Home Automotive AdviceDetailing and Car Care Do You Tip Car Detailers – How Much Should You Tip?

Do You Tip Car Detailers – How Much Should You Tip?

by Jordan Harris
Do You Tip Car Detailers

Are you thinking of doing a detailing job on your car and are you interested do you tip car detailers? Should you tip them or not? Well, we will try to answer this question the best that we can and there will be a lot to cover on this topic.

Having a problem like this can sometimes be frustrating to deal with. Since tipping is one of the best practices out there when it comes to establishing a long-term relationship with your detailer. Since a good detailer is really hard to come by these days.

A ton of detailers do their job in a hurry to get things done as fastest possible and not a lot of them spend some time to make things perfect. And when it comes to quality detailers, this is the type of detailer that you want to keep around you. But do you tip car detailers? Well, more on that and the details we are going to explain later on in this article.

First, we are going to learn what is detailing and the two types of detailing that are out there. Then we will cover how to tell if your car needs a detail. Then we will cover do you tip car detailers and how much you should tip them depending on the type of work that they did on your car. So, if you want to learn more, follow along till the end.

What Is Car Detailing (And Do You Tip Car Detailers)?

Now before we dive into more complex topics of do you tip car detailers and how much you should tip the detailers, let’s cover some of the basics and learn what is a car detailing in general. Knowing the basics is a good starting point that will give you that extra edge when it comes to tipping and how much should you tip for a specific job. So, let’s get into it and explain the basics.

Since the invention of cars, people saw cars as personal luxury. An object that not only that will take them places. But also as something that represents them and their status. So, people could see what you can afford.

But when it comes to representation, the make and model even though are making the most of impact, there is still another really important aspect. And that is the cleanliness. The cleanliness of the car is really important in what impact you create.

Do You Tip Car Detailers

People love to see shiny and perfectly looking cars. That’s how things roll. And they would appreciate a lot more a clean and loved vehicle than a vehicle that is looking horrendous. The looks will give other people the assumption that you don’t quite care about your car and you are simply not maintaining it correctly.

So, when it comes to selling this vehicle, you might face a difficult time convincing people that this car is good. Cars are an example of status and we should always try to make them look the best that we can since looks tell quite a lot about us the owners. But do you tip car dealers and how much? Well, more about this we are going to cover later on in the article.

Types Of Car Detailing (And Why Do You Tip Car Detailers)

Now before we dive into more complex topics and learn do you tip car detailers and how much you should tip. Let’s take a look at the types of car detailing.

As you probably know, there are two types of detailing that are out there and both of these types are difficult and require a lot of skill and patience to get tone. This is why you shouldn’t ask yourself if do you tip car detailers and always tip your detailer. But how much should you tip? More on this later on after we cover the two main types of car detailing.

Interior Detailing

The first type of detailing that we are going to cover before we dive into the question of do you tip car detailers is the interior detailing.

Interior detailing is a complete science. Depending on the interior it requires a different approach. You cannot clean leather interior for solutions that are intended for cloth and vice versa.

This understandably rises the cost of detailing leather on cars since it requires more skill and also a better understanding of what solutions work the best for that specific leather.

Also, detailing interiors is really time-consuming. A ton of people would think that this is only vacuuming. But actually, there is a lot more going around in this work.

Do You Tip Car Detailers

Everything starts with vacuuming the dirt and debris but all the seats if they are cloth and the carpet needs to be vacuumed a couple of times with a special wet dry vacuum.

Then all the dash and door panels have to be cleaned with a special solution and soft brush so all the debris is collected and cleaned.

All this process can take 3 to 6 hours. Sometimes, even more, depending on the condition of the interior of the car and also on the approach. Since there are people who want their interior to look good. And there are people who want their car to look good as the factory.

And this type of different approach determines the price and the hours that will be involved in this type of work on your car. But do you tip car detailers? Well, more on this we are going to cover in the following chapters, now let’s learn more about the next type of detailing.

Paint Detailing

The next type of detailing before we learn if do you tip car detailers is the paint detailing. Paint detailing is one of the most important aspects of making a car look good and attract the attention of other people.

People seem to appreciate a good detailing job and a mirror finish and I quite understand them since the visual representation is one of the most important aspects of a car.

