[AJ56]

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

So you cannot compare their services & charges with the ones you provide. Yes its true there is an audience who can spend $$$ on detailing, however the mass market consumer will shy away from spending this kind of money. I normally do wash and wax after every 2-3 months, so going by your rates, my quarterly car spa routine budget will be twice that of my car servicing budget

Yes very true, no two shops are the same in terms of the time they put in and products used.

It’s the same for my own cars, I spend way more on detailing and paint protection every year than I do on annual servicing, and this is after the fact that labour is free for me

But this is where the beauty of a pro ceramic coating comes in, over a 2-3 year period it works out much, much cheaper than getting a wash and wax done every 1-2 months, plus you get better water repellency and protection.

Originally Posted by R2D2

Just so you are aware, from my experience, no detailer in Pune uses RO water (bore well water used).

If the total cost of offering this service was 1380 and price charged was a measly 1600 or so per wash, it would certainly not make commercial sense.

My car generally gets extra attention because of a few reasons including my monitoring of the work plus my bonhomie with the detailer. I want to try out Turtle Wax though I really wish 3M came up with a Meguiars franchisee system instead of the low end 3M stuff which isn't half as impressive as their premium brand.

Not just Pune, no detailer in Delhi-NCR (to my knowledge) uses distilled water either. Blasting soft paint with hard water (1000+ TDS) at 2000 psi is never a good idea and can lead to pitting in the clearcoat. And when someone is spending thousands on paint correction it makes no sense to save that odd 450 and risk it. You also get thicker foam and your pressure washer lasts much longer.

Not every service in a business has to be profitable to make commercial sense, it’s offered at cost as a convenience service for people wanting basic maintenance cleaning. It’s also good marketing for us as it gets people through the door where they can often see other cars being coated/polished and this helps convert them.

I wouldn’t put Meguiar’s over 3M if we’re talking brand hierarchy. Neither would I classify 3M as a premium brand by any stretch, it’s decent quality but nowhere near the best. Look at at this way-

You have the super cheap brands like Motomax, Wavex, Formula 1, no name Chinese brands, etc. these are roughly equivalent to your entry level cars like I10, I20, City, etc.

You have standard brands like Meguiar’s, 3M, Turtle, Armor All, etc. these are equivalent to mid segment cars like Camry, Accord, C Class, Superb, etc.

You have the luxury/high end brands like Carpro, Gyeon, Wolfgang, Stoner, Koch Chemie, SystemX, Feynlab, etc. these are equivalent to flagship cars like an S class, 7 Series, XJ, A8, etc.

Finally you have the ultra/best money can buy category with brands like Kamikaze, Zymol, Swissvax, etc. targeted at the rich Pebble Beach Concours crowd. These are equivalent to cars like a Bentley Continental, RR Phantom, etc.

I might add that just like with the car examples I’ve given, the differences between the last two categories is minor at best, and in some cases the flagship brands actually do better. Just like how an S has a better looking/more feature packed interior than a Continental or Phantom.

The Indian detailing market is moving up slowly, 15 years ago even the standard brands like 3M weren’t popular, now it’s a mix of standard and high end ones. In the future it’ll be a mix of the high end and ultra categories.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by AJ56

You have standard brands like Meguiar’s, 3M, Turtle, Armor All, etc. these are equivalent to mid segment cars like Camry, Accord, C Class, Superb, etc.

The Indian detailing market is moving up slowly, 15 years ago even the standard brands like 3M weren’t popular, now it’s a mix of standard and high end ones. In the future it’ll be a mix of the high end and ultra categories.

I'd agree with you on most of what you said in this post. Back in the '90s and early 2K it was the ubiquitous F1 it was passable by todays standards but back then compared to waxpol and similar it was a dream.

I have used both 3M and Meguiars extensively over decades and found Megs products to be superior. Then shifted to Collinite 845 and Marque d'Elegance 915, very good for the money too.

I used to frequent a US detailing forum (autogeek, I think) frequently back in the days but I guess have put it on the backburner because living in a flat, and of course age, put restrictions on what one can do including using a pressure washer (I have a Bosch). I now leave the detailing to the 'experts'. I have used Aquatint's services and they are/were very good. The car hasn't been detailed since 2018-19 and needs some TLC now.

There's a guy who is willing to do a ceramic coating on my car but given its age I am not sure.

[varunswnt]

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

Do inform us in case they reopen ! I noticed some new detailing centers on Nagar road towards Kharadi - Wagholi section. Maybe I will try them out and post a report someday.

There is another popular one near Novotel hotel on Nagar road near Viman nagar.

https://brotomotiv.in/

Address : Lane No. 1, Right Turn, Kapil Nagar street, Behind Water Tank Road, Wadgaon Sheri Rd, opp. Novotel, Pune, Maharashtra 411014

If you try them, then do review them. With your first hand experience on detailing at various places, your views on them will be more credible.

Disclaimer: I have no experience with them, but do follow their Youtube channel once a while.