Detailing - load of tosh

[Alex225]

More chance of swirls on a hand washed motor than a car washed one as the brushes go longways only!!

Hand washed at the local Polish place will be similarly bad go a swirl-o-matic.

It's all in the pre-wash stage which in most places consists of a coating of harsh traffic film remover, a quick jet wash blast and scrubbed with dirty mitts.

Driving into a machine with a dirty car and letting a machine effectively batter the dirt off your car with foam brushes isn't going to do it many favours either in a detailing sense.

A hand washed car, properly pre-washed and carefully cleaned with clean mitts, two buckets and dried with towels not a chamois will remain swirl free for longer.

It's al subjective though as it is essentially cosmetic, it rightly won't make a difference to a trade in. That said a gently washed and detailed car will have a nicer, glossier paint finish and be tidier overall.

I do it for my own sake not that of the next owner of a car though.

 

[BTB 500]

Driving into a machine with a dirty car and letting a machine effectively batter the dirt off your car with foam brushes isn't going to do it many favours either in a detailing sense.

The one I use occasionally (Sainsburys) does a pre-wash with water jets and then foam before anything physically touches the car. And they aren't brushes as such, they're soft strips that actually hang down when the rollers are stopped. It's safer IMHO than a hand wash of unknown quality (anyone other than me doing it ), and as mentioned you cannot get swirls as any micro scratching would run fore/aft only.

 

[foxy52]

Fairy liquid,bucket, sponge, Autoglym Leather, new magic tree.... and change out of £20 .... job done....

....just a smidgeon.. Fairy contains salts.. not to much of that though granted it does eat dirt .. plenty of clean water before leathering off !!!...foxy52

 

[Alex225]

The one I use occasionally (Sainsburys) does a pre-wash with water jets and then foam before anything physically touches the car. And they aren't brushes as such, they're soft strips that actually hang down when the rollers are stopped. It's safer IMHO than a hand wash of unknown quality (anyone other than me doing it ), and as mentioned you cannot get swirls as any micro scratching would run fore/aft only.

I know the type of thing.

Comparatively they may or may not be more harmful than a hand car wash. I guess it depends on the car wash in question. I cringe seeing those ones in supermarket car parks, watching them drop the sponge or washing the car from the bottom up to the top!

In terms of swirls, essentially a swirl mark is a series of straight lines anyway. They appear like swirls as they are reflected from the middle centre such as in sunlight, under a street light, LED torch etc.

You may also see buffer trails on a car which looks more like lovely swirly clouds. This is usually when a panel has been polished and not refined properly.

The other thing to keep in mind is that some colours are far less susceptible to showing swirls than others. Blacks and dark blues can look deep and glossy until in direct sunlight, then show all the imperfections. At the other end of the scale is white or silver which even in direct sunlight is far harder to spot.

This is a photo after a detailing session on my W211. It's actually not entirely swirl free but then I bought it with 104k on the clock and I've never gone for a full correction. I just know that as I've got it 80% better than it was I'd rather make sure it stayed looking like this by me doing it myself.

I'd never berate someone for looking after their car the way they want to though.

 

[markwibbs]

Detailing or car wash won`t effect the trade in price...lol

If the dealer has nothing to do before putting the car on the forecourt of course you'll get more for it - if he has to mop it that costs money and also tells him a lot about how the car has been cared for. Chances are someone who has the car detailed also has it servcied, anything broken fixed and looks after the interior rather than using it as a mobile skip.
If we're talking a private sale then a well prepped car will always sells easier and probably for more - you can feel the love for a crap looking car ?

Here's a picture of the master blinger Roy... having just done my car

 

[Alex225]

If we're talking a private sale then a well prepped car will always sells easier and probably for more - you can feel the love for a crap looking car ?

I must admit it can make selling a car a lot easier if it looks a lot tidier than other motors of the same value.

I actually sold two cars in a row to the same friend, part the reason being that he knew I was meticulous with them. That's actually gone for a couple of other cars I've sold and sold for others.

I'm not saying anyone who doesn't detail a car must be driving around in a skip as many tidy cars haven't been clayed, polished etc. But if someone can see in photos it looks as good as possible, then turns up and thinks 'wow, that's clean!' it certainly helps.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

I part exchanged my last few cars and the dealer didn't even bother going over to look at them, just hand over keys and documents.
I must look very trustworthy.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

If the dealer has nothing to do before putting the car on the forecourt of course you'll get more for it - if he has to mop it that costs money and also tells him a lot about how the car has been cared for.

Lol.

Most traders offer on cars without even seeing them because they know that pretty much every car they take in will have something wrong with it that the punter hasn't told them about so it's highly unlikely they'll throw in another £500 because someone's polished the life out the paint...

 

[Alex225]

I must agree usually a part exchange means that unless there are repairs needed, whether the paint is swirled or not makes little difference. I mean lets be honest 99% of cars on the road aren't detailed in the ways we mention here.

