Common Questions About Car Detailing
Raleigh, North Carolina
We understand that you might have a question or two about our services and how these relate to our company. So Shine & Style Custom Auto Detailing has compiled an FAQs list of the most commonly asked questions to give you a better understanding of what you can expect from our services.
Shine & Style continues to update this FAQs list from time to time so if your question is not yet on the list feel free to give us a call or send us an email. Our staff is more than willing to assist you with your inquiry.
Regular car wash gives your vehicle a general clean. Interior is vacuumed and surfaces wiped down – exterior is washed and dried and the wheels and tires are cleaned – windows are cleaned.
Detailing a vehicle takes that process to a much elevated level. Every surface and crevice of the interior are meticulously cleaned and conditioned
- Carpets and upholstery are cleaned using hot water extraction and/or steam cleaning
- Exterior of the vehicle is hand washed and dried
- paint is decontaminated by use of Clay Bar
- tires, wheels and fender wells are meticulously cleaned.
- Paint is then examined for defects that may require paint correction. If no paint correction is needed, the exterior is then protected by a wax of sealant. Detailing also includes: engine bay cleaning, headlight restoration, leather treatment, etc.
If you want to maximize your vehicle’s usefulness, washing and vacuuming your vehicle at home or taking it to the regular car wash is not sufficient. You need to seek professional care. Some owners are skeptical because the price of detailing may be too expensive. Detailing will not only ensure that your vehicle maintains a showroom appearance throughout the year, but will also help maintain your vehicle’s re-sale value.
Every car is different, but generally, a thorough detailing service will improve just about every surface of the vehicle: from sparkling chrome and beautifully glossy slick feeling UV protected paint to low sheen rubber, vinyl and leather conditioning. The difference is dramatic and can only be achieved by a professional.
- A Stunning Looking Finish – Detailed cars really do stand out! Our customers are often surprised at how much better their car looks.
- Maintaining The Look And Condition For A Longer Period – by removing/reducing existing fading, swirls, scratches, etching, etc.
- Providing Long Term Protection – By removing contaminants which can potentially destroy your interior/exterior finish (leather, chrome, vinyl, paint, etc.,).
- Helps Retain The Value Of Your Vehicle – A well detailed car will not only look better but will sell faster.
Full detailing services can take between 4-10 hours and even longer depending on the detailing package, type of vehicle, size and condition of vehicle. See the following detailing packages:
INTERIOR DETAIL 3-5 HOURS ECONOMY DETAIL 4.5-6 HOURS ULTIMATE DETAIL 8-72 HOURS
A vehicle that requires extra attention on the interior or multiple stages of polishing on the exterior may take up to a couple of days. A Detailing Technician will be able to provide a time estimate upon inspecting the vehicle. Shine and Style Custom Auto Detailing is a low volume service shop due to the high quality services offered to each customer.
Only a few vehicles are scheduled each day in order to give each vehicle the extra attention it needs and to ensure the HIGHEST quality level of work. We recommend that you schedule your appointment 3 days to 1 week in advance so that we can accommodate all of our customers.
At least once a year but, it is recommended twice a year depending on your driving, car washing habits and where you store your vehicle. Detailing has proven to be very effective in giving the vehicle a showroom appearance and a better resale/trade-in price.
Most people think about detailing when they are considering selling a vehicle, but by that time (average of 5 years) the vehicle has too much wear and tear to restore it to its showroom appearance. That is why we urge customers to think about auto detailing as part of their maintenance program, the same as getting a tune-up or rotating their tires.
The most critical time to get your vehicle detailed is during the winter’s months. This is due to the rapid changes in temperature, road construction, salt, magnesium chloride and other contaminants that are especially harmful to the exposed surfaces of your vehicle. You can rationalize it away, but your only defense is a properly applied sealant which makes it easier to wash off the contaminants.
We're so glad you asked! Yes, for only $19.99 per month up to 2 vehicles we have a Membership Plan designed to not only assist in maintaining your vehicle’s showroom appearance but save you 25% off our retail pricing! There's no contract so you can cancel at anytime.
For more information or to sign up give us a call or simply sign up online.
Please make sure your vehicle has sufficient gas. If your car is electric, please charge it fully before dropping it off. The heater and air conditioning systems of your vehicle are utilized to dry the carpets after the hot water extraction process, so the engine must be running.
Also, you can remove all personal items from inside the vehicle. This will save us time, and it is less unlikely that your items will be lost during the cleaning process. But, if you do not have the time, all personal items will be placed in a storage bin and immediately replaced. Items in the glove box and center console will be removed also and immediately replace.
