Hiring & Booking a Detailer
What detailing costs, how to choose a detailer, what to pay for and what to skip.
What these cost
How we price| Service | Price range | Basis | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coating with a visit-based warranty | $400 to $2,200 | coating install, before yearly visits | Coating Warranties With a Paid Yearly Visit: The Real Cost per Year |
| Convertible top cleaning and protection | $50 to $100typical, for cleaning plus protectant on a standard cloth or vinyl topfull range $25 to $250 | per top | Convertible Soft Top Care for Spring: Fabric vs Vinyl, Plastic Windows and What Pros Charge |
| Detail before selling | $195 to $269typical, for an interior or full detail, sedanfull range $85 to $349 | per car | Selling to an Instant-Offer Buyer: Is a Detail Worth It First? |
| Full mobile detail | $239 to $425 | per sedan | Mobile Detailing Cost by Vehicle Size: Sedan, SUV, Truck |
| Golf cart detailing | $75 to $125typical, for a standard two-seat cart, wash, wax, wheels and seats, at your homefull range $45 to $200 | per golf cart | Golf Cart Detailing Cost: Wash, Wax and Seats, and What Carts Can't Take |
| Interior detail, budget to full | $189 to $200typical, for a sedan, mid-tier interior with shampoofull range $85 to $329 | per sedan | Interior Detail Prices: Budget vs Mid vs Premium |
| Leather seat repair | $175 to $300typical, for one damaged seat section, mobile leather repairfull range $125 to $350 | per seat section | Child Car Seat Dents, Creases and Crumbs: Protecting Leather and Cloth Seats Under a Car Seat |
| Minivan or 3-row SUV detail | $260 to $389typical, for a full detail, minivan or 3-row SUVfull range $210 to $629 | per vehicle | Minivan and 3-Row SUV Detail Cost: Why Family Cars Cost More |
| Paid interior extraction | $120 to $200typical, for paid seat and carpet extraction on a car, starting pricesfull range $100 to $200 | per car, starting price | Pulling the Seats to Clean Under Them: Worth a Saturday, or Pay for Extraction? |
| Paint protection for a car parked outside | $116 to $450typical, for a sedan, pro sealant twice a year or a multi-year coatingfull range $40 to $900 | per year of protection, sedan | Car Parked Outside Year-Round: Which Paint Protection Lasts, and Its Cost per Year |
| Pet hair surcharge | $40 to $49typical, for light pet hair, about 30 minutes of extra workfull range $25 to $149 | per vehicle | Pet Hair Surcharge: How Detailers Price It and What's Fair |
| Pro ceramic coating, 1 to 5 years | $580 to $1,400 | per vehicle, before add-ons | Ceramic Coating Cost: 1-, 3- and 5-Year Prices |
| Pro one-step paint correction | $375 to $699typical, for a car or sedanfull range $375 to $799 | per vehicle, one-step correction | Buy a Polisher or Pay for Paint Correction? The Break-Even for One Car |
| Self-serve car wash bay | $0.69 to $1.00typical, for one minute of bay timefull range $0.50 to $1.25 | per minute | Self-Serve Car Wash Bay Math: What Your Money Buys |
| Stain removal | $25 to $50typical, for a headliner or seat stain add-on at a detailerfull range $10 to $200 | per stain or headliner | Marker, Pen and Crayon on a Headliner or Seat: What Lifts It Without a Stain Ring |
| Trim restoration | $30 to $75typical, for a detailer's trim restoration add-on, whole carfull range $12 to $75 | per car | Faded Black Trim: Restorer, Trim Coating, Dye or Replace, and the Cost per Year |
| Unlimited car wash plan | $22 to $30typical, for a base-tier unlimited planfull range $20 to $50 | per month | Car Wash Membership Tiers: Is the Top Plan Worth the Extra? |
| Yearly pro detailing plan | $450 to $800 | per year, sedan | Detailing Services Worth Paying For If You Wash Your Own Car |
Ranges are asking prices from providers' own pages, as quoted in each guide. Where a guide names a typical job, its typical range comes first and the full range under it.
All 28 guides

Costs
Buy a Polisher or Pay for Paint Correction? The Break-Even for One Car
Pro one-step paint correction$375 to $699per vehicle, one-step correction · typical, a car or sedan
Paint, Coatings & PPF

Costs
Car Parked Outside Year-Round: Which Paint Protection Lasts, and Its Cost per Year
Paint protection for a car parked outside$116 to $450per year of protection, sedan · typical, a sedan, pro sealant twice a year or a multi-year coating
Paint, Coatings & PPF

Costs
Car Wash Membership Tiers: Is the Top Plan Worth the Extra?
Unlimited car wash plan$22 to $30per month · typical, a base-tier unlimited plan
Hiring & Booking a Detailer

Ceramic Coating
Ceramic Coating Stopped Beading After a Few Months: Clogged, Failed or Still Fine?
Coating stopped beading three months in? Most are clogged, not gone. The slick test coating makers use, a $22 to $150 decon wash, and when to call the shop.
Paint, Coatings & PPF

Hiring a Detailer
Child Car Seat Dents, Creases and Crumbs: Protecting Leather and Cloth Seats Under a Car Seat
Leather seat repair$175 to $300per seat section · typical, one damaged seat section, mobile leather repair
Interiors, Seats & Odors