I would argue though that if you have your car nicely prepped for selling privately, it can make your car stand out above others vehicles a potential buyer may look at.

 

[Pablosammy]

If the dealer has nothing to do before putting the car on the forecourt of course you'll get more for it - if he has to mop it that costs money and also tells him a lot about how the car has been cared for. Chances are someone who has the car detailed also has it servcied, anything broken fixed and looks after the interior rather than using it as a mobile skip.
If we're talking a private sale then a well prepped car will always sells easier and probably for more - you can feel the love for a crap looking car ?

Here's a picture of the master blinger Roy... having just done my car

Detailing is all about the owner's vanity. I know, I'm a victim myself! However, as much as I enjoy doing it, I'd never expect it to add any value to the car... it might make it more sellable, yes, but nobody is going to pay extra for a car just because it's clean.

And yes, I'm aware that there is more to it than the paint being 'clean', but your average buyer isn't going looking with an inspection lamp for swirl marks and mild bird-poo etching.

 

[merc85]

it might make it more sellable, yes, but nobody is going to pay extra for a car just because it's clean.

I would, If a vehicle has been detailed by it's owner, I'd say they are more than likely to have looked after the rest of the car to that standard too, Just like myself.

Obviously not saying everyone does, Just my opinion.

 

[markwibbs]

A real world example - one of my customers has 2 Hondas, waxed to death, for which the dealer has offered him over book value as he can run them straight into the showroom.

I do agree with merc85

 

[Delayed Steve]

So two cars on a forecourt,both the same model and spec, both similar mileages.
One is spotless clean and shiny the other has dull paintwork with kerbed wheels and coffee stains on the seats, oh and it stinks of stale cigarette smoke!
Which one would you want to buy?
I know I wouldn't look at the neglected one no matter how cheap it was.
If it looks neglected it is neglected in my book !

 

[developer]

When I part x'd my previous E63, (which had also been Gtechniq treated) the sales manager said that as it was a 70K 4 year old car he'd normally send it straight to auction, but because it was in such a good condition, he'd keep in in the network.

He said he'd noted that I'd cleaned the inside of the wheels as I arrived on the forecourt.

All this was pre deal on the current car, and possibly bull, but the car did appear on the MB Approved Used site for a while - unusual at that age/mileage.

More of a specialist car though.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I remember a certain forum member who used to frequent the forum touting for work on a regular basis and then vanishing once he'd squeezed everything out of the forum he could saying that he sold his C32 for £3,000 MORE than it was worth because it was detailed (they were worth about £5-8k at the time) and when I observed that I'd be detailing a car a week, selling it on and making £150k a year cleaning cars he got defensive....

Look, it's an enthusiasts forum so there's going to be a big percentage of members who really look after their cars (I know I do) and also do their best to look after their paintwork. What I object to is this attitude that "it's clean but not detailing clean" when the truth is I tend to care more about getting out there and driving the bloody thing, not rubbing away at it leaving no time to go out for a drive.

 

[developer]

when the truth is I tend to care more about getting out there and driving the bloody thing, not rubbing away at it leaving no time to go out for a drive.

I thought this, hence my wash and go approach, but I've learned that there are peeps who enjoy a Sunday polishing and waxing etc.

Each to their own I guess.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

I remember a certain forum member who used to frequent the forum touting for work on a regular basis and then vanishing once he'd squeezed everything out of the forum he could saying that he sold his C32 for £3,000 MORE than it was worth because it was detailed (they were worth about £5-8k at the time) and when I observed that I'd be detailing a car a week, selling it on and making £150k a year cleaning cars he got defensive....

Look, it's an enthusiasts forum so there's going to be a big percentage of members who really look after their cars (I know I do) and also do their best to look after their paintwork. What I object to is this attitude that "it's clean but not detailing clean" when the truth is I tend to care more about getting out there and driving the bloody thing, not rubbing away at it leaving no time to go out for a drive.

Some blokes are more than keen about 'rubbing away at it'.

 

[merc85]

not rubbing away at it leaving no time to go out for a drive.

hear hear ...... erm hold on a minute

 

[Deleted member 37751]

hear hear ...... erm hold on a minute

You've at least got a reason for it to be stood until you've fixed all the niggles!

 

[C36fan]

So two cars on a forecourt,both the same model and spec, both similar mileages.
One is spotless clean and shiny the other has dull paintwork with kerbed wheels and coffee stains on the seats, oh and it stinks of stale cigarette smoke!
Which one would you want to buy?
I know I wouldn't look at the neglected one no matter how cheap it was.
If it looks neglected it is neglected in my book !

I don't have my cars detailed and I spend very little time cleaning them ,most of the times my mate Tony "Algerian " clean them while we go shopping and I don't consider my cars neglected,any forum member that have been in or seen my cars would agree that they are in very good nick , I wouldn't spend thousands in valeting my cars ,but each to their own. ..