If you shop around, you can find services that will do the job for as little as $100. Sounds like a great deal, right? Well, in most cases, you could do the same job yourself in a few hours.

Here’s a few areas that separate professional service from average detail service:

Carpet and upholstery stains. Pro shops can remove just about every stain (food, food dye, oil, dirt, cola, tea, coffee, blood, etc.). Amateurs usually scrub them with carpet cleaner once–if it doesn’t come out, they move on.

Nooks and crannies. Pros shops use compressed air to clean deep in vents, cup holders, map pockets, under seats, inside door pulls, inside emergency brake sockets, between seats, etc. All those places you can’t clean with your vacuum cleaner.

Dry interiors. One common mistake amateurs make is leaving too much shampoo in carpets and seats! Pro shops use minimal amounts of shampoo or use a steamer to ensure that when you pick up your car, it is completely dry. There’s no excuse for asking a customer to “air their car out” after a detail.

Dirt and moss in exterior window seals, panel gaps, cowls…anywhere dirt tends to settle and can’t be removed with a car wash. Every pro shop uses a pressure washer and makes it part of their process to blast into these tight spots where dirt settles and lives on the outside of your car. I should add emblems as a dirt trap as well.

Swirl free compounding and polishing. If you own a dark car in particular, beware economy services that will put harsh swirls in your paint, then fill them with wax. The car may look brilliant when you pick it up, but when the wax washes away…you will get dizzy looking at your car in the sun.

“Problem” cars. Some cars have unique issues including: excessive pet hair, oxidized paint, water spots on windows, urine stains, food odor, dog odor, tobacco odor, heavily stained wheels, and mold. Small budget, cheap price simply don’t have the equipment to fix these problems that are expected of a professional.

Proper engine cleaning. Engine cleaning is relatively easy to do, and relatively easy to do wrong! Trusting your engine (and all its sensitive electricals) to an inexperienced detailer could cost you thousands. And what’s the likelihood they have insurance when it happens?

The details. Is the radio blasting? Your heater on high? Mirrors rearranged? Was the spare tire cleaned in the trunk? Are there smears on the windows? Does the owner have bad breath? Was the sunroof not cleaned? Did they deliver on time? Did they write down your concerns? These are the small details that make dealing with a company EASY or dealing with a company a HASSLE. The established shops get these details RIGHT and that’s why they can ask for higher prices year after year and stay in business.

You may luck out and find that one budget service that does the job right. But more than likely, some significant work will be skipped or ignored and you’re likely to have problems with delivery times, customer service, etc. You don’t get your car detailed often, so why not pay $50 – $100 extra for a job that goes smoothly and correctly?