Cost of Professional Detail

Reynoma · Post by **Reynoma** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 3:13 am

Has anybody ever priced the cost of a professional detail for their Vibe? I'm actually trying to figure out if $200 (interior, exterior & engine) is too much for my Villager minivan, but I figured I could use the cost of a Vibe as a baseline.

St. Martin · Post by **St. Martin** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 4:02 am

I get mine done about once every 2 months and wash and wax regularly in between. $90 total - inside, 3 coats of wax on the exterior, and engine detailing.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 5:33 am

Reynoma:Let me know where you go to get it done...I'm interested in some detailing myself!

Reynoma · Post by **Reynoma** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 6:12 am

I'm dealing with a place in Glassboro, NJ (official motto: Heck, well change the whole town name to Rowan if he gives us enough money!) called AutoMagic. Their website is http://www.automagicllc.com. I'm not sure how far away that is from you. When I get the work done, I'll let you know how it turns out. I'm also thinking about having them put a yellow pinstripe on my Vibe to match my overlays.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 6:16 am

Yeah, definitely let me know how their work turns out...Though glassboro is over an hour from me, but it would be good to know if that kidna money can get a decent result...

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 8:06 am

Wow. Detailing is obviously more expensive than I thought it was.

Reynoma · Post by **Reynoma** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 1:41 am

Remember, that $200 quote was for a minivan, not for a Vibe. I would expect the Vibe to be less, because you would have a smaller car with no third row seats.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 7:07 am

I'd estimate $150 ish...Though now that I think about it, I had my sunfire waxed last summer, and i paid over $200 for a wax and interior cleaning...think i got ripped off.

Reynoma · Post by **Reynoma** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 9:55 pm

I have my appointment for this Saturday, so I'll let you know what kind of job they do. I also plan on getting some quotes on mods for my Vibe (pinstripe, etc.). That is unless Isabel ruins everything.

Reynoma · Post by **Reynoma** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 10:34 pm

Well, I got my Van back, and after $200 worth of detailing, I can say that it was money well spent. They got tar and bugs off the paint and stains from the carpet/matts that have been accumulating for 95K miles. Overall, a great job by http://www.automagicllc.com

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 12:21 am

Hmm...wonder if they have a magic solution to my oil stain...

huy397 · Post by **huy397** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 6:27 am

what's the going rate for engine compartment detailing in Canada ? I can do exterior and interior myself just fine ( by my standards that is ) but I can't do engine.thanks guys

Reynoma · Post by **Reynoma** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 9:27 pm

I actually had a coupon, so that my engine was for free. But the normal price at this shop was $29 (american) - I'll leave it up to you to do the conversion to CAN

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 9:30 pm

'Tis about $39.22 CAD.

Stang2Vibe · Post by **Stang2Vibe** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 2:00 am

$200 for the full detail is not bad. Around here, I typically see advertisments for $100 to about $139 for interior OR exterior detailing. They usually have some package deal for about $200 for everything, so it seems about right. Sometimes places run specials or offer coupons that bring that price down a bit. Some places will pick up your car at work, detail it, and return it to you before your shift ends! I bet that some executives like that service! These prices are for passenger cars, which should include the Vibe. Usually, they also include minivans in this pricing from what I understand.

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 2:16 am

it's not detailing, but for about $9 at the local car wash, i get my car washed, hand dried, vacuumed, interior wiped, and windows cleaned.

Stang2Vibe · Post by **Stang2Vibe** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 6:18 am

you forgot the punchline. ".....and then I sobered up and realized that I had imagined the whole thing. Ahhh...time for another drink, it will make the car look clean again...."

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Wed Oct 01, 2003 12:47 am

how about i take a drink and smash the bottle on your head? then, make you clean my car for free

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Wed Oct 01, 2003 1:05 am

some may not believe, but i really do get it for about 9, for 20, i can get armor all, rims/tires hand cleaned, wax, undercarriage spray, even a fruity air freshener.

