When it comes to washing cars, everybody knows that you should wash them at least once a month, even though I recommend you do it twice a month. However, when it comes to detailing cars, people often ask us how often they should detail their vehicle.
We suggest you detail your car at least once a year. That’ll be enough to keep the vehicle in the like-a-new condition through the whole ownership of the car (and longer). What we mean by detailing is a thorough cleaning of the car’s interior and exterior, decontamination, polishing if needed, and applying waxes or sealants that’ll last at least 12 months.
Detailing your cars will help them maintain that factory look and, sometimes, even better shine. And of course, it’s not all about the paint shine. There are interior parts that should be treated as well. Standard car washes don’t offer such a thorough wash and protection, and that’s why I recommend every car owner to detail their cars.
It Depends On These Things
Even though we gave you a quick answer, there are some things that you should know before deciding on how often you should detail your car. Check out the most important ones.
How Often You Drive The Car
The most common reason why cars get dirty is when you’re driving them. That way, they come in contact with all the road dirt, grime, and other environmental factors that may affect the cars’ appearance.
If you have a weekend car that you don’t drive often, you shouldn’t detail it often. On the other hand, if you have some working vehicle that’s turned on 24/7, it’ll probably require auto detailing services 2 or 3 times a year.
Do You Keep Your Car In The Garage
We know that many people don’t have garages, especially if you live in a large city where you can barely find a parking spot. Garages are the best place to keep your car while you’re not driving it. The garage will protect your vehicle from the Sun’s UV rays, road dirt, wind, acid rains, bird poops, and more.
For people who keep their car in the garage, your car will stay shiny and spotless for a longer time, meaning that you don’t have to detail it so often.
If you don’t have a garage, your car will be exposed to all the harmful factors, and it’ll get dirtier pretty quick.
What Auto Detailing Package You Buy
As always, there are various detailing packages you can choose from. You can always choose from basic auto detailing to premium packages that’ll clean and restore every single screw on your car.
Basic detailing packages mostly include:
- A thorough wash and chemical decontamination
- Applying some kind of paint protectant and tire dressing
- Thorough vacuum and cleanup of the car’s interior
- Protecting the materials inside the interior
Standard detailing packages usually include:
- Car wash, chemical and mechanical decontamination, 1-step polishing
- Applying high-quality car waxes, tire dressings, etc.
- A more thorough interior cleaning (including deep cleaning, removing stains, etc.)
- Protecting all the materials in the interior (fabric, leather, vinyl, etc.)
Premium packages mostly include:
- Washing the car, decontamination, 2 or 3-step compounding, and polishing
- Applying long-lasting sealants, or even ceramic coatings
- Restoring car headlights, chrome parts, etc.
- Complete cleaning of the car’s interior (sometimes the seats will be removed to get the car even cleaner)
- Protecting the car interior with high-quality products that last long
Of course, a detailing shop near you may have completely different packages, but that’s how they usually make them. They gradually increase the quality and thoroughness of the job you’ll get. And besides those, you can always opt for additional car parts to be cleaned (undercarriage, engine bay, headliner, etc.), or get a paint protection film, long-lasting ceramic coatings, water repellents, etc.
How Spotless You Want Your Vehicle To Be
If you want your vehicle to be show car all the time, you’ll have to detail it very often. Most people don’t bother with that so much, but I know some people who clean their cars literally every 2-3 days, after every rain, etc.
Most people will be fine with detailing their car once a year and then maintaining the car’s cleanliness for the rest of the year.
Should You Pay For Car Detailing Services or DIY?
The eternal question is, should you detail your car by yourself, or should you pay for professional auto detailing services?
Well, if you have the knowledge and the equipment to do it, you can do it yourself. That way you can be as detailed as possible, and you can give your wheeler the perfect care.
Most people don’t have the equipment required for detailing automobiles, so we recommend paying for auto detailing services. If you’re not so interested in detailing your car, it’s not worth paying for the equipment – you’ll be better off paying auto detailing shops once a year.
The equipment we suggest everyone buy is the basic equipment to wash the car, which includes:
- Washing buckets
- Wash mitts and microfiber cloths
- A few detailing brushes
- High-quality soap, APC, wheel cleaner, wax or sealant, tire dressing, interior cleaner, protectant, and leather conditioner
- High-pressure washer; you can get it for under $200
- Car vacuum
Having the equipment above will save you a lot of money long-term since you’ll be able to maintain your car all the time, and whenever you want. For more in-dept info about the equipment you need to wash your car, check here.
Conclusion
Detailing your car at least once a year is very important if you want to keep it clean, healthy, long-lasting, and enjoyable to ride. We hope that we have given you enough info so that you can determine how often you should do it based on your particular needs. Everyone’s different, and it’ll always be like that, so make sure to know your needs and wishes.