Imagine a car that was never been paint corrected and detailed. The clear coat will probably be all swirled up and the paint would simply look faded. The headlights would be oxidized and this car does not leave a good impression.

This is why doing a detailing job once a year or every two years is the way to go if you want to keep the looks of it up to date and remove the aging looks from it. As we people age we need some touch-ups and so the cars.

Do You Tip Car Detailers

When it comes to exterior car detailing, we can say that this is a tedious process and extremely demanding one. Imagine that the detailer will kneel around the car for hours until they get the result that they want.

This is why detailers especially good ones charge an arm and a leg for an excellent detail job on expensive cars.

These guys have everything, tools for paint thickness and they know all the time how much paint they can shave from the car’s clear coat and avoid creating low spots or going through the clear coat.

This is why when you have someone like this working on your car you shouldn’t be asking yourself if do you tip car detailers and tip your detailer without a doubt.

Reasons That Will Make You Pay For Car Detailing?

Now let’s get to business and cover more of the reasons that will make you go for a detailing job on your car. What are the most common reasons to detail a vehicle?

More on that we are going to elaborate in the following chapters. Knowing the reasons will be really important since you will know if do you tip car detailers and how much you should tip them for a specific job. So, let’s cover all of the reasons in the following chapters and learn more about the possibilities.

1. You Want To Sell This Car

The first and most probable reason why people detail their cars and learn if do you tip car detailers is that they want to sell their car. And frankly, this is what the majority of people who detail cars do. They just want the car to look really good in order to make some money.

And frankly, this thing works. You don’t have to go crazy with the detailing. Even a $100 detail job will make your car look $1,000 more expensive than it actually is.

And in this case, people just want to save a ton of money in the process. They don’t want to tip people and build long-term relationships. Which in my opinion is a bad idea.

Mainly because there are not a lot of people who detail cars for a good deal. Most of them will do a poor job and will thank you for the money and you will never see them again.

This is why if you get a really good service, you better tip the guy if you want to get their service in the near future again for a good deal. A small tip will build a relationship between the two of you, especially if you buy and sell cars all the time to make a profit.

In my opinion, every car dealer should have a detailing guy in order not to lose time and always get the best service. So, when it comes to this type of work, you should never ask yourself do you tip car detailers.

2. You Spilled Soda Over The Interior

The second reason why most people do detailing on their cars and ask if do you tip car detailers is whenever you spill something in your car.

In this case, you need a quick detail that will remove the dirt from the seats on the floor. And these guys are complete lifesavers in my opinion.

I have spilled soda who knows how many times on my seats and there is a guy that I know really well and I always take my car to their shop, they even give me these small detail jobs at a discount since they know me.

And I always give them a little bit more than they want in order to make them happy and help me out whenever needed. This is why you should always be generous since generosity is one of our biggest virtues. People will just appreciate it a lot more if you tip them. That’s how things go around. So, don’t ask yourself if do you tip car detailers, just tip them.

3. Car Exterior Is All Swirled

Another reason that makes people ask if do you tip car detailers is the car exterior. They have just purchased the car and they want to make the car look like it has just rolled out from the showroom floor.

And doing a quick detail after you purchase a car like this should be your top priority. Mainly because you will clean all the junk the previous owner has left in the car. And on the other hand, you will make the car 10 times better and enjoy it a lot more.

So, whenever you purchase a car, this should be a mandatory practice for you. And also, don’t ask yourself if do you tip car detailers. Just tip the guy, later on, we are going to explain how much you should tip him and explain a bit better how to be generous and not get ripped off.

4. Car Covered In Bird Poop

Another reason why people would want to detail a car and ask themselves do you tip car detailers is the situation when the car is covered in bird poop.

Imagine that you went to work and you parked the car under a tree, then after you come out from work, the car is obliterated with poop.

This is something really that you really don’t want happening to you. In these situations, it is a clear sign that you need to do a detailing job on your car. Without a detail, and applying some protection on the paint, you basically risk this poop corroding your paint.

And yes, bird poop is extremely corrosive and cars that were exposed a long time to this poop need to be properly detailed. So the condition of the paint is to be returned to proper order.

5. You Want To Place The Car In Long Term Storage

Another reason that will make you do car detailing on your car and ask yourself if do you tip car detailers is the case when you want to store the car.

