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      08-05-2008, 02:29 PM   #76
bimmernotbeamer
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First and foremost, I'd ask the detailer for a detailed description of the job. What steps will he be performing, how much time per step, and how much $$ per step. It's your money that your spending, so you have a right to know. Then you can see if there any issues with his quote. If he's charging 2.5 hours for a wash, or over 1-1.5 hours to clay (for really dirty paint), then you know you're getting ripped off. If the vast majority of his time is going into fixing the stone chips via wetsanding, then just tell him to drop that step. Forget about fixing the stone chips. They are fact of life for a daily driven car. As soon as you fix them, new ones will appear from a couple of commutes on the highway. Learn to live with them, otherwise you will forever be fixing them.

Once you have a reworked and more reasonable quote (time wise), go and see some other detailers and get quotes from them. Ask for references as well.

I'll also add, avoid repainting if you can. Factory paint is not the greatest, but I still think it is a heck of a lot better than having repainted panels. Not necessarily because of the paint itself, but because of the human element. I find most body shops do s*it work, even the ones that come highly recommended. It's never done 100%. At least your factory paint was sprayed at the factory by a machine. Thankfully they don't have moods, bad days, or other jobs to get done before 5pm.

Polish out your factory paint as best you can, and enjoy the shine.
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