[swarnava.m]

Those living in Goa would know about the lack of Auto detailing centres in this place. Unlike areas like Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai etc. we don't have any 3M centres here. Of late, a few such outlets have mushroomed in different places. Cleanz Car Spa is one of them.

This is located on the Arlem Bypass road, exactly opposite the HP petrol pump, just after Alcon Hyundai if you are coming from Arlem. It might be slightly difficult to spot at once, since there is no board on the road. It is located at the Ground Floor of a building and is slightly below the level of the road, making it all the more discrete. In fact, I only spotted this outlet when I was walking back after dropping of my car at Hyundai for service.

I visited the shop the following day, and met Mr.Raju. He is an extremely pleasant, modest and down to earth person. He has prior experience of working in the body shop of a MASS for several years, and hence does know a thing or two about auto detailing.

The following is the brochure of the shop, and outlines the various services offered.



I loved the tagline!!!

I opted for steam & interior cleaning of our Honda Accord. The car was chaffeur driven until very recently, and hence it was a good idea to get the interiors disinfected and cleaned. This includes a soap based washing/cleaning and steam disinfection.

The entire cleaning process is described with pictures below.



The roof was brushed with a soap solution, wiped and dried. The entire roof area was covered and the cleaning was very thorough.



The floor mats were taken out, scrubbed with soap solution. The drying process of this was interesting. As can be seen in the picture, a vacuum like instrument was used, which soaked up the water very efficiently. A lot of dissolved dirt could be seen as the water was been sucked in.







The door pads were scrubbed with soap solution and washed. What I really liked was that it was not merely an overall cleaning. Instead, the boys were literally reaching into every nook and cranny, the folds in the door pad, the joints, etc. I could see that a lot of dirt had accumulated especially in those folds and joints, and dark dirty water could be seen flowing down as the boys rubbed scrubbed those areas. This was one of the more impressive parts of the cleaning.



Each seat was washed with soap water, brushed multiple times and with a lot of vigor. The boys dismantled the headrest and cleaned it separately. What this also allowed was proper cleaning of the area at the top of the seat where the headrest sits.

The difference made to the seat was markedly noticeable. Having gotten used to how the seats were looking over time, I was pleasantly surprised to see the true color of the seat emerge.







Raju cleaning the AC vents with steam blow. He switched on the fan, and then directed the steam into the air intake at low pressure. Subsequently, he also directed steam into the side AC vents for some time. This steam then traveled through the air vents and could be seen coming out of the central AC vents. Frankly speaking, this seems a pretty simple and straightforward way of cleaning the AC vents. I am still a little skeptical about whether this would effectively clean the dust out. Maybe some experts can comment on this.



After the seats had been washed with soap and dried, they were steam treated. I observed that the steam was directed more towards the ridges in the seat that are normally difficult to reach. As was the case with the door pads, this brought out a whole lot of dirt that couldn't be cleaned in the previous step. Again, what was good was the fact that there was no let-up. The boys cleaned all the ridges and folds gradually and with a lot of patience. Thumbs up for doing the job properly and not hurrying through it, as is the norm.



The rear parcel tray was also cleaned and wiped. A small mention here about the fact that the boys were well aware about speakers present there and didn't need to be told to be careful with the water. They seemed to know their job quite well.



Raju applying polish to the dashboard post all the cleaning procedures.



All the rubber beading was treated with some conditioner. Raju said this ensures the rubber stays in good shape. I have very little idea about this, hence taking his word for it.



All the glasses were washed and cleaned with foam. Raju said this was complimentary.



At the end of it, he put this paper like thing you can see onto both the front seats. Its slightly bigger than a napkin in size, and made of similar material, only thicker. Lends a feel good, new-like factor to the interior.



Overall, a job well done. I was certainly happy with the way the cleaning had been done and the final outcome of the same.

The trunk was also attended to, though I didn't click any pictures of the same. After taking out everything from the trunk, the entire place was vacuumed and the carpet washed and cleaned. The spare wheel well wasn't ignored either.

