What is included in a car detail, package by package.
A Complete Detail at Innovo covers the full exterior — wash, decontamination, clay, wheels, glass and a ceramic spray sealant — and the full interior: deep vacuum, every surface cleaned, leather conditioned. It runs three hours of labour on a compact car and up to nine on a van, roughly half that with our two-technician crew. Here is the list for each package, what counts as an add-on, and how long you are without the car.
“The list is the same whether we come to you in San Francisco or you drop the car at the Oakland shop. What changes between packages is how many steps are on the list and how many hours they take.”
We sell five detailing services: Basic, Interior, Exterior, Complete and a Maintenance Wash for coated cars. Each is a flat price by vehicle size tier, the same mobile or at the shop — the cost guide has the numbers. This page is the work behind them.
Basic Detail — $160 / $195
Exterior hand wash and dry, wheels and tires, exterior glass. Inside: a vacuum of the carpets, mats and seats, and a wipe-down of the hard surfaces. Two hours of labour on a compact or medium car, three on anything larger.
Not on the Basic list: carpet shampoo, stain work, pet hair and leather conditioning. Pet hair (+$40) and stain removal (+$85) can be added; shampoo and leather conditioning cannot. For those, book the Interior Detail.
Interior Detail — $140 to $395
Thorough vacuum, including seat tracks, under the seats and the trunk. All surfaces cleaned — dash, console, door cards, vents and crevices. Leather cleaned and conditioned. Interior glass and door jambs. Surface stains and pet hair are part of the work, not an extra.
Carpet and upholstery shampoo with steam extraction is assessed on arrival. Some cars need it and get it; plenty are better served by a deep vacuum and surface work. The technician tells you which before starting, and deep or old stains are handled the same way.
Exterior Detail — $165 to $355
A decontamination rather than a wash: foam pre-wash, hand wash with clean media, iron and tar removal, clay where the paint needs it, wheels and wheel wells, tires dressed, trim and exterior glass. It finishes with a ceramic spray sealant good for four to six months — longer on a garaged car, shorter on one left outside. That sealant is not a ceramic coating.
Light paint correction is an add-on here, +$160, on an Exterior or Complete Detail only — a single-stage polish that reduces swirl marks and haze within the limits of the paint (see the FAQ below). Matte and satin finishes get a matte-specific sealant at no extra charge and are never polished.
Complete Detail — $225 to $540
The Interior and Exterior lists above, on one visit, priced below the two separately. Roughly 60% of the hours go inside and 40% outside. On a medium car that is five hours of labour for $325; on a large SUV, seven for $375.
Book it when both the paint and the cabin need attention. If only one half of the car is the problem, book that half — a Complete Detail on a car with a clean interior is money spent on hours you do not need.
Maintenance Wash — $120, any size
A pH-neutral hand wash of the exterior, built for cars with a ceramic coating: the coating does the work, the wash keeps it healthy. No interior, no vacuum — it is not a cheaper Basic Detail. Most coated, garaged cars are fine quarterly or every six months; daily drivers and fleet vehicles want it monthly.
Add-ons, and what no detail covers
Six things sit outside the packages: paint correction (+$160, Exterior or Complete only), engine bay cleaning, headlight restoration and undercarriage wash (+$95 each with a detail, $150 alone), an ozone odor treatment (+$65, shop only) and a cabin air filter (+$65). On a Basic Detail, pet hair (+$40) and stain removal (+$85) join that list — both are already inside Interior and Complete.
- No mechanical work. Cosmetic only: detailing, correction, ceramic, film and tint.
- No truck beds. Beds are left as they are; we quote the cab and the exterior.
- No promised paint result. Correction reduces defects. It does not undo clear-coat damage or fading.
- No film or tint away from the shop. Paint protection film and window tint are shop-only, because dust ruins film. Detailing and ceramic coating are what travel.
