Interview with Justin Hunt, owner of Hunt for Details in Athens, GA
Let’s sit down and have a chat with Justin Hunt, owner of Hunt for Details in Athens GA, and learn more about the detailing process and his take on car care.
For someone who’s never had their car detailed, whats the big deal?
Cars get dirty, and a lot of people don’t have the time to clean them themselves. Sometimes they are physically unable or their parking area/driveway isn’t conducive to the process. But what separates car detailing from car cleaning is that, as detailers, we’re really working to reset the clock on your car and breathe new life into it. It’s like the difference between washing your face and having a facial. Or cutting your nails versus having a manicure.
Sometimes that reset is as simple as removing all those old stickers your toddler stuck on the windows and getting the gunk out of the cupholders. Sometimes,, it requires a deeper look and specialized cleaners or techniques. Cars are complicated. They have lots of different materials and moving parts. Having a professional who knows how to work with these complexities and get them clean in an efficient manner is valuable. The car looks great again and it truly feels clean… and you didn’t have to do anything. That’s why people appreciate having their cars detailed.
I’m almost embarrassed to bring my car to you. I think it’s probably the worst one you’ve ever seen. Could you really make it feel clean again?
First off, I highly doubt that it’s the worst I’ve ever seen. In fact, the “worst car” is not even a real car anymore but rather an imaginary mashup of all the weird, wild, gross stuff I’ve seen over the years owning my car detailing business here in Athens.
Unless you car has a rodent nest under the hood, sticky gummed up kid snacks in every cup holder, crayon drawings on the headliner, enough dog hair to make a whole new Border Collie, and python urine in the front seat, it’s nowhere near the worst I’ve ever seen.
Secondly, given enough time and owner buy-in, terribly dirty cars can make huge comebacks. Usually, the really bad cars require a lot of time and advanced techniques to refresh. Sometimes the neglect is bad enough that some of the damage has become one with the car. Those situations require replacing carpet, floor mats, upholstery, or other parts. That’s a process I can help with. I get that life happens, but it’s easier and cheaper to try to keep the car in marginally good condition. Otherwise, you may have a situation where the resale value is completely wrecked and the cost of the car detail is more than you really want to spend.
The majority of customer vehicles are more average than awful. Cars get dirty. I’ve seen it all. There’s no need to be embarrassed to bring your car to me. It’s what I do for a living, and I’d be more than happy to put it on the schedule.
What do you think has made your car detailing business so successful in Athens?
Well, you can’t have a successful automotive detailing business without providing great detailing. That’s the baseline. I really love cars, and I got into this because I was detailing my own enthusiast cars as a weekend hobby. My neighbors took note and the business grew organically. I think you have to really be into what you’re doing to grow a successful business out of it – there has to be some deeper underlying interest than just making a living. And I’m a total car guy.
Outside of the basics, I attribute a lot of my success detailing to the relationships I try to build lasting ones with my customers. Some people are once and done or once a year customers. Not everyone has a substantial interest in the appearance of their car, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But I love it when people are into their cars or when they simply want to chat, get to know us, and become regular customers. Athens, GA is a relatively small community. If you talk to enough people here, you start to see a web of interconnections forming. It’s cool, and I like learning more about the people that make up our community. I especially enjoy getting to know the people behind other local businesses, like Akademia Brewing or Cali n Titos.
Athens also has a ton of unique cars for the size of the town. If you or one of your kids has any vague interest in cars, there are a lot of neat weekend car shows that you can check out as something different to do.
Overall, I’d say it’s taking the time to perform truly high-quality car detailing AND taking the time to get to know the people driving the cars. That’s what’s made Hunt for Details successful.
What’s your favorite kind of car to detail?
I’m a Porsche guy. I’ve been lucky enough to own a number of them and to detail dozens. I’ve seen all eras and models, including the new all-electric Taycan Turbo S and Cayenne Turbo GTS. At this point, Porsches are like old friends when they show up. It always puts a smile on my face to see a 911, old or new, pull into the shop. Over the years detailing these cars, I’ve built up a huge amount of knowledge about their materials, inner-workings, and quirks. There’s literally no one more qualified to work on Porsches cosmetically here in Athens, GA than Hunt for Details.
I also must say that I love all those dirty, dog-hauling Hondas. They’re abundant around Athens, and they really keep me in business.
What’s something you wish more people knew about car care?
I wish more people knew that waxing a car is not something you do once. It’s not even something you do every year. Wax is the only barrier between the elements and your car’s finish, and it only has a lifespan of about 3 months. This means that if you only wax your car on a yearly basis, 9 months out of the year the paint is completely unprotected from major contaminants like bird poop, tree sap, bug guts, brake dust, and UV damage. All of these can do significant damage to the clear coat and paint if left on the surface of the car for any length of time.
