Frequently Asked Questions

What is detailing a car?

Detailing is the process of cleaning, restoring, and surpassing the current condition of the vehicle to help bring back that almost new car look.  Detail jobs can consist of exterior washes, wheel cleaning, interior cleaning with a vacuum, plastic and panel cleaning, conditioning products, and more depending on the want and/need of the client.

 

What does detailing a car consist of?

Depending on the package you choose, a detail can include anything from just an exterior job, an interior job, both, or more.

Basic exterior washes usually include wheel and tire cleaning, exterior paint wash, window cleaning to a streak-free clarity, possibly a light to medium durability wax ( Depending on the selected package).  Higher-level exterior packages can include clay bar treatments, paint enhancement, and other things like paint correction and ceramic coatings.

 

What is a clay bar treatment?

A clay bar treatment is the process of removing contaminants stuck on the paint surface of a vehicle such as squashed bugs, brake dust, road grime, and more that a normal car wash will not be able to take off.

Claying the surface of a car is like removing the blackheads that are in your nose pores with a nose strip, except the nose strip is the clay bar and the car paint surface is the nose.  The purpose of a clay treatment is to not only give the surface of the paint a fresh smooth feel also but help give it a certain level of shine that contaminants prevent the paint surface to have.

 

Why is detailing your vehicle important?

Detailing your vehicle will help keep it looking its utmost best like regular car maintenance will keep it running its best.  Detailing protects your vehicle's paint and interior finishes, removes stains and odors you might not be able to remove yourself, and helps retain your car’s resale value when you're ready to sell.  It’s recommended to get a good detail job done on your vehicle before selling it so you have a higher chance of receiving a higher resale evaluation.

 

How long does a car detail take?

A car detail can take anywhere from 2 hours to 10+ hours depending on many factors like the condition of the vehicle, the client’s wants, needs, and/or goals for the vehicle. The time can vary also from the skill level of your detailer, to what packages you chose for your car.  So when hiring a detailer, make sure that you have enough time to be without a vehicle or a second ride ready if you need to be somewhere.  The more time and patience you give to your detailer, the better the results of your car will be at the end.

 

How much does a car detail cost?

Prices can generally vary depending on location, condition of the vehicle, the size of the vehicle, what exactly you desire to be done to the vehicle, and if it’s mobile might cost a little more for the factor of convenience.

A general range for a good quality basic detail on both the exterior and interior can start from $150-$300.  A more elaborate job involving interior shampooing, stain removal, and exterior polishing can range from $300 and up

If you can provide me with the year, make, model, and color of the vehicle with some photographs of the interior, exterior, and the main affected areas that you wish for us to focus on I could provide you with an estimate at this time. Of course, the price could possibly change once we see the vehicle in person.

 

Can car detailing remove scratches?

Removing a scratch on a vehicle is possible to a certain extent depending on how deep the damage has gone into the paint. This is what is known as paint correction. We take a polisher and buff out scratches and swirls in your paint. Contact us for more info on scratch removal and paint correction.

 

Will shampooing/extracting remove my vehicle's stains?

Doing a shampoo service in the interior of your vehicle is a great option to help remove stains, spills, odors, and more out of your vehicle’s upholstery.  Unfortunately, it is not a guaranteed service to get rid of 100% of all your upholstery stain removal needs.  Many factors can affect the result such as what type of product caused the stain, how long it’s been sitting on the surface of the upholstery, and other factors that can affect the end result of the job.  Unfortunately, detailers are not miracle workers but we can assure you that even then a shampoo job will not only give you a lot of cleaner results than when it was first started, but you will feel the cleanliness in your car.

 

Why does it cost so much?

Every detailer's price can vary from company to company and what they offer. A good quality detailing service will have premium prices for their services. So if you pay quality prices you will get quality work and customer service.

 

What is a paint correction?

Paint correction refers to the process of removing the imperfections in a vehicle’s finish and restoring it to a better than new finish. These imperfections include but are not limited to, swirl marks, automated car wash marring, fine scratches, water spots, etched bird droppings holograming caused by poor washing techniques.

The only true way to remove scratches in your vehicle’s paint is with the process of paint correction, one of our specialties at Super Shine Mobile Detailing. Paint correction involves the use of machine polishers and a range of different polishes and graded pads. A fully corrected vehicle when viewed in direct sunlight will show only true reflections and no swirl marks, scratches or blemishes will be visible to the naked eye.

Oftentimes multiple stages of polishing are required to achieve full correction. The first being the most abrasive and the last being a very fine finishing polish. The deeper scratches are removed in the first stage of polish and then the lighter surface abrasions caused by this harsh polish are removed by the finer polish that follow.

Lastly, it is important to distinguish between paintwork that has been truly corrected and paintwork that has been treated with products that are designed to fill surface imperfections such as an all in one polish for example. This should not be referred to as paint correction even if no scratches or blemishes are apparent, because they have not been genuinely removed and are still present under the products fillers, which in time, will wash away and reveal them once more. When paintwork is properly corrected a very fine amount of clear coat is removed, along with the otherwise permanent scratches and swirls in the clear coat. This leaves crystal clarity and pure reflections.

 

What is a ceramic coating?

Simply Ceramic Coatings are the highest grade of protection & gloss enhancement for your vehicle. Unlike traditional waxes & sealants which are just films that sit on the surface of a vehicle, true ceramic coatings create a semi-permanent barrier of protection that bonds with your vehicle's surface providing unmatched durability, protection, gloss, & self cleaning abilities.

Ceramic coatings contain Silica Dioxide (Sio2), which is a hard, tiny compound. After applied, it will “cure” to create a glass-like layer atop your surface. This protects the clear coat from contaminants and scratches.

 

Do you detail anything other than cars?

Yes! We can detail boats, RV’s, semi trucks, and more! Message us for more information.