Hand work, 47 branches
Car Detailing
Car detailing at Thunder Brothers is hand work. Every branch does it the same way: a proper wash first, then the paint, the trim and the inside of the car get worked on separately, by people who do this all day.
We run car detailing at 47 sites across South Africa, and none of them need a booking. Drive in, tell the team what the car needs, and leave it with them while you are in the centre.
Above a wash
What a detail actually includes
A wash gets the dirt off. A detail deals with what is underneath: the swirl marks in the clear coat, the grime worked into the seat stitching, the smell that will not shift. The work splits into three parts, and you can take one or all of them.
Paint correction
A three stage machine polish cuts back light scratches and oxidation, then refines the finish, then seals it. Faded bonnets and roofs come back the furthest, because they take the most sun. On a car that only needs a light lift, a hand polish does the job for less.
Interior deep clean
Seats, carpets and roof lining are cleaned separately rather than vacuumed over. Leather gets a dedicated treatment. If the car has been carrying dogs, kids, gym kit or takeaways, this is the part that fixes it. Odour removal goes after the source rather than covering it.
Protection
High definition wax goes on last. It is what makes rain bead and slide off instead of drying into spots, and it buys the paint some protection against sun, dust and bird mess until the next one.
First things first
A detail always starts with a proper wash
Polishing a dirty car grinds the dirt into the paint, so nothing starts until the car is washed and dried by hand. That is also when the team can see what they are actually dealing with: how deep the marks are, whether the clear coat has gone chalky, whether a claybar is needed before anything else.
It is the reason the honest answer sometimes comes back as no. If a wash and a wax will get the car where you want it, the team will say so rather than sell you a machine buff the paint does not need.
Prices
What car detailing costs
Our Royal Treatment package is the full inside and out detail. Individual items can be added to any wash instead, which is usually the cheaper route if the car only needs one thing sorted.
| Detailing work | What it does | From |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Treatment | The full detail. Exterior wash with a deep clean of the roof lining, carpets and seats | R 700 to R 1200 |
| Machine buff | Machine polish that cuts back swirl marks, oxidation and faded paint | R 400 |
| Claybar | Lifts bonded grit out of the clear coat before polishing or waxing | R 500 |
| Hand polish | Lifts grime and light marks, for paint that needs a gentler correction | R 250 |
| High definition wax | Protection against rain, sun, dust and bird mess | R 300 |
| Leather care | Cleans and feeds leather seats and trim rather than wiping them over | R 200 |
| Seats or carpets only | Shampooed and deep cleaned on their own, without the full package | R 350 |
| Headlight restoration | Cloudy, yellowed lenses cut back to clear | R 500 |
Figures move a little between branches. Your branch page carries its own exact prices, and the full price list covers every package we run.
Drop and go
Leave the car with us
A detail is not a wash. There is a lot more work in it, and the team will not rush it to hit a number. Nearly every Thunder Brothers branch sits inside or alongside a shopping centre, which is exactly why most people drop the car, get on with what they came to do, and come back to it.
- No booking
- No deposit
- No phone call needed
- Pay at the branch
Western Cape, Gauteng, Free State, Limpopo
Where to get it done
Car detailing is available at all 47 Thunder Brothers branches. Pick the one nearest you for its address, opening hours and prices. If you are not sure which package the car needs, the team will tell you straight, including when a wash will do and a detail is not worth the money.