plan for detailing
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OK after much browsing of this forum and reading of sites such as www.bettercarcare.com it appears that a comprehensive detailing job is much more involved than I first thought. So I'll plan to take my car to a local shop for a full-on detail every 4 months, and take it for a simple wash about every week. Does this sound reasonable? It seems that most synthetic waxes are rated to last 4 months. Will washing the car every week reduce the lifetime of the wax?
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it sounds ok. but what you can do is go there every month for a quick wash and wax. it'll cost a bit more than just wash but a lot cheaper than complete detail. you pay more for complete detail because of cleaning the interior. if you don't have kids nor pets, i think it's unnecessary. once every few months is very enough 
.
.
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My Ride: '05 545i, silver gray, black leather with anthracite maple wood, sport package, premium sound, navigation, cold weather package, electric rear sunshade, folding rear seat, satellite radio prep, PIAA 4150K fogs, red rear reflectors, hardwired Valentine One
In the bay area (especially now that we're coming to the end of the rainy season), I feel that having the car washed every week is a bit of overkill. Get a California Car Duster ( http://www.calcarcover.com/product.aspx?id=1009&cid=101 ) and dust it every 4 or 5 days, and you should be able to go 2 weeks between washes. For the wheels, I used the mini duster ( http://www.calcarcover.com/product.aspx?id=1021&cid=101 ) to remove brake dust between washes.
Not sure where in the bay area you are, but I take my car to Auto Pride (there are a few on the peninsula). It's full hand wash and they do a great job. And their track is wide enough to take the 9" rear wheels without damaging them. Every 2 or 3 months, I get the wash & wax (something like $45). Unless you plan to wash your car yourself, spending big bucks on an expensive wax job isn't money well spent because it's not going to last very long.
Unless you have very young kids who really mess up your interior, getting a full detail is a waste since more than half the expense is doing the interior. Once a year to get the leather cleaned and conditioned is more than enough.
Not sure where in the bay area you are, but I take my car to Auto Pride (there are a few on the peninsula). It's full hand wash and they do a great job. And their track is wide enough to take the 9" rear wheels without damaging them. Every 2 or 3 months, I get the wash & wax (something like $45). Unless you plan to wash your car yourself, spending big bucks on an expensive wax job isn't money well spent because it's not going to last very long.
Unless you have very young kids who really mess up your interior, getting a full detail is a waste since more than half the expense is doing the interior. Once a year to get the leather cleaned and conditioned is more than enough.
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Originally Posted by stream' date='May 1 2005, 08:35 AM
In the bay area (especially now that we're coming to the end of the rainy season), I feel that having the car washed every week is a bit of overkill.? Get a California Car Duster ( http://www.calcarcover.com/product.aspx?id=1009&cid=101 ) and dust it every 4 or 5 days, and you should be able to go 2 weeks between washes.? For the wheels, I used the mini duster ( http://www.calcarcover.com/product.aspx?id=1021&cid=101 ) to remove brake dust between washes.
Not sure where in the bay area you are, but I take my car to Auto Pride (there are a few on the peninsula).? It's full hand wash and they do a great job.? And their track is wide enough to take the 9" rear wheels without damaging them.? Every 2 or 3 months, I get the wash & wax (something like $45).? Unless you plan to wash your car yourself, spending big bucks on an expensive wax job isn't money well spent because it's not going to last very long.?
Unless you have very young kids who really mess up your interior, getting a full detail is a waste since more than half the expense is doing the interior.? Once a year to get the leather cleaned and conditioned is more than enough.
Not sure where in the bay area you are, but I take my car to Auto Pride (there are a few on the peninsula).? It's full hand wash and they do a great job.? And their track is wide enough to take the 9" rear wheels without damaging them.? Every 2 or 3 months, I get the wash & wax (something like $45).? Unless you plan to wash your car yourself, spending big bucks on an expensive wax job isn't money well spent because it's not going to last very long.?
Unless you have very young kids who really mess up your interior, getting a full detail is a waste since more than half the expense is doing the interior.? Once a year to get the leather cleaned and conditioned is more than enough.
[snapback]122519[/snapback]
Interior:
Full interior detailing once a year (shampoo, leather and dash conditioning, etc.)
Minor cleaning every month (wipe with damp towel, vacuuming).
Exterior:
Full exterior detailing every 4-6 months (wash, clay&polish, wax, etc.)
Minor exterior detailing every month (wash + just wax)
Just wash every one or two weeks
Also I will keep a duster handy, plus a microfiber towel and detailing spray for the between-wash emergencies.
