What to Expect at Your First Car Detailing Appointment

Booking your first detail can feel like walking into something you don't know the rules of. How long does it take? Do you wait around? What do you do with your stuff? Is the price on the website the price you actually pay?

Fair questions. Here's exactly how it works at Dirty Details, start to finish, so you show up knowing the drill and there are no surprises.

First: We're Appointment-Based

We don't run a drive-through line. We book you a slot and we set aside the time to do your vehicle right, rather than rushing it to get to the next one.

That means step one is simple: book ahead. Grab a time online at dirtydetails.ca/book or call (604) 845-4060. Show up unannounced and there's a good chance we're elbow-deep in someone else's rig with no room for yours that day.

When you book, you tell us roughly what you're dealing with — interior, exterior, or the whole thing — and how rough it is. The more honest you are about the mess, the more accurate the time and quote.

Before You Drop Off

Do a little prep and the whole thing goes smoother. Nothing major.

• Grab your valuables. Wallet, sunglasses, garage remote, spare change, the stuff in the console and glovebox. We work carefully, but your personal items should ride with you, not us.
• Clear out the big junk. Kid gear, work tools, gym bags — pull the loose stuff you want to keep. We'll handle the dirt; you handle your belongings.
• Point out the problem spots. That stain on the back seat, the smell you can't place, the scratch you're worried about. Tell us up front so we target it.
• Mention pets and spills. Heavy pet hair, a soaked-in spill, or an odor issue may be a quote-only add-on. Flag it when you book so the time and price are right.

That's it. You don't need to pre-clean anything. Bringing us your filth is the entire point.

The Drop-Off

You bring the vehicle to 44344 B Yale Rd, Chilliwack. We walk around it with you, confirm what you're booking, and lock in the plan. If there's anything that needs a quote — pet hair, odor removal, salt — we look at it together and give you a straight number before we start. No mystery line items at pickup.

Then you hand over the keys and go live your day. This isn't a wait-in-the-lobby operation. A real detail takes hours, so drop it off and we'll get to work.

How Long It Actually Takes

Here's the honest answer: it depends on the vehicle and the package. A detail is measured in hours, not minutes.

• Interior Detail ($250) — the full cabin, done properly. Seats, carpets, mats, dash, console, glass, vents.
• Exterior Detail ($250) — full hand wash, decontamination, wheels, tires, trim, glass.
• Complete Detail (from $350) — inside and out, the whole rig. Book both separately you'd pay $500 — bundled you save $150.

A tidy commuter sedan moves faster than a work truck that's been hauling drywall and mud since spring. When you book, we give you a realistic window based on what you're bringing. We'd rather quote you honest than promise fast and cut corners.

What We're Doing While You're Gone

Not skimming the surface. Extracting the dirt. Depending on your package, that means:

• Deep-cleaning seats and carpets, agitating cloth to pull grime up out of the weave
• Scrubbing down every hard surface — dash, console, cup holders, door panels
• Clearing the vents and cracks where dust and crud hide
• Hand-washing the exterior with no drive-through brushes to swirl your paint
• Decontaminating the surface so the paint is genuinely clean, then dressing wheels, tires, and trim

Add-ons stack on top if you booked them — headliner ($100), engine bay ($100), or any of the quote-only jobs like pet hair, odor removal, or salt extraction.

Getting It Back

When it's done, we get in touch. You come pick up a vehicle that looks and smells like it did a lot of years and kilometres ago — the reset button, pushed.

You pay for what we agreed on. If anything changed mid-job — say the mess was worse than it looked and needed an add-on — we'd have called you first. We don't spring numbers on you at the counter.

Then you drive off with a clean rig and, usually, a slightly unreasonable urge to keep it that way. That part's on you.

The Bottom Line

Your first detail is simple: book a time, prep your valuables, drop it off, and pick up a genuinely clean vehicle a few hours later. We're appointment-based, we quote honest before we start, and we do the work by hand.

Ready for the reset? Book at dirtydetails.ca/book or call (604) 845-4060. We love dirty — the worse it is, the more we want it.

FAQ

Q: Do I wait while you detail my car? A: No. A proper detail takes hours, so it's a drop-off. Leave it with us, go about your day, and we'll let you know when it's ready.

Q: What if my vehicle is really, really bad? A: Bring it. Seriously — "we love dirty" isn't a slogan. Heavy messes may add a quote-only line for pet hair, odor, or salt, but we look at it with you and give you the number before we start.

Q: Is the website price the final price? A: The core packages are fixed — $250 interior, $250 exterior, $350 to start on the complete. Add-ons like pet hair and odor removal are quote-only because every case differs. You'll know the full number before we touch the vehicle.

Q: Do I need to book, or can I just show up? A: Book. We're appointment-based so we can set aside real time for your rig. Walking in unannounced usually means we're already booked solid that day.