Modern chemistry has come a long way in terms of developing products better than plain old carnauba wax. We now use SiO2 paint sealants that are completely synthetic and have UV blockers to better protect color pigment. If you’ve ever seen a 15 year old Honda that was once red but is now pink, then you know why UV protection is important. I apply paint sealants on my customers’ cars as part of every detailing service. The effective lifespan of the sealant I use depends somewhat on the car’s lifestyle, but for most people I recommend reapplication every 3 months.
What are some things that people can do to keep their cars looking decent in between details?
One of the easiest things you can do is take your car to a self-service car wash and simply power wash it – I’m talking about those little brick structures with the bays, NOT a drive thru car wash. Drive thru car washes are absolutely terrible for a car’s paint. You go to the drive thru with the intention of having your car looking good, but after only about 20 times, the car’s paint will be damaged to the point of needing to be professionally polished. So stick to the old school car wash bays – you can find them all over Athens – but when you go, do NOT use the brushes that they have there. Brushes are for decks and barns, not cars – they are also extremely damaging to the car’s paint.
As far as other things, simply cleaning out the trash on a routine basis is a good place to start. It can be hard to keep on top of the trash situation with a busy life, especially if you have kids, but cleaning things out once or twice a week is doable for most people. If you have extra time, a light vacuum with your regular household vacuum will help things feeling fresh in between detailing services.
You see a lot of cars on a regular basis. What do you think are the best cars on the road right now?
The most common cars that I detail are the CRV and the RAV-4, and that’s for good reason. The build quality and reliability of those SUVs are excellent, especially considering the cost of ownership. They have most all of the amenities that any regular person would need, and the styling just keeps getting more interesting They are so ubiquitous, but if you’re just an average car owner, being part of a pack is a good thing. These cars are super reliable, but it’s easy and relatively inexpensive to find someone to work on them when you need it. When you’re ready to move on, it’ll be easy to find a buyer. I don’t think you could really go wrong with either the CRV or the RAV-4, especially for a young family. Do some regular maintenance, keep the oil changed, and you’ll have a great car for a long time to come.
If you’re looking for something a little more upscale, the BMW X5 is hard to beat – or BMW i4 if you want to go electric. The interior finishes on these cars are really upscale. They’ll really make you feel like you’re riding in something special. I see a lot of cars, and I have to say that both the interior and exterior styling on these is trendsetting. Some people take issue with the BMW front grille, but I actually think it will age pretty well.
What’s your favorite part of the car detailing process?
My favorite part of car detailing is honing in on minute areas of the car that I know the customer will never actively observe. These are things like the insides of the vents, the door jambs, the jambs of the back hatch, and the seat rails. Those are things that no one ever really looks at directly, but your mind’s eye has a way of picking up that information and telling you that the car feels dirty and old. You could either go get a new one or you could clean it.
People buy cars, then after about 5-7 years, those cars start feeling tired and old. Most haven’t been seriously cleaned one single time. Sure, some people do a cursory vacuum at the drive thru car wash, but very, very few people take the time to wipe down every surface of their car on any kind of regular basis. Almost no one except car nuts and detailers are cleaning the areas that I’m talking about. You might think your car is pretty clean, but I bet the backside of your steering wheel would tell a different story. When you pull the door handle all the way out, I bet there are dust bunnies in there.
Dirt builds up in cars, especially over the course of years. Car interiors have lots of little crevices that end up being dirt pockets, and I’ve really learned the ins and outs of where dirt accumulates. Taking care of those areas is what brings a breath of fresh air to the car and part of what makes a real, professional car detailing service so valuable.
As a side note – when’s the last time you changed your cabin air filter? Changing the air filter is something I regularly do for customers because so many of them are just chock full of debris. Very few people ever think about them, until its time for service and the dealer wants $100. When’s the last time you cleaned the pine straw and leaves out of the cowling under your hood? When you turn on your air conditioning system, it brings the air in the cowling and through the cabin air filter. You want those things to be clear and clean so that your HVAC can blow powerfully and bring in clean air for to breathe.
When you’re not detailing cars, what are you up to?
I spend my days off with my wife and our two little bitty kids, who are 2 and 7 months. We go to a lot of local parks and businesses like Local 706, Oak House Distillery, Condor, Treehouse, and Little City Diner. We really enjoy exploring the place that we live and finding the cool places that are unique to Athens, Watkinsville, and Winterville. We love you Athens!