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Originally Posted by Merzbow' date='May 1 2005, 11:35 AM
[quote name='stream' date='May 1 2005, 08:35 AM']In the bay area (especially now that we're coming to the end of the rainy season), I feel that having the car washed every week is a bit of overkill.? Get a California Car Duster ( http://www.calcarcover.com/product.aspx?id=1009&cid=101 ) and dust it every 4 or 5 days, and you should be able to go 2 weeks between washes.? For the wheels, I used the mini duster ( http://www.calcarcover.com/product.aspx?id=1021&cid=101 ) to remove brake dust between washes.
Not sure where in the bay area you are, but I take my car to Auto Pride (there are a few on the peninsula).? It's full hand wash and they do a great job.? And their track is wide enough to take the 9" rear wheels without damaging them.? Every 2 or 3 months, I get the wash & wax (something like $45).? Unless you plan to wash your car yourself, spending big bucks on an expensive wax job isn't money well spent because it's not going to last very long.?
Unless you have very young kids who really mess up your interior, getting a full detail is a waste since more than half the expense is doing the interior.? Once a year to get the leather cleaned and conditioned is more than enough.
Not sure where in the bay area you are, but I take my car to Auto Pride (there are a few on the peninsula).? It's full hand wash and they do a great job.? And their track is wide enough to take the 9" rear wheels without damaging them.? Every 2 or 3 months, I get the wash & wax (something like $45).? Unless you plan to wash your car yourself, spending big bucks on an expensive wax job isn't money well spent because it's not going to last very long.?
Unless you have very young kids who really mess up your interior, getting a full detail is a waste since more than half the expense is doing the interior.? Once a year to get the leather cleaned and conditioned is more than enough.
[snapback]122519[/snapback]
Interior:
Full interior detailing once a year (shampoo, leather and dash conditioning, etc.)
Minor cleaning every month (wipe with damp towel, vacuuming).
Exterior:
Full exterior detailing every 4-6 months (wash, clay&polish, wax, etc.)
Minor exterior detailing every month (wash + just wax)
Just wash every one or two weeks
Also I will keep a duster handy, plus a microfiber towel and detailing spray for the between-wash emergencies.
[snapback]122569[/snapback]
[/quote]Diablo Detailing is very expensive. They seem to do a very thorough job, but unless you're going to a concours, I just couldn't see spending that much.
If you get your car washed at Auto Pride, they do a very good job of cleaning & vacuuming the interior as part of the wash service. I also get it clayed there twice a year as part of the wash & wax.
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Originally Posted by stream' date='May 1 2005, 12:22 PM
[quote name='Merzbow' date='May 1 2005, 11:35 AM'][quote name='stream' date='May 1 2005, 08:35 AM']In the bay area (especially now that we're coming to the end of the rainy season), I feel that having the car washed every week is a bit of overkill.? Get a California Car Duster ( http://www.calcarcover.com/product.aspx?id=1009&cid=101 ) and dust it every 4 or 5 days, and you should be able to go 2 weeks between washes.? For the wheels, I used the mini duster ( http://www.calcarcover.com/product.aspx?id=1021&cid=101 ) to remove brake dust between washes.
Not sure where in the bay area you are, but I take my car to Auto Pride (there are a few on the peninsula).? It's full hand wash and they do a great job.? And their track is wide enough to take the 9" rear wheels without damaging them.? Every 2 or 3 months, I get the wash & wax (something like $45).? Unless you plan to wash your car yourself, spending big bucks on an expensive wax job isn't money well spent because it's not going to last very long.?
Unless you have very young kids who really mess up your interior, getting a full detail is a waste since more than half the expense is doing the interior.? Once a year to get the leather cleaned and conditioned is more than enough.
Not sure where in the bay area you are, but I take my car to Auto Pride (there are a few on the peninsula).? It's full hand wash and they do a great job.? And their track is wide enough to take the 9" rear wheels without damaging them.? Every 2 or 3 months, I get the wash & wax (something like $45).? Unless you plan to wash your car yourself, spending big bucks on an expensive wax job isn't money well spent because it's not going to last very long.?
Unless you have very young kids who really mess up your interior, getting a full detail is a waste since more than half the expense is doing the interior.? Once a year to get the leather cleaned and conditioned is more than enough.
[snapback]122519[/snapback]
Interior:
Full interior detailing once a year (shampoo, leather and dash conditioning, etc.)
Minor cleaning every month (wipe with damp towel, vacuuming).
