To me, there is nothing better than spending some time pouring myself a nice ice-cold glass of coke, blasting some music and spending a few hours giving my beloved vehicles their own car spa – yet I know this does not appeal to everyone else out there. At Quantum Detail we know that keeping your car clean and well-maintained is crucial not only for aesthetics but also for protecting your investment. Which brings to question, why detail your car when you can take it to a car wash? It’s true that both car washes and car detailing services aim to clean your vehicle, however they achieve this in vastly different ways. In this blog, we’ll explore the differences between a car wash and car detailing, helping you decide which is the best choice for your needs.
The Car Wash
A car wash is a quick and convenient way to clean the exterior of your vehicle. It can be done at home with a hose and soap, at a self-service station, services found at shopping centres/car parks, or through an automated car wash facility. There a multiple ways car wash services operate these can include:
- Simple Hand Wash: This is the most thorough type of contact car wash you can do yourself. The process itself is straightforward and involves washing the car with a soap of your choice, rinsing with water, and using a wash cloth or mitt to remove dirt and grime from your vehicles exterior paint.
- Automatic Car Wash: These are the drive-through facilities, that can wash your car with a combination of brushes, soap, and high-pressure water jets to clean your car.
- Self-Service Car Wash: These stations allow you to wash your car in dedicated wash bays, they often provide use of high-pressure hoses and brushes which are a single access point for a combination of soaps and chemicals provided at the facility.
Car washes often several benefits, particularly to the time poor. They are convenient, relatively inexpensive and achieve what they are designed to do – that is to remove surface and road grime from your vehicles paint. They do however present several limitations that should always be considered in a risk vs reward situation.
Car washes are often limited to surface level exterior cleaning only and may not possess the cleaning power necessary to remove built up or “caked in” decontamination to your exterior paints, wheels or trims. There is the added risk of introducing paint imperfections, scratches and swirl marks to your clear coat though improper cleaning methods.
The Car Detailing
BUT! Car detailing is a much more thorough and meticulous process that goes beyond the surface. Sure, it costs more but the process involves cleaning, restoring, and protecting both the exterior and interior of the vehicle. At Quantum Detail, we take pride in offering top-notch detailing services using premium products like AMMO NYC, Gyeon, and Angel Wax. I personally separate your vehicle into 3 main areas – these are:
- Exterior Detailing: This includes pre-washing, washing with methods that limit further paint damage, decontaminating your paint either with a chemical or mechanical process, polishing both by hand or machine, and applying a protective layer such as wax or ceramic coating. It also involves cleaning wheels, tyres, and windows.
- Interior Detailing: This involves a deep clean of the entire interior, including vacuuming, shampooing carpets, cleaning and conditioning leather, and detailing all plastic and vinyl surfaces – I even clean your air vents, door jams/hinges the list goes on.
- Engine Bay Detailing: We degrease and clean around the engine bay, and provide appropriate dressings to the bay making it look new.
Car detailing without a doubt, provides significantly higher benefits than that of a simple wash, that’s not to discredit the use of a wash when it’s appropriate. Unlike washes, detailing itself can achieve:
- Deeper Clean: addressing both visible and hidden dirt, providing a more sophisticated and thorough clean – if you’ve seen those ‘acid’ iron cleaning videos that turn purple you know what I’m talking about.
- Paint Protection: A solid detailer can expertly apply waxes, synthetic sealants and professional grade ceramic coatings to enhance and protect the paint from UV rays, contaminants, and limit the risk of scratches or further blemishes. It’s also good to note that a good detailer will not only apply these products but recommend which product/brand is best for you based on your goals and needs.
- Enhanced Appearance: A good thorough detail enhances the overall look of your car. Do you want to see your reflection at 4k resolution in your paint? We can do that! nothing feels better then driving your car down the road and watching all those heads turn to look at YOUR car – it’s deeply emotional, it really is.
- Increased Resale Value: A well-maintained vehicle with regular detailing can have a higher resale value.
- Attention to Detail: Detailers focus on every aspect of your car, ensuring no area is overlooked, I, myself am OCD when it comes to cars… just ask my wife.
But like all good things that must end, there can be no good without the bad. Ultimately the limitations of a good detail are time and cost. As great as having a mirror finish on a car is, it’s not attainable in the same timeframe as a quick 20 min contact wash with a good service taking multiple hours – machine polishing taking longer. Products are expensive to purchase – ceramic coatings are $200 – $300 a bottle depending on the brand, I, myself purchased a wax to try that was $400 a tub, expensive but the results are outstanding.
So, what do you choose? How do you weigh cost/time vs convenience?
The reality is you need to assess the goals and needs for your vehicle. If you’re looking for a quick and inexpensive way to clean your car, a car wash is a suitable option but you openly risk damaging your paint and using poor quality or unknown products. However, if you want to protect your investment, enhance your car’s appearance, and ensure a deep clean, car detailing is the 100% way to go. You can even ask your local detailer to do a quick maintenance wash giving your car the best of both worlds.