Suche nach einem professionellen Detailer in Ihrer Nähe

How do I choose the best car detailing service near me?

Finding a local car detailing service that fits your needs isn’t always as simple as it may appear, especially if you happen to be a car enthusiast that wants to keep their pride and joy in the best possible condition. It’s a common question we’re asked here at Auto Finesse, because not all cleaning and valeting services are equal, but don’t worry because we can help you with the information you need to make the most educated decision on what’s best for you and your car.

Our huge range of professional-grade detailing products has been developed to get you the best professional results at home, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have the time, the space or the desire to clean your own car. The good news is that many professionals around the world use our products for the best results, too. So, whatever type service you’re looking for, you should be able to find one that not only uses the safest techniques, but the best products for safe, swirl-free maintenance… and well beyond.

Whether you’re looking for a full service, a professional to restore and protect your car so you can maintain it yourself, or simply regular safe maintenance, professional detailers offer many different types of service that you can take advantage of. Perhaps you’d like a specialist to perform the more specialist tasks such as machine polishing, wet-sanding and ceramic coating so you can use our safe wash-stage products to maintain the finish without the risk of undoing the work they’ve put in. You may not have the space at home for detailing, but there are other ways of effectively maintaining your finish – check out our article – Safe Detailing At The Jet Wash.

But, if you’d like to do a little detailing or nothing at all, we can certainly help you with what to look out for when choosing a local professional detailing service…

Why do cars need regular cleaning?

Many people turn to detailing because they want their car to look its best. It’s fair enough, because a dirty car never really looks good, does it?

But, there’s more to it than that. Regular cleaning is as much as about maintaining the integrity of car itself as it is the aesthetics. Cleaning your car is the only way to stop the early onset of corrosion. Sensitive surfaces, such as paintwork, will only suffer if the most harmful contamination is left to bond. Eventually contaminants can eat through protection layers and into the surfaces themselves, causing the kind of damage that much more expensive to rectify than simply performing regular washes in the first place.

What’s important to remember is that there’s risk involved when cleaning your car. If you’re not using the correct products and techniques for the safest car wash, it’s likely that you’ll be inflicting scratches and swirl marks in the wash stages. It’s important that the professional you choose understands these fundamentals and offers their services accordingly.

What’s the difference between a pro detailer and a car wash?

It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a full deep clean or regular maintenance, there’s a huge difference between the car wash you should get from a professional detailer and a service offered by a static hand car wash or an automated car wash. In most cases it comes down to the combination of the techniques involved and the products commonly used for the cleaning process itself.

High quality cleaning chemicals are crucial for the safest cleaning and the truth is that most hand car washes, and certainly automated washes, will use the cheapest chemicals that clean surfaces without any regard for safety. This is simply because they have to make a profit, and if the car wash is relatively cheap, say just a few Euros, you can expect the chemicals to be cheap, too.

These harsh cleaners will strip away grime of course, unfortunately the industrial acid or alkaline formulas they use to do the job will also put surfaces at risk. It’s not just protection layers they can strip away, either. They can also degrade the top layer of paintwork, rubber, plastics, vinyl and even glass, in many cases leaving unsightly stains and marks along the way. And even if it’s only your protection layers that get damaged and degraded, that means no water beading and grime being able to stick to surfaces, so you’ll need more frequent cleaning in the long run, potentially causing even more damage.

Professional detailers will only use surface-safe cleaning products. Our range of pro-grade cleaners use special surfactants and degreasers to lift and encapsulate the most harmful particles, allowing them to be rinsed away safely. These aqueous cleaning agents may cost a little more than harsh industrial cleaners but the processes they use to break down and eliminate harmful particulates ensures the safest cleaning on a molecular level.

Pro detailers trade off their reputation to clean without causing scratches and swirl marks, or degrading your protection, and this is why the best detailers will only use the best type of surface-safe detailing products. It’s simply not worth the risk.

And of course, equally important are the wash techniques involved. For starters automated washes and hand car washes are not typically tailored to the level and the type of soiling on your car. This means that they probably won’t follow the safest cleaning process to expel it from all the different types of surfaces over your car exterior. Having multiple cars go through a production line every hour may be great for their profits, but it doesn’t lend itself to having the cleanest wash mitts, automated brushes or car wash solutions. The most common cause of damage when washing cars is as simple as running gritty wash media over surfaces, and you can never guarantee how clean the car in front of you was. This is why hand car washes and automated car washes nearly always cause damage. A professional will not only use the best detailing products, but the best equipment, too. Everything from multiple Detailing Buckets to professional Wash Mitts and premium microfibre towels.

There’s also the fact that crucial stages designed for safety are nearly always skipped. These commonly include a thorough pre-wash, snow foam and using a proper Drying Towel. It’s no wonder that scratches, swirl marks and watermarks are common after using these types of services.

Don’t forget that the best professional detailers will also utilise specific finishing stages to make sure your car looks its best when they hand back the keys. These will include glass cleaning, tyre dressing and many others. As we said they trade of their reputation, so they won’t take the risk of scratching your car or giving it back without it looking as good as possible – they want your custom, after all.

A good detailer will also be happy to take you through the stages and the products they use, just so you know exactly what’s involved in the price you pay.

What do I need from a pro detailer?

Establishing your needs is one of the most important parts when it comes to choosing the best pro for your requirements. As we said there are many types of services, it could be anything from a safe maintenance wash every 2-4 weeks to full multi-stage paint correction. A combination of services may be desirable, too. First off to get your car fully detailed and protected, and then for ongoing maintenance to keep it in the best condition for as long as possible.

What’s also important is the type of car you’d like detailed. A year-round daily driver often requires a different approach than a pampered show car that may only see the sunshine a couple of times every year. This can affect not just how often you have your car detailed but what type of protection is best to apply. You may even have your own choice of protection that you’d like applied to get the best results for your particular needs, say one of our Signature Hard Waxes for a specific paint type, these are all relevant considerations when looking for the best pro detailer for you and your car.

Different types of pro detailer

There are many detailers out there that offer both of course, but for our purposes let’s say that the vast majority either offer a mobile or a unit-based service.

It’s also true to say that many detailers offer a full range of services – everything from extensive paint restorations, deep cleaning, wet sanding and ceramic coating to maintenance washes - but there’s plenty that like to specialise in either more extensive corrections or routine maintenance and enhancements. For example, it’s common for mobile detailers to specialise in maintenance, light single stage corrections and interior deep cleaning, all of which can be completed in a day. Many studio operations, where they can control conditions like the weather, like to take on bigger restorations and more extensive correction work over multiple days.

Both have a different structure and different kinds of overheads so it becomes increasingly important to pick a professional that fits your needs. You may only be looking for a detail on your drive and may not have the time to drop your car to a detailing studio. Or equally you may not have space at home for a pro detailer, their van and all the equipment.

Some specialist detailers will happily travel for miles to give you the best mobile service, too. But don’t forget to factor in the costs and traveling time, it all effects making the right decision for your particular needs.

Making your choice

The truth is that, while you shouldn’t rule anything out until you have all the relevant information, getting the fundamentals straight makes the choice so much easier.

What we recommend most is getting together a list of local detailers and then doing your research to find the best company to fit your needs. Look at the reviews, check out their social media and most importantly get word of mouth recommendations from your friends and family.

A good professional will always be happy to be contacted and talk you through your best options, the products they use and why, the results they can achieve and ultimately how much it’s going to cost. Remember that the best pro detailers will always be happy to help you understand what goes into each task because it helps you better understand where they get their prices from.

For more top tips and trade secrets check out the Guides Section Of Our Blog.