If I’m driving daily in West London, I treat detailing like a maintenance rhythm rather than a one-off treat. For me, the sensible baseline is a proper detail every 3 to 6 months, then smaller “top-up” cleans in between. The traffic film, road grit, and surprise rain showers here add up quickly, and if I leave it too long the car stops feeling nice even if it’s technically “clean.”
Here’s the way I decide: I check three areas once a week, and it takes me about two minutes. First, I run my fingers lightly over the lower door panels. If it feels gritty, I know contamination is building. Second, I look at the front bumper and mirrors for bug splatter and tar spots. Third, I check the inside of the windscreen because that hazy buildup can creep up without you noticing. If two of those are looking rough, I schedule something.
Personal tip from a mistake I made: I used to wait until the car looked terrible, then I’d need a bigger, more expensive job to undo the neglect. Now I’d rather do fewer “hero” details and more consistent upkeep. If you want to dig deeper, there’s a great resource that I came across.
Just to add, if your car lives outside or you park under trees, lean closer to the 3-month end of that range.