A fleet does not need the same treatment as a private car. What it needs is a predictable cadence, a written per-visit price, and a schedule that does not stop the vehicles working.
A vehicle that carries clients needs a clean cabin every visit schedule. A service van that only carries tools needs the outside kept presentable and the cabin cleaned on a longer cycle. Split the fleet into those two groups before you ask for a price.
Two visits a month on a small fleet is the common starting point. It keeps dust off the paint and stops the cabin from reaching the state where one session cannot fix it.
The individual full detail band sits at $240 to $300 for a sedan and a per-vehicle quote for a truck or XL SUV. A fleet block should land below that per vehicle because the work is repeatable, and the only way to know the real number is to ask for it in writing.
Get the price per visit, not per hour, and confirm what a visit includes: exterior only, or the cabin as well.
Book a mobile detailer to come to the yard and work vehicle by vehicle while the rest stay in service. A fifteen-vehicle fleet is not a single day of work for one person, so the schedule usually spreads across several mornings.
Ask for the same operator each visit. A crew that already knows the vehicles works faster and notices damage earlier.
First, the per-visit price and the vehicle classes it covers. Second, the cadence and what happens if a visit is missed. Third, whether water and power come from your yard or the detailer supplies them.
Those three lines prevent almost every dispute that follows.
A written fleet quote names the vehicle classes, the per-visit price for each, what a visit includes, and the cadence it assumes. Anything less and the first month runs on assumption.
Ask what a missed visit does to the price and how much notice rescheduling needs. In summer, heat and dust storms move schedules more often than rain does.
Repeat visits compound. A crew that knows the vehicles works faster, spots damage early, and stops re-learning where the water tap is. Rotating crews each visit costs time you pay for.
Keep a simple log per vehicle: date, what was done, anything noticed. It is the cheapest maintenance record a small fleet can hold, and it settles questions about damage quickly.
St. Louis runs on sun and dust in proportions few other cities match. A car that sits outside through July takes more ultraviolet load in one season than a coastal car takes in three. St. Louis County air also carries fine coastal silt, which is abrasive on a dry panel and settles into the trim gaps where a cloth cannot reach.
The practical result is a shorter cycle than the national habit suggests. What works elsewhere at six weeks works here at three, and the difference has nothing to do with how often you drive.
Spring and autumn are the easy windows: moderate temperatures, workable drying times, no dust storms. Summer sessions run early in the morning, before the panels get hot enough that a cleaning product flashes off before it works. Winter visits are comfortable but need light, so afternoon slots fill first.
Ask for a morning slot in June and be ready to move if the wind comes up. A detailer who reschedules for weather is protecting the finish, not losing you a booking.
Walk the car in daylight, not under a shop light. Look along the panels at a low angle to see the finish, open the doors and check the jambs, feel the carpet pile, and look at the glass from inside against the sky. Dirt hid in all four places is the usual complaint.
A good visit ends with the detailer walking the car with you. Say what is not right before the vehicle moves, and most crews will fix it on the spot.
Plan on eight to twelve exterior washes or three to five full details, depending on vehicle size and condition.
Per vehicle. It prices the result and keeps the cost predictable as the fleet grows.
No. Exterior on every visit and interior on a longer cycle keeps costs down.
A full detail cleans the inside and the outside in one visit. St. Louis detailers publish it as a three-class price: sedan, small SUV, and truck or XL SUV.
The interior is where most St. Louis vehicles lose value. Humidity and sand work into carpets, salt haze etches dashboards and glass, and pet hair works into fabric that a vacuum cannot lift.
A hand wash and wax is the entry package. On the coast it does two jobs: it lifts the dust film that settles within days, and it lays down a barrier against sun and hard water.
Paint correction is machine work that removes a measured layer of clear coat to take out swirls, oxidation and light scratches. It is the only service on this site that changes the paint permanently.
A ceramic coating is a semi-permanent protective layer applied over corrected paint. Local operators start the price at $700.
Fleet work is the same detailing job repeated on a schedule, priced per vehicle for a block of units. In St. Louis it suits shuttle operators, rental fleets and service vans that meet customers.
Mobile Detailing in St. Louis, MO - costs, water and soil notes.
Mobile Detailing in Chesterfield, MO - costs, water and soil notes.
Mobile Detailing in Clayton, MO - costs, water and soil notes.
Mobile Detailing in Kirkwood, MO - costs, water and soil notes.
Mobile Detailing in Oakville, MO - costs, water and soil notes.
Mobile Detailing in Florissant, MO - costs, water and soil notes.
