FAQS
Though Redemption Auto Detail as a company is a relatively new concept, our work ethic and love for redeeming sad paint and battered interiors has existed at least a decade. We like to think that our hunger to achieve stunning results every single time far supersedes a tired, mediocre shop that has hobbled along for 10 years.
An easier question may be "what types of cars won't we detail. The truth is, though we love a challenge, as a mobile service, we are somewhat limited with certain types of details. For the most part, daylight dictates our work hours, so though we would love to spend 14 hours getting every husky hair out of your cargo area, we often prioritize all of our other services over pet hair removal. We LOVE animals of all shapes and sizes, but when it comes to bottom line and next-day back pain, we try to leave the extensive pet hair details to the freshmen.
Please contact us regarding your fleet vehicle needs
As the EPA passes more and more laws regulating the use of VOCs in automotive paint, its quality, durability, and longevity have all seen a sharp decline. Ever wonder why nearly every tesla you see is wrapped? Three of the four Tesla manufacturing plants are here in California with some of the MOST stringent environmental laws in the nation, and Tesla owners are warned that their vehicle's paint is so soft, that it would best for them to protect their investment by wrapping it.
We 've tried it all, and generally stick to what works...sometimes that means we use tar remover for bugs, and claybars for tar. Feel free to ask specifics at any time
We consider several factors when it comes to our pricing.
- Are we able to deliver a superior result? If not, we don't offer the service
- How much time will it take? This depends on the requested services. We'll always do our best to provide an accurate time of completion before you book.
- How difficult is it to accomplish the skill well? Higher skill-sets usually tend to tip demand up over supply, and prices are higher for more custom services/skills
- How much liability are we incurring? Working on a fresh R8 comes with far more risk than working on a '97 F-150
- What are the competitors charging for the same result? There are shops that charge more, and shops that charge less
- What size is the vehicle we are working on? The amount of time it takes to clean that third row interior is often significant and we have to account for it
In an attempt to minimize dropped appointments, we hope that you understand why we ask you to secure your appointment with a 20% deposit at the time of booking. Your deposit is 100% refundable within 48 hours of your service date if you need to cancel for any reason, no questions asked.
We take most forms of payment including: Cash, Venmo, Zelle, Apple Pay, Visa, and Mastercard, as well as debit cards.
As the EPA passes more and more laws regulating the use of VOCs in automotive paint, its quality, durability, and longevity have all seen a sharp decline. Ever wonder why nearly every tesla you see is wrapped? Three of the four Tesla manufacturing plants are here in California with some of the MOST stringent environmental laws in the nation, and Tesla owners are warned that their vehicle's paint is so soft, that it would best for them to protect their investment by wrapping it.
We gladly stand by our work and services. If you're not happy with it, we will do everything detailers can do to make sure your experience with us was worthwhile
As the EPA passes more and more laws regulating the use of VOCs in automotive paint, its quality, durability, and longevity have all seen a sharp decline. Ever wonder why nearly every tesla you see is wrapped? Three of the four Tesla manufacturing plants are here in California with some of the MOST stringent environmental laws in the nation, and Tesla owners are warned that their vehicle's paint is so soft, that it would best for them to protect their investment by wrapping it.
Paint
Correction
Paint correction is the process by which an individual (preferably trained) uses either a rotary machine or a dual action polisher to apply varying levels of compound and polish to a painted surface. This procedure removes microscopic depths of clear coat and is permanent.
For your car to run? no. For your paint to last? yes. Paint correction is one of many steps required to preserve the integrity of your clear coat through either ceramic coating, repeated wax applications, or PPF wrapping. Paint correction polishes clear coat down to the level your swirls and water spots and marring live. Think of these micro-scratches like little reflective valleys and dips in your paint that reflect light in odd directions; causing your paint to look dull, hazy, and swirled. By removing clear coat down to make a smooth surface, light reflects much more evenly, and your car will look as close to new as possible.
Many factors to consider here, number one being "how bad is my paint?". Here are three photos to compare your paint to. Another factor to consider is "how big is my car?" Paint correction can take anywhere from two to 12 hours, and we will do our best to give you a much tighter estimate once we are able to assess your car personally
1-Step
Your car is new.
Yes, even new cars need correction. Often, the wrapping used during shipping causes hazing. It's also likely the "wash team" the dealer hires is using the same rags for your rims and your hood.
2-Step
Your daily driver.
