16-year-old Brayden Wendinger started his own detailing business in November 2024. Wendinger started from scratch with no cars, no supplies, and little business. “I didn’t want to work in a fast food restaurant. I also wanted to work solo, and I’ve always liked cleaning cars and making them look brand new again. So I figured I’d start my own detailing business to make money,” Wendinger said. There are many parts about detailing that Wendinger loves, but one in particular sticks out to him. “Definitely seeing the results, for example, the carpet lines or transforming a car to look brand new again,” Wendinger said.

Detailing isn’t anywhere near easy, but there are some parts that are easier than others. “The fabrics and the upholstery are the easiest parts of detailing,” Wendinger said. “On the other hand, the hardest parts of detailing are getting in between the small crevices and cracks, or getting the seats really clean.”

Wendinger has done a lot of different types of cars. Large, medium, small cars, and even motorcycles. “The nicest car I’ve detailed is probably a Mustang, but there have been a lot of nice ones that I have detailed,” Wendinger said.

Marcus Ebling-Kokesch, a loyal customer of Wendingers who has gotten his car detailed many times by Wendinger, said, “His work is very good. He cleans every part of the car and leaves it spotless. I would definitely recommend him to someone who hasn’t gotten their vehicle detailed before.”

Detailing is definitely a job not everyone can do. You need a specific set of skills and have to be patient and willing to give up a lot of your time to clean vehicles. The outcome can be very rewarding if you are a good detailer. 16-year-old Brayden Wendinger knows this better than most. After spending a lot of time restoring cars, he can stand back and look at his results.