*** Car Wash / Valet / Detailing Thread ***

Does anyone have an inline water filter for their hose or pressure washer? Any recommendations?
Yes. I use a Race Glaze one for final rinse. I don't connect it to the Karcher but a hose for the end rinse. It makes a huge difference to the end finish as I get no water spots left after rinsing the car through the filter and a light pass with a drying towel
 
just found this


this might work in the car

They also do a handy storage for your disposable gloves

 
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Just got a quote for detailing mine. Does this sound reasonable?

In that case, I'd recommend our Silver Package. This is a double which coating gives durable protection with a 5yr warranty guarantee, along with a super glossy finish that makes maintenance really easy. We would carry out a single stage machine polish before going in with the coatings, to help remove light surface swirls/scratches on the paintwork. You also get protection added to your wheels and glass, along with an engine bay and interior detail. The cost for this would be £999, how does that sound?
 
I have never had a quote for detailing, and don't know what size or condition you car is in. But it sounds like a lot for a single stage ?
 
Whether it's reasonable depends on your circumstances.

Would I pay it? Absolutely not. A single stage machine polish you can do yourself in an afternoon, and a ceramic coating isn't exactly rocket surgery to apply. For £250 in materials you can DIY 3 or 4 times over - and that's assuming you don't already have a DA.
 
Just got a quote for detailing mine. Does this sound reasonable?

In that case, I'd recommend our Silver Package. This is a double which coating gives durable protection with a 5yr warranty guarantee, along with a super glossy finish that makes maintenance really easy. We would carry out a single stage machine polish before going in with the coatings, to help remove light surface swirls/scratches on the paintwork. You also get protection added to your wheels and glass, along with an engine bay and interior detail. The cost for this would be £999, how does that sound?


well, the ceramic coating part that dealers use you cant buy as a consumer, these are "pro Grade" and they are trained to apply them correctly as its not easy

sure you can get ceramic coatings and do it yourself, but it requires a lot of prep work

as an example, one of the better coatings that you can buy on the market :



How To Apply

- Start with a clean and dry surface.

- Wipe down with DIY Detail panel prep.

- Wearing gloves, in a well-ventilated area, apply several drops to the applicator pad.

- Working in a circular motion apply the DIY Detail Ceramic Coating to a small area ( a front fender for example).

- Allow to dwell 2-5 minutes ( dwell time is dependent on temperature and humidity).

- Observe the surface, as the coating begins to cross link to the paint, the coating will transition from a liquid to what looks like an oil slick on water.

- When 50% of the surface turns back to clear, start levelling the coating.

- With a short nap towel, lightly wipe the surface, if the towel is dragging, or is getting wet, wait 1 min more.

- Once the coating is levelled, use a plush towel to buff and remove high spots.
 
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The few times I da my previous car with porter-cable 5/6" the problem was having to wait for ideal weather conditions (don't have a large enough garage with lighting)
and also not have a 2/3" DA for the pillars and awkward panel areas, otherwise trying a diy ceramic coating for less than £100 sound like a no brainer
what is the worst that can go wrong ?
 
Just got a quote for detailing mine. Does this sound reasonable?

In that case, I'd recommend our Silver Package. This is a double which coating gives durable protection with a 5yr warranty guarantee, along with a super glossy finish that makes maintenance really easy. We would carry out a single stage machine polish before going in with the coatings, to help remove light surface swirls/scratches on the paintwork. You also get protection added to your wheels and glass, along with an engine bay and interior detail. The cost for this would be £999, how does that sound?


£999 for a single stage machine polish and a coating is over the top in my personal opinion.
 
Just got a quote for detailing mine. Does this sound reasonable?

In that case, I'd recommend our Silver Package. This is a double which coating gives durable protection with a 5yr warranty guarantee, along with a super glossy finish that makes maintenance really easy. We would carry out a single stage machine polish before going in with the coatings, to help remove light surface swirls/scratches on the paintwork. You also get protection added to your wheels and glass, along with an engine bay and interior detail. The cost for this would be £999, how does that sound?