Hot Vibe · Post by **Hot Vibe** » Wed Oct 01, 2003 1:28 am

In michigan $20 is right. A good quality wash/hand dry/wipe windows/dash/vacuum and steal everything that is not tied down LOL.Even for $20 it is not a bad deal. Just do not take your Vibe to one of those places that had the driers that roll up the hood/windshield/roof.Those automatic machines break mirrors/windshields/antennas/take off moulding/scratch the (removed) out of your car. At GM we hear a ton of stories where customers say it is the vehicles fault for windshields etc...Come to find out the truth 99.9% of all complaints for these issues are from a car wash.

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Wed Oct 01, 2003 1:29 am

One of the "soft cloth automatic" car washes here actually knocked the steering on my dad's truck out of alignment.

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Wed Oct 01, 2003 1:44 am

A 1995 Chevy Silverado 2 wheel drive ext cab.

Hot Vibe · Post by **Hot Vibe** » Wed Oct 01, 2003 1:49 am

quote:That is where. A Nice touchless place. Some JAX but I do not like any of them. Even the nicest car washes damages vehicles. The one we have here at the tech center is completely touchless. I have to dry the car myself when it is done. I do mine at home or I donate to the highschools on the weekends for fundraisers.

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Wed Oct 01, 2003 1:56 am

Donating to the fundraiser car washes I think is worse than using an automatic...I don't trust anybody to wash my baby but ME. LOL

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Wed Oct 01, 2003 1:59 am

I just park under a tree, in the shade, let it cool down for a few min, and then go for it. It's not that bad in the evenings at all.

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Wed Oct 01, 2003 2:02 am

then, the birds can actually crap on it while you wash it

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Wed Oct 01, 2003 2:03 am

No, the birds sit on the powerline, which is on the other side of the driveway.

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Wed Oct 01, 2003 2:05 am

There is nowhere anywhere near my house that is not near pine trees, some other sort of tree, or that powerline. At school I park behind my dorm, and the trees are across the street, but at home, as you can see from my sig graphic...trees everywhere.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Fri Oct 03, 2003 12:56 am

So I decided that I'm feeling lazy lately, and was gonna get my car professionally done. Called a couple places. One place offered me a $200 quote, like you. Said they do engine, wheel wells, undercarriage, door jambs, seats shampooed, carpets and mats cleaned, vinyl protected, dash cleaned, hand wash, wax using the "best wax on the market, same as they use on Lexus and Mercedes," etc etc etc.Then I called another place. They offered me $180, all the same stuff, and the best part is, they'll come to my house and do it! The only thing they didn't mention was if they use Lexus-grade wax, but hey, I'm not picky.Decisions decisions...

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Fri Oct 03, 2003 1:04 am

Wow...house calls... but I guess if I was going to give someone $200 to wash my car, they'd better make house calls.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Fri Oct 03, 2003 1:13 am

Detailing sweetie...detailing...not just washing.

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Fri Oct 03, 2003 4:08 am

very big dif. detailing will restore you back to showroom quality

Stang2Vibe · Post by **Stang2Vibe** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 1:36 am

quote:how about i take a drink and smash the bottle on your head? then, make you clean my car for free Wow, and people on here were commenting on your excellent sense of humor. I was writing in jest, apparantly you didn't get that. Sorry if you misunderstood me. However, I must do my fair "moderator duty" and remind you that personal attacks and threats are not tolerated on this site. Please control your temper in the future and remember that sometimes people are only joking with you. Thank you.

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Wed Oct 08, 2003 3:30 am

quote:how about i take a drink and smash the bottle on your head? then, make you clean my car for free Wow, and people on here were commenting on your excellent sense of humor. I was writing in jest, apparantly you didn't get that. Sorry if you misunderstood me. However, I must do my fair "moderator duty" and remind you that personal attacks and threats are not tolerated on this site. Please control your temper in the future and remember that sometimes people are only joking with you. Thank you.ah, see that is where you are wrong! 'twas a joke also! i don't let crap in these forums get to me. i was off yesterday and i got back and saw the most pitiful things had happened all in about a day and a half.(i think everyone knows what i am talking about). i try to roll with the punches and deal with stuff. i have, however, stuck up for some new members who were not greeted with kindness. remember, i have a morbid sense of humor.

