Comparison: Car Detailing Price

Just a quick comparison (im a bit bored at work).

How much is the average -quality-detail in Fl ?


say:wash, swirl removal,and hand applied wax.

I was making some calls around today to get a price worked out for my S4 and figured i'd check with the Fchat guys/gals too.

 

contact Todd at Tropical Detail.

 

There is no comparision. Some guys will do it for $49.95, others will charge $150, some will charge $300, some $500. Concourse detailing can cost you in the thousands.

You get what you pay for. I made the mistake of using a guy that did not know what he was doing but was talking up a storm on how great he is. Should have said forget it when he showed up without a vacume cleaner. Charged a fortune $300 for what he did.
I called Eddie Fiuza and waited till Eddie could get me into his schedule and paid his rate (higher) and he worked his "magic". He tood a Porsche, that was a dog and made it into the prom queen. The first guy that looked at the car bought it. He did the same for my Mondial QV and the car sold.

Eddie "Magic" Fiuza: 954-415-5170

May not be worth doing a S4 though. Depends on how bad the car is.

 

Average Joe off the street should cost around $100 for a basic wash / shampoo the rugs / extract / hand wax. This will shine up a car but not make the imperfections go away. If you add paint correction etc... around $300-500 depending on the company you hire. It really is based on the time it takes so if your car is in good shape you might not need that much time. Figure on about $50 per hour for a very good detailer. PM Todd (Tropicaldetail) and see what he thinks in discussing your particular needs. He detailed my 348 and I am very happy with the work.

BT

 

anywhere between 80 to 350 in my area.

it's all about finding the right guy, not the right price. usually they go hand in hand.

 

+1 on the price. Really the pain correction (get ride of swirls, wet sanding, ec.) is going to drive the price up. I would HIGHLY recommend Todd. He truely takes it as an art.

.m

 

wow, ive heard the same here anywheres from 80-400, Ill probably contact a few when i get to South Florida but like i said i was bored at work and just wondering, because up here the cars arent that spectacular and theres not a lot of people who actually CARE for their cars. In contrast form my experience in FL, theres a lot nicer cars alot more often on the road so i was curious to see if they charge a much higher premium to do the same work. I know in the end though they'll charge whatever someone is willing to pay.

Im only looking for the s4 because i decided it might be the wiser move to let it go with the move and not have that third car payment, so im just getting it in top shape to be shown and sold. Ill miss it for sure, but ive got other toys and im young

See you Nov1st !

 

You probably could do with the basic wash and wax to clean the car up and spend around $100-150. We did that with our last van and it sold quick!
BT

 

Thanks for all the kind words!!!

Polishing paint (taking a high speed direct drive buffer) to paint to remove defects and leave the finish flawless is really an art form, IMO, that needs to be developed and studied to get the job done correctly. Unfortunately, for every one person doing the job right, there are probably 50-60 that do it incorrectly (and give us good detailers a bad name). If you find somebody good stick with them, but you will pay more for the skill set. I always tell people that having your car polished is like taking your kid to a babysitter, ask around, get referrals, make sure the person is dedicated to doing the job right.

I charge by the hour, and this works for me because I am honest. This allows me the flexiablity to get the job done right vs. rushing a job or cutting corners to meet my hourly goals.

Here is the condition of a couple Ferrari's I have detailed. Though the end result was the same, the price did vary because of the paints ability to correct (certain paints are "harder" and resist correct, while other paints correct easily). For example, the work required to bring a F430 to an amazing gloss is easy because the paint is soft, where as a Corvette would cost twice as much (if not more) then a Ferrari because of the high urethane paint that resists polishing.

The first picture is a 400i that needed to be polished. The second picture is a 50/50 split (I taped up half the door to give a dramatic before and after). The third picture is the after being polished in direct sunlight, you can see there are no visible defects surrounding the light. The last picture shows that with the right person/techniques/dedication, a car as 27 years old can be brought beyond factory standard.

The fifth picture is Paulie B's hood after I sanded out some bug etching... The sixth picture is after being polished to perfection.

The seventh picture is the body panel of a very rare 1965 SuperSport Chevelle and the defects you see in the paint are called holograms, from improper buffing. Unfortunatly, areas of this car where polished beyond repair, though I was able to fix about 90 percent of it or more. The point is to make sure you do you homework, and be willing to spend the money to make sure you get somebody who not only can, but WILL do the job right.

If you ever have questions (or feel you are being BS'ed or ripped off) shoot me a PM and I'll try to stare you in the right direction! Best of luck...

Thanks again guys for the nice words!
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I find the best detail person is myself. Quality products, attention to detail, good exercise and spending time with my F430 without putting on mileage.

 

I also enjoying cleaning my own cars. The little swirl marks on the 348 were something I was not confident of handling myself so I had Todd take care of that. When I was a teenager we always spent Sunday cleaning the cars, watching wrestling and then going to the movies before the weekly spaghetti dinner. I guess it kind of makes me feel young(er).

BT
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One word........ Todd. Game over. Just DO IT.

 

I agree that often its hard to find somebody who will care for you vehicle as much as you do, period. Detailing your car should be a passion (or if you are hiring somebody, such as Bill, who needed some issues professionaly taken care of) you need to find somebody as passionate as you to ensure you are getting the highest quality work done. If you ever have questions about products or such, feel free to shoot me a PM and I can always help you out by answering questions, ect.

 

without putting on miles...????
Gheez, you need to drive the car instead of polishing it. Are you trying to keep the miles low for the next owner? Your statement shows everything that is wrong with US Ferrari owners. You must be living next to Robert

 

He does not live next to Robert, but they met at "Orange Cone Depot". They were supposed to have all velvet rope on sale, but it was only the velvet rope without the hooks on each end.

BT

 

Todd's the MAN!!!! The proof is in the pudding and the pudding he made for me turned out smooooooooooth and creamy, no lumps or bumps!!!!!!

 

I would expect a moderator to have a bit more control of his posts. How much I drive my car or don't is none of your concern.

 

It may not be his concern, but he is certainly within his rights to express his opinion. Lighten up...

You were rather brutal in your earlier post below in another thread. Was it your concern how he did his car?

 

Eddie Fiuza is the right guy for this job.

 

Todd would be my suggestion. If he can get Fred and I to suggest him; then you know that he does good work. HA HA HA HA HA

 

True none of my concern. My opinion comes straight from your opinion:

"Enzo would throw up if he knew what you do to his car"

...but then, you can do as you please, you own it.

 

now that is funny!

 

How much is it to do a total detail on a very well kept CS?

 

Thanks to the recommendations ( Paul B, Fred, Bill, Micheal ) on this thread I contacted Todd at Tropical. I had a couple of paint areas on my car that needed some work. Todd and Brian came down yesterday and spent 6 hours on my car and made it look as good as new. The difference is incredible. The paint is now beautiful and the two areas of concern are gone. Besides the great work they showed me some of their tricks and gave me pointers for washing and waxing my car to maintain the polish work they did. Todd is going to PM me with the environmentally friendly products he uses.
Add me to the list of cleints that would highly recommend Tropical.