Hi, I'm Robert and if you'll take the time to read this, I think you'll be convinced that I'm the person you should hire to detail your vehicles.

　　Let's start by defining what a detail is...

　　Many people in Bay County, including most detailers, believe a detail is the same thing as a car wash.

　　You'll hear detailers offering services like "mini-detail" or "basic detail" only $50 and "we'll clean your carpets for $30 more". In this case you're buying a car wash for $50, because there's no such thing as a "mini-detail" or "basic detail". It's just like being pregnant,

　　either it's a detail, or it's not. A detail includes every surface of your vehicle cleaned and conditioned, inside and out, from bumper to bumper. Including, all leather and vinyl cleaned and conditioned, all carpets and cloth seats steam cleaned, all paint cleaned and waxed, under the hood cleaned, trunk cleaned, windows cleaned, wheels and tires cleaned and dressed, and every nook and cranny professionally detailed, including your air vents, console, ashtrays, cup holders and even your wheel wells. If it's a detail, there can't possibly be any added charges for anything else.... because a detail includes EVERYTHING! That's why it's called a detail.

　　You should get a detail at least once a year to help preserve your vehicle's value. And you should get a detail prior to selling your vehicle, so you can get more for it. For most people, those are the only times that you'll need a detail. You should expect to pay around $25 an hour for a detail. It normally takes at least 4 to 6 hours to do a detail, even for a highly skilled detailer. If your vehicle is extra dirty on the inside, or it needs a lot of extra compounding and polishing to get scratches out or

　　remove oxidation, it takes a lot more time. Detailers can't stay in business, any more than anyone else can, unless they charge for their work. You can bet that any detailer who charges less than $25 an hour, or says they can detail your vehicle in less than 4 to 6 hours, either don't know what they're doing, or they're going to cut a lot of corners. If you need a detail, and you really get a detail, it's going to cost you anywhere from $125 on up, depending on the condition of your vehicle. Anything less, and you can expect to get less, plain and simple.

　　Now let's look at what a wash is...

　　A wash

　　depends on whether you want just the exterior of your vehicle washed, or if you want the interior cleaned as well. So, a wash is either an "outside wash" or an "in and out wash". An outside wash starts with cleaning your rims and tires, removing bugs, gently hand pressure washing the wheel wells and the exterior of your vehicle, then actually hand washing it with soap and then rinsing.

　　Once your vehicle is thoroughly washed and rinsed it must be pulled to a dry area and finished up. Finishing an outside wash involves drying your vehicle, dressing your tires, cleaning the exterior of your windows and wiping out, or drying, your door jambs. An "in and out wash" includes all that, plus vacuuming the carpets and cloth seats, dusting the dash and door panels, cleaning the interior of your windows, and air freshener.

　　You should get a wash

　　once a week to preserve your vehicle's value and good looks. An "outside wash" normally takes about 30 to 45 minutes and should cost about $15. An "in and out wash" normally takes about an hour and should cost about $25. Extra large, or extra dirty, vehicles naturally take more time, so you should expect to pay just a little more. Regardless of whether a detailer is detailing your vehicle, or just washing it, you can expect to pay about $25 an hour.

　　Sometimes you need more than a wash, but less than a detail.... In that case you need an "interior detail" or an "exterior detail", which normally takes at least 2 to 3 hours each, and should cost about $25 an hour. So expect to pay anywhere from $50 to $75 for an "interior detail" or an "exterior detail", and more for extremely large, extra dirty, or badly scratched or oxidized vehicles. Again, if your detailer isn't charging these prices, or more, they most likely don't know what they're doing, or they

　　have to cut corners in order to stay in business. If you're dealing with a professional detailer, $25 an hour is reasonable. More than that is questionable. And less than that is just plain ridiculous. Remember, you get what you pay for, plain and simple.

　　Always deal with a professional... Now that we've established the difference between a detail and a wash, and how much you should be paying for each, let's take a look at the person doing the work. With vehicles costing so much

　　these days I'm sure you want to hire a professional, who is qualified for the job. While you can never be completely sure, there are a few things you should seriously consider...

