By Prentice St. Clair, CD-SV, RVC, RIT, Detail in Progress, Inc., San Diego, California, United States
San Diego, at the southwestern-most portion of California, is known for beautiful weather and lots of sunshine year-round. However, the continuous strong San Diego sunlight over several years can cause deterioration of both exterior and interior surfaces on a vehicle. Regular professional auto detailing is essential in San Diego to protect vehicles from the damaging impacts of our local climate.
Climate and Environmental Factors Affecting Vehicles
Climate Impacts:
- The primary local climate impact is San Diego’s strong sunshine that includes damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays and heat.
- For San Diego detailers, the challenge is to offer services that prevent and correct vehicle surface damage such as:
- Faded, cloudy, or peeling clearcoat paint
- Fading or “tiger striping” of large plastic cladding panels
- Fading or dulling of other exterior trim
- Yellowing or clouding of plastic headlight lenses
- Fading or cracking of interior vinyl and leather surfaces
Environmental Impacts:
- The prominence of ship manufacturing as well as military and civilian aviation.
- Resulting detailing challenges include prevention and correction of damage caused by airborne industrial contaminants, including:
- Iron particles (tiny brown dots) embedded in the exterior surfaces like paint, glass, and trim.
- Dulling and staining caused by the accumulation of tiny droplets and particulate matter on exterior surfaces.
- Resulting detailing challenges include prevention and correction of damage caused by airborne industrial contaminants, including:
- Wildfire fallout. Wildfire season is now year-round, and the smoke and ash from these events travel many miles.
- Resulting detailing challenges include:
- Washing techniques that safely remove ash and smoke residue from the vehicle exterior.
- Removing smoke odor and ash from the interior of the vehicle.
- Resulting detailing challenges include:
- Sand, dirt, and gravel. Because of our year-round mild weather, extensive beach offerings, and outdoor lifestyle, sand, dirt, and gravel accumulate heavily in some San Diego vehicle interiors after being repeatedly tracked in by dogs, kids, and outdoor enthusiasts.
- Resulting detailing challenges include:
- Access to powerful vacuum systems, specialized tools, and unique techniques that allow for efficient removal of debris from carpeting, seats, and crevices.
- Resulting detailing challenges include:
Common Auto Detailing Needs in San Diego
What types of detailing services are most needed in San Diego?
- To protect against or correct damage from climate impacts:
- The application of paint protection products to protect against the harmful impact of sunlight, including UV rays.
- Removal of oxidized or faded paint from overexposure to the sun.
- The application of protective products with UV inhibitors for exterior trim.
- Reconditioning trim that is already faded from overexposure to the sun.
- The application of UV-inhibiting dressing to interior vinyl and plastic surfaces.
- The application of UV-inhibiting conditioner to interior leather and faux leather surfaces.
- To protect against or correct damage from environmental impacts:
- The application of protection products to help prevent adherence of environmental fallout to the paint, glass, and other exterior surfaces.
- Surface contamination removal using clay or clay products for light concentrations of environmental fallout such as rail dust, iron particles, and other airborne particulates from the painted surfaces.
- Chemical decontamination (e.g., acidic wash) of exterior surfaces to remove heavy concentrations of the environmental fallout.
- Ultra-specialized washing techniques to remove wildfire fallout like ash and smoke residue.
- Removal of wildfire smoke odor from vehicle interior.
- Removal of excess sand and dirt from vehicle interiors.
Common trends in San Diego auto detailing include:
- Mobile detailing and wash services at home or office.
- Low water wash services such as waterless wash or rinseless washing.
- High-end ceramic coating application.
- Annual or semi-annual paint sealant application.
- Paint enhancement and correction services.
Seasonal Auto Detailing Considerations in San Diego
Spring:
- Clean-up at the end of the rainy season.
- Preparing for the hot summer months.
Summer:
- Protecting paint from UV rays.
- Preventing interior heat damage.
- Enhancing vehicle appearance.
Fall:
- Exterior surface protection in preparation for the rainy season.
- Fabric and carpet protection.
- Interior clean-up from summer outdoor activities.
Winter:
- Increasing hydrophobicity of exterior paint.
- Reducing the adherence of dirty rain run-off splashed onto the sides of the car.
- Ensuring clear visibility.
- Headlight lens clarity.
- Occasional full-service wash to reset vehicle appearance after storms.
Local Auto Detailing Services – What to Look For
Key factors in choosing an auto detailing service in San Diego (or any market):
- Length in business: Choose a well-established operation—one that has been in the community for a number of years.
