CLK Detailed: Clean n Shiney Content :-)

[renmure]

I took delivery of the CLK 320 Cabrio about 3 weeks ago and thought it looked really good cosmetically and the dealer had prepared it really well. On the other hand, I had recently had my F355 fully "Detailed" and the transformation from 'superb' to 'absolutely stunning' was incredible. So I decided to get the same guys out again. Bryan did 4 hrs on it last night to wash the car and prepare the fabric roof, then today both he and Dave arrived at 8am and left at 6.30pm after a full day of non-stop hard work. Again, the transformation was incredible. If it is sunny in the morning I will stick some pics in the Gallery but for anyone thinking about having their car detailed or even doing it themselves... wow!!

(Full write-up here for anyone interested.)

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=43889

Jim

 

[FishtailnZ]

Amazing work! Congrats on the new ride too!

 

[sym]

Wow - that is one clean car !

What does it cost to have that sort of work done ?

 

[edgersoldchap]

Jim,

The car looks great - immaculate, even! Great interior/exterior colour combination.

How do you find it drives? I've been thinking of a CLK 320 cabrio as a replacement for my BMW 328i. How does the engine cope with the relatiely heavy body - enough power for you?

 

[Sp!ke]

Those guys really 'care' about the vehicles they work on, really refreshing to see the seriously hard graft, pride in their work and results they achieve.

Also keen to know how much it all costs for their services.

 

[Will]

Agreed, an excellent job done by proper professionals.

If you enjoy this sort of work, although tiring, it's very therapeutic and rewarding

Will

 

[C43AMG]

Incredible, very good work. Need to remove the AMG badge

 

[stats007]

Incredible, very good work. Need to remove the AMG badge

That's what I was thinking. Not that you need one with an F355 anyway .

 

[C43AMG]

That's what I was thinking. Not that you need one with an F355 anyway .

Exactly and the Lotus etc

 

[aka$h]

Amazing the difference it has made, and it looks as good as, if not better than new
Good job

 

[Will]

Agreed on the AMG badge - what is it with people, a CLK320 cabriolet is a nice enough car - no need to try and make people think it's something else

Will

 

[renmure]

Wow - that is one clean car !
What does it cost to have that sort of work done ?

Also keen to know how much it all costs for their services.

I think the average price range for a full "detail" from a professional ranges from £200 up to £500. Some are upwards of that £500 figure. I am lucky in that the guys who do my cars are amature enthusiasts with no overheads (one is a PhD Physics student and the other is a mechanical engineer) and they do the work for fun/therapy/hobby/pocket money etc. You can take that to mean that the charge is at the bottom of that scale.

Those guys really 'care' about the vehicles they work on, really refreshing to see the seriously hard graft, pride in their work and results they achieve.

I agree, they are very enthusiastic and proud of the finish the achieve. The write-up of my F355 detail ( http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=28925&highlight=f355+renmure ) shows the same attention to detail as does the one where they did a couple of Ferraris up at the house. ( http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=35142&highlight=f355+renmure )

Agreed on the AMG badge - what is it with people, a CLK320 cabriolet is a nice enough car - no need to try and make people think it's something else Will

The car came stuck onto the badge when I bought it. I hadn't given it ay thought till reading this thread!!

 

[renmure]

Jim,

The car looks great - immaculate, even! Great interior/exterior colour combination.

How do you find it drives? I've been thinking of a CLK 320 cabrio as a replacement for my BMW 328i. How does the engine cope with the relatiely heavy body - enough power for you?

Thanks

It drives well although I dont think it could be described as "sporty" and the power is no more than adequate. You are always aware that you are in a fairly heavy vehicle. Twisty corners make you well aware that its more suited to cruising than sprinting, especially when it comes to stopping . Also, one of my near neighbours has a BMW 328 and when I have driven that it probably actually felt a bit more sporty and purposeful when driven with a bit of spirit but, for me, the merc cabrio exudes a bit of class that the BMW lacks. To be honest, I wanted a 4 seater convertible and for me the CLK looked the best of the bunch by far within the budget.

I actually like driving fast and go on track fairly regularly (hence some of the other cars) but I turn into a fairly sedate "Miss Daisy" type in the Merc and just rapidly waft along enjoying the comfort of it all. Thats my take on it so far

Jim

 

[stats007]

£300 is typical for a proper full detail with Zymol. £500 seems a bit over the top to be honest - I've not seen prices that high and Gurpz on the Porsche forum makes these guys look like amatuers.

 

[renmure]

£300 is typical for a proper full detail with Zymol. £500 seems a bit over the top to be honest - I've not seen prices that high

We will have to agree to disagree here. I suggest you go to some of the pro-dealers websites and take a closer look. If you get a link to a pro detail with a high end wax doing full paint correction for 300 quid then post a link For comparison you could look at http://www.sportscarprotection.com/prices.htm as a guide to what the going rate is from one of the most respected pros.

Also, its a bit misleading to say a full detail "with Zymol" as if that is somehow meaningful since the price range goes from around 20 pounds for entry level wax to 30,000 for Zymol Solaris. As an aside, the reason I wanted Swissol Best of Show wax rather than Zymol Royale was that I couldn't tell any difference when we did test panels on a previous car and BoS costs 120 quid so I could afford to buy some myself, as opposed to Royale at a few grand per tub.

and Gurpz on the Porsche forum makes these guys look like amatuers.

Well, apart from sounding a bit churlish, that is a case of stating the obvious since I said already that they were amatures. Fortunately for me they are amatures reccomended by pros. The point is that I suspect neither you nor I would notice the difference between the finished product.

Jim

 

[stats007]

I would notice the difference - hence my comments. I have contemplated starting my own business doing the same. There seem to be a growing number of amateurs setting up on their own but charging professional prices.

Some unscrupulous detailers hike the price up for 'prestige' cars. In reality the price should be based on the time taken for paint correction, complexity of the vehicle and products used.

Try these two for a quote - I can personally recommend both of them:

www.elitedetailing.co.uk
www.shineondetail.com

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

There seem to be a growing number of amateurs setting up on their own but charging professional prices.

What is it then that differentiates an amateur and a professional in this line of work?

 

[Dieselman]

What is it then that differentiates an amateur and a professional in this line of work?

One charges and one doesn't.......

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

One charges and one doesn't.......

My thought too - or maybe stretching it a little further when it becomes their primary employment...

Unless professional is used to describe a level of skill and experience - which for some people is probably is - but that is open to interprettation without a qualification.

 

[renmure]

I would have thought the best thing to do would be DIY. Most Concours de Elegance shows are won by non-professional, un-paid, amature enthusiasts who show their own cars and dont do detailing for other folk.

I have neither the talent, attention span or attention to detail to do DIY. It wasn't important to me whether the folk I used had other jobs or not, only that they were good at car detailing. I couldnt tell any difference in finish between a number of skilled, full time, professional, paid detailers or a number of enthusiastic skilled hobbyists, other than the full-time folk were more expensive (no doubt due to the need to make a living from their skills and the additional overheads of runing a business).

oh well... at least the pics look good