600 Quid Detail !!

[adam87]

I'm amazed at people slagging off detailing when they clearly don't understand Paint Correction, why it's done or why it costs so much.

A bodyshop will not give the same level of finish no matter how many times they paint the car. They don't have the time to Polish the car so it is spotless they merely cut it back with a heavy compound and fill it with a lighter polish after. As soon as the car is washed you'll be left with a terrible finish. They only get paid to paint the car not polish the paint. (Talking about the majority of bodyshops here, there may be a few who spend the time polishing after painting to leave a decent hologram free shine.)

I'd like people to go out and look at there paint under the street lights and say what you see. A lot of scratches all over the car I expect, especially those who use the £5 washes with the same dirty sponge on each car. Swirls and marks will always happen overtime its a fact. Getting your car Detailed and Polished once a year helps keeping it looking as good as it should do.

If you want these companys just to wash you're car you'd be looking at spending between £20 and £50 I expect just to wash it. Paying £600 would go way beyond a wash, yet you don't seem to understand.

You pay for the quality of finish nothing more. You could spend £1500 on a respray then to have the paint polished professionally for another few hundred.

Why would you get a freshly painted car detailed??
Because the finish in the paint probably won't be as good as it could be.

Why get an old car thats been had a hard life detailed??
Because it would end up looking like new.

Why get Silver detailed??
Look under the street lamps at night.

Why get YOUR car detailed??
Because you care and want to keep its value at its maximum.


If you don't get it then don't slag off Detailing. Simples.

 

[BoyracerAU]

Well I certainly see value in £600 if the job is done properly. It's time, and it's the cost of the products used.

I clean and polish my own cars by hand and I use Swisswax too. It's not a cheap product (almost $AU200 for a tub the size of a typical tub of hair gel) but results speak for themselves, my cars look better every year according to one previous owner who sees it at concours.

I've only ever paid a professional once to do a 'proper job' before a concours day and even then I worked alongside of them on another of my cars. They were astonished when they saw me lying on the ground giving the front valance and sills the same attention as the more visible areas and freely admitted that they wouldn't have done those areas to that extent.

My life would no doubt be much easier if I had not learnt to appreciate cars that are washed and polished to this level, but appearances aside, the paintwork is noticeably easier to wash as grime and muck just doesn't stick, so that's good too.

 

[Whitey]

To be fair, I am not sure if the OP understands detailing fully to the extent of £600.

We do not know the current condition of the paint.

£600 is good for a 14 hour detail imo.

But it would need to be kept clean properly to make the initial outlay worth while.

I would not have my car professionally detailed as it lives outside and is a daily runner - so I do it myself and enjoy the results.

If I had a garaged weekend car, but didn't fancy correcting the paint myself, then I don't think it would be unreasonable to have it done.

It will still get dirty as soon as you drive it though

 

[d w124]

Adam: Don't you think £600 is expensive than?!!!You did other members cars for a lot less spending a lot more than 14 hours

 

[moonloops]

What people are saying is that there is zero value in detailing unless you have a high end car and can afford to throw cash at it, for a possible higher sale value.

I doubt very much any car buyer trots up with halogen lights and tries to bargain down the price due to swirls in clear coat.

Yes by all means as a seller, wash and wax your car, bit of hoovering and if it is a good car it will sell.

£600 is snake oil IMHO

 

[tpwuk]

To be fair, how many people really care about swirls in the clear coat, especially ones that can only been seen at night under a street light!? I think it's safe to say they're a minority. But, if you have nothing better to spend your cash on and it makes you happy, then go for it!

 

[Whitey]

I care, but I can live with them.

If it were a garage/weekend car - I'd put more effort in.

 

[Chrishazle]

I speak from experience here, as I've gone the DIY route. First off, the effort you put in to cleaning and correcting (then protecting) the bodywork pays back for months afterwards, as each time you wash the car it comes back to very nearly as good as when first finished.

As with anything else, it's all in the preparation. I have not bothered with a snow foam lance even though I have a pressure washer - I would not use it on bodywork! The 2 bucket method, merino wash mitt for "above the waist line" and microfibre wash mitt for the dirty bits, then a good hose off - leave it wet!

