What Does a Full Car Detail Include?
By Kyle Massingill, owner of Forged by Heart — five years of hands-on detailing experience in Richmond, KY. Published 2026-09-21.
A full detail is a complete clean of the vehicle inside and out, done by hand and in a set order, rather than a quick wash of the paint. It is the difference between rinsing off dust and actually removing what has built up in the carpet, on the glass, around the seats and on the paint.
Here is what a full detail covers at Forged by Heart in Richmond, Kentucky, and where the line sits between a standard detail and heavier restoration work.
The interior side of a full detail
Interior work starts with removing trash and loose items, then deep vacuuming seats, carpet, floor mats and the areas between and under the seats. Hard surfaces — dash, console, door panels, cup holders and vents — are cleaned and detailed, then dressed so they look even rather than shiny. Interior glass is cleaned last so it does not pick up overspray, and floor mats are cleaned separately.
Deeper interior work — headliner cleaning, pet-hair removal and carpet and upholstery shampooing — sits in the Signature Deep Clean and above, because it takes materially more time and different equipment.
- Trash removal and deep vacuum
- Surface cleaning, detailing and dressing
- Interior glass and floor mats
- Headliner, pet hair and shampooing on deeper packages
The exterior side of a full detail
Exterior work is a hand wash and rinse, door jambs, exterior glass, rims, tires and wheel wells, tire dressing, bug removal and vinyl dressing, finished with spray wax. On the Forged Finish package the exterior step also includes a clay bar treatment and hand-applied wax, which pull embedded contamination off the paint and leave a protected finish.
What a full detail is not
Detailing cleans and protects. It does not resurface paint. Forged by Heart does not offer machine polishing, buffing or paint correction, so swirl marks, scratches and oxidation are not removed. Ceramic coatings and ozone treatment are not offered either.
Stains, odors and mold vary by material, age and cause. Deep cleaning improves most interiors substantially, but no honest detailer can promise full stain removal or odor elimination before seeing the vehicle.
Which package counts as a full detail
Heartfelt Refresh is the entry full detail — inside and out — at $180 for a car, $210 for an SUV and $240 for a large vehicle. Signature Deep Clean adds headliner cleaning, pet-hair removal and carpet and upholstery shampooing at $240 / $265 / $315. Forged Finish adds hand-applied wax, clay bar treatment and engine-bay cleaning at $365 / $415 / $490.
Fresh Start, at $540 / $665 / $740, is for heavily soiled interiors that need heavy pet-hair removal, deep decontamination and mold cleanup where present. Extreme mold and biohazard cases are quoted separately after inspection.
How long does it take and what affects scope
Scope depends on vehicle size, how soiled the interior is, whether there is pet hair, and how much contamination is bonded to the paint. Those factors are confirmed at booking rather than guessed over the phone, which is why the condition question matters when you call or text.