ELEMENT CUSTOMS
Exterior Car Detailing in Los Angeles, CA
Your vehicle's exterior deals with road grime, environmental contaminants, UV exposure, and daily wear that a standard car wash simply cannot address. At Element Customs, we decontaminate, polish, and seal your paint using professional-grade products to deliver a finish that looks sharp and holds up longer between visits.
A Process Built Around Your Paint
Exterior Detailing Done the Right Way
A proper exterior detail starts where a basic wash leaves off. At Element Customs, every service follows a careful, step-by-step process designed to clean, decontaminate, and enhance your paint correctly. Here is how we approach every exterior service, from start to finish.
Step 1: Foam Cannon Pre-Wash
Every exterior detail begins with a foam cannon pre-wash that coats the entire vehicle in a thick layer of foam to loosen and lift surface debris before any contact with the paint. This step significantly reduces the risk of introducing scratches during the wash process.
Step 2: Two-Bucket Hand Wash and Wheel Cleaning
We follow the pre-wash with a meticulous two-bucket hand wash method that keeps the wash mitt clean between passes. Wheels and tires are hand washed separately with dedicated products to safely remove brake dust and road grime without damaging the finish.
Step 3: Paint Decontamination
Available in our Gold and Platinum packages, paint decontamination uses an iron remover to dissolve bonded metallic particles and brake dust embedded in your clear coat, followed by a clay bar treatment to remove any remaining contaminants. This step is essential before polishing or sealing and leaves the surface genuinely smooth.
Step 4: Polish, Protect, and Dress
Finishing steps vary by package and may include a swirl-free single-stage paint polish, glass polishing to remove water spots, a hydrophobic windshield treatment, paint sealant or ceramic coating, no-sling tire dressing, trim dressing, and exterior trim protectant. Each step is tailored to the level of service selected.
For a complete inside-and-out treatment, visit our interior detailing page or see our full range of ceramic coating options.
Choose the Right Level of Exterior Care
EXterior Detailing Packages
Silver Exterior Package
Starting at
$99
Approximate Completion Time: 1 to 2 hours
The Silver is built for the vehicle owner who keeps up with their car and wants a reliable, professional clean that goes further than a car wash. If your paint is in good shape and you just need it looking its best, this is the right package.
This Package Includes:
- Foam cannon wash
- Two-bucket hand wash
- Hand wash wheels and tires
- Apply trim dressing
- Apply coating to wheels
- Apply paint sealant
- Apply protectant to exterior trim
Gold Exterior Package
Starting at
$199
Approximate Completion Time: 2 to 3 hours
The Gold is ideal for drivers who are more particular about their paint or whose vehicle has been through a rough stretch of weather, road salt, or heavy use. The full decontamination process removes what a standard wash leaves behind, and the entry-level ceramic coating adds a meaningful layer of surface coverage that keeps the vehicle cleaner for longer.
This Package Includes:
- Foam cannon wash
- Two-bucket hand wash
- Hand wash wheels and tires
- Decontaminate paint to remove minor bugs, tar, and grime
- Clay bar treatment to remove remaining impurities
- Apply trim dressing
- Apply no-sling tire dressing
- Apply coating to wheels
- Apply entry-level ceramic coating (better than sealant)
- Polish glass to remove water spotting
- Apply protectant to exterior trim
Platinum Exterior Package
Starting at
$349
Approximate Completion Time: 3 to 6 hours
The Platinum is built for the vehicle that has seen a lot of life inside. Think long road trips, pets, kids, food, or simply a cabin that has not had a deep clean in a while. This is the full treatment, and the results will show it.
This Package Includes:
- Foam cannon wash
- Two-bucket hand wash
- Hand wash wheels and tires
- Decontaminate paint to remove minor bugs, tar, and grime
- Clay bar treatment to remove remaining impurities
- Apply trim dressing
- Apply no-sling tire dressing
- Apply coating to wheels
- Apply entry-level ceramic coating (better than sealant)
- Swirl-free single-stage paint polish
- Polish glass to remove water spotting
- Apply protectant to exterior trim
- Apply hydrophobic windshield treatment
- Optional upgrade to 3-year or 5-year ceramic coating
Enhance Your Package
Available Add-On Service
Headlight Restoration
Starting at
$99
Over time, headlights become foggy, yellowed, and dull from oxidation and UV exposure, reducing both brightness and appearance. Our headlight restoration process uses progressive wet sanding from 800 to 3000 grit to remove oxidation, followed by machine polishing to bring back clarity, and a UV-resistant clear coat to seal the results.
Approximate completion time: 4 hours.
What a Proper Exterior Detail Does for Your Vehicle
The Benefits of Regular Exterior Detailing
Paint That Stays Cleaner Longer
A proper exterior detail does not just clean your paint. It decontaminates and seals it. The sealant and coating applications create a barrier that repels water, dirt, and road grime, making your vehicle easier to maintain between visits.
Surface Defects Addressed at the Source
Our Platinum package includes a single-stage paint polish that removes light swirl marks and surface imperfections rather than masking them. The result is a cleaner, more uniform finish that reflects light more evenly and gives your paint a deeper appearance.
A Foundation for Long-Term Care
Regular exterior detailing keeps your paint clean, decontaminated, and sealed. This is one of the best things you can do for your vehicle's long-term condition and makes an ideal foundation for a ceramic coating or paint protection film application.
Your Questions, Answered
EXterior Detailing FAQs
Is exterior detailing different from a car wash?
A standard car wash removes loose surface dirt but does not address bonded contaminants, surface oxidation, or the condition of your paint at a deeper level. Exterior detailing is a more thorough process that includes decontamination, clay bar treatment, polishing where applicable, and sealant or coating application. The result is paint that is genuinely clean, protected, and better-looking than any car wash can deliver.
Do you hand wash every vehicle?
Every exterior detail at Element Customs begins with a foam cannon pre-wash followed by a two-bucket hand wash. This method is significantly safer for your paint than automatic car washes, which can introduce swirl marks and fine scratches.
What does paint decontamination involve?
Paint decontamination removes bonded contaminants from your vehicle's surface that a standard wash cannot address. We apply an iron remover to dissolve embedded brake dust and metallic particles, then follow with a clay bar treatment to pull out remaining debris. This leaves the surface smooth and truly clean, and is essential before any polishing or sealing.
Can I add a ceramic coating to my exterior detail?
Our Platinum package includes the option to upgrade to a 3-year or 5-year ceramic coating. Ceramic coating bonds to your paint and provides a significantly longer-lasting layer of surface coverage compared to a traditional sealant. Visit our ceramic coating page for full details on our coating packages.
How often should I have my exterior detailed?
For most drivers in the Los Angeles area, an exterior detail every two to three months is a good cadence for keeping the paint clean, decontaminated, and sealed. Vehicles that are driven frequently or parked outdoors may benefit from more regular visits. Our team is happy to help you find a schedule that fits your vehicle and lifestyle.
