What is detailing and why is it so expensive ?
Feburary 3rd 2023
One of the biggest obstacles that we commonly see people hit when deciding on getting a full car detail is the cost of the service and misunderstanding what they are receiving in this detail.
We believe that money and pricing is extremely important as people work very hard for their money so if you charge someone for a high dollar service they should have results that make your vehicle stand out !
One of our recent customers had inquired about our detailing services but was skeptical on our pricing. Our Customer said “ I was pretty skeptical of your pricing when I was looking for Detail Services in Oro Valley, However now I see the hard work you put into my vehicle I understand why… I totally get it and I’m amazed at the transformation and the work you did for me !”
This is a very common reaction we get from people, and it’s in largely in part to people not understanding the specialized materials and in-depth work required to complete a high level car detail, and just how much better a full car detail is than the car wash.
In this article, we’re going to talk through:
- How Much Does a Full Car Detail Cost?
- How Much Does an Interior Detail Cost?
- How Much Does an Exterior Detail Cost?
- What Makes Our Detail Special Compared to a Car Wash?
- Why Is a Full Car Detail Better Than a Car Wash?
- How Much Does a Full Car Detail Cost?
An interior and exterior car detail (or a full auto detail) typically costs anywhere from $300 to $1,000 depending on the detailing package.
How Much Does a Full Car Detail Cost?
At Dynamic Detailing we offer a Variety of Detail Packages. Our Dynamic Package is the Full Interior and Exterior Detail to make your car look better than the day You bought it ! Our Rates for this Package Start at $150 Per Hour and Typically run anywhere from $300 - $1000. We believe that its important for honesty and trust between customers so we will quote every job before starting and that is our price, We will never go over the set price provided to you in your initial quote.
How Much Does an Interior Detail Cost?
The Interior Detail Package At Dynamic Detailing starts at $115. This interior auto detail package covers a number of things:
- Vacuum Interior
- Shampoo Mats & Carpet
- Shampoo Seats
- Clean Door Panels
- Clean Dash, Vents & Crevices
- Clean Console and Cup Holders
- Interior Plastic, Vinyl & Leather Treatment
- Clean Windows & Mirrors
What Does an Exterior Car Detail Cost?
The Interior Detail Package At Dynamic Detailing starts at $200. This Exterior Package includes:
Hand Wash
Exterior Plastic/Vinyl Treatment
Clean Windows & Mirrors
Clean & Dress Wheels
Quick Spray Detail Door Jambs
Light Vacuum Carpet
Synthetic Wax
Clay Bar Treatment
Light Machine Polishing
Tires and rims cleaned
We then have some additional exterior detailing services that can be added to your plan, like a 3-5 Year Ceramic Coating.
Why Is a Full Car Detail Better Than a Car Wash?
In short, a full car detail is better than a car wash because of the actual value it adds to your vehicle. While car washes can cause damage to your vehicle; car details add value.
But we understand you want more info than that. One of the most common questions we get asked when people see the average car detailing prices in Tucson is, "Can’t I just get the same thing at a car wash?"
This is a big obstacle for people. When someone hears the word, “car detail,” their assumption is, “Oh, a car wash.” Then, when they find out the price of a full car detail is 10x higher than going through the car wash, they’re very confused. They don’t understand why they should pay 10x more for something they can get somewhere else for way less.
And that’s an absolutely fair thing to think! You should not pay 10x more for the exact same thing you could get cheaper. However, the problem here is that you aren’t comparing apples to apples. A car wash and a full car detail are very different things and they produce very different results. As you can see in our local carwash a Full Vehicle Detail is $38 and our packages start at $115 for a full vehicle difference the price difference comes out to $77. The question becomes: “Is Dynamic Detailing delivering $77 more value than a car wash?” Of course, we’re biased when we say that we obviously think so, so let’s look at this a little more closely.
Arguments aside on whether or not you should be taking your car to the car wash - you can learn more about our thoughts on that here - let’s break down what you are actually getting at a car wash vs. what you get with a full car detail.
Everything comes out to spray on, rinse off, process. Everything that the car wash is offering can be encapsulated in our foam wash step of our full auto detail.
Why don’t we just offer a $17 foam wash? Because it’s not beneficial for the customer or us. A foam wash on its own will not yield a clean car.
As you can see from our Detailing Packages, we do a lot of work on your vehicle. It includes a lot of steps. However, it is the minimum amount of work that we believe a vehicle needs to bring it up to an acceptable professional standard.
We have no interest in offering a service where your vehicle doesn’t end up looking as great as it should.
The other line item to point out when comparing both services is the different kinds of wax that the car wash is putting on your vehicle. A triple conditioning wax, as well as something called a hot lava wax.
We have done a lot of research about this industry - we work in it every day - and we have no idea what either of those mean.
What makes our detail special compared to a carwash?
At most car washes, they’ll tell you they offer a clean car promise. We aren’t really sure what they mean by this though. You can take a car that has been run through a car wash and go straight into a mud pit and it will not be clean anymore. You just can’t guarantee that. If we had to give them the benefit of the doubt, they could be referring to the “Protective” wax that they put on your vehicle. Here, again, note the difference between a car detail and a car wash.
Our Exterior detailing package protection will last anywhere from 4 to 6 months depending on how you maintain your vehicle.
So If we do the Math. You love your vehicle but hate the sand and dust sitting on the paint and the strong Tucson sun baking your unprotected clearcoat on your car so, you want protection on your vehicle so every few days you return to the car wash since the wax from the commercial washes only lasts a few days.
To make it simple, let’s say you go every week, once a week purchasing a wash each time you go.
So, 52 weeks in a year x $38 a car wash equals $1976.
These Commercial Washes offer an Unlimited Club with a monthly price.
So, 12 Months a year x $49.99 equals $599.88
At that point, you are have paid more than our Signature Dynamic Detail Package that is going to get a minimum of 5 years of protection. Speaking of length of time, note the time difference in length of service. The average tunnel car wash says it takes 3 minutes to complete. Our Signature Dynamic Detail package, on average, takes anywhere from 2 to 5 hours.
So, 60 minutes in an hour/3 minutes of service at $38 a service equals an effective hourly rate of $760.
We do not wish to demean this particular type of car wash, or any car wash for that matter, but we want to help our customers and those researching car details to understand that price can be misleading and understand that cheap work is not necessarily good, and good work is not cheap. The extra steps add to the cost of a car detail, but they’re well worth the investment.