# Car Detailing - waste of money??



## Dayer2910

I've decided to have the yellow peril detailed professionally, i told the wife and she was like WTF HOW MUCH !! haha she wasn't impressed i was "wasting" £400 when i could "just wash it myself"

All booked for monday now, car will be gone 2 days, i hope i'm not wasting my money, this is the company doing it http://www.ti22.co.uk/

Seems quite good but i'll post up some pictures soon to show the results...anyone else wasted money like this


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## CWM3

Dayer2910 said:


> I've decided to have the yellow peril detailed professionally, i told the wife and she was like WTF HOW MUCH !! haha she wasn't impressed i was "wasting" £400 when i could "just wash it myself"
> 
> All booked for monday now, car will be gone 2 days, i hope i'm not wasting my money, this is the company doing it http://www.ti22.co.uk/
> 
> Seems quite good but i'll post up some pictures soon to show the results...anyone else wasted money like this


£80 hairdresser appointments very 6 weeks seem a waste of money to me, especially when I got the clippers out and offered to do it for free, I 'm sure your missus must go to the hairdressers Dayer.....mines shut up now


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## philnotts99

I get my car "detailed" at least once a year. I mainly get it done to remove all the swirls and put a decent sealant/wax onto it.

It is a lot of money but you will be amazed ( if the detailer is good ) by the level of detail and swirl free paint!

Phil


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## LEO-RS

At £400, yes, I would agree with your missus. Unless it's a 1980's beat up old car that needs A LOT of attention, that cost is extravagant.

I had my car detailed a few months ago, £80, yes, £80. The chap I took it to is a keen car enthusiast, name of RobDon, he's a regular on the seatcupra.net forums and his attention to detail (Even before he started his detailing business) was second to none on the forums. His car was always in for shows etc,

http://www.dominiondetailing.co.uk/default.html

http://www.dominiondetailing.co.uk/AudiTT-RS.html

There are a few pics of my car in there. I don't know the guy at all other than his username on Seatcupra.net, no connections with him but found him to be an honest hard working guy that has a genuine passion for this kind of thing. He cringes at what some of the car detailers ''down south'' cost and says he would rather build up his client base based on honesty and hard work.

£80 it cost me and he was working on the car for about 7hrs.

For £80, i'll go back and visit him and get it topped up again next winter. For £400, well [smiley=gossip.gif]

You would be cheaper putting a tank of fuel in the car and coming up this way to get it done, stay in a nice hotel in Edinburgh overnight, put a tank of fuel in the car to get back home and you would still have change left over.

Glad I live up north with prices like that :lol:


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## darylbenfield

There's running a DA over a car then there's detailing it. The full detail on that site is £250.

As I detail myself I can see it being a waste of money if the owner doesn't take a new approach to looking after their car afterwards. Seeing your hard work trashed a few months later isn't nice, no matter what amount you are paid. After my details, I usually spend an hour talking the owner through better methods - some people are interested, which is great and some go right back to square one. :roll:


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## ChallonaTTer

Hi Mitchy,
Can you tell me if RobDon is Edinburgh based or nearish, i would be interested in his services
Cheers
Nick.


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## LEO-RS

Yeah, he is Edinburgh based. Lives next to the Gyle shopping centre.


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## phope

Try www.brotek.co.uk for an Edinburgh based detailer as well - the guy is active on audi sport.net


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## ChallonaTTer

Mitchy said:


> Yeah, he is Edinburgh based. Lives next to the Gyle shopping centre.


Thanks,thats five mins from were i stay,probably passed each other a few times!


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## ChallonaTTer

phope said:


> Try http://www.brotek.co.uk for an Edinburgh based detailer as well - the guy is active on audi sport.net


Hi phope,
Do you mean Mark,met him at the last Edinburgh meet,top bloke.


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## phope

That's the guy ...couldn't remember his last name


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## ian222

This is a good one and I have asked myself this question a lot.

Imo for 2 days work it does seem steep I paid 370 for my first detail and he worked on it for 12 hrs ok it looked great after he had finished but over time it does deteriorate so it needs doing again. I try and keep it looking good but it is easy to mess it up especially on a dark coloured car. If the prices that pros charge were a bit more reasonable I.e say 150 a day then it wont matter quite as much. Not knocking any of them inc Daryl on here but the prices are steep, yes they have lots of knowledge about paint etc but cant justify the price.


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## Gone

You can't do much harm with a DA unless you really go at it so my view is that you're better off having a go yourself. Of course in the grand scheme of things it's a waste of money, but so are multiple handbags and pairs of shoes. What the heck though, it's fun isn't it.


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## Gizmo68

£80 for 7 hrs work??

Lets be generous and say he only used £10 worth of products on the car, that puts his labour down to £10 per hour, now take out insurance, rent and electricity and he is just a busy fool and certainly not making money at those prices.

I notice for £80 it is 'only' an enhancement detail, which means some defects will still be present, but TBH most people would not notice them, hell most people don't see ANY of the swirls on a car as it is.


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## darylbenfield

ian222 said:


> This is a good one and I have asked myself this question a lot.
> 
> Imo for 2 days work it does seem steep I paid 370 for my first detail and he worked on it for 12 hrs ok it looked great after he had finished but over time it does deteriorate so it needs doing again. I try and keep it looking good but it is easy to mess it up especially on a dark coloured car. If the prices that pros charge were a bit more reasonable I.e say 150 a day then it wont matter quite as much. Not knocking any of them inc Daryl on here but the prices are steep, yes they have lots of knowledge about paint etc but cant justify the price.