Ceramic Coating
Coating Warranties With a Paid Yearly Visit: The Real Cost per Year
Coating with a visit-based warranty$400 to $2,200coating install, before yearly visits
Paint, Coatings & PPF

Hiring a Detailer
Convertible Soft Top Care for Spring: Fabric vs Vinyl, Plastic Windows and What Pros Charge
Convertible top cleaning and protection$50 to $100per top · typical, cleaning plus protectant on a standard cloth or vinyl top
Holidays, Travel & Seasons

Hiring a Detailer
Selling to an Instant-Offer Buyer: Is a Detail Worth It First?
Detail before selling$195 to $269per car · typical, an interior or full detail, sedan
Rideshare, Leases & Used Cars

Costs
Detailing Services Worth Paying For If You Wash Your Own Car
Yearly pro detailing plan$450 to $800per year, sedan
Hiring & Booking a Detailer

Hiring a Detailer
Dusting a Car Between Washes: Duster, Waterless Spray or Leave It Alone
Car dusty a day after you washed it? When a wax duster is safe, when it scratches, how a waterless or rinseless wash works, and when to leave dust alone.
Holidays, Travel & Seasons

Costs
Faded Black Trim: Restorer, Trim Coating, Dye or Replace, and the Cost per Year
Trim restoration$30 to $75per car · typical, a detailer's trim restoration add-on, whole car
Paint, Coatings & PPF

Costs
Golf Cart Detailing Cost: Wash, Wax and Seats, and What Carts Can't Take
Golf cart detailing$75 to $125per golf cart · typical, a standard two-seat cart, wash, wax, wheels and seats, at your home
Hiring & Booking a Detailer

Hiring a Detailer
Marker, Pen and Crayon on a Headliner or Seat: What Lifts It Without a Stain Ring
Stain removal$25 to $50per stain or headliner · typical, a headliner or seat stain add-on at a detailer
Interiors, Seats & Odors

Costs
Minivan and 3-Row SUV Detail Cost: Why Family Cars Cost More
Minivan or 3-row SUV detail$260 to $389per vehicle · typical, a full detail, minivan or 3-row SUV
Hiring & Booking a Detailer

Hiring a Detailer
Negotiating a Detailing or Coating Quote: What's Fair to Ask For
Haggling on a coating quote rarely works, but changing the scope does. Fair asks like a shorter coating tier or a bundle can save $75 to $550 on a car.
Hiring & Booking a Detailer

Costs
Pet Hair Surcharge: How Detailers Price It and What's Fair
Pet hair surcharge$40 to $49per vehicle · typical, light pet hair, about 30 minutes of extra work
Interiors, Seats & Odors

Costs
Pulling the Seats to Clean Under Them: Worth a Saturday, or Pay for Extraction?
Paid interior extraction$120 to $200per car, starting price · typical, paid seat and carpet extraction on a car, starting prices
Interiors, Seats & Odors

Costs
Self-Serve Car Wash Bay Math: What Your Money Buys
Self-serve car wash bay$0.69 to $1.00per minute · typical, one minute of bay time
Hiring & Booking a Detailer

Hiring a Detailer
Why Tires Turn Brown, and What Tire Makers Say to Do About It
Brown tires days after cleaning? That's antiozonant bloom, the tire protecting itself. What tire makers say to clean with, and what common dressing labels say.
Wheels, Glass & Headlights

Hiring a Detailer
Unhappy With a Car Detail? How to Get It Fixed
Unhappy with a car detail? Judge it against what you booked and how dirty the car was. Report it fast with photos, ask for a redo, then escalate calmly.
Disputes, Scams & Getting It Fixed

Costs
Unlimited Car Wash Memberships in Winter: Worth It?
Is a monthly car wash plan worth it in salt season? Break-even math from Midwest chains' prices, what tunnel washes miss and how to cancel cleanly.
Winter, Salt & Snow

Ceramic Coating
Ceramic Coating Cost: 1-, 3- and 5-Year Prices
Pro ceramic coating, 1 to 5 years$580 to $1,400per vehicle, before add-ons
Paint, Coatings & PPF

Hiring a Detailer
Dead Battery After a Car Detail: Prevent It, Settle It Fairly
Open doors and interior lights can drain a weak battery during a mobile detail. How owners and detailers can prevent it, and a fair way to settle the cost.
Disputes, Scams & Getting It Fixed

Hiring a Detailer
How to Find a Reliable Mobile Detailer: What to Check
Where to look for a mobile detailer, how to check insurance and state business records, how to read reviews and compare quotes, and red flags to skip.
Hiring & Booking a Detailer

Costs
Interior Detail Prices: Budget vs Mid vs Premium
Interior detail, budget to full$189 to $200per sedan · typical, a sedan, mid-tier interior with shampoo
Interiors, Seats & Odors

Costs
Mobile Detailing Cost by Vehicle Size: Sedan, SUV, Truck
Full mobile detail$239 to $425per sedan
Hiring & Booking a Detailer

Hiring a Detailer
Booking a Mobile Detail or Ceramic Coating: 7 Steps
Get the most from a mobile detail or ceramic coating. Plan paint prep, protect the cure, wash it right, read the warranty and agree on fees up front.
Hiring & Booking a Detailer

Hiring a Detailer
Should You Tip a Car Detailer?
Should you tip a car detailer? Tip employees who don't set the price. Owner-operators already priced their time in. Plus cash vs card, and friends.
Hiring & Booking a Detailer