I really do have a passion for automotive detailing. I became a member of several auto detailing forums back in 2003 when I got my first car to learn how to keep it looking as good as the day it left the factory. When others started to ask how I kept mine so clean and what kind of wax did I use, I realized there was a void in proper automotive detailing and reconditioning in the Wake Forest/Raleigh area. I have seen (and repaired) many other detailers sub-par work. Anyone can wash a car, but it takes some skill and experience to make the car truly look like it has that “Showroom Shine”

I have a fixed location in Youngsville, NC and I do offer mobile detailing (water and electric must be provided). I am more than just a detailer or someone that will simply “wash” your auto. I detail every auto the same as if it were mine. I use upscale processes such as the 2 bucket wash (will not induce any swirls in the paint) and proper car buffing (removing, not hiding the swirl marks). I also use high end chemicals and products to get the job done. On any given day I will be using products from Zaino, Poorboys, Meguiars, Optimum, Menzerna, Ultima, FK1 USA, Cobra and Pinnacle. Many of these products are imported and produce superior results to the “common” offerings.

I offer almost any detailing service from a simple wash and wax package all the way up to a full scale car show ready detail. My services range from $40 all the way to $300+ and anything in between. I really try to make a custom "package" for you.

I also specialize in getting cars prepped to sell. I had a customer with a 2001 Ford Mustang she took to CarMax in Raleigh. They quoted $13,000 for a trade in, and the car was in amazingly clean shape. I worked about 3hrs on the car the following day and returned the car to her. She was stunned with the results. She took it back to CarMax the next day and had it appraised again. The value came back at $14,500. That is a $1500 increase with only 3hrs work. A super clean car really does make a difference when it comes time to sell.

If you are in need of a truely "Showroom Shine" then shoot me a PM.

I do go to State so my appointments during the week is limited, but I will try my best to work around your needs.

[Edited on September 16, 2008 at 9:33 PM. Reason : delete sentence]

9/16/2008 9:20:08 PM

Quote :

"Youngsville"

stopped reading there

9/16/2008 9:32:52 PM

Whats wrong with Youngsville? I offer mobile as well.

[Edited on September 16, 2008 at 9:34 PM. Reason : misc]

9/16/2008 9:33:40 PM

i would if i was still in the triangle

9/16/2008 9:36:33 PM

http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/glossytundra/?action=view¤t=102_1579.jpg
http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/glossytundra/?action=view¤t=102_1535.jpg
http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/glossytundra/?action=view¤t=102_1539.jpg
http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/glossytundra/?action=view¤t=102_1552.jpg
http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/glossytundra/?action=view¤t=102_1559.jpg

[Edited on September 16, 2008 at 10:20 PM. Reason : added pics]

9/16/2008 10:17:25 PM

nothing wrong with youngsville. Just too far to drive...reason i say that is cuz i don't really have anywhere at my place to have a car washed.

9/16/2008 10:18:46 PM

Anyone know how to add pics so they can be viewed instead of a link.

Ansonian- If you have access to a power outlet, I do offer a "waterless" wash for places like apartments and such. I bring 3-5 gallons of water and wash the car without a hose. I still need power for my shop vac and such. There is a upcharge for that service though.

9/16/2008 10:22:49 PM

oh so hot!!!







[Edited on September 16, 2008 at 10:42 PM. Reason : .]

9/16/2008 10:40:02 PM

hell yes! sending pm...

9/17/2008 12:12:00 AM

Quote :

"I also specialize in getting cars prepped to sell. I had a customer with a 2001 Ford Mustang she took to CarMax in Raleigh. They quoted $13,000 for a trade in, and the car was in amazingly clean shape. I worked about 3hrs on the car the following day and returned the car to her. She was stunned with the results. She took it back to CarMax the next day and had it appraised again. The value came back at $14,500. That is a $1500 increase with only 3hrs work. A super clean car really does make a difference when it comes time to sell."

You were doing well until I read this, which is a blatant lie. Carmax absolutely does NOT offer more for a car based on how clean it is. Period. They may offer less based on what they call interior cosmetics, but NEVER will offer more. Their recon department is huge, and for them, to pay more for a car when they could just run it through an in-house department that they are already paying for would be a waste.

