has anybody had their tacoma professionally detailed?

Im thinking about having mine done here pretty soon. its kinda pricey just wondering if its worth it.

 

My grandpa had mine done right before I bought it (he is a used car salesman) and it was really really clean lol. I wish I had taken pics because it will never be that clean again.

I personally don't think its worth it though, just clean it yourself.

 

It was about One Hundred Dollars to shampoo the carpet and seats. The rest of the interior done as well. It's worth the Money.

 

I'm not here to say those guys don't earn their money.

But you're here on the Tacoma World enthusiasts site! We're here to look after our trucks. So, naturally, I'm going to tell you to take a weekend and do-it-yourself.

Get some tips ahead of time by reading up on detailing, claybar, polishing, waxing, etc... as well as interior detailing techniques. But there's a whole subfolder dedicated to nothing but detailing.

Some Tacothusiasts *install their own suspension systems!* Can't you at least *clean your own truck really really well?*

 

I had mine professionally detailed a few months after I bought it just to give it a good baseline for me to work off of. Just kept it washed and waxed from there on. It was definitely worth the money though.

 

lol i dont want to spend all that time doing it myself. I DO want it to look like it just rolled off the showroom floor though!

this is the place im thinking about taking it to, voted the best in washington state.

http://www.northwestautosalon.com/

prices are nuts

 

Yeah one thing I wasn't happy with was the fact that they sprayed clear coat all over my radiator hoses and other engine parts as well as all over my frame rails in the rear wheel wells.

 

I will have mine done in either winter or summer break. Its worth it to me because I do not know how to buff (to take out scratches) and I don't want to mess it up.

 

Ive thought about getting mine done just so the seats will be clean again since we all know they attract dirt like a magnet. BUT I use my truck for dirty things like camping, wheeling, shooting, goin to the mud bog, the beach etc. I just live with the dirty seats and save my money LOL


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i get it done once every two months. I dont want to spend hours of my day clay-baring and waxing my truck 3 times along with steam cleaning my interior and removing all waterspots off windows and mirrors. to me its worth the 100 bucks every other month. in between I just wash it and vacuum every week. sometimes I pressure wash the engine bay and frame. my truck looks brand new. I tell my detailer not to use the tire shine crap or the armor-all interior like crap cuz it just makes dust and dirt stick to it and will look like crap within a couple days.

 

NW,

If you like a clean truck and don't want to do it youself, then it is definitely worth it.
Those prices seem kinda high, but they might be in the ballpark for your area.

Take a look/search over at www.autopia.org. Its a detailing website/forum for detailing professionals and enthusiasts with tons of great info and helpful members.
Read, ask questions, ask for a recomendations/references with before and after photos.
The folks over there are OCD, anal, and extremely "detail" oriented. Similar to the folks here.

I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find a person to tune up your ride to a very high standard and for less $$.

I detail as a sort of hobby, sometimes on the side for cash and I'd probably charge ~$300-400, possibly a bit more depending on the condition of your truck. That would include wash, clay, light compound, polish, wax, windows and interior cleaning. It would take 2 full days.

My previous truck (2000 access cab) was BSP and it looked great after a thorough polish.
This is my current truck

 

x2.

i prefer doing mine myself also. its time consuming, but very well worth it.

 

im gettin mine done in the am for $100

 

NW - if you check out that place in Ballard/Magnolia let me know how it goes. I have everything to do it myself, including a PC buffer and all the polishes/waxes etc, but I'm in an apt. in Ballard now and don't want to be detailing out in the street.

 

That shop seems like they do great work, however, I am not rich. I can't see spending all that money on my truck on something that is not permanent. It just doesn't add up for me. I would rather learn about detailing, and do it myself on a Sunday. It probably won't be as good as they can do it, but satisfactory.

 

yes almost every month. except im a professional detailer

 

every weekend I wash and wax mine.. it's really not that hard to do

Wash out engine bay with high pressure hose
Wheel Wash
Body Wash is simple... everyone can do that
( Right here would be 45min total)
Get small dish sponge and use detailer to detail off every small part i missed
( To here would be an hour and ten min total)
Wax - I use a power buffer and usually just hit the open areas of the panels
Everyone knows the term "wax on wax off"... it's simple as that
Do it twice if you are really having fun!
Then get a vaccume and vacume up the inside!
Small dish of water and a paper towel and clean off interior

All that takes about 2 hours max if you work dilligantly
-----I do this every weekend! and I love doing it! It was also part of the deal on my parents getting me the truck