Why are your prices the same for coupes, sedans, and small SUVs?

There isn’t necessarily more value being provided just because a car is larger. Chemical costs differences are negligible between car sizes and there’s no reason to pay substantially more. If the vehicle is substantially larger like a van, anything with a third row seat or is a lifted truck, this will add to the cost due to the additional time it takes to detail vehicles of this nature.

Do you clean my kid’s car seats too?

All kid’s car seats will surely be vacuumed. However, any stains will be removed at the end of the detailing session if time permits. 1 car seat is included as part of standard services. Each additional car seat is $30.

Do you work weekends?

Yes, generally but please call for availability.

What is the difference between wax and polish?

There is often confusion between the two, but they are vastly different. Wax is for protection. Some level of wax is required. Cars need to be waxed from time to time not only to make the car look shiny and feel smooth, but it’s main job is to protect the paint.

The job for polish however is to remove swirls in the paint. This is an aggressive task using a machine polisher which does dull the clear coat as part of the process. Over polishing needs to be avoided to not strip the car of its existing clear coat.

Majority of customers do not opt for polishing service which is why it is an extra service and not standard. To maximize the clear coat from the factory, polishing should not be performed often.

What chemicals do you use?

P&S products. Chances are that if you’re a San Francisco resident and you’ve had your car for a substantial amount of time, you’ve come across P&S products on your vehicle. That’s because many automotive body shops use P&S. P&S is a local to the Bay Area and has been in business for 60 years. They manufacturer their products in Hayward and distribute internationally. Yes, they ship products on demand as far as Norway. Even China uses P&S products.

P&S reached out to carpet cleaning companies for their research and development of their own automotive products which is why their lineup is so effective compared to over the counter products from retail stores.

Do you use the 2-bucket method?

I use a zero bucket method. By having buckets of water, the water naturally gets contaminated. Every time a sponge gets introduced to the water even with a grit trap, the water gets contaminated. I use fresh foam throughout the contact wash.

Why do you wash the car twice?

It might look that way, but the first wash is simply a no contact foam rinse. Foam lubricant is introduced to the car. Afterwards, it is hosed off with a pressure washer to remove large debris. Leaving it on there otherwise can scratch the car. When the car is foamed a second time, it is only then that contact is made with the car to remove the finer debris that has collected over your use of the car.

How do you avoid streaking on glass?

I’ve adopted a 2-stage method that removes streaking. Since the exterior of the glass and the interior are exposed to different contaminants, it needs to be treated differently. The aggressive approach on the exterior to remove contaminants like bird droppings, sap and road grime cannot be translated to the interior due to the vulnerability of aftermarket glass tint which we want to avoid scratching.

I’ll share my secrets with you at your appointment. What’s happening is that glass cleaners are actually glass finishers. Glass looks clean-er but not necessarily clean when glass cleaner is sprayed on because it’s only diluting the oils evaporated from your dash that are on the glass and simply spreading it around. It’s essential that oils be removed before a glass “finisher” is applied for streak free glass.

Why do you detail the exterior before the interior?

To avoid water marks, I address the exterior of the car first during my morning appointments while the sun hasn’t yet hit its peak. This allows ample time for me to hand dry before starting on the interior. The harsh sunlight would otherwise cause water marks if the vehicle is to dry on its own under the heat of the sun. This is particularly true in the east bay where hard water is a challenge to be addressed.