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The Difference Between Professional Car Detailing vs. Side of the Road Car Wash

There are many businesses out there who use the terms car detailing and car wash interchangeably, but the truth is that there is a big difference between going to a car wash on the side of the road for a ‘quick clean’ compared to a professional car detailing business who are trained and specialised in cleaning and detailing your vehicle.

They really are worlds apart in what they do and the results that they deliver. In general, a car wash is simply a bit of soap and water and usually just scrapes the surface to get dust off your vehicle. Meanwhile, car detailing goes well beyond that. Here are some of the key differences you should consider before heading to that car wash on the side of the road:

1. Washing is just a part of detailing.

A simple way to differentiate detailing from a car wash is that you’ll get a car wash when you have your vehicle detailed, but not necessarily the other way around. There’s more work involved in detailing, especially if you choose a full detail that does both the interior and exterior of your car.

With a car wash, your vehicle will look clean at least on the surface. But when you have it detailed, the work will be more than skin deep because it will look like it’s fresh out of the car dealership.

2. Detailing requires more experience.

Anyone with a bucket of water and a piece of cloth can wash a car, but most likely would not be able to detail it. The reason is that detailing requires a special amount of attention to particular techniques, knowledge and products used.

The truth is that often there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to detail a car. Many things have to be considered such as its age, when it was last detailed, the type of dirt that needs to be cleaned, and of course, the client’s budget. Only experienced detailers can give you reliable advice on those things, like our detailers at Perth Detailing Centre.

3. More care is given to the car when detailing.

Your vehicle is more than likely your second biggest investment, after property. You wouldn’t want to trust that kind of investment with just anyone. At Perth Detailing Centre, our team are all passionate about what they do and will always treat your vehicle as if it were their own, with the utmost care and safety.

With a car wash, the cleaning products and equipment that the staff uses are rarely taken into account. Imagine your vehicle being next in line to a 4wd that is covered in mud and sand. You’ll definitely dread the moment the brush makes contact with your car after it’s been used to wash the 4wd because chances are that the brush is still full of sand and dirt, which will only lead to harmful and annoying scratches on your used-to-be-new car and usually there is nothing you can do about it after it’s happened.

It’s different with a car detailer, like us here at Perth Detailing Centre. The reason is that professional car detailers use only the best tools and equipment to work on your car, not only because they care enough to keep you as a customer, but often they’re car-lovers themselves. The point is that you’ll get the superior service that your car deserves when you have it detailed from a reputable detailer, which is worth the extra money you will pay over a side of the road car wash. Those annoying scratches can often become more expensive to fix than it was worth.

Overall, car washing is usually enough if you want to keep your car fresh after a few days’ worth of driving. However, if you want to keep as much value on the car as possible and be proud of your vehicle, our maintenance plans are the ideal solution to keep your vehicle looking like it just pulled out of the dealership day in and day out. We have plans to suit all budgets and circumstances, ranging from fortnightly to monthly and even every 6 months.