Secondly, the only 2001 Mustang that Carmax will offer anything close to 13K for would be a 2001 Cobra Convertible with 20,000 miles. Was it one of those?

9/17/2008 12:14:55 AM

^truth

9/17/2008 12:23:15 AM

^^

Quote :

"Secondly, the only 2001 Mustang that Carmax will offer anything close to 13K for would be a 2001 Cobra Convertible with 20,000 miles. Was it one of those?"

We don't know when this happened.

[Edited on September 17, 2008 at 2:53 AM. Reason : ]

9/17/2008 2:52:10 AM

pm sent.

9/17/2008 5:24:29 AM

Yeah, the Mustang was done about 2 years ago, and it was a 2001 Cobra.

Thanks for your interest optmusprimer. If you think this is a lie, then shoot me a PM and we can talk about it more.

9/17/2008 8:28:08 AM

Didnt mean to come across as an attack, sorry about that. 2 years ago might explain the whole story then, although I still sorta doubt any buyer at Carmax would put themsevles in a position where they knowingly offered $1500 more on a reappraisal. Then again, buyers in training have made mistakes before. If this is true, then at the very least I bet the senior buyers and corporate were pretty pissed.

Brandon, have you got any experience professionally? Ever worked at/with a dealer?

9/17/2008 9:11:52 AM

No harm done optimus lol. I dont ususally assosiate myself with the "dealer" detailers. Most of them are "hack" jobs and are usually 16yr old kids washing every car on the lot with the same old dirty rag and putting the nasty greasy dressing on everything. I wont say all of them, but most of them. I have seen very few dealers with a detailing department worth a poo.

My experience has come from just plain old work. I spend a couple hours a day on Auto Detailing forums such as http://www.autopia.org and http://www.autogeekonline.net learning about the next best wax or chemical or such. If there is anything out there better, I usually know about it.



Thanks for all the interest via PM's. I do want to remind everyone that I am a "higher" end detailer and not someone that will come do a full service for $30. There are plenty of those right up the street. I am a very competent (sp?) detailer with hundreds of satisfied customers. I do have higher prices than most, but for me, it's you get what you pay for. My customers get much much more for the money than the "$30" guy.

Thanks all for the interest!!

9/17/2008 1:20:13 PM

How much to wash, clay, polish, wax an '05 Escalade?

9/17/2008 2:21:05 PM

To do a full wash, clay, light polish (just brings up gloss, will not remove many paint defects) and sealant would be somwhere in the $130 and up range. This will also include a very light interior wipedown.

It also depends on what paint defects you want removed, the color/condition of the vehicle and whether the inside needs to be done as well.

[Edited on September 17, 2008 at 2:31 PM. Reason : ......]

9/17/2008 2:28:53 PM

How much to:

- wash
- clay
- polish
- wax (especially on some trouble spots with weird swirls in paint)
- full interior (wipedown, vacuum, detail, etc)

for an 04 miata.

any pics of interior work?

[Edited on September 17, 2008 at 3:05 PM. Reason : .]

9/17/2008 3:04:22 PM

nacstate- the amount of the job is dependant upon what kind of "wierd" swirls they are. I can wax a car in about 10 min, but to remove swirl marks is a more in-depth process.

Lets just say the swirls are minor, i'd start quoting that job at $110 and go up from there.


http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/glossytundra/?action=view¤t=102_1345.jpg
http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/glossytundra/?action=view¤t=102_1533.jpg
http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/glossytundra/?action=view¤t=102_1532.jpg

[Edited on September 17, 2008 at 3:28 PM. Reason : added pics]

[Edited on September 17, 2008 at 3:30 PM. Reason : .....]

9/17/2008 3:27:31 PM

how much for full detail on '97 328i with a couple blemishes but nothing major

9/17/2008 3:35:02 PM

Ok guys, lets keep the prices to PM.

Like I said in my origional post, I dont like to quote prices without talking to you first, but i'll try my best to give you a "ballpark" price.

Pooljobs-send me a PM

9/17/2008 3:39:16 PM

Quote :

"To do a full wash, clay, light polish (just brings up gloss, will not remove many paint defects) and sealant would be somwhere in the $130 and up range. This will also include a very light interior wipedown. It also depends on what paint defects you want removed, the color/condition of the vehicle and whether the inside needs to be done as well."