Imagine that you have a car that you don’t want to use. But you don’t want to sell this car, you just want to store this vehicle. This is a really good time to do detail and protect the car with wax or ceramic coating.

This way you will be sure that when you remove the cover, the car will look good as the day you stored this vehicle. But do you tip car detailers? More on this in a bit.

6. You Want To Drive The Car After Long Term Storage

And the last reason that we are going to cover. A reason that will make you ask if do you tip car detailers is the situation when you want to drive a car after long-term storage.

Let’s imagine that you found yourself a survivor car. Survivor cars are something that you really need to carefully detail in order so the car not to lose its value. Since survivor cars are like unicorns. You cannot find a really solid classic car around the corner.

These cars pop up once in a blue moon and whenever finding a detailer, you need to find the best guy you can. And in this situation cost should be your last priority. But do you tip car detailers? Well, more about this we are going to cover next in the following chapter.

Do You Tip Car Detailers

So, do you tip car detailers? Well, yes. You should definitely leave a tip for car detailing. And not only detailing but also always whenever you do work on your car.

But how big of a tip you should leave to car detailers? Well, this really depends a lot on the service that you get.

Let’s say that you have a really valuable car that needs to get detailed and only the detail job costs $500 or more, how much tip you should leave in this case?

Auto wash clean

In this case, you should leave about a $50 tip, or $100 if you are a generous person that wants to build a good relationship with a car detailer. Leaving tips is really useful in these cases because excellent detailers are really hard to come by and when you are having a $100,000 car, saving money on this type of work should be your least concern.

On the other hand when it comes to tips for washing and detailing a car when you want to do this real quick for example. Leaving a small tip is always a good idea. Something like $10 or $20 would be really good if the service is worth $100.

If it’s more expensive, then you should tip a bit more. Usually, the tipping rule is to tip 15 to 20% of what the service is worth.

Good Car Detailing Near Me

As we learned if do you tip car detailers, now it is time to learn where you can get a good car detailing. How to find a good detailer around your area?

Well, you might opt to browse the phrase good car detailing near me. I bet that there will be a ton of recommendations that will give you exact locations and telephone numbers to where you can take your car to.

Or if you have friends that detail their cars, you might want to ask them where they take their cars and if they are satisfied, you are also going to be really satisfied with the service.

Cost To Get Car Detailed

We learned do you tip car detailers or not. Now let’s learn more about the costs involved in this work. How much can you expect to pay for a detailing job on your car?

Frankly, prices for these services vary quite a bit. It really depends on the experience of the detailer and how much he wants for that specific service. Also on the service and what is involved in this job.

So, prices vary from $100 up to $5,000 if you do a detailing job and PPF protection or some other crazy detail job.

Conclusion On Do You Tip Car Detailers

In this article, we learned quite a bit when it comes to car detailing. First, we learned what detailing is and the types of detailing that you can do on a car.

Then we covered the reasons why would someone want to detail a car and if do you tip car detailers and how much you should tip them.

F.A.Qs On Do You Tip Car Detailers

Now let’s answer some frequently asked questions.

What Does A Car Detailer Do

A car detailer is doing a lot of different things to make your car look amazing. The most common things detailers do is vacuuming the interior and washing the exterior. If you want a better detail you would also want him to polish out the car’s exterior and apply protecting coat.

Do You Tip Car Detailer

Yes, you should tip a car detailer. And not only when it comes to detailing but in any other type of work if you are satisfied with the result and the effectiveness of the worker. By giving a tip, you are building a good relationship and when you will need a detail job in the future, this detailer would be always available for you.

How Much To Tip Car Detailer

Well, the general rule is to tip about 10% to 15% percent of the value of the job. So, if you do a $1,000 detail job, it is a good idea to give him a $100 tip. If you are on a tight budget, you can leave him $50. Still, any tip is better than no tip.

How Often To Detail A Car

You should detail the car at least once a year if you drive it often. If you don’t drive the car a lot, then doing a detail every couple of years will be a good idea. If the car is in good shape, you don’t need any detailing to be done to it.

How Much Is Car Detailing

Prices for detailing can really vary by a big margin. They start from $100 and end up at $5,000 or even more. It really depends on the experience of the detailer and also on the difficulty of the job. If it’s an expensive car, you only want the best.

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