With a Passion for Cars, Greenwich High School Students Car Detailing Business Takes Off

Three Greenwich High School students have started a unique business detailing cars. Austin and Trevor Ho, and their friend Nick Petrov are the force behind CT Care Care.

The idea came from Austin, who is a member of the GHS class of 2028. He started the business last year and explained that Trevor and Nick, both seniors this year, signed on to help develop the business with a professional website and social media presence.

Austin said he got into car detailing starting with his father’s cars. From there, his father’s friends hired him, and then friends of friends. And of course, Austin and Nick’s friends.

Through word of mouth from happy customers as well as a bump from social media, the business has really taken off.

“The actual detailing is hard but very satisfying,” Austin said, adding that working on a variety of cars is fun and being recommended personally by satisfied customers is rewarding.

The boys said they typically book their appointments, which can take several hours, on weekends, but sometimes they’ll detail a car on a weekday afternoon. And of course, summer was busy 7 days a week.

A mobile visit this week to deliver a Gold Package of services for a 2006 BMW involved all three boys working for three hours.

The work is labor intensive and they only paused when passers-by stopped to make inquiries about having their own cars detailed.

Nick explained, “We often come to clients’ homes and that is the most common way we work. We have also have clients living in apartments or complexes who don’t have a space and instead come to us.”

“Our hand-washing method is superior to others. We soak the car in foam to lift up any dirt. We then rinse and foam the car again for the contact wash,” Austin said.

During their visit this week, the three boys set up a table with all their tools and cables carefully organized in bins. In fact, they have invested significantly in equipment. Their only requirement from a client for a mobile visit is electricity and a water spigot.

The trio started by hand washing the car, followed by a snow-foamed wash, decontamination, deep wheel cleaning and tire shine, polishing, interior vacuuming, carpet refreshing and striping, and leather scrubbing. They finished the job with plastic protectants, waxes and a window coating.

Also, they can repair chipped paint.

“You would tell us what paint color you have and we order a jar of it to match the specific car,” Austin said. “We paint it and then wet sand and polish it four or five times.”

Clients choose from packages starting with Bronze which features an interior and exterior detail and foam wash.

“The Silver package features a clay bar that removes contaminants out of the paint,” Nick explained.

“When you let your car sit there is pollen, dust and dirt that will get embedded in the paint,” Trevor explained. “The clay bar removes that layer of contaminants.”

The Gold package also includes polishing which can remove some scratches, as well as a wax and ceramic spray to protect the paint.

All the service packages are detailed on the website.

They also offer a “Detail Club,” where clients can receive discounts of 25% to 30% when they select a membership plan for one vehicle. With a plan, CT Car Care will work with your schedule to come every other week or every month to maintain the work.

Find CT Car Care on Instagram.

Videos also on TikTok.

For more information or to set up an appointment, email: [email protected].

Or call/text: 475-850-3404 or 475-257-1650