Thanks guys.
Kidspace,
Its definitely something i want to do myself going forward, but I'd like to have it done once first professionally. If it's looking great,it'll give me more motivation to keep it looking its best. :p
If I do do it, I'll make sure to take before and after pics.

Montechick,
How good of a job would you say they do?

Dealerships do a pretty good job some so air ti clean the vents some don't it all depends on what place you go to I guess and who you get, chanced are if you go peek in the windows of used vehicles you'll get a good idea :) I'd image if you took it to an actual detail shop they would get into it more then a dealership and it'd depend on what kinda packages they have to offer

And I think I do an amazing job :) I get into the spots the other girls tend to miss lol, detailing mine today, minus the shampoo

If this detail includes them putting a machine (buffer) on your paint then I'd advise against it. I have yet to see a buff job come from the dealer that looked as good a week later as it did the day it was completed. The problem is that they don't have the time to invest in actually removing the defects in the paint (swirls) so they do the next best thing, fill them in. The problem with that is that after a couple washes those fillers wash away and the car looks as bad as it did before the detail but this time with halograms aka buffer swirls from the detailer who rushed through the job and didn't finish it down appropriately.

Thanks..

I am an active member on autopia.org and I think its one of the best detailing forums on the web.

04Monte,
Would you recommend shying away from the machine buff everywhere, or just the dealership? Do you think a professional detail shop would take the time to remove the defects? Also, would asking a dealer the approximate time the job takes give me an idea of if they would remove the defects or simply cover them up?

Maybe point out the defects you want fixed up in particular so they are aware that you are aware of them.

its too bad you live near boston ... id do your whole car minus materials which i would get to keep of course for 80 bucks, 50 if you helped and i could teach you how ...

once you know you can do it yourself so easily, youll never dream of paying someone else to do it for you ... check out this picture ... and that was 3-4 days after the last wash so its a bit dusty, but you get the idea ???

https://montecarloforum.com/forum/pi...pictureid=5900

oh btw ... anyone near chicago ... the offer for full detailing is extended to you as well ... just please dont have a black car :p its such a pain in the A$$

Good questions here

Detailing is one of those things that anybody can do, but surprisingly few do it right/good. I run my personal detailing business and most of my jobs are fixing what the "professionals" did. Me personally, I'd only take my car to a place that I was referred to from a friend who has the same standards for his/her paint as I do. The problem with alot of these detailing places is that they used a high speed rotary buffer to get the job done quicker but more often than not they use an All in One product that does more filling in of swirls than removing, so after a couple washes you'll notice the swirls are still there and more likely than not, accompanied by some horrific buffer swirls. Buffer swirls are caused by the buffer pad either being contaminated, bad technique with the buffer, pad being loaded with product or not having enough product, over/under working the product into the paint, etc. It takes a highly skilled detailer to be able to finish down with a rotary, not many can do it, I know I can't and I've owned one for 5yrs now. It's no easy thing to do, but using a product that fills in light swirls helps alot cause the end result looks lovely.....temporarily at least.

A dedicated detail shop would likely take the time to remove the defects, but again, very important to get word of mouth referrals from someone who's opinion you respect because otherwise it's just a crapshoot.

Yes, asking how long the job will take would be a good indicator. But it depends on what all they're doing too. Spending 3-4hrs on the exterior alone is alot different than spending 3-4hrs on steam cleaning engine/shampooing/vacuuming the interior/interior detail and exterior detail.

dude truth in that ... i wouldnt even attempt to go at the worst sections of my cars paint with the mildest compound i have with a rotary ... im scared ****less of those things .... cause ive seen firsthand what happens if you get too happy and stay in a spot for 20 seconds to long ...

thank the baby jesus for random orbitals and milder compounds for general polishing ... and a medium pad and meguiars ultimate for everything but the deep stuff ...