Does it look like a spider laid webs across your car when you look at it in the sun? Has it been a while since it has been polished? Are you a serial "automatic car wash" visitor? It's okay. We won't tell.
3-Step
Swamp Monster.
A 3-Step correction is very extreme and only used in rare cases. We will test a small area for paint thickness/quality before proceeding, and try to explain why a 2-Step is sufficient.
This depends on how deep the scratches are and how thick your existing clear coat is to begin with. If you have 1mil of clear coat and your scratches are a millimeter deep, not a single professional paint correction company will remove those scratches fully for you. To remove that much clear coat would severely compromise the UV protection of your car, and you'd find yourself with peeling and fading paint in no time. We are always willing to run a test area to give you a better idea of what your final result will be. A very rough rule of thumb is 40-50% of swirling/scratching removed with 1-step, and 75-90% of swirling removed with 2-step correction..
Random isolated deep scratches or RIDS, can be slightly improved but are never remedied by paint correction alone. The bummer about these scratches is that they often don't show up on your car until after the thousands of micro scratches are cleared out. The micro scratches hide the deeper ones, and there often just isn't enough clear coat thickness to allow us to remove the RIDS.
Paint correction shaves down microscopic amounts of clear coat. No pigmented paint is removed in the process.
As the EPA passes more and more laws regulating the use of VOCs in automotive paint, its quality, durability, and longevity have all seen a sharp decline. Ever wonder why nearly every tesla you see is wrapped? Three of the four Tesla manufacturing plants are here in California with some of the MOST stringent environmental laws in the nation, and Tesla owners are warned that their vehicle's paint is so soft, that it would best for them to protect their investment by wrapping it.
Yes, paint correction is a permanent removal of clear coat. Removing the swirls does not prevent future scratches and swirls from forming, so take care to ensure that you avoid any and all harmful wash methods, clear bird droppings ASAP, and stay away from trees that drop sap. We can only paint correct your car so many times before you have no more clear coat to spare.
As the EPA passes more and more laws regulating the use of VOCs in automotive paint, its quality, durability, and longevity have all seen a sharp decline. Ever wonder why nearly every tesla you see is wrapped? Three of the four Tesla manufacturing plants are here in California with some of the MOST stringent environmental laws in the nation, and Tesla owners are warned that their vehicle's paint is so soft, that it would best for them to protect their investment by wrapping it.
Ceramic
Ceramic coating is a clear nanoscopic paint treatment that is applied in liquid form, which solidifies and bonds with the surface it has been applied to. There are many uses for ceramic coating on a car, including the paint work, the glass, the rims, and the plastic trim both exterior and interior.
Though this may seem biased, ceramic coating is very worth the investment to ensure your vehicle's paint maintains its integrity for as long as it's on the road. Unsightly paint is a kiss of death for market value, and frankly, the car looks sad.
Hear us out. PPF and wraps are INCREDIBLE initially. You have effectively put a barrier between your car and everything the world throws at it. As any consumer agrees, it's only worth the price if you can get your money's worth, and here's where things get bothersome with wraps. Let's say you pay the $2,000-$5,000+ for a wrap that is said to last three years. If you're savvy, you're going to try to get at least three years out of it. The problem with wraps is that each year you have the wrap on your car makes it that much harder to remove without doing serious damage to your underlying paint. To put it simply, no one at Redemption Auto Detail has a wrapped vehicle...and we could wrap them ourselves if we wanted to.
No one will die if you don't, however it is highly discouraged by ceramic manufacturers and most detail shops. Ceramic hardens and forms a clear shell over whatever surface you put it on, and it would be foolish to coat over swirls and scratches, essentially locking them into place until the ceramic wears off in a few years -or- we polish it off for you after your remorse kicks in.
Depending on the type of ceramic, the elements that the vehicle is exposed to, wash habits, and maintenance, anywhere from one to ten years. The ceramic we use is rated at 3+ years
Yes! The amount of damage environmental elements can inflict on your ceramic coat is no different from a wrap or ppf. The moral of the story; as far as cars go, the engine and tires aren't the only things that require routine attention.
As the EPA passes more and more laws regulating the use of VOCs in automotive paint, its quality, durability, and longevity have all seen a sharp decline. Ever wonder why nearly every tesla you see is wrapped? Three of the four Tesla manufacturing plants are here in California with some of the MOST stringent environmental laws in the nation, and Tesla owners are warned that their vehicle's paint is so soft, that it would best for them to protect their investment by wrapping it.
