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Price to get car clay bar and waxed

Discussion in 'Detailing' started by maxboostcore, Jun 18, 2010.

  1. Jun 30, 2010 at 4:03 AM
    #21
    Floki

    Floki Old Sheepdog

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    I did the wash, clay bar, wax last night. It took 3.5 hrs. I spent $75 on all the soap, clay bar kit, wax, towels (Absorber), etc and have enough left over to do it again. In fact I have enough soap to was my car all year. It's a great way to get to know your truck.
     
  2. Jun 30, 2010 at 8:54 AM
    #22
    maxboostcore

    maxboostcore [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Almost 4 hours?! I know it's better to do it yourself but 4 hours and the risk I take if I do it wrong is what worries me.
     
  3. Jun 30, 2010 at 8:56 AM
    #23
    maxboostcore

    maxboostcore [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I will probably be taking you up in your offer but I need to make sure I get a garage to hide the car in or else it would have the same probem from the car cover. I just got the car washed from the dealer and it's been underneath the covers.
     
  4. Jun 30, 2010 at 11:52 AM
    #24
    Gooch

    Gooch Well-Known Member

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    No problem. Just let me know when.
     
  5. Jul 19, 2010 at 9:33 AM
    #25
    Jon130

    Jon130 New Member

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    I noticed a couple of things in this thread.

    First, 5-6 hours to clay, polish, and wax is probably more accurate than 1 hour. I can typically clay, polish, and wax a truck in 3 hours or so, but getting the truck thoroughly cleaned and all the bugs/tar/grit removed takes some time and is critical. And that's if your Tacoma has been regularly washed and doesn't have a ton of bugs, tar, and other junk that neglected paint collects. I'm in the process of detailing a Ram 2500 that had bugs, tar, and pine needles bonded into the paint at the moment, and I'm on day two. It takes a long time to restore a neglected finish without further damaging it.

    Second, I saw a post where someone recommended polish rather than wax. Polish is just that. It polishes and smooths the paint but it doesn't have protective qualities like wax. Always follow polish with wax.

    Polish actually shouldn't take much more time than a coat of wax if the paint is relatively free of bonded contaminants. Maybe this depends on the polish used, but the Meguiar's Show Car Glaze (highly recommend the Meguiar's Professional line) I use is very easy to apply and remove as long as you don't apply more than is needed. I can usually tell when I wash a vehicle if it's ready for polish or needs clay. When you're done washing and drying, run the back of your hand lightly over the hood or other large horizontal surface. If it feels fairly smooth, you're probably ready to polish and will not need to clay. If it feels really rough or there are chunks of sap bonded into the paint, it's time to clay. Claying itself doesn't really require too much time, but you'll probably go through close to an entire bottle of quick detailer as this is critically needed to lubricate the surface. Clay is easy and safe as long as you remember to use lots of lubricant, don't use any force on the clay, and knead it/reform it frequently. The object is to very lightly run the clay over the lubricated surface to lift the contaminants from the paint, not grind the clay into the paint. Just work one panel at a time and be sure to wipe everything up with a clean terry cloth or microfiber towel as you finish each section. This is followed by polishing which, once completed, should have your truck looking like a flawless mirror and smooth as glass. Then the wax. Wax is the only thing I apply by machine, but to each their own. The process takes some time, but if you're someone who takes care of their truck it will save you time and energy in future washes as it will be easier to clean. If you guys are seeing shops charging under $100 for all this, I'd be interested to know how they are making money at that price point and what corners they are cutting. I've had my truck detailed by a pro once due to some overspray when the bedliner was installed. I figured since the dealer was paying for it and the shop was reputable they would do a better job than I can, but I was wrong. The dealer paid nearly $400 to have this done and I still found overspray on the truck, not to mention they got wax all over the trim pieces which is very difficult to remove. I thought detailers were supposed to pay attention to the details? In all fairness, that's what I would charge to do the work I'm doing on this dodge currently, but I truly believe the results are much better than that particular shop's work. This being said, I'm sure someone on here will disagree with my method, but we all have our preferred ways.
     
  6. Jul 19, 2010 at 12:09 PM
    #26
    Gooch

    Gooch Well-Known Member

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    ^The OP only asked about clay and wax. The person who said it could be done in about and hour and the other (me) who said 1.5 hours max, was again referring to a clay and wax ONLY.

    A good wash adds 45-60 minutes to the job for me. Polishing adds anywhere from 3-5 hours, depending on the condition and color of the paint (white is easiest, black is toughest), plus the size of the vehicle. Miatas don't take long...Magnums do.

    Like I said previously, waxing is super-easy with the new spray waxes. I can EASILY do that in less than thirty minutes. If I was in a speed contest, I could probably do my truck in less than 15 minutes.

    As far as a professional detail goes, it's all about expectations. You can get a full detail for $150, but I will find all sorts of imperfections that I would never deliver a vehicle with. I charged $350 for my last detail, which was exterior only. The owner knows me and appreciates my work. He said the vehicle looked better than when he drove it off the lot. It took about 6 hours to wash, clay bar, polish and wax.

    If anyone disputes my 30-minute wax claim, let's get together and have some fun. Lunch is on me if I can't do it in less than 30 minutes...provided the vehicle is perfectly clean to begin with. No stretch limos or 18-wheelers, please. :D
     
  7. Jul 19, 2010 at 5:15 PM
    #27
    TacoFred13

    TacoFred13 Where am I and what am I doing in this handbasket!

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