Exterior detailing
Exterior Detailing & Hand Wash in Rochester, NY
Pricing
- Small (coupes, sedans, hatchbacks)
- $100+
- Medium (crossovers, small SUVs, trucks)
- $125+
- Large (full-size SUVs, vans, 3-row)
- $150+
Most vehicles land close to these figures. Every vehicle is priced separately, and condition is what moves the number. We confirm your total with you before any work starts.
That is where the price starts for the size. Heavy sap, tar, or a vehicle that has spent a winter untouched takes longer and costs more; sap removal on a badly affected vehicle may be quoted as an add-on rather than folded in quietly.
What's included
- Foam pre-soak and hand wash
- A thick foam layer lifts and carries grit off the paint before a mitt ever touches it, which is where most wash scratches actually come from.
- Wheels, tires, and wheel wells
- Cleaned individually with dedicated tooling, so brake dust and road film come off the barrels and not just the faces.
- Bug, tar, and iron decontamination
- An iron dissolver breaks down the embedded brake dust that makes paint feel gritty, and tar and bug remains are handled with a dedicated solvent rather than scrubbing.
- Ceramic spray protection
- A spray-on ceramic sealant that leaves the paint slick and hydrophobic, so rain sheets off and road salt has a harder time sticking. Typically lasts a few months.
- Glass and exterior trim
- Exterior glass cleaned and trim dressed so faded plastic reads black again instead of chalky gray.
How it goes
The process
Wheels first
Always the dirtiest part of the vehicle, so they get done before anything else and with separate tooling that never touches your paint.
Foam and hand wash
Pre-soak to lift grit, then a careful hand wash top down using clean media, and a soft dry that does not drag contaminants across the panels.
Decontaminate
Iron dissolver, tar and bug removal. This is the step that makes the visible difference people do not expect.
Protect and finish
Ceramic spray sealant, then glass and trim. We walk the vehicle with you in good light before we leave.
Questions about exterior detailing
How is this different from a car wash?
A tunnel wash takes eight minutes with brushes that have touched hundreds of vehicles that day, which is how swirl marks get into clear coat. This is a hand wash plus decontamination and sealant over one to two hours, and it does not add scratches doing it.
How long does the ceramic spray last?
A few months, depending on how the vehicle is stored and washed. It is a sealant, not a true ceramic coating. For protection measured in years, that is paint correction and coating.
Will this remove scratches and swirl marks?
No. An exterior detail cleans, decontaminates and protects the paint, but it does not level the clear coat. Swirls, etching and anything you can feel with a fingernail take multi-stage paint correction, which is separate.
Can you do this in winter?
Yes, within reason. We work year round, and drop-off is the better option well below freezing or on an iced-over driveway. Call and we will tell you honestly whether conditions allow good work.
Ready to book?
Seven days a week by appointment, across Rochester and Monroe County. Fully insured, every job.