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Jonathan Monson runs a detailing business in Auburn, Washington. With his helpful cleaning and maintenance explainers, he’s built quite the social media following, too. Recently, he posted a reel revealing how a cleaning and a quality, “full” car detail are a world apart…by about  600 steps.

Step 1

Okay, we jest. While Monson doesn’t do a play-by-play of his version of a full car detail, he does go over the ideal candidate for the entire 625-step process.

“The people we’re looking for are those that want the ‘detailed work’ done, not the car cleaning.” In other words, when you bring your dirty vehicle into his shop, the first step is cleaning it. Then comes the detailing.

Monson shares that his business needs to be flexible in understanding what the client really wants out of their car detail. The company works with drivers to determine their definition of a good end result for a fair price.

The expert detailer also mentions that his company doesn’t even use the term “full detail” because “full” can mean so many things.

In my mind, car detail work is an art form. It takes time, special tools, certain products, and tons of training (including some not-so-fun-to-fix mistakes). An extra-clean car with so much attention paid to the small details is a really nice thing. It’s something to respect…and pay up for if you order the service.

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Editor-in-Chief

Sarah Kennedy

Sarah Kennedy is the Editor-in-Chief of MotorBiscuit. She joined the team as Managing Editor in 2021 and has more than 20 years of automotive and operations expertise. She held ASE certifications as an Automotive Service Consultant and Parts Specialist and was a licensed car salesperson for many years. Sarah often focuses on helping drivers navigate used car buying and vehicle ownership. She created “Shop Smarts,” a column for MOTOR Magazine, and was a contributor there for eight years. Her work earned her a Gold Medalist award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors in 2014 and Bronze Medalist awards from the International Automotive Media Competition in 2014 and 2015. She attended the Automotive Management Institute and earned her bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University.