Things To Expect When Having Your Car Detailed
If you are considering having your car detailed for the first time, you may not know what to expect when you drop the vehicle off. There are some common things that are done with car detailing and some things that your detailer may do that adds more value to the job.
Washing the Car
When you take your car in for auto detailing, washing the car's exterior is pretty standard, but it is a good idea to ask the detailer about it when you make the appointment. To correctly detail the exterior of the car, it needs to be clean, so if the auto detailing shop you are working with does not wash the vehicle for you, you may want to consider a different shop.
Once the exterior is clean, the detailer will clean the wheels and the tires with special cleaners designed to protect the rubber tires and the metal wheels from road debris and brake dust. If there is a lot of chrome trim on your car, the detailer will clean all the chrome, and a good shop will clean along the edges of the chrome where it meets the body, removing dirt and debris from the cracks and crevices there.
Inside the Car
The auto detailing inside the car often takes a little more time than the outside, but there are many small spaces inside that need cleaning for the job to be done right. Vacuuming the carpets and upholstery will get all the loose dirt off the floors and seats, and if the carpets need it, you can have then shampooed as well, but that often adds to the detailing cost.
The detailer will clean your dashboard, console, and door panels with protectants and cleaners to help preserve the fabrics and materials inside the car. Often the detailer will even go so far as to use cotton swabs to clean the cracks and gaps in the panels, and some will even clean the air vents in the car for you.
Before taking your car to an auto detailing shop, it is a good idea to take personal items out of the console, trunk, and glove compartment of your vehicle because the detailer will likely open all those things during the cleaning process. While it may not matter to you if they see some papers or something in the car, those items can be in the way during the detailing and make their job more difficult.
Most auto detailing services, like those at Car Toys and other locations, will offer levels or tiers of service, so be sure to discuss what you want to be done when you take the car in so there is no confusion, and you get the service you are expecting.
