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Car detailing package checklist
A detailing checklist follows the package: walk around and photograph the car, do the interior, then wheels, wash, decontamination and protection, and finish with a walk-around with the customer. Keep one list per package and take off what was not sold, so the customer can see what the price paid for.
Edit the detail list
Interior, exterior and handover in the order you work. Take off what the package does not include and add the extras sold.
Car detailing package checklist
- Walk around with the customer: package, extras and any worries
- Photograph scratches, dents, curb rash and stains before you start
- Bag personal items and keep them somewhere safe
- Interior: mats out, vacuum seats, carpet, trunk and between seats
- Interior: dash, console, door panels, vents and cup holders
- Interior: shampoo or extract seats and stains if in the package
- Interior: pet hair removal if it was booked
- Interior: glass, mirrors and screens with a safe cleaner
- Exterior: wheels, tires and wheel wells first
- Exterior: pre-rinse, foam, hand wash and dry
- Exterior: clay bar or decontamination if in the package
- Exterior: wax, sealant or coating as sold
- Door jambs, fuel door, trim dressing and tire shine
- Outside glass and a last wipe-down in good light
- Walk around with the customer and point out anything that did not come out
- Belongings and mats back in; explain aftercare for any coating
What separates a basic detail from a premium one?
Time spent on the slow steps. Brad’s Auto Spa in Denver charges $140 for a basic full detail on a sedan and $210 for premium (checked October 2026). That $70 gap should show up as work the customer can see on the list: seat shampoo or extraction, clay bar, a sealant or wax, leather conditioning. If both lists look the same, customers will book the cheaper one.
Why photograph the car before you start?
Scratches, curb rash and cracked trim become your problem the moment you touch the car if nobody wrote them down. Walk around with the customer, photograph what you find and note it on the checklist. It ends the “that wasn’t there before” conversation before it starts.
What do you say at handover?
Point out what did not come out: stains set into the fabric, scratches that need paint correction rather than a wash, an odor that needs a second treatment. Then explain aftercare for anything you applied. Customers forgive a stain that would not lift; they do not forgive finding it themselves.
Frequently asked questions
Should pet hair cost extra?
Yes, as its own line. Heavy pet hair is slow work with rubber brushes and stones, and it varies more than anything else in an interior. Look at the car before you confirm the price, and say on the quote what level of pet hair the base package covers.
What if the car is much dirtier than the package assumed?
Stop and talk before you do the extra work. Show the customer what you found, say what it adds and get a yes. Doing it quietly and adding it to the bill afterwards is how detailers lose repeat customers.
Does the customer need to be there the whole time?
Only at the start and the end. The first walk-around sets what is included and what was already damaged; the last one shows the result and anything that remains. In between, keep their keys and belongings somewhere you can account for.