windows are cleaned, and door jams are wiped.
Our exterior includes a detailed wash, using brushes to get into crevices between body panels, in between wheel spokes, emblems and other tight areas. After we rinse and dry, we use a clay bar treatment to remove micro contaminants from he painted surfaces and windows. It’s hard to fully explain, but clay bar treatment in Sacramento is very much like the nose strips to remove blackheads from your face, it grabs contaminants and pulls them from the clear coat of the vehicle. A bit graphic, I know, sorry! Then we polish, or buff the vehicle. We polish the vehicle after, and ONLY after clay bar treatment. Polishing the paint helps to remove minor imperfections like water spots, oxidation or light swirls marks. This is especially crucial for high impact color cars like black, brown, blue and red. After the polishing phase, we apply a coat of paint sealant protection. Windows are cleaned and tires are dressed.
This interior and exterior auto detailing package in Sacramento typically takes around 5.5 hours to complete and runs $599 for a two-door, small vehicle.
Here’s where things can sometimes get confusing with pricing:
Add ons: Many companies offer additional services like ceramic coating paint protection upgrades, complete paint restorations, scratch removal, window chip repairs and engine compartment cleaning, but they are typically not included in any packages. If you had any of these concerns or questions, if is best to let your detailer know ahead of the scheduled appointment. These can add a significant amount of extra time and money to the service.
Added fees: Many companies also have fees for situations that will require much more time and effort to complete. This can be sap contamination or paint overspray on the exterior, or sand, pet fur or mold/mildew on the interior. Heavily soiled upholstery may require the use of a hot water extraction machine to remove heavy stains, this also incurs additional charges.
Some of these above mentioned items can take your $599 Ultimate detail package to a $1,150 detailing package real fast, so it’s always best to ensure you’re dealing with a professional. Many detailers, including myself, can also tailor a package specifically for your situation. This can be an interior only service, or maybe a quick interior “wipe down” and complete exterior detail, or a quick exterior wash and a complete interior service. We are always up for a phone call to discuss any needs for professional auto detailing in Sacramento.