Are they a mobile detailer or is that on prem?

I ask because having a ceramic coating applied inside can significantly increase the durability of it. As can using a proper panel wipe between polishing and ceramic application. As can the method in which it’s buffed.


On the face of it it looks quite pricey for a single stage but given the amount of time I know it takes, I wouldn’t want to charge any less.


Ask about any training or accreditations they have for ceramic applications.
 
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Got some safe cleaning brushes to use on my wheels and hopefully do the back of the wheels a little easier

4 brushes, but 2 comfort handles with it not 4?
 

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Just got a quote for detailing mine. Does this sound reasonable?

In that case, I'd recommend our Silver Package. This is a double which coating gives durable protection with a 5yr warranty guarantee, along with a super glossy finish that makes maintenance really easy. We would carry out a single stage machine polish before going in with the coatings, to help remove light surface swirls/scratches on the paintwork. You also get protection added to your wheels and glass, along with an engine bay and interior detail. The cost for this would be £999, how does that sound?
Get more quotes, at least 3 and look at their previous work!
 
Got some safe cleaning brushes to use on my wheels and hopefully do the back of the wheels a little easier

4 brushes, but 2 comfort handles with it not 4?

Let me know how they are, I need some brushes myself and looking for recommendations :)

I foam our cars using Touchless and then bucket wash to finish. I'm thinking of ditching the bucket wash and just use a main wash that I can also apply with the foam cannon with just a cold water bucket to rinse my mitt. Anyone have anything they would recommend to do this as a main wash? I know I could put more touchless on but that would get pricey per wash.
 
Let me know how they are, I need some brushes myself and looking for recommendations :)

I foam our cars using Touchless and then bucket wash to finish. I'm thinking of ditching the bucket wash and just use a main wash that I can also apply with the foam cannon with just a cold water bucket to rinse my mitt. Anyone have anything they would recommend to do this as a main wash? I know I could put more touchless on but that would get pricey per wash.

I washed the car this morning, they didn't arrive in time for me to use today unfortunately, I will update once I've used them

They are not cheap, 50 -£60 for the pack of 3 and another £20 for the angled one

You want to foam, rinse then re foam, then contact wash

That IS the safest method
 
They are not cheap, 50 -£60 for the pack of 3 and another £20 for the angled one
they sound like genuine wheel woolies - I'd be interested to know how small the small one is to get into small gaps in wheel 'spokes',
I need less than 10mm, for which I think only what danny posted in earlier reply would work,
however taking off the wheels individually, whilst it takes more time, then working bh auto wheel in with a paint brush from outside face, with wheel flat on the ground,
and also cleaning wheel well, from inside with bin bag over calliper/hub - is seeming a lot more thorough and economic on bh auto wheel.

I just use these or similar from any other pound shop type place. I was going to take a picture of mine but figured this shows them just as well. Very low profile and some you get can be bent into shapes like shown on the link. I've got the dunelm ones when on offer but B&M Poundland etc all tend to stock something similar. Some I get are noodles one side, microfibres cloth the other which is great for my wheel sealants. I have stacks of these now, any time I'm in a cheap shop I pick a couple up.
 
Are they a mobile detailer or is that on prem?

I ask because having a ceramic coating applied inside can significantly increase the durability of it. As can using a proper panel wipe between polishing and ceramic application. As can the method in which it’s buffed.


On the face of it it looks quite pricey for a single stage but given the amount of time I know it takes, I wouldn’t want to charge any less.


Ask about any training or accreditations they have for ceramic applications.

It's on premises. There's a couple of things included I don't need, the interior and engine bay. Both are literally like new, see below.