Stang2Vibe · Post by **Stang2Vibe** » Sat Oct 11, 2003 10:33 am

Well then, I thank you for your contributions to this website. Your point is duely noted. I would request that in the future, though, that if you are going to reply in such a manner that you make it clear that you aren't attacking people on here. Online, I am sure you have noticed, we don't have the benefit of recognizing facial expressions and tone of voice. GenVibe has seemingly unofficially solved this problem by setting off sarcastic comments with tags so people can understand this and not be offended or get the wrong idea. It works kinda like this--- blahbitty blah blah here . I will hereby dub this system as "Novatizing" your statements because it was first commonly used by NovaResource on here because too many people were unnecessarily becoming offended by his comments since it is often difficult to recognize sarcasm online.Thanks for your cooperation.

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 12:28 am

i would suggest then, that you label yours as well. you didn't tell me you weren't calling me an alcoholic who doesn't know what he's talking about

redlava · Post by **redlava** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 9:24 am

I don't know where you people are getting your cars detailed at. But if they told me 200 bucks to detail my car I would laugh in the guys face and walk out. In Iowa City most places won't charge you over $120 for a car or truck. Most will do a complete job for $99 Interior vacuum, dash and trim, exterior wash, wax, and buff, wheel dress, and engine degrease. Definatly shop around and ask other people.

saking2002 · Post by **saking2002** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 12:06 pm

ya I will have to get that done to mine in the spring of next year

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 2:42 pm

quote:I don't know where you people are getting your cars detailed at. But if they told me 200 bucks to detail my car I would laugh in the guys face and walk out. In Iowa City most places won't charge you over $120 for a car or truck. Most will do a complete job for $99 Interior vacuum, dash and trim, exterior wash, wax, and buff, wheel dress, and engine degrease. Definatly shop around and ask other people. I actually called several places, they all quoted me the same. They will also do undercarriage, wheel wells, door jambs, vinyl, etc. etc....but big thing is, for the same price as the other guys, they will come to my house and do it.

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 11:31 pm

quote:I don't know where you people are getting your cars detailed at. But if they told me 200 bucks to detail my car I would laugh in the guys face and walk out. In Iowa City most places won't charge you over $120 for a car or truck. Most will do a complete job for $99 Interior vacuum, dash and trim, exterior wash, wax, and buff, wheel dress, and engine degrease. Definatly shop around and ask other people. keep in mind, iowa's economy is probably a lot different than michigan or on the east coast...

Reynoma · Post by **Reynoma** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 12:37 am

quote:keep in mind, iowa's economy is probably a lot different than michigan or on the east coast...Drunkenvibe,True...the economy is very different here in the NE. Also, there are many "cheaper" places, but the work they do reflects this lower price. I've had the van for 2 weeks now after the detail and I am still very happy with the job.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 7:48 am

I saw a van on the road the other day for a company called All Class Detailing. They do on-site detailing services.I've e-mailed them for price estimates for the Vibe, including PDR, scratch removal, paint touch up, and engine detailing (as well as full interior/exterior detailing).Will follow up here with info when I receive it! http://www.allclassdetailing.com/

Mr. Poopypants · Post by **Mr. Poopypants** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 9:14 am

Where i used to detail it was 200 for a car.

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 6:23 am

I used to Detail cars, paid my way through college and still have all the equipment. Used to charge $100 for a car and P/U's & large SUV's a little more. Made house calls too!

Stang2Vibe · Post by **Stang2Vibe** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 6:11 am

Yep, there is some cash to be made there for sure. I used to detail on the side and would charge about the same amount as you did. Made some good money on the weekends!