The nature of society today has you spending more time in your car than ever before. Highways, lanes, avenues and other roadways separate many crucial aspects of everyday living like grocery stores and entertainment centres. As a result, you find that you are almost always in your car heading to one place or another. So, if you are in it that often, it is best to keep it as clean as possible.
When the phrase ‘car wash’ is used, it is often taken as a complete descriptor of the car cleaning process. However, such a generalisation is incorrect. There is a significant difference between ‘car washing’ and ‘car detailing’. Such distinctions tend to cause some confusion; after all, aren’t you just cleaning the car? The most concise response to that question is, ‘there is more to it than that ’.
On the surface, the difference between the two services is just that; the extent of the cleaning. When you have your car washed, it does not go beyond a surface clean, where a bit of soap and general rinse and dry make up the entirety of the exercise. Conversely, car detailing is a more involved process where every nook and cranny gets a thorough going over. Additionally, there is some contrast between the methods used to deliver each service.
Typically, getting a car wash entails making a trip to your nearest drive-through car wash. There, you park your car on a set of moving rails that guide it through a series of automated brushes and water jets. These devices do all the cleaning before you drive off in a cleaner car than before.
On the other hand, detailing services are offered at both workshops and through mobile car detailing rigs. In this case, the technician comes to you and performs their duties in your driveway.
What other differences are there between drive-through car washes and mobile car detailing services?
Experience
Washing a car does not require more effort than using shampoo to clean before you hose down the car to rinse. In contrast, good detailing takes a lot of technique to execute correctly. Gaining the skills needed to be a competent detailer needs time and a wealth of experience. They become the grounds upon which a technician learns how to identify the best methods to apply on different vehicles based on their age, type and extent of work needed. Furthermore, any car care advice you get from a detailing professional is often backed by knowledge borne of experience.
More care
Since drive-through car washes are mainly automated, you have little control over what happens to your vehicle while it passes. Although the various devices are designed to clean, they can cause some damage. Primary among them is the likelihood that they scratch your car’s paint because of some debris leftover in the brushes from vehicles that went through before yours. Other times, car wash employees might use the same towel to dry multiple cars. As a result, you can have residue settling on your paint, which affects its appearance over time.
Compare the above scenarios to a mobile car detailer. First, a detailing technician handwashes your car using superior tools, products and methodologies. Next, the professional meticulously cleans every part of the car, both on the interior and exterior. Beyond washing, detailing includes some elements of restoration such as dent repair, headlight restoration, touching up chipped paint, fixing scratches and many more. Finally, the specialist ensures that everything is done with care and to high safety and quality standards throughout the process.
Price
Car detailing costs more than car washing simply because the scope of the former is larger than the latter. However, that should not be an excuse for you to avoid having your car detailed. The process is well worth the cost as it is both more thorough and lasts longer.
One of the most prominent benefits of opting for mobile car detailing rather than going to a drive-through car wash is the fact that, in the end, your vehicle will look showroom ready once again. So contact a professional car detailer today to schedule a ‘spa day ’ for your car. It will feel and look like you are driving a new car again when it is released back to you afterwards.