　　First, is your potential detailer licensed? If they're professional, then they surely must be licensed, right? But how can you tell? It's easy...every business in Florida is registered with sunbiz.org. So, you can click here to search for a business name,

　　or click here to search for a corporation or LLC. If the business is not registered at sunbiz.org, then they do not have a license. You might be surprised how many

　　mobile detailers in Bay County do not have a license.

　　Another thing to take into consideration is the tools that your detailer uses. You need to ask a potential detailer things like... "Do you have a steam cleaner, or do you clean my carpets with a bucket of water and a shop vac". You'd be surprised how many detailers in Bay County don't have a steam cleaner. If you have scratches, you also need to make sure your

　　detailer has a high speed polisher. And more importantly, that they know how to use it. Again, you'd be surprised how many

　　detailers

　　in Bay County don't have, or know how to use, a high speed polisher. To do a detail

　　it takes a pressure washer, a high speed polisher, orbital buffer, steam cleaner, and an air compressor, at the very least. Does your

　　detailer have these tools and know how to use them? Be sure to ask.

　　Another concern should be the kind of chemicals your

　　detailer uses. EZ-Wax for example should only be used if you want to shine your car a little before a Saturday night date. It should never be used on a detail because it only lasts for a few days. Ask your

　　detailer to show you the chemicals he uses and, if possible, try to verify that he did in fact use the chemicals you think he did.

　　If you're concerned at all about the environment, be careful about hiring mobile detailers. A lot of people mistakenly think it's ok to hire a mobile detailer as long as the detailer uses biodegradable soap. While that does solve half the problem, it does only solve half.

　　The other part of the problem is the pollutants that are washed from the car by the biodegradable soap. If mobile detailers let the waste water run down the street into the storm drains, all the pollutants end up in the streams and lakes and eventually the bay and the gulf. Every car washed produces about one ounce of pollution, or hydrocarbons. Some hydrocarbons float and form a film on the water. The barrier inhibits oxygen from entering the water and interferes with aquatic insect life, which in turn affects marine life. Other hydrocarbons dissolve in water making it highly toxic. So, if you're concerned about the environment, and you hire a mobile detailer, make sure they reclaim their waste water.

　　And last but not least, ask yourself, "does my

　　potential detailer specialize in detailing"? Lots of well meaning people have businesses that don't stay busy all the time. They mistakingly think they can fill that time by washing and detailing cars. Ask some people and they will say

　　"anybody can detail a car". In reality, that couldn't be more wrong if their life depended on it. Professional detailing is something that takes years of experience to master. Ever heard the old saying, "Jack of all trades, master of none"?

　　What makes me qualified... Well, to start with, I come from a generation of professional detailers. My father and 4 of his brothers started detailing as far back as the early eighties. I was born in 1985 and started working for them in 1992 when I was only 7 years old. My first "job" with them was keeping the squirt bottles filled up and washing the towels. That means I have about 20 years experience in the business, even though I'm only 27 years old. I worked for my uncle Harold's detail shop in Freeport Florida for almost 10 years and ran it for about 5 of those 10 years. Now, I've been in business here in Panama City going on 3 years. I'm a professional detailer. I know what it takes to detail a vehicle and I know what a fair price is for doing it. I have an actual business location, with a "city approved" drain that runs into the city sewer. And, I have all the necessary tools, chemicals, and most importantly

　　experience to do the job right.

　　When it comes to washing, waxing and detailing, I challenge you to find anyone in Bay County more fair, honest, sober, hard working, dedicated or experienced and capable, than I am. I've already established a loyal following of customers in Panama City and I intend to be around for a long, long time. For professional automobile washing, waxing and detailing call my cell phone any time, day or night, seven days a week at 1- or call my shop phone between 8am and 5pm Tuesday through Saturday at 1- or stop by Panama City Carwash, 2304 East 5th Street, Panama City, Florida.

　　Remember: A Good Job At A Reasonable Price Is Better Than A Bad Job At Any Price