detailing cheaper in SF Bay or Seattle?

[supark]

I'm between states right now in my new 528i that badly needs some pretty major detailing to get rid of some bad oxidation and scratches. Accutint here in Seattle quoted me $175 to do the detailing - would it be cheaper in SF Bay?

[itciai]

Considering I'm from neither city, just take my words with a HUGE grain of salt-

SF Bay would probably be a more competitive area to get your detailing done... This way you could go between detailers with, "Well, this detailer offered me this for this price... Can you do any better for this price?" And if they can't, then move on.

Also- The weather in SF Bay should (technically) be better, so the detailers would be more inclined to do more for a more reasonable price (I would assume:help).
Also- I wouldn't trust a tint-shop to do detailing unless I knew what kind of work they did and who did it.:shifty

I'm pretty sure there are some detailers here on the forums from the SF Bay area, or relatively close, and they should be able to help you out assuming they see this thread.;)

Good luck!

[supark]

accutint actually has a great reputation locally as a high quality detailer so I'm not too worried about that. I guess there's probably significantly more competition to drive price down though in the SF Bay area...

[erik024]

$175 for a full polish detail? If so, honestly, it doesn't sound to promising. For a legitimate full detail you should expect to spend anywhere from $300 up.

[itciai]

$175 for a full polish detail? If so, honestly, it doesn't sound to promising. For a legitimate full detail you should expect to spend anywhere from $300 up.

+1. This was my reasoning for saying that I'd like to see in person some of their detailing work... And who was doing it.:shifty
$175 is low/cheap... Almost scary low/cheap.

[goleta schooner]

So where are you going to spend the most time?

Seattle - lots of rain, wet issues with cars. Rust, electrical, etc. A challenge to keep beemers gorgeous. Most cars up there look like s--t.

SF (usually, but not this year so far!) - much drier, little/no rain June-Oct. Except in the city itself, foggy drizzly. Outside SF in bay area very dry June-Oct & hotter.

Each location should have detailers that know what is a good idea in each climate. Seattle - underbody specialists, heavy chemicals. SF - waxing gorgeous, always best done in warmer weather. Don't detail in either city limits - way too $.

I always prefer to do the job myself - when I'm done it is PERFECT (I am very good at this), I'm way relaxed, and it is way fun to then grab a cold one and admire.

[itciai]

I always prefer to do the job myself - when I'm done it is PERFECT (I am very good at this), I'm way relaxed, and it is way fun to then grab a cold one and admire.

+1. I don't like the idea of having someone else "detail" my car.:shifty
Here's something my stepfather once said - "No one is as OCD about your own car as you are." I find this to be very true.

[supark]

I decided to go for it as Accutint has a pretty good reputation (they did my tint job last year and it turned out great). Got my car bacK today and it looKs amazing!!! It's not perfect, some of the scratches were too deep to get out without potentially damaging the paint but honestly it looKs liKe a different car now. I'll post up some pictures tomorrow, but seriously I'd totally recommend these guys in the future.

Turns out the hood and trunK had been resprayed poorly, which was partly why they had started to oxidize (that and the car was always parKed outside and wasn't taKen care of very well cosmetically).

The reason why it cost so little was because it didn't include a full interior detail as well as exterior. I am franKly amazed though because they were able to somehow get rid of a few spots where the paint had been burned through because someone had amateurishly tried to buff it. The shop is also a bit outside of Seattle (in Edmonds/Shoreline area which is about 12-15 miles north of Seattle proper) which may be why it was so cheap.

I'm probably going to bring it bacK for tint - they'll do all windows (excluding windshield) for $250. Pics to come tomorrow morning..

[itciai]

I decided to go for it as Accutint has a pretty good reputation (they did my tint job last year and it turned out great). Got my car bacK today and it looKs amazing!!! It's not perfect, some of the scratches were too deep to get out without potentially damaging the paint but honestly it looKs liKe a different car now. I'll post up some pictures tomorrow, but seriously I'd totally recommend these guys in the future.

Turns out the hood and trunK had been resprayed poorly, which was partly why they had started to oxidize (that and the car was always parKed outside and wasn't taKen care of very well cosmetically).

The reason why it cost so little was because it didn't include a full interior detail as well as exterior. I am franKly amazed though because they were able to somehow get rid of a few spots where the paint had been burned through because someone had amateurishly tried to buff it. The shop is also a bit outside of Seattle (in Edmonds/Shoreline area which is about 12-15 miles north of Seattle proper) which may be why it was so cheap.

I'm probably going to bring it bacK for tint - they'll do all windows (excluding windshield) for $250. Pics to come tomorrow morning..


What's with all the capital Ks?:confused

Haha... :D... Glad to hear you got a good deal and you're pleased. Post pics ASAP!

[supark]

lol uh for some reason my laptop keyboard will not let me type lowercase k's, it just opens up quicktime! pics coming soon...

[Anthony914]

I would check out 3lg in the seattle area, he does an amazing job: http://www.3lgautodetail.com/

[supark]

crap pictures - it's been raining/snowing all day but hopefully you can see the quality of the paint somehow.

Keep in mind that previously the paint had some pretty major scratches, light oxidation on the hood and trunK and burned through paint in 3-4 areas of the car (now only in one place)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/supark/528i/AfterDetail/IMG_0908.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/supark/528i/AfterDetail/IMG_0910.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/supark/528i/AfterDetail/IMG_0909.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/supark/528i/AfterDetail/IMG_0911.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/supark/528i/AfterDetail/IMG_0913.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/supark/528i/AfterDetail/IMG_0914.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/supark/528i/AfterDetail/IMG_0912.jpg

[goleta schooner]

Gorgeous man. Black is brutal to keep like that!

[supark]

I'm hoping that one of those dent guys can get rid of the crease in the rear - you can see it in the last picture, beneath the lip of the trunK lid. Not sure if they're able to get a dent that big out though..

[genocide98]

So where are you going to spend the most time?

Seattle - lots of rain, wet issues with cars. Rust, electrical, etc. A challenge to keep beemers gorgeous. Most cars up there look like s--t.

SF (usually, but not this year so far!) - much drier, little/no rain June-Oct. Except in the city itself, foggy drizzly. Outside SF in bay area very dry June-Oct & hotter.

Each location should have detailers that know what is a good idea in each climate. Seattle - underbody specialists, heavy chemicals. SF - waxing gorgeous, always best done in warmer weather. Don't detail in either city limits - way too $.

I always prefer to do the job myself - when I'm done it is PERFECT (I am very good at this), I'm way relaxed, and it is way fun to then grab a cold one and admire.

We don't get rusty cars up here in the PNW. We don't salt the roads, thank you very much. The worst of the salty treatment is near the coast.. but you're in Santa Cruz so you should know all about that.

The only issue is spotting due to rain... :( everything else is usually pretty good.