There was some bird dropping on the rear LHS panel. Raju quickly sprayed a little cleaner onto it and wiped it off. Also, over time a lot of dirt had accumulated inside the Accord and i-Vtec badges on the rear. With the help of steam and ear-buds, Raju made them sparkling clean as well. Brownie points to him!!

Total cost was 1100 INR.

Overall, the following are the things I liked about this place:

• EXCELLENT attention to detail (I would go on to call this their USP)
• Willingness to do a job properly and make sure the customer is satisfied
• Sufficient know-how
• Decent workforce
• Efficient working
• VFM
• Friendly and approachable

The only drawback on this outlet is the space. Maximum two cars can be parked outside the shop. Hence the working area is limited, and since he has been garnering a lot of demand lately, it is better to call him first or fix a prior appointment before going to him.

Raju is such a nice and pleasant chap that it he has turned out to be more of a friend (in-spite of our obvious differences in age) than just someone who offers me a service. I have dropped in a few more times after this visit, and spend considerably amounts of time just chatting away. I will be taking my Alto to him soon for detailing. I have introduced him to TBHP, maybe you will see him here soon.

He has been getting a lot of orders from nearby luxury hotels and resorts for the upkeep of their cars. He has shown me some pictures of the work he has done, and it certainly seems well attended to.

He will be starting doorstep foam wash by the end of this month.

Also, he has started doing seat covers. The rates he showed me were extremely competitive, to the point that I had to double check with him whether they actually were all-inclusive. The quality of leather seemed quite decent (I am no expert). He also showed me pictures of a Fabia whose seats he had done recently. Looked like a very good job.

Overall, I would highly recommend this place for those who are looking for a VFM good auto detailing outlet. Will keep this thread updated as and when I pay him further visits.

Contact Person: Raju.
Mob: +919922007672

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Team-BHP Directory. Thanks for sharing!

[carwatcher]

Thanks a ton swarnava!!!
This thread couldn't have come at a better time.
I was just wishing that we have some decent detailing place in Goa where the owner is passionate and having knowledge about his work rather than single point agenda to mint money from unsuspecting customers which is the norm here.
I just got the 2nd servicing done of my beloved Jet and came back hugely disappointed with the washing and interior cleaning job. They were so pathetic that they had not even scheduled my car for washing and when I interfered, the supervisor had to call the washing guys back after they were just about to leave (they had already changed their clothes and washed my car with no interest whatsoever, I mean who will do that in such a situation)
But to be honest I expected it as the dealer (Auto Industries Goa) is famous for such things, so wasn't surpised.

I will take some time out soon to pay a visit there as I want the interiors to be clean as its already more than a year. Thanks

[richie4u]

Swarnav dude, thanks a ton, I was just looking for a place like this to clean up the Safari's interiors. Did you by chance check out what chemicals/ cleaning agents he was using cause you dont want adverse reactions to the interiors from the harsh sunlight due to cheap cleaning chemicals.

[swarnava.m]

Originally Posted by carwatcher

I will take some time out soon to pay a visit there as I want the interiors to be clean as its already more than a year. Thanks

Yes do pay him a visit. I am sure you won't be disappointed. Give him my reference if you want.

Originally Posted by richie4u

Swarnav dude, thanks a ton, I was just looking for a place like this to clean up the Safari's interiors. Did you by chance check out what chemicals/ cleaning agents he was using cause you dont want adverse reactions to the interiors from the harsh sunlight due to cheap cleaning chemicals.

I asked him. He said it is not any chemical, it is a shampoo that he uses. Imported stuff I believe. Just clarify it with him when you visit him.

[rascalangel]

Thanks a Ton for the info!Was looking out for such a place in and around margao. Btw do you have any idea about the guy opposite PWD office in fatorda?he always seems to have lots of cars around his place.

[djjebs]

The quality of work is unbelievable. I used to spend quite a lot of time and money for exterior and interior detailing at 3M Bangalore and sometimes come out disappointed.

Thanks to this thread, I found Cleanz Car Spa. I don't think I will ever visit 3M once again. That's how satisfied I am.

Pro's: Pick up and drop (less than 5 kms radius I guess), Good quality products, Knows what he is doing.

Con's: Only con I can think of is they do not have a car wash booth, however they get it done from a nearby service station.

Regards,
John