Exterior:
Full exterior detailing every 4-6 months (wash, clay&polish, wax, etc.)
Minor exterior detailing every month (wash + just wax)
Just wash every one or two weeks
Also I will keep a duster handy, plus a microfiber towel and detailing spray for the between-wash emergencies.
[snapback]122569[/snapback]
[/quote]Diablo Detailing is very expensive. They seem to do a very thorough job, but unless you're going to a concours, I just couldn't see spending that much.
If you get your car washed at Auto Pride, they do a very good job of cleaning & vacuuming the interior as part of the wash service. I also get it clayed there twice a year as part of the wash & wax.
[snapback]122592[/snapback]
[/quote]Well you get what you pay for I suppose... I brought my Lexus to Auto Pride for a full detailing, I wasn't at all impressed by the job they did. They left some areas on the dash that had some spilled soda, they didn't fully wipe the wax off on some exterior areas, and the inside of the wheels were left dirty.
I called Diablo and spoke to Izzy, one of the owners. These guys seem completely on top of the game. He says they'll evaluate on an individual basis what has to be done on each car, and estimates on average I would spend $200 there on every 4 month visit. They even specialize in black paint.
I think I'll be taking my car there.
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From: San Francisco Peninsula, California
Originally Posted by stream' date='May 1 2005, 07:35 AM
In the bay area (especially now that we're coming to the end of the rainy season), I feel that having the car washed every week is a bit of overkill.? Get a California Car Duster ( http://www.calcarcover.com/product.aspx?id=1009&cid=101 ) and dust it every 4 or 5 days, and you should be able to go 2 weeks between washes.? For the wheels, I used the mini duster ( http://www.calcarcover.com/product.aspx?id=1021&cid=101 ) to remove brake dust between washes.
Not sure where in the bay area you are, but I take my car to Auto Pride (there are a few on the peninsula).? It's full hand wash and they do a great job.? And their track is wide enough to take the 9" rear wheels without damaging them.? Every 2 or 3 months, I get the wash & wax (something like $45).? Unless you plan to wash your car yourself, spending big bucks on an expensive wax job isn't money well spent because it's not going to last very long.?
Unless you have very young kids who really mess up your interior, getting a full detail is a waste since more than half the expense is doing the interior.? Once a year to get the leather cleaned and conditioned is more than enough.
Not sure where in the bay area you are, but I take my car to Auto Pride (there are a few on the peninsula).? It's full hand wash and they do a great job.? And their track is wide enough to take the 9" rear wheels without damaging them.? Every 2 or 3 months, I get the wash & wax (something like $45).? Unless you plan to wash your car yourself, spending big bucks on an expensive wax job isn't money well spent because it's not going to last very long.?
Unless you have very young kids who really mess up your interior, getting a full detail is a waste since more than half the expense is doing the interior.? Once a year to get the leather cleaned and conditioned is more than enough.
[snapback]122519[/snapback]
Thanks for the recommendation of Auto Pride on the Penninsula. Since washing it myself is not realistic, I had been trying to figure out where to go having just taken delivery of my car. With Auto Pride there is one in San Carlos where I live and one in Palo Alto where I work.
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Well I work at a detailing place... thats a good idea cause they know what they are doing.. Simply taking it for a wash is not a good idea... regular car washes don't really know what they are doing... AND since u have a BLack car you WILL get swirl marks from regular car washes trust me it will happen I have a personal expericense... just do a simple wash yourself... A simple wash by yourself should only take about 5 minutes...Putting in the effort to do it yourself is will worth it then taking it to a car wash and getting you car all swirled up
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Another problem with Auto Pride is that one of the products that they used in the interior has the same smell as those urinal cake disinfectects used in public restrooms... so now my Lexus smells like an airport bathroom.
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My Ride: '05 545i, silver gray, black leather with anthracite maple wood, sport package, premium sound, navigation, cold weather package, electric rear sunshade, folding rear seat, satellite radio prep, PIAA 4150K fogs, red rear reflectors, hardwired Valentine One
Originally Posted by Merzbow' date='May 4 2005, 05:16 PM
Another problem with Auto Pride is that one of the products that they used in the interior has the same smell as those urinal cake disinfectects used in public restrooms... so now my Lexus smells like an airport bathroom.
[snapback]124133[/snapback]
Never had that problem. When I get my car washed, they wipe down the interior with damp towels, and clean the windows with a windex type spray. Whenever they (or any other car wash I used in the past) ask if I want "air freshener" I say no.
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