I've detailed my gf's TT and a year down the line it shows no signs of deteriorating. It still looks spot on and before i came along she was doing the ol' bucket chamois. now its foam, straight lines the works haha.

I think you are serious about having your car detailed then you need to understand that after a detail comes great care from the owner themselves to maintain the finish. There's only so much clearcoat to play with, regards to 'having it done again'.

A good wax and weekly wash helps and it's all down to methods of cleaning and taking care of it.

One of the reasons detailing is expensive is the cost of products. Quality isn't cheap and then work out the hours involved in a full correction not a day with a DA and an all in one and there you go. I will admit some people charge a ridiculous amount for what should be half that.

I always try to help people who I detail for with their after care and help with products. It doesn't bother me and helps the owner gain a better insight to car care than before.

So book 'em in! Hahaha!


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## digital_dreamer

Dayer2910 said:


> I've decided to have the yellow peril detailed professionally, i told the wife and she was like WTF HOW MUCH !! haha she wasn't impressed i was "wasting" £400 when i could "just wash it myself"
> 
> All booked for monday now, car will be gone 2 days, i hope i'm not wasting my money, this is the company doing it http://www.ti22.co.uk/
> 
> Seems quite good but i'll post up some pictures soon to show the results...anyone else wasted money like this


I've taken my car to James at ti22 in newport. Did a cracking job would defiantly recommend.

Have you had the work done yet?


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## Dayer2910

Yes my friend, had the car back tonight, paint is now like glass and very impressed with that side of things, the hood I wasn't so impressed with, seemed to have a white residue in patches, maybe these will wear off over time but I did expect a higher finish with a deeper black...

The inside wasn't touched, although it was clean anyway, for £400 you'd expect it to at least be hoovered and the dash wiped over? Nope, not touched, very disappointed in that if I'm honest. Would I say I've wasted my money? Well yes and no, the work I value at no more than £200 tops....overall I'd score it at 6 out of 10, I wouldn't recommend his services to any of my friends.

Shame really I expected more.....


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## digital_dreamer

ouch sorry to hear your not very happy with it.

The white is very strange???

£400 is a bit steep for a 1 day correction..... esp when you don't have a roof


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## darylbenfield

Dayer2910 said:


> Yes my friend, had the car back tonight, paint is now like glass and very impressed with that side of things, the hood I wasn't so impressed with, seemed to have a white residue in patches, maybe these will wear off over time but I did expect a higher finish with a deeper black...
> 
> The inside wasn't touched, although it was clean anyway, for £400 you'd expect it to at least be hoovered and the dash wiped over? Nope, not touched, very disappointed in that if I'm honest. Would I say I've wasted my money? Well yes and no, the work I value at no more than £200 tops....overall I'd score it at 6 out of 10, I wouldn't recommend his services to any of my friends.
> 
> Shame really I expected more.....


£400 and there's polish residue in the fabric!? Sorry to hear that. Shame your not closer  ! And £400 for what sounds like single stage correction and nothing else touched is quite expensive.


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## philnotts99

Sorry to hear this. Have you contacted the detailer to raise your concerns as reputation is key to them!

Phil


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## Dayer2910

philnotts99 said:


> Sorry to hear this. Have you contacted the detailer to raise your concerns as reputation is key to them!
> 
> Phil


No I'm not the sort of person to make a fuss really, too much hassle, I'd rather just take it on the chin and move on, reputation is everything I agree, that's life though....the paintwork is nice so I look at the positive side.


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## ian222

please raise your concerns with them even in a email. Dud u ask exactly what they were doing for the money? I really make sure what it is they are doing so there is no confusion. When Daryl comes and does mine I will ask him exactly what he is going to do and what he thinks he can correct so we both know where we stand. Doesn't get confusing later then.


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## darylbenfield

Honesty is the best policy!


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## Haddats

HAHAHA  Dayer2910, What company did your wife contact? It's just inhuman money for such a service. I know for myself, I have been engaged for several years And I have not seen or even heard that someone could afford to take 400 euros for this)))


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## PiercePiemr

Dayer2910 said:


> I've decided to have the yellow peril detailed professionally, i told the wife and she was like WTF HOW MUCH !! haha she wasn't impressed i was "wasting" £400 when i could "just wash it myself"
> 
> All booked for monday now, car will be gone 2 days, i hope i'm not wasting my money, this is the company doing it HOME
> 
> Seems quite good but i'll post up some pictures soon to show the results...anyone else wasted money like this auto detailing columbia md


Hey everyone I’ve just started my own car detailing business and am offering free interior and exterior car cleaning and in return ask that you leave a review! If you have any questions please lmn!
I AM CURRENTLY BOOKED until further notice! Thank you everyone for reaching out! -


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## Beryl

Had a gorgeous long-stroke VW GTi back in the day. It needed the bonnet and roof painted and new discs/pads before I put it on a private sale. It just didn’t look Wow. Against all my instincts I took it to a detailer ( not sure they were called that then) But For fifty quid he just made it look and smell so good. I almost kept it, but it went for 5k as it just turned 100k miles. 
Don’t underestimate those subliminal emotions that undermine whether the windscreen wipers work or not. Falling in love is not rational whether it’s with a woman or a car


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## boba-fett

They can make a car's paintwork look stunning. I am having mine done and its half way through. Full wet sanding, polish, detailing and coated, its been in for 2 weeks and just finished its first hard polish.

It looks amazing already!


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