There are many detailers out there with widely varying prices and skills.  This is for a couple different reasons:  there is no general guideline or association that regulates the process and quality of every detailer, the low overheard of the business attracts many entrepreneurs to the field.  This makes it extremely difficult to find a detailer near you that has the experience, knowledge, and business sense to make you happy and to complete the job correctly.  However, in a specialized field like detailing, the skill and quality of the service directly reflects the price of the service.

The Volume Detail Shop/Car Wash

     This is the most common type of detail shop where quantity is paramount over quality.  They have a large hourly staff and are typically busy all year round.  Their main concern is getting the job done as fast as possible and out the door and their pay check.  If time and money are your two biggest concerns, then this is the place for you and I would gladly recommend one in the area.  The downside to this type of shop is the quality and lack of technical skill.  They take shortcuts to get the job completed faster and their knowledge and practice is far out of date.  Some even advertise detailer associations they belong to that no longer exist!  These shops also get a lot of dissatisfied customers where the vehicle comes back and needs to get corrected.  This is usually the only time the manager even sees the vehicle as well, so there are many other dissatisfied customers that leave and never come back.  They use the cheapest products possible and use cover-up waxes to hide the polish work that was never done.  The "pot-smoking, change-stealing" wash boy stigma is 100% correct.  I know this personally as I used to work at one of these places.  If you'd like to know who it is, give me a call and ask.

The 'Hack' Shop

     These are the signs you see advertising a "Full Detail" for $85.  This should be an immediate red flag.  Most hack shops do not know they are one as they firmly believe the way they have been taught is the correct way to detail.  They will flat-out lie to you and make excuses why something didn't come out like they guaranteed.  They will often try to sell you a "5 year guaranteed" paint sealant or a Teflon paint sealant, both of which are scams.  They are also operating their business under the radar by not paying for a business license and liability insurance.  Again, you get what you paid for, and if someone has many years of experience and skill, why are they working for $8 per hour?

The Dealership

     Many people get their vehicles detailed at their dealership because they trust the person they bought their car from.  However, the car dealership detailer will fall into one of the previous two catagories.   New car dealerships will do everything as cheap as possible so their profit margin is the highest.  They pay their detailers minimum wage and work like a volume shop.  The only aspect where they differ from a volume shop is the price.  While the speed and the quality is the same, they charge a premium for the service.  Some will even sub-contract their detailing to professionals like TS Detailing for better quality work and charge 100% over their wholesale cost.  I know this first hand.  From a revenue standpoint, most new car dealerships make two times the revenue through their service department than they do through sales.

The Mobile Detailer

     This can either be an experienced professional or an inexperienced kid trying to make a few extra bucks.  The difference here is the price and the business management.  Someone experienced in the field of detailing will know the actual value of their skills and will charge accordingly as these are specialists in high demand.  They have the talent, knowledge, and business skills to make a living doing what they do best.  The mobile detailer has the convenience of doing the work at any location saving the customer time and gas.  They usually originate from one of the previous types and have outgrown the structure or distanced themselves from the competition.  Some also come from mentoring franchises or "detail schools" that can be found in the southern states and on the coasts.
The latter type of mobile detailer usually operates as a 'side-job' from their regular job.  They will undercut everyone on price because they have little-to-no overhead but seriously lack the skills and knowledge to operate as an official business.  They will use over-the-counter products and do not use the proper equipment for the job.  They will also throw the word "detail" around while not really understanding it's meaning or the process.  Most of these mobile "detailers" are simple car washers.

The Boutique Shop

     Only about 3% of detail shops in the country fall under this catagory.  There is a very high level of skill involved with years of experience and extensive industry knowledge.   They detail cars and nothing else:  no accessories, no oil changes, no fleet accounts, no car audio.  They know the newest trends in the industry.  They carry top-shelf products and boutique waxes from Zymol and Swissvax.  They are self-owned or have a very small staff.  These shops usually have a very strict clientelle and book up months in advance.  Their work is concourse level where a full recondition can take mulitple days to complete.  They are artists in their skill level and take pride in their craft and field of specialty.  Their cost is high-dollar, but so are the vehicles they work on.