The process
How I detail your car, step by step. Bay View and Petoskey mobile detailing.
Here is exactly how a mobile detail runs in your driveway, from the first rinse to the final hand dry. Every car gets the same careful sequence. The tier just decides how far we go.
1. Setup
I park in your driveway and lay out the two-bucket kit (wash + rinse, both with grit guards), foam cannon, microfiber towels (sorted by job, color-coded), pH-balanced soap, and any tier-specific gear. I need an outdoor spigot, an outdoor outlet (or garage outlet), and a spot in the shade.
2. Pre-rinse + foam soak
Foam cannon soak loosens dirt before any contact. Sits about 5 minutes. Rinse off with a strong but not harsh pressure.
3. Two-bucket hand wash
Mitt goes into the soap bucket, washes one panel, then gets rinsed in the second bucket against the grit guard before going back in for soap. This is the difference between a real hand wash and a tunnel wash that scratches your paint.
4. Dry
Fresh microfiber, no water spots. Wheels and tires dried separately so nothing crosses over.
5. Iron decontamination Essential + Premium
Spray-on iron remover dissolves brake-dust and rail-dust particles embedded in the paint. Rinse. Without this step, sealant or polish would just lock those particles in.
6. Clay bar pass Premium
Clay lubricant + clay bar on each panel to lift bonded contaminants the iron remover can't get. Paint should feel like glass after this.
7. Cut and polish Premium
Machine polish, one panel at a time, with inspection lighting to check the swirl pattern. This is the step that cuts swirls, light scratches, and oxidation a wash can't touch. On the lighter packages I won't machine-polish without asking first. On Premium it's part of the job, and I'll always show you a test spot before I do the whole car.
8. Spray wax Essential
Essential finishes with a real spray wax: more gloss, slicker finish, and a few weeks of protection. A nice step up from just a wash.
9. Ceramic coat Premium
Premium gets a ceramic coat, the durable protection that beads water and holds up for months against UV, road salt, and bird-drop etching, finished with a hydro sealant pass.
10. Tires, jambs, plastic trim
Tire dressing applied with a clean foam applicator (not sprayed, which slings everywhere). Door jambs wiped. Plastic trim refreshed where it needs it.
11. Interior (if you added it)
Vacuum: seats, floor, trunk, mats out. Wipe-down: dashboard, console, door panels with a microfiber and pH-balanced interior cleaner. Glass cleaned with a low-streak formula on both sides. Air vents and crevices detailed with brushes and swabs. Add a steam clean to lift set-in grime and sanitize the tight spots.
12. Before-and-after photos
I text them to you when I'm done. If anything isn't right, I come back. No charge.
What I bring
- Two-bucket wash kit with grit guards in both
- Foam cannon and pH-balanced soap
- Microfiber sorted by job, color-coded
- Cordless vacuum, steamer, brushes, detailing swabs
- Iron remover, clay bar, polish, ceramic coat, spray wax
What you provide
- An outdoor water spigot
- An outdoor outlet (or garage outlet)
- A driveway spot, ideally in shade