Salt Lake City Mechanics Salt Lake City, UT

Salt Lake City auto detailing shop owner gives his insight

What's your background and experience in this industry?

"I've been detailing cars for 10 years. I started in a dealership preparing cars for sale before moving on to start my own business. I regularly work on boats, yachts, motorhomes, semitrucks and trailers, travel trailers, ATVs and motorcycles. I offer a full list of services for each particular type of vehicle."

What comes with a basic auto detailing package, and how much does it cost?

"The basic interior package includes a wash and a vacuum. For smaller vehicles it's $24. For larger, full-size vehicles like Suburbans, it's $49. The exterior detailing package includes a wash, a quick vacuum and a hand wax. Then there's our full detail package. The exterior is washed and waxed, the wheels are cleaned and polished, and the entire inside — the seats, carpet and head rests are shampooed. Our full detail for smaller sedan-sized vehicles is $139 and for full-size SUVs, it's $199. Also, people should consider getting their car detailed right before they sell it. For every $100 you spend on detailing a car, $250 will be returned to your pocket when you sell it."

Do you provide any minor repair or maintenance work?

"No, not really. Road salt is the biggest problem. Street salt has little iron deposits that eventually start eating through the clear coat, rusting a vehicle. After each winter, we do a special wash that gets rid of the iron deposits. The wash is a company secret and is truly separateseperate from the regular wash."

What are some of the toughest stains and odors to remove?

"Cat urine. I don't know how, but once a month somebody manages to bring in a vehicle their cat peed in. I would also have to say the odor of cigarette smoke. We can clean all stains, as long they don't let it go too far."

Is there anything the owner can do between details to help with the upkeep of the vehicle?

"Don't drive through car washes with brushes. Brushes hold dirt from the previous cars and put small scratches in the surface of your vehicle. I recommend one full detail at the beginning of the year, then every month, wash the outside and vacuum the inside. Then, after six months, get an exterior detail, which is just a waxing, and then continue with washing and vacuuming every month until you get another full detail."

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