It's in the details...

You've got the flowers, you've ordered the cake. The dress looks simply gorgeous. The hall is rented, the tuxes have been fitted, you've booked your photographer... you've remembered everything, right? What about the "get away" car?

Weddings are all about the details, from the flowers to the shoes, to the seating plan, every little tweak is important, including getting your car detailed.

I've featured Jason Murdock before for a family photo session. Jason is a Postie by day, but in his "off" hours, he loves to detail cars. I asked him a few questions about his detailing business and here are his answers:

GL: Hi Jason, tell us about your car detailing.

JM: I started my auto detailing business in April of 2014. I have had a strong passion for anything automotive since I was a child and when I turned 16 and got my driver's licence, my Dad said I could use the family vehicle as long as I replaced the gas I used. I told him I'd do one better and clean it too!

Ever since then I've been obsessed with keeping my vehicle as clean as possible and adding those little detailing touches to make it stand out. I always thought that it would be cool to have my own auto detailing business so others could have a vehicle cleaned up to the way it was when it was a new car in the showroom.

When my marital status changed last year, it gave me some time to start up Jason's Pro Quality Auto Detailing. I was able to make a go at my dream job while keeping my full-time job. I'm not only a car guy (I'm really obsessed with cars, especially Corvettes. Followed close behind by muscle cars, hot rods and sports cars ) but I'm also a particular perfectionist that likes to keep things in their best possible condition. I think that, that along with my 16 years of detailing cars helps me get the results that my customers like.

GL: What should you look for when looking for someone to detail your car?

JM: When looking for someone to detail your car, I recommend asking for references and or photographs of previous work. Before I trust anyone else to handle my personal belongings I do a little homework. I always have previous customers that are more than willing to be used as references and I have an online album where people can see pictures of my work, often including before and after pictures. You should also make sure you know what services are included and what you are paying for. I always confirm with the customers when they drop the vehicle off in case they've changed what services they want.

GL: What is special about your detailing work?

JM: My detailing rule for myself is: make sure that I can not possibly make the car any better than it is when I'm finished. If I haven't done my best job than i'm not happy and I won't tell the customer I'm done if it still needs work. I live life by the saying "you can't rush quality". When a customer gets their vehicle back I want their jaw to drop in amazement and watch them fall back in love with their car and look at it the way they did when they first bought it. Along with my high standards, I also only use high quality products that I've tested on my personal vehicle and know work well and last.

GL: Have you had any "interesting" jobs?

JM: I've had a few cars that made my list of "most interesting": I remember having one car that had so many loose items throughout it that i filled two large cardboard boxes to the top, I'm talking text books, scarves, a recipe, one mitt and one sock, I think it was something like 14 pens...it was a real collection to say the least. 
The other car that stands out I refer to as the "swamp car". Super nice owner but I did not know ahead of time that they were avid rock and stone collectors. Every cupholder, cubby, map pocket, ash tray etc had stones and rocks in it. I'm not talking polished quartz and emeralds...I mean dirty, muddy, right off the ground rocks and stones. The entire interior of the car was mud and dirt. It also had an unkown water leak somewhere and the rear hatch area had filled up with water which mixed with more muddy rocks, creating the "swamp" in the back. 

As for any unique or funny items...I'd say finding a baby bottle with a little splash of what used to be milk in it that had been lodged under a seat for 9 months was pretty unique. I've also found a pair of underwear in a vehicle.

GL: Why should a bride and groom consider detailing their car?

JM: As a bride and groom it's a very exciting time. New beginnings, new adventures, even new clothes for that day. You might as well start off with a freshly cleaned car too. Especially if you'll be driving this car away at the end of the wedding or off to your honeymoon shortly after. I'm not sure that driving off into the sunset with your new spouse while breathing in the smell of some fast food wrappers and those french fries that fell under the seat last month create the "perfect" mood.

On a more serious note, having a freshly cleaned car means that there isn't dirt on the car or excess grease on the door jambs that can stain that special dress that the bride plans on keeping forever or staining a rented tuxedo.

GL: How would a bride or groom get in touch with you?

JM: Jason's Pro Quality Auto Detailing is located in Elmira ON and open by appointment 7 days/week. I can be reached by any method that the potential customer is comfortable with. You can reach me by phone: call or text 519-501-7479, you can email me: jmurdock83@hotmail.com and you can find my facebook page at www.facebook.com/Jasonsdetailing . My facebook page has various albums that showcase some of the vehicles I've detailed.

GL: Thanks Jason. Those are great tips!