Detailing
A car wash generally takes 30 to 60 minutes, and deals strictly with surface dirt. A car wash will have your car looking clean from ten feet away. A detail takes anywhere from four to six hours depending on the vehicle. A detail is like resetting your vehicle "back to new" with your car looking clean from ten inches away; anywhere you look. The detailer will usually focus heavy exterior or heavy interior, depending on the needs of the client and the condition of the vehicle.
An easier question may be "what types of cars won't we detail. The truth is, though we love a challenge, as a mobile service, we are somewhat limited with certain types of details. For the most part, daylight dictates our work hours, so though we would love to spend 14 hours getting every husky hair out of your cargo area, we often prioritize all of our other services over pet hair removal. We LOVE animals of all shapes and sizes, but when it comes to bottom line and next-day back pain, we try to leave the extensive pet hair details to the freshmen.
One of the hardest things a professional detailer has to grapple with is figuring out pricing. It's an uncomfortable thing to look a potential client in the eye and quote them a price that you KNOW they probably won't understand until you present them their finished product. The only thing more uncomfortable for us is sweating our way through a six-hour interior overhaul in the sun for a discount our bodies couldn't afford to give. Leaving cost of materials aside, detailing is exhausting and painstaking work. We often find ourselves in contortionist positions to clean parts of your car that you didn't even know existed. We curse the breeze blowing fresh pollen back over the dash we just wiped for the third time. We agonize over streaks and swirls and fingerprints; caked makeup in the texture of your steering wheel. We are haunted by our inability to overlook the corners of your cupholder, and the thought "that's good enough" is insulting. The only thing more expensive than a good detailer is a bad one.
Ask yourself a few questions.
- Do I want the interior more clean or the exterior?
- Are my carpets full of old coffee stains, or do my seats still have last year's Thanksgiving gravy crusted in them?
- Do I just want a wipe-down of the dash and plastic trim, or do I want a full UV protection for it?
If you're still stuck, reach out and we can help you build one; photos help too. One thing we promise: WE WILL NOT CHARGE FOR SERVICES YOU DO NOT NEED. Go to crazy-town checking boxes when building your detail and don't worry. If we show up and notice services you ordered in error, we will notify you and deduct them from your final bill.
Day of Service
No, you don't even need to be awake. We will agree on a key location before we arrive, and will not need to bother you for any reason the morning of your service. If you choose our "Spa Day" option, we will have a pre-discussed list of services you'd like us to tackle, and will wait until you're ready to meet with us before discussing anything further.
We prefer your car ungaraged and in the shade if at all possible. We also need access (within 75') to a standard outdoor water faucet and a single outlet as a power source.
We ask that you kindly remove any and all items of value from any and all areas that you would like detailed. We can not clean areas that require the removal of personal belongings. These areas include but are not limited to: Consoles, glove compartments, cargo areas, and trunks.
We ask for 20% up front to hold your appointment and eliminate potential no call/no shows. Your deposit is fully-refundable with no questions asked up to 48 hours in advance. Though we appreciate full-payment up front, we don't mind collecting full payment after our work is complete. In waiting, we can ensure you're satisfied with our services, and allow you the opportunity to ask us any questions you might still have. We accept cash, zelle, paypal, venmo, and most major credit/debit cards.
Depending on the condition of your vehicle, the size of your vehicle, and the services requested, we may take anywhere from 2 hours to 10+ hours on your service. Headlight restoration generally takes 90 minutes, while a 2-step correction and ceramic coating of a black escalade can take 12 hours. We will be able to better estimate a completion window after speaking with you.
Maintain It
Every two weeks, generally speaking. Some folks opt for a detail twice monthly, some opt for a simple wash. Either way, it is important to eliminate contaminants from your paint as often and quickly as possible.
Do not panic. Do not scrub. Do not let it sit until your next wash appointment.
Get a microfiber towel and dampen it with warm water. Place the damp towel onto the soiled area and let it sit for a few minutes. Rinse the towel well and try gently wiping the droppings with one fluid motion, rotating the towel up as you run it forward along the droppings. The trick is to lift the soiled area of the towel as you wipe so as to not grind the muck back into the paint. Rinse towel THOROUGHLY and repeat until all the droppings have been removed.
No.
Sorry, please no.
We don't advertise our membership program but can work with you to arrange dates and prices if that interests you.