# Car Detailing Information Please



## golfmadeasy (Aug 22, 2005)

Hi Guys,

Has anyone allowed a car detailer to work their magic to bring their beloved TT back to showroom condition or better?

If so what have been your costs?

I have been quoted £600 for the body work, not including the alloys as they have been recently done. Does this sound good to you? and if not can you recommend someone?

Adrian


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## LEO-RS (Apr 13, 2009)

Crazy price in my opinion, but of course it depends on how severely marked your paintwork is.

http://www.jac-in-a-box.com/index.htm

Our very own jac in a box charges around £250.


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## Ikon66 (Sep 12, 2003)

Mitchy said:


> Crazy price in my opinion, but of course it depends on how severely marked your paintwork is.
> 
> http://www.jac-in-a-box.com/index.htm
> 
> Our very own jac in a box charges around £250.


is he still doing it? tried to contact him twice and no response :?


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## johnp (Sep 6, 2008)

I had my TT done here http://www.gtechniq.com/ nothing but praise for them.


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## golfmadeasy (Aug 22, 2005)

johnp said:


> I had my TT done here http://www.gtechniq.com/ nothing but praise for them.


What was the cost and did it come out like new?


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## Robtur (Jul 6, 2009)

Prices vary, myself will charge anything between £350 and £900 depending on what is required or the expectation of the customer.


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## mrdemon (Apr 20, 2005)

if they can do it in 1 day then any thing over £350 is a rip off.

It not even hard to do, requires no skill (well nothing you cannot pick up in 1/2 a day) and products are very cheap per car.

the wheels imho take the most time about 1 hour each so if it did not need the wheels doing £250 max

I 'll do it for £500 if you want to save £100 :lol:

and I have Zymol concours, most will charge extra for any wax which is more than £40 a tub.

PS I Have never charged for this btw it's just a hobby I do my own cars, it's actually a mind numbing job from hell.


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## golfmadeasy (Aug 22, 2005)

mrdemon said:


> if they can do it in 1 day then any thing over £350 is a rip off.
> 
> It not even hard to do, requires no skill (well nothing you cannot pick up in 1/2 a day) and products are very cheap per car.
> 
> ...


Ok cool, the alloys dont need attention they have been refurbed and resprayed quite recently. Thanks for info


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## S11POW (Oct 22, 2003)

mrdemon said:


> It not even hard to do, requires no skill (well nothing you cannot pick up in 1/2 a day) and products are very cheap per car.


No skill? Do you know the damage a wrongly used rotary polisher can cause?


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## MrHooky (Oct 27, 2009)

golfmadeasy said:


> johnp said:
> 
> 
> > I had my TT done here http://www.gtechniq.com/ nothing but praise for them.
> ...


Also keen to know thoughts and price from these guys. Their products look impressive.


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## dooka (Apr 28, 2006)

Don't think I should realy comment on this thread, as my job is obviously very easy, and no knowledge required, but what do you do when you run into problems, that's when the apprenticeship, years at college and time served in a bodyshop come in handy..

I could go on and on about it all, paint molecular structure etc, the differences in paint harnesses and why they are different, what to do with very thin paint, the list is endless..

You need to understand how different polishes work on different paint types, how different polishes work, different pads ( wool, foam and the cells per inch ) and weather conditions. There isn't a product that is 1 fits all..

I doubt you would get a full correction done in a day, but as stated above by Robtur, it does depend on the customers expectations, and how much they want to spend. Correcting paint takes as long as it takes, there is no short answer as to how long..

I usually charge around £400 upwards for a full correction, and I have the tools and experience to do the job, I also have back up in the form of a body shop should anything go to wrong, fingers crossed, very rare occurrence..

Is £600 to expensive, not necessarily, look at what Paul Dalton charges, £7k for a Rolls Royce..

Take B&O audio visual stuff, how much do their TV's cost, after all, it's only a TV..

Jac in a box prices state that they start at £250 for a small car, but I doubt that would be a full ( 2 0r 3 stage ) correction, but more likely a single stage, taking a fair amount of the defects out, and brightening up the paint no end..

I am always happy to help out and advise where I can..


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## Robtur (Jul 6, 2009)

Dooka, from my understanding from others who have had their cars detailed by Jac-in-a-box it was an equivilent of an enhancement detail so the pricing is about right for that service.


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## dooka (Apr 28, 2006)

I agree..

People are starting to turn on to the term detailing, and what it involves..

It not just a quick wash and wax, that is more what valeting is. well not as quick as the £5 car scratches, I mean washes..

You can easily spend 4 hours plus just washing the car..

Is it expensive, well when I quote people, it always sounds expensive, but when you look at the average days pay, and the amount of work that goes in to a detail, then really it is fairly good value..

When your customers are driving £100k plus cars, they generally want that level of perfection, maybe perfection is to strong a word, but that is what I like to strive for in my details..

It's when the machine comes out, that prices really jump, from £200 up. Correction a car, is a hard long process, but when you turn a car from an old dog, to a fantastic looking car, I have not yet come across an owner who then doesn't agree the price was worth it..

If you are seeking that extra level, then detailing is the way to go. And it is good to see every day folk wanting to take their cars appearance to that next level them selves..

It also seems that most of us on here are happy to spend thousands on mods, but then not spend a small percentage of that on making the car as good as it can..


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## LOWEY (Oct 3, 2009)

dooka said:


> Don't think I should realy comment on this thread, as my job is obviously very easy, and no knowledge required, but what do you do when you run into problems, that's when the apprenticeship, years at college and time served in a bodyshop come in handy..
> 
> I could go on and on about it all, paint molecular structure etc, the differences in paint harnesses and why they are different, what to do with very thin paint, the list is endless..
> 
> ...


Well said :wink: 
Paul


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## ian222 (May 4, 2007)

I totally agree with you there Dokka, yet i find myself not able to take the plunge and go for a correction detail. It must be very hard to explain to Joe public that you will charge £300 + to detail there car most would laugh at that price and take it to the hand car wash for £5. I am not knocking your prices or services or anyones for that matter and hopefully i will get a chance to speak to you at Eventt but when the car will need washing again and i know i will put tome swirls back into the paint its hard to justify. Like i say not having a go just telling it from where i stand.


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## antmanb (Jun 10, 2010)

Can anyone recommend any detailers in the Northwest/Manchester areas - the ones in this thread seem pretty far away.

Cheers
Ant


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## NickP (May 6, 2002)

antmanb said:


> Can anyone recommend any detailers in the Northwest/Manchester areas - the ones in this thread seem pretty far away.
> 
> Cheers
> Ant


http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=59865

There you go


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## antmanb (Jun 10, 2010)

Thanks for the fast response.

Ant


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## golfmadeasy (Aug 22, 2005)

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=178919

Following on from my first post here is my home effort, which if you dont mind me saying is pretty good for an amateur.


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## johnp (Sep 6, 2008)

Sorry for the delay in replying - been away for a short break.
I took my TT to Gtechniq two weeks after I got it in Dec 08.The cost was £265 but there was very little prep for them to do as the car was brand new,the ideal would be to get the car to them before the dealer removes the delivery gunk,not always possible.Older cars have the swirls and scratches polished out so the final cost would depend on the amount of work involved. I took mine back in May for a 'top up' and to remove some insect corpses that had turned to 'pvc' on the bonnet.This cost £235.They usually recommend a top up every two years or so.
I wash TT every two weeks or when it needs cleaning.I dry with a towel and have never polished it.After 19,000 miles it looks brand new no scratches or swirls anywhere,only a few stone chips.


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