What Is a Full Car Detail? (Inside and Out)
Updated October 9, 2026 5 min readBy Dominick, owner of Slums Mobile Detailing
A "full detail" means the whole vehicle — interior and exterior — cleaned beyond what any car wash can reach. Here is what that looks like in practice.
What does a full detail include?
A full car detail combines a deep interior clean (vacuum, steam, shampoo, surfaces) with a thorough exterior (hand wash, decontamination, wheels, tires, glass and protection). At Slums that's the Stage 2 package, from $300 for a small car, done at your home.
Full detail vs car wash
A car wash cleans what it can see in minutes. A full detail takes hours because every crevice, fiber and panel is treated with the right technique for that surface.
| Car wash | Full detail | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | 10 minutes | 4+ hours |
| Interior | Quick vacuum | Steam, shampoo, every surface |
| Paint | Brushes or spray | Hand wash + decontamination |