Trucks get quoted like big cars, and that is where the surprises come from. A full-size pickup has more paint than most sedans, a bed that is its own cleaning job, wheel wells packed with mud, and an interior that often doubles as a jobsite office. A detail built for a car skips a lot of it.
These are the differences, and what to make sure your quote includes.
The bed
How a bed gets cleaned depends on what is in it.
- Spray-in liners are textured, so dirt sits in the grain. They need a stiff brush and a degreaser, then a dressing made for liners if you want the color back. Avoid slick dressings on the floor, which make cargo slide.
- Drop-in plastic liners trap water, sand, and debris underneath. Over time that grinds against the paint on the bed floor. Pulling the liner out once in a while to clean under it is worth doing.
- Bare painted beds scratch easily and show it. They can be polished and protected like the rest of the paint, though cargo will mark them again.
- Tonneau covers, whether soft vinyl or hard panels, get cleaned and protected with products made for their material. Soft covers dry out and fade like a convertible top.
Wheel wells, frame, and mud
A truck that sees dirt roads or jobsites carries packed mud in the wheel wells, on the frame rails, and behind the bumpers. Rinsing does not move it. It takes a pre-soak, agitation, and a lot of water, and it is often the dirtiest part of the job.
It is worth doing. Packed mud holds moisture against steel, and it adds weight that throws off wheel balance if it collects inside the rims. If your truck goes off road, ask whether the undercarriage and wells are included or just the visible faces.
Lifted trucks and big panels
A lifted truck or a heavy-duty pickup needs ladders or platforms to reach the roof and the top of the hood properly. Those are also the panels that get the most sun, so they are usually the most oxidized or swirled. A detail that skips the roof because it is hard to reach leaves the worst paint untouched.
Black trim, chrome, and bumpers
Trucks carry a lot of unpainted black plastic: fender flares, bumper caps, grilles, running boards, and mirror housings. In the Valley sun it fades to gray. A good dressing brings the color back for a while, and a trim coating holds it for much longer.
Chrome bumpers and grilles need their own polish and protection. Water spots on chrome etch if they sit, and chrome that has started to pit cannot be polished back to perfect.
Most of what makes a truck look old is the trim, not the paint.
Work truck interiors
A work truck interior takes different abuse than a commuter car. Drywall dust, concrete, sawdust, and dried mud get ground into carpet and seat fabric. Rubber floor liners help a lot, and if your truck has carpet, a good set of liners is the cheapest protection you can buy.
Paperwork and gear on the dash block sun, then leave a clean outline when they are moved. Fine dust gets into the vents and the seams of the console. A thorough interior detail on a work truck spends most of its time on dust removal before anything wet touches it, because fine dust plus water turns into paste.
What to ask for in the quote
- Is the bed included, and does it cover under a drop-in liner?
- Are the wheel wells and undercarriage included, or only the wheels?
- Will the roof be done properly on a lifted truck?
- Is the black trim restored or just dressed?
- Is the tonneau cover included?
If you have a fleet of work trucks rather than one, a scheduled program is usually the better fit. For a single truck, send us a photo of the bed, the interior, and a wheel well, and we will tell you what it needs.
The Nor-Cal Crew
Mobile detailing, ceramic coating & paint correction · Sacramento, California