How long each service takes
Two numbers matter: the labour in the job, and how long you are without the car. We normally send two technicians, so the second is half the first.
| Service | Compact | Medium | Large | XL | XXL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 2 h / 1 h | 2 h / 1 h | 3 h / 1.5 h | 3 h / 1.5 h | 3 h / 1.5 h |
| Interior | 2 h / 1 h | 3 h / 1.5 h | 4 h / 2 h | 5 h / 2.5 h | 5.5 h / 2.75 h |
| Exterior | 1.5 h / 0.75 h | 2 h / 1 h | 3 h / 1.5 h | 3 h / 1.5 h | 4 h / 2 h |
| Complete | 3 h / 1.5 h | 5 h / 2.5 h | 7 h / 3.5 h | 8 h / 4 h | 9 h / 4.5 h |
Solo labour hours / typical time with a two-technician crew. Compact is a Civic or 911, Medium a Model 3 or Camry, Large a Model Y or RAV4, XL a Model X or Suburban, XXL a Sprinter.
Wait, drop off, or have us come to you
The one-hour jobs — Basic, Maintenance Wash, Exterior on a compact, medium or large vehicle — you can wait out in the waiting room at the Oakland shop, minutes from West Oakland BART. Everything longer is a drop-off or a mobile visit. For mobile we need a space the van can park within about 20 feet of the car, plus the property owner's permission if that space is in an apartment, condo or shared garage. The mobile vs shop guide covers which suits which job.
A worked example
Family SUV, kids and a dog, paint is fine: Interior Detail on a large vehicle, $238 — pet hair and surface stains are in the price. Four hours of labour, about two with two technicians. If the paint needed work too it would be a Complete at $375, or $535 with correction added to reduce the wash swirls; detailing for resale value covers which of those moves an offer.
Booking it
Pick the service and your vehicle on the booking page: it shows your size tier, the exact price and the time block before you confirm. Mobile across the nine Bay Area counties, or drop off in Oakland. More on the service itself is on the detailing page, and if you are still weighing whether you need one, detailing vs a car wash helps.
Prefer to text? (628) 212-2001 with your year, make, model and ZIP.
FAQ
What is included in a full detail?
A Complete Detail is the full job, inside and out. Exterior: foam pre-wash, hand wash, iron and tar removal, clay where the paint needs it, wheels and wheel wells, tires dressed, exterior glass, and a ceramic spray sealant to finish. Interior: thorough vacuum including under the seats, every surface cleaned, leather conditioned, vents, interior glass and door jambs. Surface stains and pet hair are part of the work.
How long does a car detail usually take?
A Basic Detail is two hours of labour on a sedan and three on a large SUV. An Interior Detail runs two to five and a half hours by size, an Exterior Detail one and a half to four, and a Complete Detail three hours on a compact up to nine on a van. Two technicians halve the time you are without the car.
What is the difference between a Basic Detail and a Complete Detail?
Scope and hours. A Basic Detail is a hand wash plus an interior vacuum and wipe-down: two to three hours, $160 or $195. A Complete Detail adds the decontamination outside, leather conditioning inside and the ceramic spray sealant, so a medium car is five hours at $325.
Do you shampoo the carpets?
On an Interior or Complete Detail, carpet and upholstery shampoo with steam extraction is done when the technician judges the car needs it, assessed on arrival rather than promised in advance. On a Basic Detail it is not available — the Interior Detail is the right service if the carpets are the problem.
Is pet hair removal included?
On an Interior or Complete Detail, yes. On a Basic Detail it is a $40 add-on. Heavy pet hair takes real extra time, so the technician tells you on arrival if it needs more than the booked block.
Can I wait while my car is detailed?
For the short jobs, yes. A Basic Detail, a Maintenance Wash or an Exterior Detail on a compact, medium or large vehicle finishes in about an hour with two technicians, 90 minutes at most, and there is a waiting room at the Oakland shop. A Complete Detail or a ceramic coating runs several hours, so drop off or book mobile.
What do you need from me for a mobile detail?
A parking space the van can get within about 20 feet of, and permission from the property owner if the car sits in an apartment complex, condo lot or shared garage. The vans carry their own water and power, and you do not have to be present once we have access to the vehicle.
Does a detail include paint correction or a ceramic coating?
No, both are separate. Light paint correction is a +$160 add-on to an Exterior or Complete Detail, a single-stage polish that reduces swirls and haze; damaged clear coat and sun fading limit what it achieves. A ceramic coating is its own service from $725 and includes the exterior prep and correction, but no interior work.