How often should you detail your car?
For most cars, a full detail every 4 to 6 months and a hand wash every 2 to 3 weeks in between. Park under trees, carry kids or dogs, or drive I-5 every day, and the inside or the paint will need it sooner. That's what I tell customers at Mikey's Mobile Detailing in Snohomish, WA.
What changes the answer
Where you park. Under trees all day means sap, pollen and bird droppings, and sap bakes onto paint and works into the clear coat if it sits. A garage keeps the outside clean far longer.
Who rides with you. Kids and pets wear an interior out faster than anything. Plenty of cars I do have a spotless driver's seat and a back seat that's a different story.
Your commute. Ten minutes on quiet roads is not an hour a day on I-5. Highway miles throw road film, brake dust and grit at the paint.
The weather. Our wet winters mean mud, road film and water spots, and spring brings a coat of pollen. A car here takes more than it would somewhere dry.
A schedule that works for most people
- Full detail, inside and out: every 4 to 6 months. The reset: a deep clean inside, decontamination and a sealant outside. It's $369 for a sedan, $409 for an SUV or pickup and $449 for a van or 3-row, and it takes 3 to 5 hours.
- Hand wash: every 2 to 3 weeks. It doesn't have to be a detail. A proper hand wash keeps grit from building up between details, and a ceramic coated car can go longer.
- Interior upkeep: as you go. A vacuum and a wipe of the dash and console every couple of weeks takes 15 minutes and stops it getting out of hand.
Signs you're overdue
Run your fingertips across the paint. If it feels rough or gritty, contamination has bonded to it. If the inside of the windshield has a haze, or the cabin smells stale, that's oils and grime building up inside. If water stops beading on the paint, the wax or sealant is gone.
None of that is an emergency, but the longer it goes past those signs, the more work it takes to get back.
If you'd rather not think about it
That's what my Clean Club is for. I come back every 4 or 8 weeks for $125 a visit, and your price is locked in, so the car never gets bad enough to need the big reset again.
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