• Educate yourself – Gain as much information and knowledge as you can about car care prior to consulting any auto detailing services.
• Ask around town – Inquire with friends, family & co-workers to find out who is the best automotive detailer in or close to town.
• Ask questions – Once you have expanded your knowledge you will be able to ask questions. Find out what options are available to you, ask what the differences are between their service and the competitors, ask about their customer satisfaction policy, prices, the benefits and how they define themselves as a professional. Some important questions to ask:
  • Can you provide proof of insurance?” If they are unwilling to provide proof – stay clear!
  • How many years have you been in operation? How many at the current location?
  • What kind of professional training have you received? Can you provide proof?
• Research online – check for consumer feedback on review sites like Facebook, Google business listings, Yelp, Better Business Bureau etc.. If a business has lot’s of negative feedback there is usually a reason for it.
• View a car before and after – Ask the detailer if you may see a car prior to being detailed and again after the work has been completed. Do not go by photos. Ask to see the real deal. It may be a little time consuming because you will have to go to the shop twice but it is well worth it.
• Ask for references – Don’t be afraid to ask a detailer prior to contracting them for several references. If they are unwilling to provide any – stay clear. A true professional has excellent references and is more than willing to provide them upon request.
• Follow through – Before committing to any services follow through on the references. Ask the reference if they were satisfied with the work performed, what type of service they purchased, if they have had any problems – if so, was it rectified in a timely and favorable way. Ask when the work was performed – if it was just performed ask if you can see it.
• Make a decision! – It’s now time to make an intelligent decision based on your knowledge. Remember, basing your decision on pricing alone is not enough. Auto detailing is protection for your asset. In general, prices reflect the quality of work.

Here is a vehicle we recently detailed that came to us after supposedly receiving a full interior detail at a shop claiming to have “experienced technicians” and charged $300 for this job:

This headliner was never even touched. Check out the difference between the side we cleaned on the right and how it arrived on the left. Fun fact: the mirror is caked with dirt on the left side and cleaned on the right.