I just recently had my car detailed and for the money...it looks decent. Let me know what you guys think. I went with a mobile detailer out of the springs. As an engineer, I have an eye for quality and detail. If I spot some areas of work I'm not happy with I leave it alone. The work and level of detail has to be completed by the detailer and so I base my reviews on the overall quality and attention to detail given without comment, during the process.
Aloha Detailing:
I was charged 400 and given a 50 dollar gift card from 3zero3 motorsports. The gift card was a nice touch, although I cant use it because I dont own a porsche,audi or vw and do all my own mechanical work. The results are ...to my standards..."decent". Only time will tell if the polish and wax has been done correctly. I will be looking for holo's, scuffs and swirl marks.The detail was done in under 5 hours. The detail was exterior only. I got very confident vibes from the owner. The information I was given over the phone and during the initial evaluation was correct. The only time I felt some uncertainty was when I was told my moldings had been painted. They have never been painted. I know this because they are somewhat new. The detailer explained to me that they did some "overspray" removal around all the molding and that they would not charge me for this. The "overspray" was actually tar spatter from a freshly paved road. In any case, The execution was swift, the car looked much much better and I was happy. They did one pass with the polisher (they took very little material off the clear) which is what I wanted. I will upload some pictures...you be the judge on this one.
Steves Detailing:
Quoted me 400 for a wash/clay and wax. Now, I'm not knocking this detailer, I simply think that price was to high for that service. I also didn't get the vibe that the paint was going come out as I expected it to. I did not get a sample done on my car at this detailer. There was a 1-2 day waiting period. The flaws in my paint (spider webbing, some water spots, tar kickback ). The "spider webbing" effect was described to me incorrectly during the evaluation. This detailer had a great eye for spotting flaws and paint imperfections. He also had a good eye for catching parts that had been re-painted. The evaluation was very long. I felt that most of the time was spent on explanations as to why certain defects and even "spider webbing" should not be removed. I have no doubt this is a fantastic detailer, but I was looking for something different.....perhaps beyond his comfort level.
A Auto Detailing:
Detailer in Thornton charged me 300 on my eclipse for exterior and interior. The detail was rushed. The paint was not corrected (although I expected it not to be for that price). The detailer tried to bufff some of the scratches out and damaged the clear on some areas. After a few washes the damage was very evident. I do not recommend this detailer. If the detail isn't done correctly or to the correct level/standard the first time, why would you ever take it back for a second round to "fix" what they missed the first time?
Recommendations welcome!
Last edited by ayougo; 04-18-2013 at 04:37 PM.
A glaze/wax can make a car look optically "Shiny" and reflective, post some pics under a Sunlamp or LED, or direct sunlight reflection.
-Critter
Interesting, I haven't gone to a detailer for some of these reasons, but have been curious about some of their methods.
You may try Juan R from CO Springs-- he will be giving a detail session at BMW 4 Corners this year, so after that I will be able to comment on his work. I have heard good things from the few people who have worked with him:
JR Professional Mobile Detailing
719-233-9327 or jrdetail@gmail.com
Contact to make an appointment
Here is a 50/50 shot
Well if anybody is looking for a good detailer, you can always call me :P Or Sasa too
-Critter
Aloha is legit. Kerwin, the owner, knows his stuff. I am borderline obsessive about detailing and he did a good job on my company car. I only detail my E92 M3 myself. That being said, I would let aloha detail my 'fun' cars and the only other detailer in the state I would let touch my car is Exotic Image in Denver. (Sasha is the owner I believe)
Your 50/50 shot looks good. I don't agree with your statement of 'only time will tell'...with the proper lighting you will know right away if you got your money's worth.
Also, 3zero3 now works on BMW's so you can put that $50 to use.
Regarding 'Steve's detail' no self respecting detailer would clay/wax for $400. Applying wax without properly prepping the paint (paint correction/polishing) is a waste of time and money.
I spent well over 30 hours on my Imola E46 M3 getting the paint near perfect before I sold it with 108k on the clock. Getting great results requires time. Here a couple pics of the E46 I have on my phone...
Just my 2 cents.
Last edited by quattroconvert; 04-19-2013 at 11:44 AM.
There are 3 people in this state that I would let touch my car other than me to detail it, and they've all been mentioned in this thread already: Kerwin, Sasa, and Critter.
Once this stupid weather finally gets out of here my daily is in serious need of attention. It has some awful waterspots that I fought with on the hood/roof/trunk that are mostly gone, but they're all over the sides too and I'm just completely out of motivation. I'd rather work on making them fast than pretty.
Chris
97 M3
94 325is
12 Jeep SRT8
Perhaps to an untrained eye or to the average consumer a coat of glaze or any other 'fillers' will hide defects. However, if you know what you’re looking for with the proper lighting...ie, a 3M Sun Gun, you can see marring, swirls and defects in the paint even with glaze. Glaze isn't THAT good at hiding defects. Glaze can minimize yes, completely hide no.
Last edited by quattroconvert; 04-19-2013 at 11:46 AM.
^ Smooth looking car you got
This guy is one of the best in the Kansas City Metro...
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gregs...74570249279091
Yes it is.
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