FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Horizon Detail?
We are Chicagoland’s premier mobile automotive detailing service. We have over 20 years of experience, and we love doing what we do. In addition, we offer 100% mobile automotive detailing service, meaning we come to you, anywhere you may be.
You don’t have to worry about making arrangements for a ride to and from the shop, or worry about having to wait in a waiting room for hours while your vehicle is worked on. You also have the piece of mind of having your vehicle in your proximity, and do not have to worry about leaving it somewhere you can’t keep an eye on it.
Our service is exactly the same service you would expect to receive at a detailing shop,delivered to the comfort and convenience of your home or other location of your choosing.
Our mobile services are completely self sustained as well. We bring power, water, lights, equipment, tools, products, and even canopies and tents complete with climate control. We also clean up after ourselves and leave virtually no trace behind.
When you use Horizon Detail you know you are getting one of the industry’s best automotive detailing jobs. We spend the time required to get the job done without cutting corners, and we will never rush to finish our work simply to move onto another job, leaving you with a shoddy finished product.
We are thrilled you’ve decided to use Horizon Detail for your automotive detailing and protection needs, and we are sure that once you’ve experienced our services for yourselves, that you will be too!
What is Detailing?
Detailing is the art and science applied toward the restoration of automobiles and other vehicles through the performance of correcting, thoroughly cleaning, and finishing of a vehicles exterior and interior, to produce a show-quality level of detail.
Simply put, detailing is what is required if you want a thorough deep clean to both prevent your vehicle from requiring restorative services, but also as a restorative services for your vehicle should it require it!
What is the difference between a professional detailer and the local car wash?
Simply put, auto detailing is far more thorough and safer, in every aspect.
At the local car wash you can get a quick wash or interior cleaning that could have varying results. They are often fast services focused on getting vehicles in and out as quickly as possible. Having your vehicle cleaned at a car wash, or sub par detailing shop, will often result in poor results. Some of which you will see, and much of which will be hidden from view.
With a capable and professional detailer on the other hand, you will receive a very thorough job that often meets or beats expectations. We take a much more passionate view towards detailing your vehicles, and will out perform a car washing service in every meaningful regard. Our services may seem to be more expensive for the same or similar services, however, buyer beware. Car wash services try to bill themselves as detailing services, but offer vastly different quality of work. Often times taking your vehicle to a car washing service will result in your vehicle actually requiring more work than it did before it went in for service.
Do yourself a favor, if you value quality of work and getting what you pay for, find yourself a reputable and professional detailing service and have the work done right the first time. You’ll be surprised at what a difference it makes, plus you won’t need to clean as frequently and can save yourself time and money on more costly work that might be required due to the practices of the sub par service or shops.
Do I need to have my vehicle detailed?
In short, yes.
To elaborate a bit, most of us spend a huge amount of time in our vehicles. Our vehicles are exposed to dirt, dust, allergens, grime, and more. It builds up over time and also gets ground into the carpets, seats, panels, crevices, and the hidden, out of sight areas. We clean our homes regularly to remove those very same things to live a cleaner, healthier life. Often times we neglect to do the same with our vehicles. Detailing your vehicle is a necessity in the same sense as cleaning your home is.
Another benefit of having your vehicle regularly detailed is, it’s one of the most cost effective means of keeping your vehicle in top condition. There’s a sense of pride there for sure, but there is also a very practical benefit to it as well. There is simply no better way to increase your vehicles resale and trade-in value. It’s simple. Vehicles that look good, that look like you cared for them, will sell faster and for closer to the asking amount than vehicles that don’t look good or cared for. You can think of it as general maintenance for the appearance of your vehicle, much in the same vein as general maintenance for your engine and other mechanical components. Having your vehicle detailed and keeping your vehicle in top condition not only makes a great impression, but it puts, or keeps, more money in your pocket as well. Not to mention the awesome boost you’ll feel in pride of ownership!
How often should I have my vehicle detailed?
This question is difficult to answer due to the varying level of services offered and provided by detailing shops.
We recommend a minimum of two deep clean interior details annually, but that also assumes very little maintenance detailing in between. In reality, we would recommend our basic level maintenance detailing on a monthly or bi-monthly basis depending on the condition your vehicle finds itself in. If we stay on top of it, it’s less likely it will need extensive services down the road.
On the other hand, we offer larger ticket items like ceramic coatings as an alternative to waxing and sealing your vehicles paint. In this case, you’ll only need to do it once! Our coatings are designed to last years not months or weeks.
The single best answer to how often you should have your vehicle detailed is, you should find a good, professional detailer, and have them asses your vehicle and your needs. From there you can put together a plan of attack that makes the most sense to you and provides you with the best value.
What is the best way to have my vehicle washed?
Call us!
But seriously, while we do offer a tremendous wash and wash & wax service, we all know there are many ways to wash your vehicle. We’ll run down the options in order of our recommendations, in addition to utilizing our services.
The traditional method of washing your vehicle yourself by hand using a bucket of soapy water and a wash mitt. Some things to keep in mind with this option are: Make sure you utilize the two bucket car wash system. Simply explained, the two bucket system utilizes a bucket of soapy water and a bucket of clean water. You use the clean water to rinse your wash mitt before you put the wash mitt back into the soapy water. You want to use a car wash soap from a reputable manufacturer and you will want to avoid using dish soap or general purpose detergents as they can strip the wax or sealant from your vehicles finish. Always use a clean wash mitt and always dry your vehicle with a microfiber or soft terrycloth towel. Avoid allowing your car to “air dry” as you will develop water spots and water that contains a heavier content of minerals can and will etch into your cars finish if it is allowed to repeatedly stay in contact with your vehicles finish. Work your way from top to bottom when washing and drying your car and also remember to use light pressure.
