ever go to professional detailers?

ap50 · 03-06-02, 06:41

is it necessary to go to professional detailers at some point to keep your car in best condition, or is it possible to do every aspect of detailing by yourself? (without any fancy equipment like buffing machines, etc.)

mch · 03-06-02, 06:54

Depends on if you have the equipment and know how to DIY. I don't own a high speed buffer, so to get a great finish I take it in once every 2 years. My black Maxima isn't exactly esay to care for since I drive it everyday and don't have lots of time to work on it. I pay $250 for my detail but these people make it look Show Room quality.

Guess My Name · 03-06-02, 07:04

Welcome to the forum.

If you have good paint without deep scratches then everyone should be able to keep it looking good. Check out the e-book for how to detail your car and keep it looking brand new forever!

joed1228 · 03-06-02, 07:49

Exterior - Even if your paint is bad you still do not need to take it to the detailer, it's all about how much time you are willing to spend on it. Scratches and so forth would be best to go to a paint shop, have them fixed and have the clear coat applied to that area.

Interior - When I first started detailing I took my car to a pro shop and had them do the interior (my first car, not my camaro) and it was really really clean, from there all I did was shampoo once in a blue moon, vacum and spot clean. Makes it alot easier and gives me more time to deal with my paint which receives a beating on the streets (daily driver).

If you have time and the passion for detailing then do everything yourself and learn.

If you don't have time, get your car in perfect shape from a pro shop and then maintain it from there.

terry_cma · 03-06-02, 08:10

Comment on scractches, can be buffed out if they are clear coat scratches and not too deep! But to repair with clear coat only will work only if the scraches are only "clear coat" scratches and no other imperfections in the old paint / clear coat! But, I don't think a paint shop would do this kind of repair - the results would be less than satifactory. After the repair, one would see all imperfections in the repair in the old paint that would lie underneith the new applied clear coat.

joed1228 · 03-06-02, 08:16

What I meant was, if the scratches were really bad, like in the paint or even in the panel. I think it would be best if he went to the shop to have the area sanded and re-painted so when he details his car all day he doesn't have to look at a huge un fixable scratch.

ap50 · 03-06-02, 08:45

thanks guys, i don't have a lot of time to spend on detailing, just a few times a year maybe so i'll probably take it to the detailers every few years. mch, i have a black max too! its the first black car i have and it gets dirty all the time. i park it in the covered area of my parking lot, dust from the ceiling forms a thick layer on it. i park it outside, it rains or snows on it. i have to take it to touchless car wash

every so often to clean off the salt and crap off the paint and undercarriage. how do you keep it clean as a daily driver?

mch · 03-06-02, 02:58

Well, I wash it on a weekly bases and wax it once a month. The key to keeping the dirt off for a week at best for me is to garage it whenever you can or put a car cover on it. I don't have lots of time so I don't QD the car during the week. So, far the car is in great shape after 55K miles. If I had a choice again, I buy a lighter color car for daily driving.

joed1228 · 03-07-02, 08:43

Well I cover my car when it is not being used (5 days a week), this may not be possible for a daily driver though. I only use my car two days a week and it is usally washed twice. With your black car there really isn't any beating around the bush, you need to spend quite a bit of time on it to have it perfect.

If you cannot and don't mind dealing with the fact that your car can't look like it rolled out of the dealer all day every day then I am sure you can STILL get results you'll be quite happy with. I would polish your car at least one a year, use a long last sealent and to be blunt, wash it as much as you can (once a week to two weeks at least). You shouldn't need to layer on more sealent for 2-3 months at least and when you do that would fill small swirls and really bring back the shine.

Too bad you wern't around Boston, I would help you out.