Next, Bilt Hamber regular clay plus water spray as lubricant.

Good wash and rinse, this time dry car with microfibre cloths/towels.

Now examine your paintwork to see how bad the holograms and swirls are. If they're bad, it's worth investing in a DA polisher (like the Kestrel DAS6, which I have) and appropriate pads (I have the Sonus set, which were about £30). As for which swirl removing paint renovation produce to use - well, I use Autoglym Bodyshop 02B and 03B, the pro paintshop we visited use 3M products. Check the "grit size" of the product, start with the finer grit first and see if you need the coarser one! Have the water spray bottle handy to keep the stuff damp/wet.

I've recently tried Swissvax cleaner fluid as the next stage - it's pricey, and I'm not 100% convinced it's worth the money, but I'll finish the bottle!

OK, you've corrected the paintwork, now it needs polish - again, I use Autoglym 01B hard polish, but others prefer other products! Again, the DA polisher will take a lot of the elbow grease out of the job. You do need loads of microfibre cloths - if you have a Costco card, they sell big packs cheap.

Next on is a glaze, followed by the first coat of wax - which is the protection that looks after all your hard work.

There are products from A (Autoglym) to Z (Zymol), and everyone has their preferences. I've tried a couple of Meguiars products, Swissvax Onyx and Autoglym HD, and IMHO for value for money the AG HD is the best. Apply first coat, wait 24 hours and apply second coat.

It's a lot of hard work, especially if the paint has not been corrected before - you'll see the colour change, my C270 went from dull grey silver to bright blueish silver, my 968 coupe from dull purple red to bright proper Guards Red. However, the pleasure when you stand back and admire your handiwork - priceless!

And, as I say, done properly the finish lasts - more wax every once in a while, but clay/correct at most every 6 months - and having done the first big correction, the second one is loads easier.

Good luck!

 

[mikec32]

My Mercedes C32 AMG went for £1500 more then the rest out there due to the car being immaculate with 0 defects on the paint. This was on a car that was not very expensive at all and in the 2 years I owned it, I fully corrected the paint once Inc wet sanding. Over those 2 years it never had swirls or rids again. It did get the minor marring and hologram from light dust downs and sealant sprays which was fixed with a refining session. I could write a essay on why detailing and paint correction are worth while, but I believe it would be a waste of breathe. It's either for you or not. You appreciate the finer things in the car enthusiast world or you don't. Not a problem what your views are, but I believe pointless discussing it.

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

Well I just got my cars paint corrected and at half that price and was very please with the result and price, so I would advise shopping around to get a better deal.

 

[moonloops]

For polishing :

For driving :

 

[adam87]

Adam: Don't you think £600 is expensive than?!!!You did other members cars for a lot less spending a lot more than 14 hours

For a days work I think it is a bit steep but I don't have the outlays of a unit, electric, water bills etc... So I don't need to charge as much. As for getting it done in 14 hours, fair play to him if he did, wouldn't be surprised if he hand a helping hand to split the work with. I charge what I need to live and have an OK life. If I had a lot of outlays I would have to charge more to compensate.

To be fair, how many people really care about swirls in the clear coat, especially ones that can only been seen at night under a street light!? I think it's safe to say they're a minority. But, if you have nothing better to spend your cash on and it makes you happy, then go for it!

It may be the minority, but what gives you and others the right to spoil it for them say they're wasting their money just because you don't think it is worth it? Just because you don't care doesn't mean everyone else doesn't either.

For polishing :

For driving :

Whats the price difference between that table and the car then?

I don't know the price of the car, say £60k fully loaded When it comes to selling it a few years or more down the line whos going to have the fatter wallet? The guy who looked after it and maintained it to a decent condition, or the guy who just drives around in his big mercedes not fixing, scrapes, minor scratches and dings? Potentially a few thousand retained just because it was looked after.

 

[300CE]

I don't think anyone is denying that a professionally detailed car looks absolutely stunning, it's justifying the price that the OP was quoted.

