Selecting a professional to detail your car is a crucial decision. Protecting your investment and maintaining its appearance is essential to keeping it looking its best. Inadequate detailing can cause more damage than benefit, leading to additional time and costs to fix a poor job.
1. Location
Everyone has to begin somewhere, but it’s important to be cautious of a detailer who doesn’t have a professional location. A detailer’s shop should be clean, organized, and well-lit. If using a mobile detailer, they should appear professional, especially when showing up to your business space.
A detailer shouldn’t hesitate to answer any questions you might have. Social media is the right way to look at examples of previous work.
2. Time Investment
When only one technician is working on your vehicle, a typical detail involving both the interior and exterior can take 4 to 5 hours. If a shop or detailer claims they can finish in an hour, it’s a sign that the quality of work may not be up to standard.
3. Tools
A professional must be able to answer product questions and have professional-grade materials. Not all products are created equal. A professional will know how to use each product and what product(s) to use for specific issues.
For example, how to properly remove certain contaminants, like pollen or iron, from the paint safely.
4. Customer Assurance
A reputable shop will always stand by the quality of its work. However, certain processes cannot be fully guaranteed. No professional will promise to fix imperfections without assessing your vehicle in person first.
Some scratches can be corrected, while others will be too deep into the paint to fix with detailing alone.
5. Cost
A price that is much lower than other detailers in the area is often an indication of the quality of service you can expect. Cost is often a reflection of the quality of work you’re going to receive. You don’t want the cheapest around, but you also don’t necessarily need to go to the most expensive either.
Polishing isn’t an effective process. Additionally, you should expect a request to inspect your vehicle before finalizing the quote. Detailers need to evaluate the vehicle in person and under proper lighting to determine if there are any specific issues that may require additional time or special tools.
6. Reviews
Reviews helps see past customer experiences. Pay attention to the reviews as well; are they new accounts or old accounts? How are the grammar and spelling? Many newer businesses will buy fake reviews from foreign reviewers, padding their ratings.