Most car detailing services are primarily going to be split between interior and exterior services. If you can afford to have it all done at once, that’s the best way to go about it, since you can maintain the car all at once.
However, that takes a long time and costs a fair amount, and you might even need to leave the car overnight to accommodate the team’s schedule for some companies.
What do you do if you can only afford to budget detailing services for one of those options, or you need to spread out interior vs. exterior detailing over time?
We’re going to go over some of the key points we’ve learned through years of serving customers just like you, and some of our opinions on what each service provides to give you a better bang for your buck.
Is the Vehicle Brand-New?
If the vehicle is brand-new and off the lot, our recommendation is to immediately start with the exterior, but not necessarily for traditional detailing. Mobile detailing services don’t just include cleaning. They also provide protective services.
These can range from putting a nice wax coat on the vehicle to installing a premium ceramic coating. The reason we recommend going with these services first is twofold.
First, you’ll protect your car’s exterior. This will help you preserve its value and off-the-assembly-line look, but it will also make future detailing a lot easier.
On top of that, this is one of the more expensive detailing services you can get, and since you just bought the car, you’re already digging into your bank account. What’s $1000 more on a $30,000 bill?
If you have any desire to protect your car’s paint and exterior quality, just get the coating out of the way first, and then you can focus on cost-effective services and maintenance.
Is There a Mold or Mildew Problem?
One thing that should make your decision pretty easy is if you’re dealing with mold or mildew. You usually won’t see it, but you’ll smell it or suffer the allergy effects of it. It gets into the vent system, between seams, and under upholstery.
You can’t really clean this out yourself. Mold and mildew require specialized equipment and skills to get them out completely, and if you miss anything, spores can bring the problem right back within a few days or so.
This isn’t just an unsavory smell, either. If you have mold or mildew problems from moisture getting into the car, it can not only be mildly bad for your health, but it can also trigger allergies that put you in an unsafe state to drive.
If you’re smelling mildew, see mold, or keep having allergies in your car, prioritize your interior.
Has the Car Been Coated or PPF-protected?
Both the interior and exterior of your car require regular maintenance if you want to preserve them for a long time to come. However, you can protect your car’s exterior extremely well. A ceramic coating or PPF will limit your maintenance requirements and make regular maintenance far easier compared to traditional car wash routines.
On the other hand, your car’s interior is typically going to have a lot of fabric, hard plastic surfaces that are constantly being touched and getting grease or food junk on them, and the carpeted flooring is going to get covered with everything you step on throughout the day.
All that leads to those delicate interior materials getting broken down a lot faster, and there isn’t much you can do to stop that.
Detailing the interior regularly greatly extends the life of your upholstery, carpeting, and hard surfaces. It’s safe for older vehicles, too. In fact, if you look at a car that is 20 years old on the used market, you’ll often find that the exterior is perfectly fine if it’s coated, but the interior usually shows plenty of wear.
This doesn’t mean to neglect your exterior, though. If you have a ceramic coating that needs to be inspected and boosted at least once a year, getting it properly detailed on the outside and engine bay at roughly the same time is a good idea.
Try to get your interior detailed around every six months, in comparison.
Consider Your Lifestyle
We’ll use two extreme examples for this, but it’s typically going to be a little less dramatic.
Let’s say you have a nice Jeep that you take off-road a lot. You keep the interior pretty clean, but you get a lot of dirt and debris all over the exterior during your weekend fun. You need to prioritize the exterior of the vehicle. It’s constantly being exposed to things that can deteriorate the paint, and eventually, it will deteriorate the structural components.
On the other hand, if you’re driving your kids to and from school every day on nice suburban roads, the messiest thing you have to concern yourself with is a juice stain or other normal kid things; the exterior is going to be a bigger priority.
Your Location Can Impact Your Priorities
We’re in Carlsbad. It’s very sunny, and the ocean isn’t too far away. That can lead to faster fading, oxidation, and corrosion on the vehicle’s exterior.
As such, even if you’re living a rather simple life without putting your car through too much, the elements in the environment are a constant issue for the car’s exterior.
Ceramic coating offers a range of benefits, and we recommend it to all our customers. That said, Carlsbad’s climate is tough on vehicles, so it’s still important to stay vigilant about exterior care.
If you live somewhere with mild weather around the heartland, the interior is likely to be a bigger issue for you, or if you live in a snowy area, the exterior might be a concern due to frequent exposure to roadway treatments.
Either way, your location plays a big role, so choosing the right car detailing service is key to keeping your vehicle in great shape.
Talk to Your Tech at Finetactic Detailing
When deciding between interior vs. exterior detailing, it’s important to remember that both are essential for keeping your car in great shape.
We’ve covered the key factors to help you prioritize based on your car’s condition, lifestyle, and budget, but ideally, you’ll want to maintain both areas regularly!
At Finetactic Detailing, we offer expert ceramic coating, paint correction, and comprehensive interior and exterior mobile detailing services to protect and refresh your vehicle inside and out.
Give us a call or email us to get personalized advice and keep your car always looking its absolute best!