Some of the cars on here look fantastic and were charged approx £300.00 or less for the same amount of detailing time - which bears the question, what is the difference between a 14hr, £300.00 detail & a 14hr, £600.00 detail?!

For me personally, i couldn't justify paying out £600.00 to detail a car that cost me £1000.00. If, however, the car was top dollar, in very good condition and i had the funds available, i wouldn't think twice about getting it done professionally.

 

[tpwuk]

I'm not spoiling anything for anyone, I'm just expressing my opinion in an open forum and the general concensus here seems to be that £600 for a detail is very expensive.

But like I said before, if it makes you happy, then go for it!

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Like I said on Palmballs thread, while ever there are people out there willing to pay £300-600+ to get their car cleaned, good luck to the people that are charging those prices.

With regards it meaning 'detailing' will have an effect on the residuals of a car, do me a favour... Say you had a £20k car 'detailed' say three times a year and it cost £500 a time, are you seriously saying that car will be worth £1500+ more than exactly the same car that hasn't been 'detailed' for every year that you own it?

Like I say, each to their own.

 

[elisetype25]

You don't need to have the car detailed 3 times a year!

There's alot of conjecture in the absence of the facts.

£600, how much!
We cannot comment if £600 is a fair price because we have not seen the car in question and how much correction is required.

Is it worth it?
If you have bought the car cheap then you may wish to spend some of the saving on getting the car into top notch condition, or perhaps you want to sell the car and it's looking a little shabby. In these cases a good quality detail can reap rewards.

There's a thread on here about 'you can't polish a xxxx'. The guy bought a dog of a 306 for next to nothing and with a little time and effort has transformed into something worth £600+ every day.

I detailed my brother in laws RR Autobiography a couple of weeks ago. It was a little tatty, but a couple of washes, clay, polish and wax later it easily added £600 to the value of the car.

Why pay someone?
If you have the time, inclination and attitude, have a go yourself. You'll probably get 80% of the results of a professional for a similar effort in time and a fraction of the cost (bear in mind polisher, good quality materials and tools can easily cost £200-300, not much sense if you only use them once!). If your time is worth more to you, can't be bothered, or both then why not get someone to do the job for you. The key here is as with everything else in life, get a good professional and they will show how it should be done and you'll be amazed at what they can achieve in a fraction of the time you would have spent. Get a bad one and it'll be a waste of money. Remember cheaper doesn't always mean better, but neither does more expensive.

If none of this makes, then the answer is simple, don't detail your car and certainly don't pay someone to do it for you.

Regards, Neil

 

[mikec32]

Like I said on Palmballs thread, while ever there are people out there willing to pay £300-600+ to get their car cleaned, good luck to the people that are charging those prices.

With regards it meaning 'detailing' will have an effect on the residuals of a car, do me a favour... Say you had a £20k car 'detailed' say three times a year and it cost £500 a time, are you seriously saying that car will be worth £1500+ more than exactly the same car that hasn't been 'detailed' for every year that you own it?

Like I say, each to their own.

You must of missed my detail on this SL500:

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/detailing-mbclub/107569-2003-mercedes-sl500-detail.html

Shortly after this, this guy sold this car for £3000.00 more then he bought it.

 

[tpwuk]

I once sold a Range Rover for almost £3K more than what I paid for it. I didn't have it detailed though. Go figure!

 

[mikec32]

I once sold a Range Rover for almost £3K more than what I paid for it. I didn't have it detailed though. Go figure!

Well going from this:

to this:

Makes a big difference whether you like it or not.

watch the video yourself in HD IN DIRECT sunlight. These 500's are not expensive either.

http://www.youtube.com/gemcleandetail#p/a/u/0/-qzAQwwCxqM

 

[gedjames]

Alot of mixed views then, I picked the car up for 6900 quid 2004 CLK 320 black, 80.000miles, very tidy inside and out and runs great, I think i will spend 100 quid on some gear and see if I can get it looking as close to showroom as I can. Surely it is only going to look better even if I don't do it a thoroughly as others would. Let's see if I can surprise myself, failing that, find a cheaper detailer!!

Thanks for all your help guys!