Sedans are among the most popular styles of vehicle and quality car detailing is an essential part of retaining their value and keeping them road ready. If you are looking to have your sedan detailed, you are already on your way to having a better driving experience and protecting your investment in your vehicle.
Here we will look at some base prices for the cost of car detailing for a sedan along with the price of important add-on services, other factors that affect cost and why each service is important for your car.
The bottomline: For sedan detailing, you can expect to pay around $120 for interior only detailing and $160 for interior and exterior detailing. This base cost covers a range of services that will make your car safer, more comfortable to drive and cleaner while also helping to retain resale value. Upgrades and add on services add even more value to your car detailing. Services like pet hair removal, tire changing and odor removal can be included for a minimal increase in cost and time.
In this post:
- What is included in Interior and Exterior Detailing?
- What is a Sedan and Why is Car Type Important in Car Detailing?
- How Often Should I Get My Sedan Detailed?
- Should I get Both My Sedan Interior and Exterior Detailed?
- Types of Car Detailing
- Other Factors that Affect Cost of Car Detailing
- Add-On Services
- Schedule Your Detailing
What is included in Interior and Exterior Sedan Detailing?
Often, drivers think of car detailing as focusing on the exterior of the car. While exterior car detailing is important, the interior of your vehicle also benefits greatly from detailing. Let’s look at what you can expect from your sedan detailing.
Interior Sedan Detailing
Interior detailing includes thorough cleaning that removes a build up of debris in even the most hidden crevices. Having your car’s interior detailed will not only protect your seat fabric, it will also reduce allergens and remove odors. Here are some of the many services included in interior car detailing:
- Conditioning and Cleaning of Interior Fabric: Whether you have fabric seats or leather, detailing services will clean, condition and preserve your interior. For leather seats, a conditioning product will be used to help keep them soft, supple and resistant to creasing. Fabric will be cleaned and treated with stain-resistant products.
- Why it’s Important: Along with regular use, your car interior is subjected to dramatic temperature changes. Cold weather can make leather seats prone to cracking while fabric is often faded by sunlight. Quality detailing services help to reduce and repair these issues.
- Carpet Care: vacuuming and shampooing for your car’s flooring will clean away dirt and restore your carpet to a like-new condition. This will also include vacuuming your trunk.
- Why It’s Important: Your car’s floor takes on a lot of wear and tear. Not only does dirt get trapped in the fibers, odors and stains do as well. Regular interior detailing can keep your flooring from getting prematurely worn out and reduce unpleasant odors that may be trapped. Additionally, it is important to keep your floor’s carpet in good condition to prevent holes and tears from forming. Once the carpet is compromised, the metal parts underneath may be more prone to forming rust.
- Window Cleaning: Built up dust, dirt and grime are meticulously washed and polished away for a sparkling finish.
- Why It’s Important: A film of dirt can reduce your ability to see clearly while driving. While a moderately dirty window will not blind you by any means, dirt streaks and specks can be distracting. Also, clean windows simply make your car look better overall.
- Final Touches: After vacuuming, shampooing and thoroughly dusting all interior surfaces, your sedan detailing team will go back over with a final cleaning. This will also include a final deodorizer that will give your car a clean, fresh scent.
- Why It’s Important: Car detailing begins by removing larger pieces of trash and dirt followed by removal of smaller bits of debris. A final cleaning and deodorizing ensures all debris is removed from each stage of detailing.
Exterior Sedan Detailing
Exterior detailing has fewer steps and components than interior detailing, but it is an important part of maintenance, value retention and overall appearance of your car.
The process for exterior detailing for your car will depend largely on the condition of your car when it is brought in. First, all visible dirt will be removed and then a series of steps will be used to polish and restore the body of your car, outside of the windows and the tires.
Why It’s Important: Exterior detailing is important for several reasons including:
- Preventing Rust: Newer cars are much more resistant to rust than older cars but there is still risk wherever steel parts are exposed. This includes both naturally exposed parts and areas where paint has been scratched away. Detailing will clean these areas of corrosive debris, dirt and salt to further reduce the risk or rust.
- Catch Issues Early: Small scratches, compromised tires and other issues can often go unnoticed. We are used to looking for large dents, scratches and flattened tires but these minor issues can easily become worse if not dealt with early on. During a car detailing session, these issues are more likely to be seen.
- Remove Surface Scratches and Swirls: Your car’s exterior will often get minor scratches and swirls from debris and any number of objects that come in contact with it. These will dull the surface of your vehicle and potentially lead to deeper scratches if left untreated. Car polishing will remove these small swirls for a better, brighter shine.
What is a Sedan?
Personal vehicles are typically divided into these broad categories: Small cars or coupes, sedans, large SUVs, minivans, trucks and then large, special use vehicles like RVs and semi-trucks. Known for its 4-door configuration and sporty styling, a sedan is the most popular body type for drivers.
