WHAT IS THE AVERAGE COST OF GETTING YOUR CAR DETAILED?

Detailing your car regularly is one of the best ways to keep your car in tip-top condition. It will ensure you look and feel amazing while you’re driving around town and will also be likely to improve the resale value of your car when you finally decide to move on to the latest and greatest model. Not all professional car washing and detailing services are made the same though, so how do you know what to ask for and how much to expect to pay?

INTERIOR DETAILING

Many professional car washes will offer detailing on specific areas of your car, including the interior. This might include steam cleaning of seats, mats and carpets, leather treatment for seats and other leather surfaces and polishing the dash and other trims and plastics. These services can be perfect to resurrect a car that hasn’t quite seen enough love, and in an emergency for spills and stains. Even those who keep their car in great condition should consider interior detailing once to twice a year to keep the surfaces in showroom condition. Expect to pay anywhere from $70 to $150 for each area of the car you’re looking to focus on. Otherwise look to see if there is a comprehensive interior clean that will include everything. You’ll generally find these for around the $200 to $300 mark, depending on the size of your car, how dirty it is and the mix of surfaces and fabrics that you have.

EXTERIOR DETAILING

When you think of detailing your car, the exterior is probably what jumps to mind first. Exterior detailing is the perfect way to restore your car to its former glory and generally includes services like paint cleansing treatments (a way to remove environmental build up from the surface of the paintwork), wax and polish (to make your car shine like a diamond for longer between washes) and of course cut and polish (to restore dull paint, removing small scratches and grime). Expect the more superficial services to start at around $30. A wax and polish can be performed every 1-2 months and a paint cleansing treatment 1-2 times a year. A cut and polish will generally cost around $200 – $300, depending on the size and colour of the car, and the condition of the duco.

FULL DETAIL

Often the most cost effective way to detail your car is to opt for the entire car to be detailed at once. Many professional car washes and detailers will include some or all of the services above in one neat package for you. Expect to pay anywhere from $300 to $500 for the works, again depending on the size, colour, materials and condition of the car. Your best bet is to take your car in for a quote and see what deal you can negotiate.