A fantastic alternative to the traditional hand wash is the new waterless wash systems. These are products that are similar in application to quick detailing products, however they have advanced make ups that help them perform better as well as protect your vehicles finish from being scratched or swirl marked by dirt and dust. They are designed to lift the particles away from the paint and suspend them in the solution while also leaving a behind a great shine and a protective layer. We recommend using higher end waterless washes, there are several to choose from and make sure you follow the manufactures instructions to avoid any potential issues.
Another option is to utilize the touchless washes. They come in two main forms, you have the self wash with the pressure guns and you have the automated touchless washes. The self washes with the pressure guns are a great alternative to washing by hand. They are not as good, but they do a competent job, but avoid using the brush accessory like the plague. They will create swirl marks in your vehicles finish. One word of caution with both styles of touchless washes is, be aware of what products the car wash you frequent uses. Some washes utilize cheaper or harsher chemicals that can strip wax or even possibly cause fading or other issues with your vehicles finish. The automated touchless washes are suitable to utilize when you’re vehicle is in need of a wash but isn’t what you would consider filthy. While these washes do serve as a decent “rinse off” option, if your car is “filthy”, they do not thoroughly clean your car. They will miss a lot of the dirt and grime and fail to clean your vehicle if your vehicle really requires a complete wash.
How does your automotive detailing service work, what should I expect?
Our services include mobile and concierge detailing services. Our mobile detailing units are completely equipped with electricity, water, lights, heaters, fans, and professional detailing equipment and products. We even have canopies and tents.
We also offer FREE vehicle pick up and drop off. We are fully insured to transport the vehicles we work on, and we take a very no nonsense approach to transporting your vehicles. We are very careful with your vehicles. To put it frankly, we have zero desire to joy ride, not to mention insurance is already expensive and we’re not interested in having our rates increase. Your vehicles will only ever be driven by the owner and operator of Horizon Detail, and will only ever be driven for the explicit purpose of servicing it and delivering it back to you.
Which ever service you choose, you can expect the best detail experience you can find for any of our given services. To put it simply we provide an amazing level of work at a tremendous value. You will love the work we do, and you will love the way your vehicle looks and feels. Period.
What is paint decontamination and how do I know if I need it?
Paint contamination is a very common problem for vehicles and their owners and requires either a mechanical, or a chemical (and often times both) decontamination to remove it. Made up of various substances (iron from brake and rail dust, tree sap, bird droppings, pollen, various chemicals, etc, etc, etc), these things combine to make your vehicles paint feel rough to the touch. Left untreated, the contamination can work itself into your vehicles paint and begin the process of premature failure.
Removing these contaminants will leave your vehicles paint feeling smooth as glass and serves as the first level of defense in terms of keeping your vehicles paint looking its best and in terms of preventing failure and keeping the vehicles value up higher.
We finish every decontamination project with a very high grade sealant which, along with regular washing, will keep the contaminants from accumulating and building back up and becoming a problem.
What is polishing and why would I need it?
Polishing is the process of buffing your vehicles finish, either by hand or with the use of a machine polisher or buffer. Here at Horizon Detail, we use a variable speed rotary style polisher (manufactured by Dewalt).
Polishing your vehicles finish will result in an enhanced finish with a deep, smooth finish and shine. We follow up the polish with an application of a silica based sealant to help protect your vehicles finish from the elements and add even more depth of gloss to the finish.
Polishing also serves a practical purpose in that it will help to reduce very light blemishes such as light scratches and swirl marks. There are varying levels of polishing available to address various levels of blemishes, but in a nut shell, all polishing accomplishes the same goal. Reducing blemishes in your vehicles paint to not only make it look better, but to also help prevent contamination build up by removing the small variances in the paints finish that give contaminants a foot hold and the opportunity to build up and cause problems.
What’s with the single step, 2 step, etc polishes?
Simply put, the differences are the number of steps performed. A single step polish includes one step, typically a finish or AIO polish. The multi step corrections include additional stages often referred to as “paint correction” stages. The additional stages are simply more aggressive polishes utilizing “cut” polishes before completing with a finishing polish stage. The more aggressive polishes are utilized to reduce or remove swirl marks, scratches, oxidation and other blemishes found in a vehicles finish.
What is paint correction and how do I know if my vehicle needs it?
Paint correction is a systematic approach to correcting a variety of blemishes in your vehicles finish. It is the removal, or reduction of, blemishes such as swirl marks, spider webbing, light to medium scratches, orange peel, oxidation, and more. Correction work levels your vehicles paint similar to how sanding levels and finishes wood. The more level it is, the better looking and easier to clean it becomes. Topping your vehicles finish with a ceramic coating after a correction is the single best way to lock in that fresh finish and will last for years to come!
At Horizon Detail we pride ourselves on our paint correction work. You will not find better correction work anywhere in the area as we pride ourselves as being among the best in the industry in terms of technique and results. You can count on receiving the very best the industry has to offer when you chose Horizon Detail!
In today’s market sadly, just about every car on the road will benefit from having paint corrective work performed. You would be appalled at what your brand new vehicle has been through from the moment it was first painted to the moment you took delivery of it. From there it just get’s more and more negatively affected by things like running it through automated tunnel washes, using improper washing products and materials, snow and ice sliding off the panels, things brushing up against the panels, and so many more other things. Polishing and paint correcting is probably the single biggest factor in the WOW factor of having your vehicle detailed. Locking that WOW factor in with a ceramic coating takes it to a whole new level.