[sanjayc]

Man, seems like you have seasoned your car well, with quite a bit of help from the recent Chennai rains!!

If your Santro comes out with showroom shine condition, that will be the real test for CarzSpa, not mine which was already in a good condition.

[scopriobharath]

More Pics Here

[scopriobharath]

I started from home at 9:30 and was there by 9:45 sharp. The office opened, but the workshop was still to open. They opened the workshop by 10:00 am and my car was driven to the rear and work was started.

They first opened the boot and took out my Woofer, Car Cover and Spare Alloy.

The first Step is Steam Wash. They have a machine which generates High pressure steam. They steam all areas like bonnet, wheels, wheel nut area, gaps, difficult to reach spots. They do not steam glass as it seems that the Sun Film would melt. The also steamed the AC Vents (All) and I could see steam coming out of all air outlets.

Parallelly, another worker removed all mats in the car and washed them with some bucket soap and water. They forgot to remove the Boot Mat, which they cleaned when I made a mention. All Mats were placed aside for drying. After cleaning, the wash it with a high pressure water jet. They cleaned the spare alloy wheel also. Finally they rubbed the entire body with a solution that looked and smelt like Kerosene.

I had made a special mention to Rajesh that I need the area near the wheel nuts, back of the wheel and the spare wheel cleaned. They took extra care on the same.

While this was going on I met Phoenix and his Getz. It was a very brief meet as he was discussing with Rajesh on the services that he could avail. While the workers were positioning the car for the ramp lift-up, I met aargee. Soon phoenix joined and we were watching the process. They forgot to switch off the Cabin light. With nothing to do, I saw them clean the underbody. Initially they spray a de-greasing solution and the wash with a High Pressure Jet. They brought the car down and cleaned it with a Shampoo. They cleaned the engine bay also. Once washed, it was cleaned with the High pressure water jet spray and cleaned. It was them wiped off with a Rubber Blade (Similar to one a cleaner would use on tables in a Hotel). After removing the water using rubber blades, it was wiped to 90% dry using some cloth.





















































Below Pic: High Pressure Wash Machine



Below Pic: Steaming Machine

[scopriobharath]

More Pics - upto Pre-Polishing

[scopriobharath]

It was driven to the front and moved to the polishing area. It was made to drip-dry for about 15 mins, meanwhile Parallelly they started to work on Phoenix’s car. One worker collected various polishing solutions and equipment and made them ready for polishing. He cleaned the polishing / buffing machine’s rubbing area with a tooth brush and removed all old polish. The Car’s plastic / rubber area was masked using masking Tape. A diamond-cut solution was used to polish the surface. It was applied 2-3 times till the car paint shone. Another sealant was applied using a slow rotary machine. Yet another cream / liquid was applied using a very slow rotary machine. It hardly rotated at 20 rpm a minute. The wax / solution was allowed to dry for a good 1-2 hour.

Meanwhile the interior cleaning had started. The roof was cleaned and wiped using some solution. Soapy foam was applied to the seat covers and brushed. A Vacuum cleaner removed the dirt and water from the seats. This was repeated on all 5 seats and back of each seat. The Floor was also vacuumed and dirt was removed. I do not have pics for this as Phoenix and I went for lunch. It was around 4:30 by then. The whole car was polished dry using the detailing cloth. All 5 doors were shut and the ozone machine was operated for about 5-10 mins. The bonnet, beadings and other plastics were dressed. Some polish that smelt like “nail polish remover” was applied to make the alloys gleam. Finally I got even the dealer sticker removed from the rear windscreen. The final touch was cleaning the windows with a solution and laying paper mats before delivery. A fragrance spray had been sprayed and it was pleasant inside. I swiped my car and left the showroom happily.

My family was worried that I had not turned up but when they saw the car all were amazed. Results are excellent and if I had a second car, I would have definitely gone there again. They are good people with excellent value for money. It is highly recommended.

O.T:
Mr Pawan is a good auto enthusiast.
Rajesh is very helpful and understands our concerns
They are opening an accessories store on the First floor and planning to stock everything from electronics to alloys and tyres with fitters.

[scopriobharath]

The Final Product - Fully cleaned and ready to drive.

Your comments please

[joshguy]

Hi Bharat,

What was the cost.Was it the full package for 2950?

[scopriobharath]

Josh Guy - it costed me 4700/-

I Took the following treatment as suggested by Mr Rajesh.

Hi-Tech Steam + Shampoo Wash + Under Chassis de-greasing + H.P Wash + Engine Dressing + Intensive Interior Cleaning + Ozone Treatment + 4 Step Coating with Polymer Sealant

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by sanjayc

Kishore, I knew it was coming.

It gets weirder! When I bought the ikon, I was in a rented flat without parking space. The car ws standing on the road hence I purchased a flat with reserved parking within 6 mth. Now I am spending that much to ensure the jopasu duster worth some 400 bucks can work it's magic without much effort!

On a serious note though my elementary math says that I am saving about 6k per yr on hired help to clean the car. That saving is allocated to maintaining it via more professional hands.

I have an eye on the 2011 edition as well.

If still not convinced, I can justify that with umpteen more reasons;-}

True Car Lover! Your car is blessed

[sanjayc]

scorpiobharath@, great results..dark colors would have brought out the wet shine look much better, IMO. Your before & after pictures talks for itself.

