The usual advice is to detail your car every three to six months. That's fine for somewhere dry. In the Lower Mainland, the calendar matters more than the interval: what the car needs in October is different from what it needs in April.
Here's a schedule built around what our roads and weather actually do to a car.
Fall: protect before the rain
Late September and October is the time for a Deep exterior. Clay bar, iron decontamination and machine wax take off a summer's worth of sap, bug residue and brake dust, and put down a layer that rain and road film wear at instead of your clear coat.
It's also the time to deal with hazy headlights. It gets dark early from here on, and a yellowed lens scatters light instead of putting it on the road. Headlight restoration is $75 – $100 for the pair.
Winter: keep the brine moving
When the temperature drops, brine goes down on Lougheed, Hwy 1 and the bridges, and it dries white on the lower doors and rockers. It shouldn't sit there. A Hand Wash & Dry every few weeks through the salty stretch keeps it moving, and Wheel & Tire Cleaning stops brake dust and brine baking onto the wheels together.
Inside, winter is wet boots and soaked floor mats. An Interior Maintenance Clean keeps the loose dirt from getting ground in, but it won't dry out the padding. That's spring's job.
Spring: the reset
March and April are when a Deep Full Detail earns its keep. Outside, decontamination strips the winter's embedded iron and road film. Inside, hot-water extraction pulls out the salt and grit that soaked into the carpet, and the moisture feeding that musty smell.
If the car smells damp even after a dry week, that's water in the padding, and Interior Deep Restoration is the fix. Air fresheners aren't.
Summer: sap, pollen and road trips
Cars parked under cedars and maples collect sap that etches if it's left through a hot week, and pollen coats everything in late spring. Regular hand washes handle most of it; bonded sap needs a clay bar.
Summer is also beach and trail season. Sand from Spanish Banks and mud from Golden Ears end up in the carpet, usually with dog hair mixed in. Pet hair removal starts at $35 for light shedding.
A simple rhythm by driver
Every car is different, but these are good starting points:
- Daily commuter, parked outside: Deep exterior in fall, hand wash every few weeks in winter, Deep Full Detail in spring.
- Family car or dog car: Interior Maintenance Clean every month or two, Interior Deep Restoration twice a year, pet hair as needed.
- Weekend car, garaged: Deep Full Detail once a year, hand washes when it's been driven in the rain.
- Work truck: Interior Deep Restoration when the cab starts to smell, Wheel & Tire Restoration after a muddy season.
Signs you're overdue
If any of these sound familiar, the car needs more than a wash:
- The paint feels gritty after washing
- Water sits in flat patches instead of beading
- The wheel barrels are dark brown
- The cabin smells musty when the heat or AC comes on
- There are white salt lines on the carpet
- The headlights look yellow or cloudy
Book it around your schedule
We're mobile and open 7 days a week from 5 AM to 7 PM, so the car can be done in your driveway or at work without you giving up a Saturday. See our prices, or get a quote for your car. We cover everywhere from Maple Ridge to Coquitlam and Vancouver.