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600 Quid Detail !!

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In all my references I'm talking about having a proffessionaly trained person, who has all the correct training, reputation, products, tools, insurances - who in some cases are mobile and drive out to where you want them at a time and date suit you to do the job you require.

Compare that against a mobile plumber, electrician, gasman etc and suddenly a pro detailers labour rates seem very cheap. - even an average bodyshop would charge you more than that to work on and prepare your car.
 
I think that's the thing with detailing, in all aspects of the task it's easy to get carried away.

Nothing in life is absolutely perfect, it's about making things the best you can - doing as good a job as you realistically can.

Even brand new cars, six-figure supercars and exotica etc are ever perfect. Have a look round any motorshow or glass palace showroom. Orange peel? Light swirlmarks from in house valeters? :doh:

I like to take pride in my cars, and admit to having a bit of the detailing bug myself, but I am also realistic.

Cars get driven, they get rained on, birds crap on them, flies get squashed - heaven forbid a stonechip or someone should come close to your car when it's parked...

It's simply not worth spending £600 on a relatively cheap car that's going to be driven regularly.

As has been already said, best bet would be to spend £100 or so on a good selection of products and equipment, learn at the same time and have the gear ready for future cars or to redo the same one in a few months time/when required.

Detailing is a time consuming job that takes some skill, but it's a bit silly to compare it to essential jobs. It's a luxury for people with hundreds of £££s to spend on expensive cars, not an essential domestic service like gas, electricity or water... :wallbash: :o
 
So ( General question to all )

In your eyes what should a professional detailers hourly work rate be ?
 
billywhiz said:
So ( General question to all )

In your eyes what should a professional detailers hourly work rate be ?
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That's a difficult question to answer :)

How much is a bottle of 'good' champagne worth?
How much would you pay for a 'decent' cigar?

In reality, the sorts of people who (generally) pay for their £100k+ Ferraris, Lambos et al to be detailed really don't give a stuff!

If I take a £500 car in for a respray, would it be cheaper than a £5000 one?

Quite possibly £600 for 14-hours detailing is the higher end of the 'luxury detailing' going rate, doesn't mean it's worth it for most people though :)

How much does a painter and decorator charge for a day's work? ;)

How about a plasterer? :doh:

As you were comparing detailing to more essential tasks/professions :o
 
Will said:
How much does a painter and decorator charge for a day's work? ;)

How about a plasterer? :doh:

As you were comparing detailing to more essential tasks/professions :o
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Depends on what job, finish you want - name the price - do you want to use the guys who knock on your door for work or the guys trained to do repair work on the big manor houses ?

Depends on the person, reputation, products, skill level etc etc
 
sweetpea said:
There is a difference between taking pride in the appearance of your car (which I do)and spending hundreds of pounds on a job that is pretty straightforward for anyone half-savvy to do themselves.:rolleyes:

For £600 this will include paint correction which I can assure you the local eastern european cleaners will not do for £5!!!!

I have a polisher and all the gear at home and have tried 3 times on my car now. Its not an easy job to do and it takes hours of practice.

I have given up now in fear of ruining the paintwork on my car and then having to pay someone more money to fix it.

All the £5 cleaning places do is drag the dirt/sand from the bottom of the bucket from previous washes and create swirls on the paintwork as evidenced by several photos in this thread.

Paint correction from a profressional detailer will remove all these swirls and scratches.

NO amount of polishing you do at home with any waxes/polishes will remove these.
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billywhiz said:
In all my references I'm talking about having a proffessionaly trained person, who has all the correct training, reputation, products, tools, insurances - who in some cases are mobile and drive out to where you want them at a time and date suit you to do the job you require.

Compare that against a mobile plumber, electrician, gasman etc and suddenly a pro detailers labour rates seem very cheap. - even an average bodyshop would charge you more than that to work on and prepare your car.
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No they are not.I was never trained by someone for my job,I'm self trained
I consider myself much better than those trained ones who can only swap things instead of trying to fix the broken part

As for the price,I charge less than half
 
No one said we hate detailers!!!!!A detailer himself admited that £600 for the job is way to expensive,so I don't know where hating the detailers came from!!
 
So people who think they can go down to say halfords, spend £300 on a bit of kit can get the same outcome as this ?

KDS Keltec - Mercedez Benz SL 320

These guys are pro - have the skill level and are trained.

DIY at home with no experience, training or understand vehicle paints, products? >

Utter Hogwash
 
billywhiz said:
Depends on what job, finish you want - name the price - do you want to use the guys who knock on your door for work or the guys trained to do repair work on the big manor houses ?

Depends on the person, reputation, products, skill level etc etc
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Exactly.

You wouldn't use a bodge-it-and-leg it decorator on a multi-million pound mansion house, neither would you use someone charging several hundred £££s a day to paint a cheaper place.

Hence my suggestion of being realistic.

For most people and most cars, £600 to detail a car is not worthwhile.

I don't deny that to some people with very expensive, very special and hardly used cars it may seem worthwhile - but do not lose sight of the fact that the OP is driving a secondhand CLK320 with 80k miles that he only paid a few thousand for.

On such a car, £600 is not realistic. This is after all what the thread is about - the OP's car and whether it was worth spending that amount :)

I think some people are just getting carried away :o
 
billywhiz said:
very quickly for one Miracle Detail - Car detailing - Paintwork Correction
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Just watched the full 3.37. What comparative skills am I meant to see? :confused:

Looks like a poncey advert showing somebody washing and waxing a car? The advert being payed for indirectly by mug punters that go along with this notion that cleaning and waxing has a secret skill.

The fact is this; good luck to you if you are charging these sorts of amounts yourself. And I do mean that aswell, anyone that relieves stupid rich people of their money, well done. :thumb:

But to expect that I believe it, well.....;)

Good luck
 
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^^ lol - you have a proper dislike to pro detailers.

Oh well - everyones different so we all gotta respect that.

Keep Calm & Carry On
 
billywhiz said:
^^ lol - you have a proper dislike to pro detailers.

Oh well - everyones different so we all gotta respect that.

Keep Calm & Carry On
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You misunderstand me; I don't have a 'proper dislike' for 'pro detailers'.

I think the level of importance that yourself and other 'detailers' put on your work is pie in the sky, that's all.

I think the finish on the car paintwork that you do is excellent, and i do genuinely believe that, but to compare it to say a mechanic or a plumber is astonishing.

I've enjoyed the debate, either way. :thumb:
 
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