What I liked about the place, apart from what I mentioned in beginning, are:

1. Minimum clutter - in the rear wash area, one can see only the steam generating machine, high pressure wash...both kind of portable machines. Becos of this, the place looks neat and organized.

2. Opportunity to hang around if one has the time and see the process fully. However, after the initial half-an-hour, seeing the amount of detailed attention, one can feel the car is in safe hands and may leave if one wants to. This is unlike other water-wash centers.

3. Usage of proper tools/clothes for each part of the job.

4. The owner as well the manager/supervisor is very well mannered, soft spoken & courteous...willing to listen. Though, I was a little bit irritated when they were trying to push for the 4-step treatment even after I mentioned that it is only a 5 month old car and the paint protection treatment is already done.

5. At least in my case, every now & then, either the owner or the manager was checking out if the work is being carried out properly, and providing inputs as required.

What I don't like :

1. Narrow passage to reach the wash area at the rear...for sedans/suvs, it is like only 1 feet gap on both sides.

2. No genset/power backup. In case of power-cut, all timings may go awry.

3. The charges could be at least 20-30% cheaper...but then, it is that classic catch-22 situation - less charges will get them volumes, and attention will suffer invariably.

I would like to know if others with you had any dark colored cars? If yes, do they have the pictures post the job?
===========

Kishore, initial honeymoon phase;-} BTW, I have saved money by not upgrading tyres/ice..so there you go!

[ph03n!x]

I took my phoenix to Carz Spa to pamper 'er up on the first birthday (18th June), and met up with Bharath (ScropioBharath) and Ganesh (aargee). Detailed pics of my car are in my ownership thread.

The place is neatly maintained. Mr. Pavan, who own the place, told me he got the idea of opening it up owing to the shoddy job done on his cars in terms of detailing and care. And he has only the best to offer- right from technicians who are trained by Meguiar's themselves and equipments to meet the needs.

My biggest appreciations to Mr. Pavan and Mr. Rajesh is for their genuineness and for not being money minded - when I mentioned I want to do a full round of Car detailing and 4-step paint protection every year (~5000 bucks), Mr. Pavan told me that the paint protection is not required so often, maybe once in 2 or 3 years at worst, and all I needed was do a basic detailing and waxing once in 3 months or so (~500 bucks). Also, when I wanted the nano coating / anti-glare treatment for my windshield, I was told that it is not needed for my car. for that.

Mr. Pavan wants to expand this to a one-stop car shop, and is getting into performance and accessories pretty soon. I am sure we can finally have a place where we not only will have choices of stuff to buy, but also competent people to install them. Work is already in progress in the 1st floor, things are yet to start in the basement.

A few clicks...


The frontage - Privileged indeed! (Sanjay, this is for you!)


The products display - no, they are not for sale yet...


The lounge... ambiance exemplified!


The trio - alas, we have a quick meet here but the thread is locked up!

I would rate Carz Spa 9.5/10, but that 1/2 a point is taken out just for the sake of it. My only feedback is to continue the wonderful job of pampering our cars for us, while managing the staffing / appointments smoothly.

Those who are headed there, make an appointment preferably on a weekday (excluding Friday). Right now, Fridays are not the best days, as they have a lot of weekly days off on Fridays, to staff up to meet the rush on Saturday / Sunday.

And did I say every car that matters a bit to the owner must pay them a visit sometime or other? Every car that matter a bit to the owner must be taken to the Carz Spa sometime or other!

A few photos of Bharath's car.




Tickling the belly...


A gnash on the left rear door, that was worked on.

[sanjayc]

ph03n!x@, saw your gleaming beauty in the ownership thread! Detailing does indeed make a difference in a dark colored car.

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

My biggest appreciations to Mr. Pavan and Mr. Rajesh is for their genuineness and for not being money minded - when I mentioned I want to do a full round of Car detailing and 4-step paint protection every year (~5000 bucks), Mr. Pavan told me that the paint protection is not required so often, maybe once in 2 or 3 years at worst, and all I needed was do a basic detailing and waxing once in 3 months or so (~500 bucks). Also, when I wanted the nano coating / anti-glare treatment for my windshield, I was told that it is not needed for my car. for that.

I had a different experience on this part, though. Great to know they are learning..maybe this thread effect

[ph03n!x]

@sanjayc - you bet! Black coloured cars invite swirl marks and scratches like Joey to food (or women!), and it was good to see the beauty gleam after a day well spent!

[joshguy]

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

@sanjayc - you bet! Black coloured cars invite swirl marks and scratches like Joey to food (or women!), and it was good to see the beauty gleam after a day well spent!

ph03nlx , Do they have pick up service?

Or is there any other service provider who can get the waxoly / Teflon done for my swift at door step?

BTW is the Teflon really effective,One of the dealer told me that the actuall teflon is not available in india

[Pr_007]

@Joshguy, I have very good experience with another door steps wash and wax service. They are called "Car Groomerz" they do service in any part of the city and also in the outskirts of Chennai.

They say that they do waxoyl and Teflon coating too at your doorstep.

Normal wash includes under-body wash and interior vacuum cleaning.

They are really good, they do annual maintenance also.

Their numbers are 9282444445/9282333303

044-26511110/044-65554440.

Check them if you like...