Woman Gets Her Car Detailed. Then She Sees The Price: ‘Can’t Believe Someone Will Pay That’

'Total of 12 bucks and 1 hours I can have my car cleaner than this.'

Audi Driver Gets Her Car Detailed

Photo by: AdobeStock

Alexandra Samuels

By: Alexandra Samuels

Mar 10, at 11:00am ET

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A California man who runs his own car detailing business is going viral on TikTok after showing how he transformed a dirty Audi—but some viewers were shocked by the cost of the service.

In the clip, Arvin (@fahriodetailing) meets the Audi’s owner and asks whether anything about the car bothers her. She points out the amount of "sand" inside the vehicle. "I’ll just let you know when I’m done," Arvin says before getting to work on the car.

The video then cuts to Arvin deep-cleaning the Audi. He washes the pads under the driver and passenger seats—both caked with dirt—and gives the vehicle a full interior and exterior detailing. When he brings the car back, the difference is obvious.

"The paint looks so much better," the woman says upon seeing the finished result. "It looks like a new car."

Then comes the total: $225 for the detailing. The owner doesn’t seem fazed by the price and even offers a tip, but Arvin tells her he’d rather have a review of his business. "Would you take the review over $$ tip?" he asks in the clip’s caption.

In the comments section, however, many viewers fixated on the $225 price tag. As of this writing, the video has racked up more than 1.6 million views.

How Much Should Car Detailing Cost?

Professional car detailing can vary widely in price depending on the work involved, but most standard services for a typical sedan fall somewhere between about $125 and $300.

Basic packages are usually on the lower end of that range. Those often include an exterior wash, interior vacuuming, and tire cleaning. A more thorough detail, which typically involves deeper interior cleaning and an exterior wax treatment, can run closer to $150 to $250.

Of course, more extensive work, including speciality services, can push the price even higher. Full detailing services, such as paint correction or heavy interior restoration, often range from about $300 to $600 or more, especially for larger vehicles like SUVs and trucks.

Several factors can affect the final price. Vehicle size matters, since larger vehicles take longer to clean. The car’s condition also matters. Vehicles with heavy dirt buildup or sand, as the customer Arvin serviced had, usually require extra labor.

Where you live can also make a difference. Detailing prices in major metro areas or high-cost regions tends to run higher than in smaller markets. Given those ranges, the $225 price in Arvin’s video falls squarely within what many detailers charge for a mid-tier service.

Viewers Shocked By Detailer’s Price

Even though Arvin’s detailing price falls within the range many professionals charge for a similar service, plenty of viewers still balked at the $225 total.

"225 is a joke, can’t believe somebody will pay that," one commenter wrote.

Another viewer seemed equally stunned by the price.

"How much???" they asked, adding several "surprised face" emojis.

A third person argued they could do the job themselves for far less.

"8$ at the local car wash that has free vacuums, towels, and spray and tire shine and protectant wipes from the dollar store, total of 12 bucks and 1 [hour] I can have the car cleaner than this," the commenter wrote.

"225 wat," another viewer chimed in, adding another string of surprised-face emojis.

Some commenters, however, focused less on the detailing price and more on the vehicle Arvin appeared to arrive in. In the video, he shows up driving a Cybertruck, something a few viewers called a red flag.

"Having a cyber truck is such a red flag," one person wrote.

"I wouldn’t use a person or company that shows up in a dumpster truck," another commenter added.

"Was gonna like then I saw the cyber trash," a third viewer wrote.

What do you think?

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Comments

"U know he’s [overcharging] when he rocks up in a Cybertruck to clear a car ffs," another said.

Motor1 has reached out to Arvin via a direct message on TikTok. We will update this story if he responds.

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