Interior or exterior detail: which one does your car actually need?

Half the messages we get start with "not sure what I need". Here is how we work it out on the phone, so you can do it yourself.

The outside needs help if

• Water sits flat on the paint instead of beading. The wax or sealant is gone.
• The paint feels rough when you run a hand over the roof or hood after a wash. That is bonded contamination and it needs a clay bar.
• Black plastic trim has faded to grey.
• Front wheels have a brown film that a hose will not shift.
• Water spots from a sprinkler or a hard water wash have dried in.

One or two of those: Pristine Exterior. Rough paint or grey trim: Platinum Exterior, which includes the clay bar and the trim restore.

The inside needs help if

• Crumbs and dust in the seams and vents, a film on the dash, cupholder rings.
• A smell that stays after you air it out.
• Stains on the seats or carpet, or dog hair woven into the fibres.
• The steering wheel and leather feel sticky or look shiny.

Dust and crumbs: Pristine Interior. Smells, stains or pet hair: Platinum Interior, which adds steam, shampoo and conditioner.

Both

If you ticked boxes on both lists, book a combined package. On a sedan, a Pristine Exterior and a Pristine Interior booked separately come to $165. The Full Detail covers both for $135, because we are already at your house with everything set up. Same logic at the top end: the Platinum Clean is both Platinum packages for less than the pair.

Still not sure

Text a photo of the worst bit to (818) 923-4202. We answer with the package and the price, no pitch.