From their own marketing

"Scotland's specialist car detailer, he has worked on some of the worlds most expensive vehicles including the likes of Steve Mcqueen's 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso worth £5m, Jay Kay's La Ferrari worth £1m and a Ferrari 275 worth £2.6m. "

and
"Authorised Swissvax Detailer, Authorised Gtechniq Detailer and an Xpel Authorised Installer, which involved in depth training. Being an Authorised Gtechniq Detailer allows Spotless to offer up to 7 years warranty on Gtechinq details also offering 10 years warranty on all Xpel paint protection film installs. "

I know that doesn't guarantee anything but it perhaps implies why they charge what they do. Plenty of positive feedback on their site and facebook page. One of the problems I have is that there aren't many detailers up in Inverness which aren't mobile as far as I can find. Most are based in Aberdeen/Glasgow/Edinburgh, all at least 2.5 hours away.

 
It's on premises. There's a couple of things included I don't need, the interior and engine bay. Both are literally like new, see below.

From their own marketing

"Scotland's specialist car detailer, he has worked on some of the worlds most expensive vehicles including the likes of Steve Mcqueen's 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso worth £5m, Jay Kay's La Ferrari worth £1m and a Ferrari 275 worth £2.6m. "

and
"Authorised Swissvax Detailer, Authorised Gtechniq Detailer and an Xpel Authorised Installer, which involved in depth training. Being an Authorised Gtechniq Detailer allows Spotless to offer up to 7 years warranty on Gtechinq details also offering 10 years warranty on all Xpel paint protection film installs. "

I know that doesn't guarantee anything but it perhaps implies why they charge what they do. Plenty of positive feedback on their site and facebook page. One of the problems I have is that there aren't many detailers up in Inverness which aren't mobile as far as I can find. Most are based in Aberdeen/Glasgow/Edinburgh, all at least 2.5 hours away.


Are they using crystal serum ultra? I know gtechniq have been having application issues with it, resulting in high spots and durability issues.


You can get around it but it requires an adapted application.


Given it’s on prem the price seems a lot more reasonable. It may only be “a single stage” but if that’s all your car needs then there’s no value in spending more time and removing more material.


It sounds like they take their experience and training seriously, but you could always ask to see an example car. If you’re happy with that output then it’s a question of “is it worth it to me to spend £1000 to have this”.
 
Thanks for the input. I don't know the answers to your questions, but at least I know a bit more about what to ask :)
 
I think there's a lot of (relatively speaking) very expensive detailers about who have aligned themselves with providing a very high level service to well off people with expensive cars and these detailers, whilst often very appealing on socials, are probably not really the service average joe wants to be using for their regular daily car.

When their website is covered in imagery of Porsche GT3s and McLarens, you can see what the target market is - people who won't even think twice about chucking £1000-£3000 at getting their car polished and coated.

I wouldn't write off some of the mobile detailers or the less 'branded' places around you if you don't see the value in such a high end service.

Edit - and looking at their site, they've quoted you this package:

  • Level 1 polishing
  • Single application of 5-year ceramic to paint and body work
  • Wheel faces only coated
  • All automotive glass coated
  • Headlights and taillights coated
  • Includes 5-year warranty (see detailer for information)
  • Clean and dress your engine
  • Interior cleaned

It's probably worth considering whether you'd be content with the provisions of their lesser services:

  • Level 1 paint correction
  • Single application of 5-year ceramic to paint and body work
  • Wheel faces only coated
  • All automotive glass coated
  • Headlights and taillights coated
  • Includes 5-year warranty (see detailer for information)
  • Clean and dress your engine

  • Light Polish
  • Single application of 2-year Ceramic to paint and body works
  • Wheel faces sealed
  • All automotive sealed
  • Headlights and taillights coated

Maybe the results of the 'from £499' Light Polish and 2 year ceramic would be satisfactory to you? They still say that's a 2-3 day turnaround, so i'm guessing the light polish is still machine polishing rather than hand but a little less thorough than whatever they're calling 'Level 1 polishing'.
 
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