- Price: Do not choose a service based on low price alone. Automotive detailing attracts many newcomers and “fly-by-night” operators because it is a business that can be started quickly with little investment and few requirements to prove legitimacy.
- Insurance: Make sure the business operator is fully insured, including having general business liability as well as “garage keepers” liability, which insures losses on your vehicle caused by the detailing technicians.
- Fully licensed: Make sure the business operator has a city business license that permits operation in the municipality in which your vehicle will be serviced.
- IDA member: Choose a detailer that is a member of the International Detailing Association (IDA). Such membership shows professional commitment to the detailing industry.
- Certification: If possible, choose a detailer that is IDA Certified, preferably with the “Skills Validated” qualification. If the vehicle to be detailed is a motorcycle, RV, or marine vessel, also check for one of IDA’s specialty certifications in those vehicle areas.
- Satisfaction guarantee: A legitimate detailing operation that seeks to serve the community for an extended period will also offer some kind of a “service excellence guarantee” that ensures the satisfaction with work results.
- Type of operation: There are several options for getting the vehicle to the detailer. These include:
- Brick-and-mortar detail shop.
- Some require vehicle drop-off and pick-up.
- Some offer ride service.
- Some offer free pick-up and delivery of your vehicle.
- Some offer airport or cruise ship shuttle and will keep your car while you’re gone.
- Mobile detailing: at your home or office.
- Brick-and-mortar detail shop.
Special Considerations for San Diego
Regulations affecting the operation of a detailing business:
- San Diego Municipal Code:
- Prohibits car washing and polishing on city streets. §86.0137(c).
- Contains language that allows the City to restrict private vehicle washing to certain hours or even altogether, depending on the “Drought Level” that exists in the City. §67.38
- Requires a City Business Tax Certificate to operate within the San Diego City limits.
- Other San Diego County cities: incorporated cities within the county may or may not require a city business license. Check each city’s municipal code.
- San Diego County Ordinances:
- Restricts the washing of individual private vehicles to private property on porous material (gravel or lawn). It also prohibits degreasing procedures for engines unless the water is captured and disposed of properly (§67.807}.
- Prohibits washing of vehicles on county highways (§72.123).
- A business license from the County is not required to run a detailing operation in unincorporated areas.
- The Federal Clean Water Act prohibits any car washing water runoff from entering natural waterways, as well as storm drains that lead to natural waterways. This includes streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and the ocean.
Popular detailing products suited for the San Diego climate:
- Ceramic coating
- Polymer paint sealant
- Mist and wipe protective products
- Decontamination wash chemicals
- Dry vapor carpet cleaning systems
- UV-inhibiting dressings and conditioners
Local auto detailing communities or events:
- Search for a local professional detailer: Find a Detailer
- IDA “Meet & Greet” events: www.the-ida.com.com/events
- Listing of automotive events in San Diego: www.sdautomuseum.org/events
- Internet search for “San Diego Cars and Coffee”
- Internet search for “San Diego Park & Shine”
Tips for Maintaining Your Car in San Diego
DIY maintenance between professional detailing sessions:
- If washing your own vehicle between professional detailing events, make sure you use high-quality washing chemicals and supplies.
- A specific recommendation is to quickly mist and wipe your vehicle after every car wash using a ceramic-infused or sealant-infused mist and wipe products.
Recommended cleaning frequency based on local conditions:
- This is really a matter of driver preference.
- Since the weather in San Diego does not include a lot of precipitation or dust, vehicles tend to look cleaner for longer.
- Since the coast is often fogged in, condensation may collect on vehicles parked outside. This can leave a residue that will be noticeable after a few days. This may lead the vehicle driver to prefer to wash the vehicle more often, perhaps once a week.
Best protective coatings and sealants for the region:
- Most detailing professionals would agree that the best protective coating for vehicle paint in San Diego would be either a polymer paint sealant or a ceramic coating.
Professional Automotive Detailing in San Diego is important to protect against the heat and UV rays of the sun, as well as location-specific environmental impacts such as industrial fallout, beach sand, and wildfire ash. To schedule an appointment with a certified detailing professional in your area, use our handy Find a Detailer service!
About the Author: Prentice St. Clair, CD-SV, RVC, RIT, has participated in the automotive detailing industry full-time since 1994. He not only works on cars in San Diego, but also helps other detailing businesses with training and consulting around the country and world. He can be reached at 619-701-1100 or prentice@detailinprogress.com.