how many of you guys wax your own cars?
how bout detailing? how much does it cost what does it actually consist of and how often should you get it done?

 

Detailing at a shop can be anywhere from about $50-$100... or more. But should consist of wash/wax and a good interior cleaning. Like, everything.

I do everything myself. If (by some crazy chance) my car was really bad, I might consider taking it somewhere. But I'd usually rather do it myself. Having someone else wash it or clean it worries me.

As for taking it to be detailed, if you have to take it more than once or twice every 6 months, you're pretty messy and should probably spend less time in your car.

But I'll wash mine just about any time it's dirty. Wax... well, winter sucks, so wax will have to wait until it's nice out again. I clean the interior every 2 or 3 times I wash it.

 

if you get one of those "the works" car washes with the triple coat sealant & protectant, and the under body wash is that as good as waxing?

 

In my opinion, no. I can't tell a difference between a wash with the the "triple coat sealant and protectant" and one with just soap and water. The under body wash is good for the winter time if you live somewhere they salt the roads. I usually get an underbody blast about once a week in the winter. Nothing beats a good wax. No car wash can emulate that. Plus, it is such a great feeling spending all that time hand waxing your car and seeing it sparkeling knowing you did it. Yea, it takes some time, but the end result is well worth it.

 

I go through drive-through car washes all the time, but I see them as just a 'quick clean-up' between when I actually hand wash/wax everything. Nothing, absolutely NOTHING can be a a substitute for a good hand-wax. It lasts longer and is more protective.

Ditto for cleaning. A drive-through wash isn't going to get every piece of dirt or scuff mark off your car. It takes work.

So visibly, no you can't really tell unless you went up and inspected your car.

On the flip side though... ANY car wash is much better than NO car wash, and it should definitely be done regularly, not just when you 'think' you need a wash.

Also, other 'quick wax' products are no where near as good as real car wax (the wax in a jar or bottle). Spray on waxes are more for touch ups and isn't going to protect your car. Armor All's new Gel Wax is easy to use and I use it sometimes, but again, I only use it for I'm 'inbetween' hand waxes. I doubt gel wax lasts very long either.

As far as detailing...unless your car is trashed, all you're getting is a vacuum and a quick wipe-down of the dash. The detailers that charge you more (like a $100 or something) should be going through every nook and cranny with an f'n q-tip or else it's a complete rip-off. The only reaso to pay someone to detail your car is if it's like the dude above said: you're car is really grungy and you know you don't have the patience to do a thorough job.

Lastly, don't even THINK that an all-in-one bottle of car soap/wax is the same as waxing your car. You might as well just spray some water on your car and think it's waxed.

 

ignorance is bliss :D

I detail cars semi-professionally. A regular exterior detail will include a hand wash, clean wheels/tires/wheel wells, clean off the door jams, clay, wax, dress exterior trim, dress tires, and clean the glass. If the customer wants more, I can remove swirling in the paint (cost depends on swirl severity), seal with a polymer sealant (lasts 8-12 weeks as compared to the 3-6 weeks of a typical carnauba wax), chemically clean the glass to remove waterspots (as opposed to just using glass cleaner), do touch-ups, glaze the paint (which goes under the wax to enhance the wetness), polish chrome/metal, and other things. A regular interior detail consists of a complete interior vacuum, interior glass cleaning, dash/trim wipedown, and a dash/trim dressing. upgrades include carpet/seat/headliner cleaning, thorough dash/trim cleaning, metal accent pieces polishing, etc etc.
there's alot more that goes into detailing than most people think. a simple wash and wax without doing anything else will look alright for a couple of weeks, but to really make the finish stand out, claying, chemically cleaning the paint, polishing out defects, etc etc are needed. Don't rag on detailers prices. my most basic exterior detail costs 80 bucks and takes about 3 hours. for the effort put into it, and the results achieved, it's well worth the price.