A sedan differs from a coupe which has only two doors and it is also different from a hatchback which has a cargo space that is integrated into the interior of the car. A sedan, in contrast, has a traditional trunk that is sectioned off from the interior of the car.
Related Article: Is It Worth Getting a Car Detailed?
Why is Car Type Important in Car Detailing?
These categories are largely defined by the size of the car along with certain features like number of doors and trunk type. Car size is one of the biggest deciding factors in how long your car detailing will take and is, therefore, also a deciding factor in how your car detailing is priced.
For example, your sedan has two extra doors compared to a coupe style car. This means two extra door jambs to clean for interior detailing and also more exterior area to polish. Similarly, your sedan will have far less cargo space and exterior space to detail compared to an SUV and this is why it will be less expensive.
Keeping this in mind helps car owners understand where cost differences between car types come from. The time difference between detailing a small car and a sedan which is only one category up can mean an extra half hour to an hour. Plus there may also be more product used on a larger vehicle.
How Often Should I Get My Sedan Detailed?
How often you get your sedan detailed will depend on how and when you use your car. As a general rule, you should get your sedan detailed about every 4 to 6 months. Weekly or bi-weekly car washes in between detailing should keep most cars looking nice.
However, if you take your vehicle on dusty or muddy roads frequently, you will need to have your vehicle detailed more often. In this case, you may want to get a thorough detailing every other month or more.
Similarly, you should aim to have your vehicle detailed at key times throughout the year. For example, you should have your car detailed at least once towards the end of winter. Throughout the season your car will have been subjected to salt on the road which can be corrosive and abrasive. Detailing will remove this and prevent further damage. Detailing after your car has been through a spring season of mud and rain can also be a good time to schedule a cleaning.
Should I get Both My Sedan Interior and Exterior Detailed?
While you can choose to have only your interior detailed, having both your interior and exterior detailed at the same time can be both time and cost effective.
One exception might be if you have very recently had the exterior of your car detailed and then a spill occurs on the interior of your car. Similarly, if you need frequent odor or pet hair removal, you can skip the exterior detailing during every other session.
Typically, you would not only get the outside of your car detailed. An exception to this is if you recently went off-roading or got significant dirt or mud on your car. Depending on your schedule and budget, it can sometimes be quicker to remove caked on dirt at a basic car wash before seeking exterior detailing as well.
Types of Car Detailing
There are several types of car detailing that can range from basic but thorough cleaning up to “Like New” and “Showroom Ready.” With the higher end packages you can expect your car to be returned to as pristine a condition as possible. This type of detailing is ideal for when your car will be on display, you have a special event, or when you plan to sell your car.
However, there is no reason to limit your car to special detailing for certain occasions. The cost difference between higher end car detailing packages and the basics are usually not that great and having a like-new vehicle can make driving that much more fun.
Other Factors that Affect Cost of Car Detailing
These include:
Add-On Services for Sedan Detailing
If you are new to car detailing, it may surprise you how many services you can get done during your detailing session including everything from tire changes to pet hair removal. Add-on services add to the overall safety and comfort of your vehicle. They can also be a convenient way to get certain maintenance items done without having to take your car to a dealership or repair shop.
Here are some of the top car detailing services you can get for your sedan:
- Tire Change: Check one more thing off your car maintenance to do list by having your tires changed on the spot. Faster and more convenient than taking your sedan to a dealership or mechanic, on site tire changes can be done in a matter of minutes.
- Pet Hair Removal: Sometimes our furry friends leave a little too much of themselves in our car. When normal vacuuming is not enough, special pet hair removal can be added on. This will eliminate fur and allergens.
- Odor Removal: Standard cleaning will eliminate most odors, but if you have exceptionally ground in smells such as smoke, special ozone odor elimination can be included in your detailing. This will remove some of the most difficult smells and leave your car fresher and more comfortable.
Condition of Car
Another factor that may impact the cost of your car detailing is if your car requires extra cleaning. For example, if your car is very muddy or there was a major spill on the interior. While car detailing packages factor in most common car conditions, these issues may raise the price.
Special Requests
The final factor that might affect your sedan detailing price is special requests. While our detailing services are designed to be thorough and complete, Cardetailing.ca welcomes you to discuss any special requests. For example, if there is a particular stain you want us to work on in the interior.
Related Article: What is the Cost of Car Detailing in Ontario?
Schedule Your Sedan Detailing
Ready to get your sedan looking great and more comfortable to drive? Car Detailing North York and Toronto is here for you with affordable, comprehensive car detailing packages that ensure you get the services you need at a competitive price. To receive a quote or schedule a cleaning, please fill out our fast form here or call 416-650-5483.
