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Businessman's Detailing Goes Beneath Surface

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By GEORGE WILKENS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 2, 2008

TAMPA - Glenn Boruty wants the best of both worlds.

The Atlanta transplant moved south for the weather and opened The Elite Auto Detailing to mimic a business he owned and operated for seven years in Duluth, Ga., expanding it to employ 15 workers.

His new venture - so far a one-man operation - is in Suite 108 at the Nebraska Business Center, 13719 N. Nebraska Ave.

After relocating to Tampa Palms and a climate better suited for his wife's mild case of lupus, Boruty worked as an inventory control manager.

"But it wasn't where I wanted to be," he said.

A perfectionist who sets high standards for his work, Boruty, 41, maintains laboratorylike conditions at his shop.

"Detailing is a science. A lot of people say they are detailers, but to be one, that's a different thing," he said.

"I do everything by hand," most of that work conducted in his climate-controlled space that can accommodate three vehicles.

He dons an apron, rubber gloves and takes precautions to ensure no foreign particles soil the vehicle finish. A grid plate several inches above the bucket bottom, for example, prevents his wash mitt from contacting any particles settled in the bucket.

"You don't want to have your mitt falling in your soot," he said.

The business he launched in suburban Atlanta offered mobile detailing, "And it's OK for convenience," but outdoors, airborne particles can mix with the waxing compound and ruin the shine, or worse, he said recently as he worked on a black Chevrolet Corvette.

"Black cars you have to pay special attention to," he said. "This light is good for me because it shows everything. Fluorescent light definitely helps in a shop like this."

The air-conditioned bay ensures the vehicle's paint is cool before waxing commences.

After polishing the Vette's dual-exhaust pipes, restoring its chrome wheels and reconditioning its convertible top, Boruty turned to the interior.

He employed a brushlike tool to clean the small crevices, recesses in consoles and other hard-to-reach interior spots.

He removed the rubber cup holders from the Corvette console and thoroughly cleaned them - top and bottom. The driver may never look under the cup holder.

"But if he ever did, it would be clean," Boruty said. "I go above and beyond. I don't believe detailing should just hit the surface."

He offers vehicle pickup and delivery within three miles of his shop. His clientele includes nearby auto dealerships.

Prices for interior, exterior and full detail jobs vary according to vehicle size, starting at $70, and his Web site, www.theeliteautodetailing .com, provides a menu of services.

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 865-4847 or gwilkens@tampatrib.com.

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