Hey guys, Im thinking about getting my car detailed with a buff and a wax. I also want to wrap my trunk in CF vinyl since i recently removed my wing. Can you take a look at the services and prices and let me know what would be the best package and if the price is reasonable?

I have Tarmac black, so there are a lot of road chips visible on the hood, i have slight swirling and very few other scratches on the body.

thanks for anyone who takes a look at this for me.
http://www.envydetail.com/detailing-services.html

 

Bump for advice

 

What are you asking? The more time someone spends on the car the more it's going to look better, it's all about how much you want to spend. It also depends on how trashed the car really is, you should take the car into the shop doing the detail and have them recommend what they think. Detailing correctly takes time, the more time in most cases it's going to turn out better because they can invest more time on getting the car flawless and looking like new. If the car just needs washed and clayed and a wax is much cheaper if they are doing paint correction! When I detail cars I go buy the car, each car is going to be different.

 

BubbaKush is a dick, but he's also right.

OP if you just want to prep your surface for the vinyl wrap, get it washed, clay barred and then waxed. Where you live the weather is a bit more harsh than out here on the west coast, so you might want to look into getting a high quality exterior detail once a year to protect your finish.

 

Unfortunately, black is very difficult to get looking good again. Make sure you do your research when looking for someone to buff the car. Professionals use rotary buffers and do at least a 3 stage polishing job...you get what you pay for!

Assuming your paint is in decent condition it will need:
-Wash
-Clay bar
-Wash again
-Light cutting compound w/wool pad (in problem areas only)
-Swirl remover w/foam pad
-Finishing glaze w/foam pad
-IPA(alcohol) wipedown
-Pressure wash
-Hand wax (2-3 coats)

 

The place i was looking at has a couple of high end services that go through all of those steps and a few more.

Exterior hand wash
Clean and degrease your engine and dress all plastic coverings and hoses
Clean wheels and wheel wells including inside of the rims
Apply wax protection to all wheels
Clean and dress tires
Remove bug and tar
Clean door and trunk jambs and gas cap area including all hinges to a like new condition
Clay bar to remove bonded contaminants giving the paint a smooth finish
Machine polish to remove fine scratches and oxidation resulting in a swirl free, high gloss finish
Apply Paint Sealant which will give you protection for three times as long as wax
Carnauba wax door jambs
Vacuum interior and trunk
Steam clean all carpet and upholstery and apply a Fabric protection to repel spills and stains
"LR" – Our Leather Revival– By using a steam cleaner, we will clean the deep into your leather and moisturize it back to that soft, supple feel. We will then apply our protection cream to all of your leather
Clean and provide UV protection to all door panels, vents, cup holders and ashtrays
Clean all windows and mirrors
Apply Aquapel rain repellent glass treatment which will bond to glass to repel rain and reduce glare to improve your visibility on the road

This package is 430

the next one up adds the services below and it costs 630

Buffing with the best compounds to remove deeper scratches and imperfections which will give your paint a flawless look which will improve the depth and clarity of the paint
Apply a glaze to enhance the shine a produce a dramatic wet look on your paint

and then the most expensive service is 800 and adds this too all the above.

Complete correction to your paints finish using the most extensive buffing techniques and wet sanding as needed. Using a Paint Thickness Gauge and a Brinkman Xenon light, all imperfections in the paint will be located and properly repaired
After layering a paint sealant package, we will allow the sealant to fully cure for a minimum of 5 hours and then apply the best wax to give your paint the deepest gloss


I guess my question is, are the upper services just a gimmick for more money, or will they truly have better results?

 

http://www.autopia.org/forum/forum.php#regional-forums

OP, above is a link to Autopia's regional forums. Go there, post on a board appropriate to your area and ask for a referral. That's why those forums exist. As you seem to understand, all detailers are not created equal. Good luck.

 

Cool site.

 

I would suggest having them focus only on paint correction. Yes, the difference in those packages are night and day. You could easily take care of the interior yourself. Expect to spend around $500-600 for a quality paint correction job.

 

Thank you FJF, didnt know this existed. and thanks for the input.

 

+1

That's where I found my PDR and Paint Correction guy.

 

I recommend investing that money into some good car care products like griots. Take your time and learn to do it yourself. If you pay for a detail it will be dirty in a week, so you may as well figure out how to keep it up yourself.

As far as paint chips go, detailing cant fix those. Repaint is the only option.

For your vinyl wrap, consult with whoever does it regarding prep. Waxing may be a waste of time if it works against the adhesive or if they use a dewaxer/degreaser prior to install.