Frequently Asked Questions

Increased value: By properly maintaining both the exterior and interior of a vehicle, the value can be significantly increased. Over time the finish of your vehicle will experience oxidation, swirls, light scratching, fading, as well as a build-up of contaminants that are harmful to the various surfaces. By having your car professionally detailed, you will restore the original beauty, and preserve and protect it into the future. If you compare two identical vehicles, one that has been professionally detailed and machine polished while the other has not, the difference in resale value is typically in the thousands of dollars for most vehicles. When comparing costly luxury cars and exotics, the difference in cost that comes from professional detailing can be staggering!

Protect your investment: This directly relates to increased value. Let’s face it; most vehicles depreciate rapidly, especially when they’re neglected. Protect your investment by having it properly maintained by a premium service offered by Esoteric Auto Detail. If you were investing $50,000 in the stock market, you would want to hire an experienced money manager with a track record of proven success to handle your account and maximize your return on investment. When you drive that new expensive vehicle off of the lot, you know that it will immediately lose value. So to get the most return on your investment, it is wise to have the appearance professionally maintained to retain as much value as possible.

Project a professional image: The condition of the vehicles we drive says a lot about the type of person we are. It’s no different than how we care for our houses, our landscaping, or our appearances. Beautifully prepared cars project confidence, professionalism, and makes us feel good when driving (or admiring) them!

Swirls or spider webs on the surface of the car are thousands of micro-scratches that have a very negative impact on the overall appearance. They are more noticeable on darker colored vehicles, and can easily be seen in direct sunlight or under the lights at night while in a parking lot.

While there are many causes of swirls, the biggest culprit is improper washing and drying techniques. They can be avoided for the most part once you learn how to properly wash and dry a vehicle, as well as which materials to use. One trip to the automatic car wash (also referred to as swirl-o-matics), or a quick wipe down with the wrong kind of towel can quickly destroy 15 hours of machine polishing. Even if the local car wash or dealership offers a hand-wash, it doesn’t mean that they are using proper methods or materials, and in many cases can do more harm than good. It is very important to us that we educate our clients on how to maintain the new finish we have just provided. We will spend time on education after the service is complete, and even provide a detailed set of care instructions to help you maintain a clean and swirl-free finish.

The only way to properly and permanently correct swirls and other light defects are to level and refine the finish with either a rotary or random orbital polisher (we use both) combined with a variety of abrasive polishes. If the defects are moderate to heavy, it will first require a leveling of the surface through more aggressive compounds, followed by finely polishing or jeweling with a finer combination of polishes and pads to bring out the absolute best in clarity, depth, and shine. The defects are corrected by actually removing an extremely small amount of clear coat and creating a perfectly level surface. This process takes time and advanced skills and will yield amazing, and permanent results.

A “quick fix” that is commonly used by many re-sellers and inexpensive detailing services is to apply glazes that use fillers to temporarily hide the defects. The car may look good, but it will return back to normal after just a few weeks. We only use body shop safe polishes that have no silicone or fillers.

No…here at Esoteric Auto Detail, we work on all makes and models and at all levels of detailing. While we are known as Ferrari specialists, we still do a lot of basic detailing services on daily drivers. We have a strong customer base of Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Acura, Infiniti, etc. We showcase the exotics in our work and our photos because (a) that’s our specialty, and (b) people love to look at exotics! So regardless of what kind of car you drive, or what level of detailing you’re looking for, please give us a call.

The simple answer is yes! Two things can be accomplished by having your brand new car professionally detailed. First of all, most vehicles are delivered off of the lot with swirls and light marring either from the factory or from the dealer’s prep department. We have seen many very expensive luxury vehicles and exotics come this way too. Even with light defects, the finish only represents 85% – 90% of its true gloss potential. By proper machine polishing, the finish of your brand new car can be taken to a whole new level. It’s no different than buying that beautiful new 50” plasma TV. It looks great, but if you have it ISF calibrated when you buy it, you will extract that last bit of clarity and color rendition, and you will then be confident that it looks as good as it possibly can.

Secondly, you should start with proper surface preservation and protection when the vehicle is brand new. These are services that the factory or dealer simply can’t provide. Why not ensure that your vehicle remains beautiful as the day you bought it, and stays protected from the elements into the future?

ESOTERIC Fine Auto Finishing was created for owners of fine automobiles who share the same passion for the art and beauty of cars that we do. It is this passion and appreciation for esoteric autos that inspire us to create some of the most beautiful and well-preserved vehicles in Central Ohio. We offer comprehensive yet flexible detailing and paint reconditioning packages to suit our clients’ needs, and we do it with unequaled quality and professionalism.

We are continuously researching the latest products and techniques, and networking with the absolute best detailers in the country to ensure that our detailing knowledge and skills are always improving. The fact that I write a comprehensive collection of detailing how-to articles and product reviews to educate other detailers and enthusiasts alike should be a strong testament to the knowledge and skills I have acquired, along with the high level I have risen to within the detailing community.

We work on a limited amount of automobiles so that we can focus on each vehicle and customer’s specific needs, and take the proper amount of time to get the job done right. The boutique level of services and skills that we provide simply cannot be achieved by volume-based detail shops.

Esoteric Auto Detail was established for those looking for the absolute best detailing and paint reconditioning services available.

While we prefer to restore your vehicle(s) to their original beauty in our own studio, we also understand that there are circumstances that would require travel to work within your facility. If you have valuable collector cars that you prefer not to transport, or if your collection is out of the country, we can make the necessary arrangement for travel to you. Both Domestic and International travel is available. Please contact Todd@EsotericDetail.com to discuss rates, travel fees, and schedules.

Yes. I can visit your dealership, body shop, detailing studio, or manufacturing facility; analyze your operations, and make recommendations for tools, products, and processes related to detailing and paint restoration. I can also conduct training sessions one-on-one, or in groups. Please contact me to discuss your individual needs. And for detailers looking for advanced training, please see the Training Page.