How much?

Spitfire007 · 09-26-2013, 09:21 AM

I see these insane paint correction detail jobs done by some of you with extreme products...
How much should someone, like me, pay to have the whole car cleaned up? Wash, clay, good polish, good wax?

I have no idea what that should go for or how to choose a detailer

Otruba_843 · 09-26-2013, 04:07 PM

for a 2 step correction expect to pay $350-400 at the least for a job thats going to be done right. It goes up if you add a different wax or a jeweling stage. Your best bet to find a good detailer is to go to autogeek.net and talk to the forum members there. A lot of them have their own businesses across the states and are a great group of people you can trust.

AlexTopFitment · 09-26-2013, 07:20 PM

Detailed Image has a cool "Find a Detailer" tool, you might want to try that also

I would say google / yelp detailers in your area and read reviews, be mindful of fake reviews. Most should charge $50/hour + materials if they are good at what they do and have clientele. It's not easy to answer a question about pricing for what you asked, it totally depends on how detailed you want your car to be!

Whole car cleaned up - depends on what you mean by whole car. I can spend 4 hours on a filthy interior, 1 hour on an engine bay, 1 hour getting filthy wheels/wheel wells cleaned. Not to mention a litany of supplies. If these things are important to you, you will pay for each level of service

Wash - 20 minutes to 2 hours, so $20-100 for a good hand wash and detail depending on what you want washed (see above)

Clay - about an hour, $50ish
Good polish - depends on the correction needed, one step on the entire car shouldn't run more than $150-200, you can probably get a free wash or interior cleanup included. If you have bad swirls, scratches, holograms, you will probably require 2 or more steps. That's when paint correction can get above $350-400

Good wax - Good spray wax? High quality carnuba paste? Hand applied or with a buffer? Price can vary wildly, I use Optimum Spray Wax for standard cars which is easy/quick to apply, has a nice gloss, and is cheap. I throw this in for free with services over ~100, but for maximum gloss you can pay $60 for a high quality wax applied with a buffer

Send some pictures of your paint problem areas so we can get a better idea of what's needed. Hope this helped.

Spitfire007 · 09-29-2013, 03:24 PM

Car doesn't need much. Just a good clay, simple polish, and a good wax job to protect it.
It just the standard factory paint with all it's scalloping and defects...maybe a good wheel clean/ protect too.

Interior is mint.

PTek Will · 09-30-2013, 12:53 AM

250-350 for a 1 step. ask them to use a compound for a 1 step. Our paint is so hard, even a compound like m105 or fg400 finishes down damn near perfect. I 1-stepped my space grey with m105 with a couple drops of ultimate compound before I coated my car and it is shiny as f...

09-26-2013, 09:21 AM	#1
Spitfire007 Captain 189 Rep 682 Posts Drives: 09 328i Sport 6MT Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Baltimore, MD iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW 328i [0.00]	How much? I see these insane paint correction detail jobs done by some of you with extreme products... How much should someone, like me, pay to have the whole car cleaned up? Wash, clay, good polish, good wax? I have no idea what that should go for or how to choose a detailer
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09-26-2013, 04:07 PM	#2
Otruba_843 Lieutenant Colonel 93 Rep 1,509 Posts Drives: 2009 E90 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Egg Harbor - Athens iTrader: (0)	for a 2 step correction expect to pay $350-400 at the least for a job thats going to be done right. It goes up if you add a different wax or a jeweling stage. Your best bet to find a good detailer is to go to autogeek.net and talk to the forum members there. A lot of them have their own businesses across the states and are a great group of people you can trust. __________________ 2009 E90 328i Monaco Blue premium/idrive/convience/logic-7/cold weather/ xenons/ saddle brown interior
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09-26-2013, 07:20 PM	#3
AlexTopFitment Second Lieutenant 12 Rep 282 Posts Drives: 2008 335i Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: South Florida iTrader: (2)	Detailed Image has a cool "Find a Detailer" tool, you might want to try that also I would say google / yelp detailers in your area and read reviews, be mindful of fake reviews. Most should charge $50/hour + materials if they are good at what they do and have clientele. It's not easy to answer a question about pricing for what you asked, it totally depends on how detailed you want your car to be! Whole car cleaned up - depends on what you mean by whole car. I can spend 4 hours on a filthy interior, 1 hour on an engine bay, 1 hour getting filthy wheels/wheel wells cleaned. Not to mention a litany of supplies. If these things are important to you, you will pay for each level of service Wash - 20 minutes to 2 hours, so $20-100 for a good hand wash and detail depending on what you want washed (see above) Clay - about an hour, $50ish Good polish - depends on the correction needed, one step on the entire car shouldn't run more than $150-200, you can probably get a free wash or interior cleanup included. If you have bad swirls, scratches, holograms, you will probably require 2 or more steps. That's when paint correction can get above $350-400 Good wax - Good spray wax? High quality carnuba paste? Hand applied or with a buffer? Price can vary wildly, I use Optimum Spray Wax for standard cars which is easy/quick to apply, has a nice gloss, and is cheap. I throw this in for free with services over ~100, but for maximum gloss you can pay $60 for a high quality wax applied with a buffer Send some pictures of your paint problem areas so we can get a better idea of what's needed. Hope this helped.
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09-29-2013, 03:24 PM	#4
Spitfire007 Captain 189 Rep 682 Posts Drives: 09 328i Sport 6MT Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Baltimore, MD iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW 328i [0.00]	Car doesn't need much. Just a good clay, simple polish, and a good wax job to protect it. It just the standard factory paint with all it's scalloping and defects...maybe a good wheel clean/ protect too. Interior is mint.
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09-30-2013, 12:53 AM	#5
PTek Will Second Lieutenant 18 Rep 268 Posts Drives: 335i coupe Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: san jose iTrader: (0)	250-350 for a 1 step. ask them to use a compound for a 1 step. Our paint is so hard, even a compound like m105 or fg400 finishes down damn near perfect. I 1-stepped my space grey with m105 with a couple drops of ultimate compound before I coated my car and it is shiny as f...
	Appreciate 0 Quote