That is a very good question! We frequently receive phone calls from customers who have recently purchased a new vehicle. When asked what detail service they would like, they often reply “well, it’s a brand new car so it does not need much”. Unfortunately that statement often proves to be a bit off base.
Just because your vehicle is new does not necessarily mean the paint finish is flawless. Often times when a vehicle leaves the factory there are many paint imperfections that are missed by quality control personnel. Some of these imperfections are dirt specks, run lines or orange peel, and most often surface scratches and swirl marks from improper washing techniques by inexperience lot attendants at the dealership. Ideally before you take delivery ask them not to wash your vehicle.
Here is how our new car detailing service works. Just schedule an appointment for an exterior hand wash. First, we will gently wash your vehicle, then we will put it under our lights and start our quality control inspection.
If any paint imperfections are found, we will give you an onsite estimate for our paint correction service. If not, then you will be on your way with our maintenance recommendation for your vehicle.
We also offer new car protection services at a fraction of what the dealers charge, and the protection products we offer are of a much higher quality compared to those used by the dealers. Often times, dealerships will offer a “lifetime paint sealant” and say if you purchase this you will never have to wax your car again. These so called lifetime sealant packages are usually accompanied by warranties. Unfortunately, most consumers do not realize that these warranties require you to have the sealant re-applied every six months to a year along with gentle maintenance washes by hand and prohibit you from polishing or waxing your vehicle.
Because customers rarely, if ever, return to have the sealant re-applied or their vehicle washed by hand, this is easy money for the dealers. We have customers come into our establishment frequently and say “but I purchased a lifetime sealant from the car dealership, why does my paint look so bad?” This is because they are often left with the false expectation that a “paint protection program” will mitigate the paint from scratches, swirls, bird droppings, tree sap, acid rain and washing the car abrasively using a brush or automatic car wash tunnels. This is simply not true.
This idea of a paint sealant or coating that will protect your vehicles paintwork forever is a great one, and we wish it were true, but unfortunately there is no such product on the market. However there are some paint sealants and coatings available that will last well over one year with our regular maintenance washes. Our paint sealants are imported and most are German made. These are the finest paint protection products available.
We know you are proud of your new car. Protect your investment with our sealants or coatings for exterior paint, wheels and glass, and your interior with leather or fabric guard.
Clay Bar is a flexible putty like substance used along with a lubricant or detail spray to remove microscopic contaminants from your exterior paint and windows making the surface of your vehicle extremely smooth in preparation for polishing and waxing.
There are many contaminants that attach themselves to your exterior surfaces as you drive. You can tell by running your hand across the hood or the lower part of the vehicle behind the front tire. If it feels gritty like sand paper then your vehicle is in need of clay bar treatment. These contaminants cannot be removed by just washing but only by using the Clay Bar treatment .. then your vehicle is considered clean.
The Clay Bar treatment is the first step in our paint correction process. Using Clay Bar can be somewhat abrasive, therefore paint correction is always recommended afterwards.
All automatic car washes are abrasive and will eventually scratch and swirl your vehicle’s paint finish. These facilities spray harsh chemicals on your vehicle removing wax or any protection you may have on your vehicle’s paint surface. They are also known for scratching, etching and swirling your paintwork or clear coat, and damaging exterior parts along with rubber moldings, license plates and antennas. Taking your vehicle through an automatic wash tunnel is never recommended.
Unlike an automatic car wash, at Shine & Style Custom Auto Detailing each and every hand wash or detail service provided is tailored to suit your vehicle’s make and model. After our paint correction process, we can maintain your vehicle’s paint finish all year round with our unique scratch and swirl free wash process. This is the only way to keep a perfect finish.
Shine & Style Custom Auto Detailing is fully insured for any damages caused by its workmanship and/or cleaning materials and equipment. Our cleaning materials are Eco Friendly and we are extremely careful with our customer’s property.
A pre-cleaning inspection of the entire vehicle is performed which highlights any pre-existing problem areas (i.e. tears; worn areas, stains which have discolored fabrics, leather or vinyl dents, scratches, cracked or damaged glass.) The inspection form is reviewed and signed by the customer before he/she leaves our premises.
We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and Cash – no Checks accepted!
Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 6pm and Saturday 8:30 am to 4 pm
Appointments can be made via phone: 984-200-2061 or directly on our website
Yes! A 20% deposit is required upon making an appointment. The reason why we ask for a deposit is that some customers make appointments and do not show which results in lost revenue and/or potential customers. The deposit is subtracted from the grand total of services rendered.
In order to better serve our customers, and to allocate the right amount of time needed on making every detail PERFECT, we do not accept walk-ins. It is very rare we accept walk-ins or same day appointments.
Yes we do offer ceramic coatings with a 3, 5 and 10 year protection