Hello fellow G37'ers,

I was wondering how many of you take your car to a detail shop as opposed to doing it yourself? I have had my car for just over a month now and I already got soy milk spilled in my leather seats. Of course, it soaked it up and so I knew it was time to get it taken care of.

Due to the nature of the beast and it being winter here in Indiana, I figured getting it detailed now would be ok, since I will do it again mid-spring. I am also getting a clear bra put on for chips from rocks.

So here's the deal...I just don't have the time, patience, or experience to detail my car. I see tons of threads about people detailing their cars, and I ask myself...do these people just love their cars this much, or does everyone detail their own cars? I took mine to the #1 detailing shop in Indy (they do a lot of mid-high end cars and exotics). I felt like it was a good idea, but now as I sit at work thinking about them working on my car today, I wonder if I made the right choice. It was either take it to them, or do a quick shampoo of the leather, because I would not have had time to do it all.

So again...do it yourself...or take it to a shop? And why do you choose one way or the other?

 

I do it. But I also keep up with the car so it never gets to a point where I need someone else to do it. All you really need is 2 times/year for a major & then just wash & go once over every other car wash. Use quality stuff & don't do things like park under trees or not clean up bird poop & anything you might drive through & it's not that time consuming or hard.
You'll never keep up a show quality job if it's a DD but you can still have a car that looks great.
For interior, set down rules & stick to them. No open food comes into my car. No open containers, capped only. No coffee cups, only the mugs that seal. This cuts out crumbs & crap that might spill & odors.

 

I too do it. That being said I have a Detailing side business. Detailing cars is a stress reliever for me. Its just a way to unplug my brain.

 

If I knew how to wax and polish my car I would do it all the damn time. sadly I'm a noob so I have other people do it for me

 

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I do my own but I just wash it. No wax for me or real detailing for that matter. I vacuum/wash inside and out about every 2 weeks. I also use armor all type products on the dash and tires. I've spot waxed a couple of areas. I used to wax all my cars back in the day but now I am too old and lazy. It's just soo much work. I should take it somewhere to get a good waxing done soon. I know a lot of guys that are just into their rides and love spending hours detailing it. I am not one of them.

 

I am like JT2014, I do two major detailings a year – spring & fall, which take a good chunk of the weekend to do. I also do the inside of the doors and jambs, underneath the hood and trunk along with their water channels, and the underside painted surfaces. Also as JT2014, do not allow the vehicle to get totally cruddy and use good products.

Between the majors, I do a quick detail or quick wax as needed to spruce up. I also do a couple of major interior cleanings a year and clean as needed.

I have a couple of cars in storage which I do one major a year. They do not get that dirty due to not being DD’s and I only take them out in good weather.

Plus, the wife’s vehicle gets two majors a year.

I was overloaded at work a couple of years back and it got too cold to do the fall major. I sent it out for a detail shop to do. It will be a last resort to do that again. I had to take it back a couple of times for them to get the buffing swirl marks out.

As joebrez, detailing is a stress reliever. Put on some tunes and have at it. Then sit back and admire your work when you finish.

Yes, it does take some time. If you want a good looking ride, you have to spend the time or money.

 

Thank you all for your responses. I guess there are probably equally as many people who don't do their own detailing as do...so I don't feel too bad. I do love the way the wax makes it look. Getting it detailed really did show all the spots on the front bumper though. The previous owner definitely did a lot of highway driving in "rock central" USA. Not surprising since they were from the NE. I guess that's a good thing though, probably why the car otherwise seems brand new.

Either way, I will definitely have to get some cloths and what not to actually rub her down after a quick drive through the car wash. I hate the water stains when people just drive out of the car wash. Why even waste your money?? Anyway...thanks again for all the comments.

Usually, in my spare time, I'm hanging with the family/friends, bowling, reading, or playing video games. Because, you know...kid at heart.

 

I do my own detailing, the price of a dual action polisher like the Porter Cable or Griots is gonna be the one time cost of having someone remove swirls when you can do it yourself. You can even make money off of your purchase.

 

It definitely takes a lot of time and hard work to get a proper detail. I and I'm pretty sure a lot of people get a sense of satisfaction when they clean their own vehicle. I don't see anything wrong with taking it to a professional.

