Interior vs Exterior vs Full Detail | SF City Wash
Pricing & booking

Interior, Exterior, or Full Detail: Which One Do You Need?

Short answer

Interior is everything inside the car, from $229. Exterior Wash & Protection is a safe hand wash plus a protective layer, from $100. Full Package is both in one visit, from $279.

The Full Package is the obvious value if both halves need attention — it is only $50 more than the interior alone on a sedan, and less than booking the two separately. If only one half is the problem, book that one and spend the difference on the add-on that actually fixes your issue.

All three are bookable online across San Francisco and the northern Peninsula, with no travel fee.

The three

The three core services side by side

Interior Detail Exterior Wash & Protection Full Package
Sedan / coupe $229 $100 $279
Midsize SUV $250 $125 $300
Large SUV / truck $300 $150 $350
Typical time 2 to 2.5 hours 1 to 3 hours 3.5 to 5 hours
What it covers Vacuum, all surfaces, glass, leather, deodorize Wheels first, two-bucket hand wash, dry, tires, glass, protection Both, in one visit

Larger vehicles and heavy buildup run longer — a Full Package on a full-size SUV, truck or van is closer to 5 to 6 hours. You get the time window before we start.

Choosing

Pick by what is actually bothering you

Book the interior if

The paint is fine and the inside is the problem. Crumbs, dust, stains, smell, pet hair, a car that has carried kids or a dog.

See what an interior detail covers.

Book the exterior if

The inside is tidy and the outside is dirty. Also the right choice as a regular maintenance wash between full details.

See what an exterior detail covers.

Book the full package if

Both need attention, or you have not had the car detailed in six months or more. On a sedan it is $50 over the interior alone, which is the best value on the list.

You need correction, not cleaning

If the paint is swirled or hazy rather than dirty, washing will not change it. That is paint correction and it is quoted separately.

You need decontamination

If the paint feels gritty after a wash, add iron decontamination and a clay bar. See the rough paint guide.

You want long-term protection

Sealants and Gtechniq coatings are quote-only, and they already include a full interior and exterior detail plus the decontamination process.

Sizes

What counts as a sedan, a midsize SUV, and a large SUV

Pricing is by vehicle size, and the honest reason is time. A larger vehicle has more glass, more carpet, more panels and more seats, and it takes proportionally longer at every step.

Sedan / coupe covers saloons, coupes, hatchbacks and most small crossovers. Think Civic, Camry, Model 3, Golf, A3.

Midsize SUV covers two-row SUVs and crossovers and mid-size estates. Think CR-V, RAV4, Q5, X3.

Large SUV / truck covers three-row SUVs, full-size trucks and vans. Think Grand Highlander, Tahoe, F-150, Sprinter.

If you are genuinely unsure which band your car falls in, tell us the make and model when booking and we will confirm. We would much rather sort that out beforehand than have the size be a surprise on the day.

One thing that is not a pricing factor: how dirty the car is. The base price does not change based on condition. What changes is which add-ons make sense, and those are agreed before we start, never applied at the end.

Add-ons

The add-ons that most often make the difference

None of these are needed on every car. Each one exists because it solves a specific problem the base service cannot.

  • Pet hair removal, $75 to $100. Embedded hair does not vacuum out. See the pet hair guide.
  • Seat or carpet extraction, $25 each. For stains and embedded grime rather than surface dirt. Capped at $125 on a sedan or midsize, $175 on a large vehicle.
  • Odor treatment, $50. Flat at any size. Works when the source has been dealt with first.
  • Iron decontamination, $75 to $125, and clay bar, $50 to $100. For paint that feels rough after washing.
  • Leather protection, $25 to $45. Worth it on light-colored hides and cars parked outside.
  • Engine bay detailing, $75. Flat at any size, and one of the highest-impact things you can do before selling.
  • Headlight restoration, $50 per headlight. $100 for the usual pair, quoted and booked by hand rather than through instant booking.
Booking

How booking works, and where

Book Now is instant online scheduling. It covers all 27 San Francisco ZIP codes plus Daly City and Colma (94014, 94015), Pacifica (94044), South San Francisco (94080) and San Bruno (94066). No travel fee in any of those.

Request a Quote covers everywhere else we serve. Marin — Sausalito, Marin City, Mill Valley — and the southern Peninsula — Millbrae, San Mateo, Foster City, Belmont, Montara, Half Moon Bay — carry a 5% travel fee. The East Bay carries 10%. Those areas are quote-based rather than instant, and we confirm the date by text.

Either way you can just text or call (415) 360-1964 and we will set it up. We are open every day, 8 AM to 7 PM.

Payment is card, Apple Pay, Venmo, Zelle or cash, collected after the job is complete. A deposit may be requested for larger jobs such as a ceramic coating.

The service area guide has the full zone breakdown with worked fee examples.

If you are still not sure, send photos

Three or four photos with a quote request gets you a straight recommendation, including when the answer is the cheaper service. We would rather sell you the interior and have you come back for the paint later.

The full price list, including every add-on and the travel fees, is in the pricing guide.

Questions

Questions we get asked

What's the difference between interior, exterior, and full detail?
Interior covers everything inside the car from $229. Exterior is a safe hand wash plus a protective layer from $100. The Full Package is both in one visit from $279, which is less than booking the two separately.
Can I book just the interior, or just the exterior?
Yes, both are available on their own and both can be booked online across San Francisco and the northern Peninsula.
Do prices vary based on how dirty my car is?
The base price does not. What changes is which add-ons make sense — extraction, pet hair, odor treatment. Those are agreed before we start rather than added at the end.
How is my vehicle size decided?
Three bands: sedan and coupe, midsize SUV, and large SUV or truck. Tell us the make and model when booking and we will confirm which band applies.
How long does a full detail take?
3.5 to 5 hours on a standard vehicle, 5 to 6 hours on a full-size SUV, truck or van. You get the window before we start.

More short answers live on the FAQ.

Three services. One of them is yours.

Book the one that matches the problem. We will tell you if you have picked the wrong one.

Open every day, 8 AM to 7 PM. (415) 360-1964 or [email protected]. Questions first? Contact us.