No, I dont want the interior touched. You would be stopping at the door jambs. Color is diamond white, why does that matter? There are no paint defects in this equasion. Vehicle condition is: needs to be washed, clayed, polished and waxed.

9/20/2008 2:01:23 AM

how much to clay the entire vehicle, do a quick LSP with klasse AIO , then top it with s100 wax.

because im about to do it myself. also do you have a paint thickness gauge.

9/20/2008 4:03:01 AM

Quinn-

no paint guage, although i've been resarching them.

Lets see, do do a light clay, Klasse AIO, (i'd do a sealant before S100 because even though it has awesome looks and reflections, it will only last 2wks by itself) I could put on a sealant of your choice, then the S100. That would probably somewhere around $100 depending on the car.

Also, just curious, why did you choose S100? I actually love that wax, I just always like to see why other people do as well. I do have some Pinnacle Souveran that I use on blacks!!

9/20/2008 9:30:30 AM

do you know of phil @ detailersdomain and/or have you ever used adams products? Do you use a random orbital or rotary? I might need some paint correction done, but still haven't managed to snap pictures of the damage. I'm currently in Greenville.

I too tried to get into this scene last year to keep my car looking good. I spent about 250 bucks on product and a porter cable, but then lost interest after the first time I spent 8 hours on my car and not turning it around near enough to seem worthwhile.

9/20/2008 10:59:27 AM

Grandmaster- I do deal with detailers domain a little, and I have used some Adams products (only ones I cared for were the undercarriage spray and the detail spray).

I do use a porter cable and a rotary, depending on the situation and the severity of the damage. I really hate you didnt get the results you wanted wiht the PC, this really is a fun hobby to get into, especially after spending $250 lol.

Just give me a shout if you need some work done, and i'd be more than happy to show you how to use that PC if you need help.

9/20/2008 11:14:38 AM

Quote :

"Also, just curious, why did you choose S100? I actually love that wax, I just always like to see why other people do as well. I do have some Pinnacle Souveran that I use on blacks!!"

I have a convertible and with large amounts of rubber and trim pieces all over you don't want to use a wax that is hard to remove. The good thing about S100 is that it comes off rubber and trim very easily without staining. I got it at the harley dealership local, lol.

I've been wanting a thickness gauge but don't want to afford it. I did my entire car with nothing more then klasse AIO and s100. It STILL beads up like mad and its been over 2 months. I dont know if its the surface being so smooth, or the wax, but it has me surprised.

I tried klasse glaze and it was a terrible streaking experience. What do you use?


Quinn

9/20/2008 11:34:39 AM

It would be easier to tell you what I "dont" use lol. I have so many waxes and sealants, I have about everything.

FWIW, Harbor Freight in raleigh has Collinite 476s that looks as good as S100 but lasts 7x longer. I really am a fan of S100, but the durability just sucks.

9/20/2008 1:08:52 PM

You clean stuff pretty good for not being an illegal immigrant.

9/20/2008 8:43:42 PM

I'm an immigrant from "detail" town in "wax" city

Thanks for the compliment...

9/20/2008 10:53:26 PM

I'm not about to read all those [words]

How much for interior & exterior detailing for a chevy colorado? Including that NCSU Student discount

I'd like a wax job, but I can't afford that. I have some wax-it-dry though. It's not a real wax job, but I'm sure it doesn't hurt, and it makes my finish smooth, so I like it.

[Edited on October 5, 2008 at 8:07 PM. Reason : at an apt complex, with no hose access ]

10/5/2008 8:05:01 PM

Do you have a buffer to remove oxidation and what not?

10/5/2008 8:17:15 PM

bump

10/18/2008 11:49:31 AM

Sorry for getting back so late, my laptop had to be sent to Cali.

To do a simple wash and interior detail on a Colorado would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $60 or so.....

10/20/2008 8:54:15 PM

hey, i got a question. my apartment complex used to have stickers for parking but now they switched to mirror hangers. i tried to take the old one off but it left a layer of it on my window thats still very evident. is there a product i can buy to take it off without eating through my tinting?? i would try to use a straight razor but i dont want to peel off the tinting either. any suggestions??

10/20/2008 9:41:58 PM