Professional detailing gets very expensive. The one time you pay for a single stage polishing you can get a random orbiter and all the equipment to do it yourself twice a year instead of spending 300-500$ each time.

I choose to do it myself.

 

Do it yourself. Take a day off now and then (2 times year) and make a long weekend of it. You will find a great sense of satisfaction from detailing your own car. 8 steps to perfection. Wash, clay, wash, correct, polish, glaze, seal, wax. It can be addictive like modifying your car.

 

I have always done my own. It takes a long time and as I have gotten older I just don't have the time to do it the same way. But I still enjoy washing and waxing my car myself. I love the idea of getting looks because the car gleams like a gem all due to my work. Not much better feeling of accomplishment either when its done to my liking

 

Thank you all. Surprisingly, I thought it was going to cost $400 since the place I went does all the exotics and is the #1 shop in Indy...but it actually only came to $225 total. For that, I think I would just rather take it in hehe. I mean, 8-10 hours of my time is worth more than $225 in my mind. I do a little network security stuff on the side and can usually make that in about 3-4 hours so I would probably rather do that one weekend and pay someone to detail it, then spend that weekend doing it myself and completing jacking it all up. I don't have a great background doing anything with cars.

I love the way it looks. It's amazing. I just don't think I could ever make it look as good as they did. These guys did a fantastic job. They also got that soy smell out and I don't see any staining of the seat where it was stained previously. It honestly looks waaaaay better than when I got it from the dealership. I thought it was funny because my car was sitting in the shop next to a Ferrari and I felt special.

 

I detailed my car shortly after I bought it. I probably put in a whole afternoon.

Wash (tires, wheels)
Clay bar
Wax - with buffer
Interior - leather conditioner plus all surfaces
Windows (inside and out) plus RainX

I bought the Griot's Garage buffer and that helps quite a bit. I also use liquid wax which can go on any surface and doesn't leave behind a powdery residue. This really cuts down on the junk that accumulates in the seams, and also means I can apply it fast since I don't have to avoid vinyl or other plastic/rubber parts that many traditional waxes will make look worse.

This spring, I'll be using their most gentle polishing compound followed by a wax. I didn't get too much out of the clay bar...maybe it had some effect, but wasn't as dramatic as what I had pictured.

I expect my spring cleaning to take 4 hours.

 

everyone has their own preferences, level of experience, patience, and priorities. when it comes to "detailing" i prefer to do my own. i've tried a few detailers over the years and have always come away thinking i could have done just as well on my own in not much more time. and accounting for the time to drive there, drop off, pick up, inspect, touch up (etc) it's just not worth the hassle for me. if i valued my time on a hourly basis it would not be a wise investment of my time to DIY, but that's not the point.

i view detailing as almost being therapeutic and i enjoy the physical aspect of it. with a busy career, two small kids at home, and the stresses of everything else i look forward to an afternoon in my garage every few months. music, beer, cars...sounds like a great time to shut off the brain for a while, sort of.

like most guys i do 2 majors a year: wash, seal, wax, interior and miscellaneous dressing. that takes about 4 hrs/vehicle start to finish. about quarterly i do a minor: wash, wax, interior and dressing. that takes about 2 hrs total. then i wash and touch up the interior every ~2 weeks or so, depending on the weather/season. that's 1 hr max.

i've done this with the past few cars of mine and the wife's. seems to be a manageable system that keeps our cars looking better than 99% of cars on the road. our friends, family and coworkers are always commenting on the condition of our cars. they think i spend every weekend laboring over the paint finish when it really isn't that much work. like someone mentioned before, if you stay on top of the paint it never gets to the point of needing full-blown correction or cut-polishing.

i enjoy driving well cared for cars that stand out, and it also greatly helps resale - although that is just a fringe benefit and not my primary motivation. knowing that my elbow grease is the reason my cars look as good as they do is satisfying as well.

 

I do it myself. There is a personal pride in taking something and making it better. For some reason I also find it very therapeutic to put my headphones on and focus on perfection for hours at a time. That said...I'm done with all out concurs cleaning that I used to do. It is a street car, its going to get filthy, and I don't need my paint at 10/10 all the time. I've reduced myself to one or two full polishes a year where I'm not doing full correction. Instead I've chosen to really focus on what protects the car and keeps it looking that way for the longest time.