Wash (€90–€150)
At your place. Essential €90: body + wheels. Protection €150 if you want it to last (decon + wax).
Guide
French Riviera detailing guide
This guide helps you pick a job on the French Riviera: mobile wash, interior, clay, polish or ceramic. Right time-to-budget — no 3-step correction if a Protection wash is enough.
Area: Nice, Cannes, Saint-Tropez, Monaco, Sanremo, Genoa — French Riviera and Liguria.
Interior (€150–€180)
Seats, mats, steam, plastics. Add hair, ozone or leather if the cabin is heavy.
Combined (€180–€400)
Complex or full detail. Best first visit if the car has been neglected.
Polish & ceramic (€690–€990)
After wash and decon. 1–3 steps by defect. A light polish can be done at your place; ceramic needs an enclosed garage. Ceramic does not replace a monthly wash.
Where to start, depending on the car
Car kept up and washed monthly: the €90 Essential wash is enough. There is nothing to fix, we keep it that way.
Outside is fine but the cabin has lived — kids, dog, beach sand: go for the full interior at €150–€180, with steam or ozone if smells have settled in.
Neglected for a year or more: a wash alone will not fix it. The full detail at €250–€400 resets inside and out, and gives a proper base if you want protection afterwards.
Dull paint with swirls visible in sunlight: only then does polishing come up. Ceramic only makes sense after that, on corrected paint.
What the Riviera does to your paint
Sea salt is the real issue here. Near the coast the air deposits it constantly, even on a car that never moves. It attacks the clear coat, eats into wheels and settles in the seals: a car parked 200 m from the beach ages faster than the same car up in Cimiez.
The sun finishes the job. UV dulls reds and blacks, dries out dashboard plastics and bleaches untreated leather.
Add pine sap, seagull droppings and fine sand that gets everywhere. Sap and droppings are acidic: in midsummer they mark the clear coat in days, not weeks.
That is why a steady rhythm costs less than a full restoration every two years.
How often
Car parked outside near the sea: wash every two to three weeks, wax or sealant protection two or three times a year.
Car in a garage, daily use: once a month is plenty.
Weekend car, little mileage: still once a month. A car that sits gets dirty differently — dust, airborne salt, droppings.
Full interior: once or twice a year in normal use, more often with children, a pet or beach trips.
Ceramic: when it is worth it
Ceramic is not a magic product. It is a hard layer that makes washing easier and shields against salt and UV. It does not remove scratches, it locks them in: if the paint is marked we correct first, otherwise the defects are sealed in for years.
It is worth it if you are keeping the car, if it sleeps outside, if you live near the sea, or if you are preparing a sale.
It is not worth it on a company car going back in six months, or on paint already full of stone chips. For the same yearly budget, a €150 Protection wash serves you better.
One thing to remember: ceramic does not replace washing. It makes it quicker, not unnecessary.
Mistakes that cost money
Roller car washes. They run all day over cars full of sand, and that sand ends up on your clear coat. It is the main cause of the circular swirls you see in sunlight.
Washing in full sun. Water dries before it is wiped and leaves limescale marks, sometimes permanent on hot panels.
One sponge, one bucket. Dirt goes straight back onto the paint every pass. Two buckets minimum, and never the same kit for wheels and bodywork.
Rubbing a salty car dry. Salt is abrasive: without rinsing first, the sponge drags it across the clear coat.
How a mobile visit works
We need a spot where the car fits with a little room around it: outside your home, in a courtyard, a private car park, or the office one while you work.
Water and power on site make it easier. If there is no water point, say so on the quote: we adapt the method and the products.
Allow 1 h 30 for an interior, 3 to 5 h for a full detail, a full day for polish and ceramic.
A light one-step polish can be done at your place, in shade or under cover. A 2 or 3 step correction and ceramic need an enclosed space: your garage, or our Nice studio once it opens.
Frequently asked questions
Wash or detail?
Wash = upkeep. Detail = decon, deep interior, sometimes polish. Ceramic only after prepared paint.
When is the €990 ceramic worth it?
Marked paint, holograms, selling the car, or 4–5 year protection. Otherwise €690 or €850 is often enough.
Do I need water and power at home?
It is easier with them, but not compulsory. Mention it on the quote: with no water point we adapt the method and the products.
Wax, sealant or ceramic — how long do they last?
Wax lasts a few weeks to two months, a sealant around six months, ceramic from 1 to 5 years depending on the package and upkeep.
Does sea salt really damage paint?
Yes, especially near the coast where it settles continuously, even on a parked car. It attacks the clear coat and the wheels; regular rinsing and a protection limit the damage.
Can you work in my building car park?
Usually yes, if the building rules allow it and the car can stay parked for the duration. Check first — we adapt to the place.
Is detailing worth it before selling the car?
It is the best cost-to-effect ratio: a €250–€400 full detail changes the first impression and almost always pays for itself in the negotiation.