An exterior detail is what a car wash would be if someone cared. We wash by hand with clean mitts and two buckets, so grit is not dragged across the paint; we clean the wheels, the wheel wells and the door jambs that tunnels miss; we dress the trim and tires so the car looks finished; and on the premium package we put a hand wax or sealant on the paint so it stays clean longer and sheds the next storm.
Two packages
Prices depend on vehicle size; the booking page shows yours. Most people pair an exterior with an interior detail on the same visit.
What the premium package protects against
Duluth paint has a hard life: salt and brine from November to April, sand all spring, bugs and tree sap all summer, and road film all year. A wax or sealant is a sacrificial layer that takes that instead of the clear coat, keeps water beading so the car dries clean, and makes the next wash easier. It lasts a few months. If you want years, that is ceramic coating, which starts with a paint correction.
Winter exteriors
We wash exteriors down to about 32°F. In the depths of winter the most useful exterior service is a thorough wash with the wheel wells and lower panels cleared of salt before it sits for the season; a sealant applied in the fall makes that salt rinse off instead of sticking. How to protect a car from road salt.
Do you need water at my house?
No. The van carries water and power. A driveway or a parking spot with room to work around the car is all we need.
Will a hand wash scratch my paint?
A proper one does not. The scratches and swirls on most cars come from automatic brushes and from dirty mitts. We use clean mitts, a two-bucket wash, and we never dry with a towel that has been on the ground.
Can you remove scratches?
Light scratches and swirls, yes, with paint correction, which is machine polishing rather than washing. A free paint assessment tells you what is possible before you spend anything.