Professional detail excectations
 

I recently had my....wait for it... Hot Lava FR-S professionally detailed. I bought the car right after a snow event then immediately scratched the hell out of it the first time I washed it. So, hoping to repair the damage, I had the car detailed at a high end detail shop. Now that the sun is out again I can still see scratches. Some are fine and others a little heavier and obviously the result of my previously mentioned damage. Without sunlight no scratches are evident.

I took the car back to the detailer. They offered to give it a second go. So my question to you all is this. Am I an A-hole for expecting a scratch free finish from a $ 200 detail OR is my concern justified? I hate that customer is always right attitude they displayed because I couldn't get a straight answer from them. Therefore the justification for asking the question on this forum since I'm more than certain I'll get a straight up no B.S. answer from this crowd so fire away.

It all depends on what they do for $200. If that includes scratch removal, to what degree to they guarantee? If it was for a wash, clay bar, and wax then it wouldn't be to the level of scratch removal. Also if the detail shop is a "high end" shop as in they typically do cars that are 45k+, then you paid a premium because they get that from owners of those cars who won't bother to do the work themselves.

I think you are probably expecting too much to be honest.

For that price I personally would expect maybe a 90% job, "good enough for a DD not a show car"

You seem to not know how many hours it takes to get paint 100%, it can take dozens. Now think about labor rate. Then factor in product cost. Now think about what you should expect from $200.

The detailer should have spoke to you about expectations before you guys agreed on the work.

What you are looking for is a paint/color correction. What you paid for, is for someone to temporarily hide the damage using fillers and glazes.

DO NOT ever take the car to a commercial detailer. They will not know (or assume) what a paint correction is, all they tend to do is regular polishing. If they ever give you a price unseen, they are not removing anything (scratches). They are only covering imperfections up.

If the damage is not deep, expect a correction time of about 8-10 hours at an average of $50 an hour. It can always be less or a bit more.

I just paid $300 to have a few light swirls taken out of mine and the paint sealed (plus a full clean, etc. of course). If you had obvious scratches, I would expect a correction to be more like $500ish.

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Consider getting some type of paint protection like Opti-Coat. It will help to prevent you getting more paint swirls in the future.

OP, if you need any recommendations for a good detailer in your area who can properly perform paint correction, just let me know and I'll see if I can find someone for you. IMO, as others have said, you're probably looking at $400 - $500+ to take care of those deeper scratches, depending on the level of perfection you're looking for, what a paint correction specialist in your area charges, etc.

Also, keep in mind there is only so much clear coat to work with, so some deeper scratches may not be able to be safely removed.

Wow, thanks everybody and especially you Richard. Since it is your business I value your educated opinion. With this lesson learned I can see now it was I who should have asked the detail shop beforehand as to what to expect. I think the thing to do now is show back up with hat in hand and cancel my appointment.

$200 sounds way too cheap. Its usually $300 plus for the most basic job

where are you at? I can help you out if you live by me.
like others have said, $200 is too cheap.
even prepping for a paint correction takes a long time

Why not invest the $200 into a porter cable and polishes. Its so EASY to paint correct im just blown away how you guys spend $400-$500

Pros:
You learn how to paint correct (for future use)
You save money
You can teach yourself with a DA machine

Cons:
You risk spending $400+ on some cheap skate to steal your money with fillers!

Certainly a good skill to learn, but probably not a good idea to throw someone out there with a powered buffer and no previous experience.

Doing it by hand offers some forgiveness, but with a buffer it is quite easy to burn through corners if you don't know what you're doing.

Really ??? I didn't know it was so EASY . Been doing correction since 2005 and learn something new all the time about technique or products. Getting the basics down may be easy but to detail at a professional level takes years and tons of actual on the job experience. Knowing the limits of what can and can not be accomplished in terms of paint correction is only the beginning. The difference in skill between the cheap detailer and the experienced pro is what you are paying for. Now just because someone has a shop IMO doesn't make them a pro. There are many home detailers putting out professional grade work. Are there dishonest detailers out there that will use fillers to cover up defects and grab your money ? There sure are so do your research as you would any time you spend your hard earned cash. The detailer that the OP took his car to should have asked him what were his expectations. If show car results were expected then the detailer could have explained the work involved and cost. Also explaining that maintaining a daily driver at that level is time consuming and expensive. Some times you have to be realistic in what you expect.

We're lucky to have someone like this on here, don't know the guy but I'd trust him.