How to choose a car detailer on the North Shore

To choose a good car detailer, look at their real work, read their Google reviews, ask what’s included and how they wash, and see how they quote. A good one asks about your car before quoting and is honest about what can and can’t be fixed.

I’m a detailer, so I’m biased. But these are the same things I’d check if I were handing my own car to someone else, and they apply whoever you go with.

What should you look for in a detailer’s work?

Look for their own photos of real cars, taken in normal places like driveways and garages. A feed full of stock images tells you nothing. Before and after shots of ordinary cars tell you a lot.

Check that the photos show the things you care about. If you want an interior done, look for interiors. If you want paint correction, look for close-ups in direct light, because that’s where swirls show.

What questions should you ask before booking?

Ask what’s included, how long it takes and how they wash. The answers tell you quickly if someone knows what they’re doing.

• What exactly is included, inside and out?
• How long will it take? A proper standard detail takes a few hours. Paint correction takes most of a day or longer.
• How do you wash the car? You want to hear about a pre-rinse, clean mitts and separate buckets, not one sponge for everything.
• Do you come to me, and what do you need when you get here?
• What can’t you fix? Anyone honest will have an answer.

Mobile or a workshop?

Either can be good. Mobile suits washing, interiors and regular details, because the car never leaves your driveway. A ceramic coating needs controlled light and a clean, still space, so be wary of anyone offering to coat your car on the street on a windy day.

I do both. Standard details are mobile, and correction and coating can be done mobile or in-house in North Turramurra. I recommend in-house for those. Mobile detailing vs drop-off shows which jobs go where.

What are the red flags?

The big ones are a quote without a single question about your car, promises that sound too good and no real photos.

• “Removes all scratches.” Nobody can promise that. Deep scratches go through the clear coat and polishing won’t fix them.
• A ceramic coating done in an hour or two. The prep is most of the job, and I’ve explained why in ceramic coating vs paint correction.
• “Lasts forever” or “never wash again”. Coatings wear, and they still need washing. See how long ceramic coating lasts in Australia.
• Pressure to pay up front before anyone has seen the car.
• One bucket, one sponge and one chamois for every car.

How should a detailer quote?

A good quote starts with questions: what car, what condition, where it is and what you want out of it. A hatchback that gets washed every fortnight and a seven-seater with two dogs are different jobs. One flat number for both means somebody is getting short-changed.

A typical one for me: someone in Killara asks about a ceramic coating for a five-year-old black sedan. When I see the car, the paint is covered in wash swirls. Coating over that would lock the swirls in, so I tell them it needs correcting first, or that a standard detail is the better call for now. Sometimes the honest answer is a smaller job than the one they asked for.

Do reviews and location matter?

Yes, both. Read the Google reviews and look for specifics: the car, the job and how the person was treated. A local detailer also knows the local problems. On the North Shore that’s tree sap, jacaranda flowers, flying foxes and leafy driveways, which I’ve covered in how to remove tree sap and bird droppings.

Think about the long run too. The best results come when one person sees the car regularly and knows its history. How often you should detail your car gives a rough schedule.

How I work

You tell me the car, where you are and what it needs. I text you back with the right service and a time, and there’s no payment to enquire. I’m self-taught, I started STIKKYS in 2025 and I’m rated 5.0 on Google. Everything I offer is on the services page.

Want to see if I’m the right fit?

Tell me the car, where you are and what you’d like done. Request a quote and I’ll text you back to confirm the right service and a time. There’s no payment to enquire. Rather talk? Call 0491 754 707.

Jake
STIKKYS Detailing, North Turramurra

I grew up on the North Shore, taught myself on my own cars and started STIKKYS in 2025. I work 7 days, 9am to 5pm. More about me.

Cover photo: Shixart1985 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). Other photo is my own work.