Detailing - Worth it?

[Englebert]

I don't have the time/ability/patience to detail my own car. I have looked around and it looks like i can get a thorough detail done for about £300.

Thing is though, i will never clean my car properly and my garage is too small to fit it into... all it will get is its weekly clean from my local car cleaners who will leave it in swirlmarks eventually.

So... would i be chucking away £300 unless i 'top it up' with my own detailing sessions every now and then? Also, the car has that paint protection stuff on it.

 

[theduck]

Paint protection stuff is 99% b****cks.

If you could take the time to wash it once a month by hand with a decent mit and the 2 bucket method you could maintain a decent finish, aslong as its not a dark colour. If its a dark colour then it will need doing more regularly

 

[aceface]

If you aren't going to take decent care of the paintwork then it's pointless having a full detail done, as you will be back to square one in a matter of months with regards to paint condition.

I think you'd be better spending alot less on a few basic products and then having a go at kepeing your car in decent condition by washing evey month and hand poishing etc.

 

[ForceIndia]

I'd wash it yourself, get a detail done just before you sell up. Might not add much value, but makes it easier to sell. Always give my cars a thorough going over before selling, 1st person to view has bought nearly ever car I've sold.

 

[JMR]

What are you driving Englebert?

£300 sounds a bit steep tbh. Get someone of here to do it for you.

Main thing to keep it swirl free is the weekly wash process, rinse off the surface dirt and use a lambswool washmitt to shampoo the bodywork and a microfibre drying towel to dry instead of a poxy chamois.

I went over a year without having to polish any swirls out of my Monaco Blue 172. And it still looked 90%.

Washmitt - halfords £8
Drying towel - Megs one from halfords £9

Job done. Top up with wax/sealant once a month at most. Every 3 if you cant be bothered.

PS i'm in Notts if that helps

 

[Michael172]

Id do it yourself, surely you can set aside 3-4 hours tops ?

If you dont wanna go the full whack you can get some fairly good s**t at halfords. Look at the autoglym range for a start, Super resin polish is a definate must have product and then you can use a wax or sealant. Autoglym extra gloss protection requires an hour to "cure" but it lasts agers. You really dont have to spend hours and hours and £120 on a pot of wax to get decent results im using shitty .

Most of this detailing and spending lots of cash is down to being self indulgent anyway.

Things to look at getting:

Washmitt (lambs wool if possible make sure its good though because ive seen some that look like the wool came from a fox or a deer)
Some decent car shampoo (Meguairs Shampoo pluss in bulk, or try Zymol autowash if you want a 500ml one at halfords)
Polish (Autoglym Super resin polish)
LSP (Last stage product, could be either a sealant or a wax, Autoglym extra gloss protection is a good sealant lasts agers but it will dull the flake ever so slightly if your picky or try some cheap wax called collinite 476s its fantastic and lasts f**king agers AND it pulls the flake out really well in the sun IMHO cant believe i was thinking about paying £120 for some wax when ive got that stuff)
Drying towel (Sonus der wunder drying towels, enough said, although i dont think you should use it if your car is black as they will induce micro marring if you wipe and dont blot with them)
Tyre s**t (Black fire long lasting tyre gel, again, enough said)

 

[Michael172]

I am based in Hull, i wont detail your car as such but i will correct your paintwork to remove the swirl marks. That way you can apply a wax or whatever you want yourself. Offer is there if you want it.

 

[RichRSi]

If you were planning on selling the car and it's worth more than a couple of grand then yes spending £300 on a detail right before the sale is worth it
, if you plan on keeping the car, like it's been said, it's not if you dont have the time to give the car some attention.

I use 476s also and i can vouch for it's performance and looks. You can get a tin for £15-17 and it'll last ages. The last time I did our Ka was early July and it's beading like it's been freshly waxed still. It lives outside and in the hot weather gets covered in dust, as soon as it rains 90% of the dirt has washed off without me even having to get a bucket out.

 

[Michael172]

My dad's colt is still beading after about 1 month now. Nothing impressive but i doubt itll give up any time soon. here is 3 coats of EGP and 2 coats of 476s.

 

[Michael172]

^ that was after about 2 days of being left outside as well.

But i did spend 26 hours on it. Interior and exterior. But i went to levels of detailing which i would never do on my own car as i had full use of the garage.

 

[Rich]

If you going to take it to the local valeters having swirl removal done is probably as waste of cash then, may has well keep the amount of clearcoat it has on it now and get it de-swirled before you sell it.

If you can set aside time to wash it yourself then I would pay the money and get it done. I did a CSL with Brazo and it looked stunning all polished up.

I would not waste your money on most of these paint protection things.

 

[papman]

another here for 476, awesome wax that lasts ages and is easy to get off.

 

[T31-SGB PH-QUICK]

Just use some turtle wax original hardshell wax its only £5.99 from halfords and it lasts for ages.

 

[martandem]

On a side note, as well as some minor swirls I have some light scratches that are not visable when the paint is wet.... ideally i'd like to pay someone to do a clay, machine polish and cure the swirls/scratches, then wax it myself so that its at a stage where i can maintain it myself.... what do you think is the best way to do this? Pay someone off here? Go to a detailing specialist? Do it myself? I have never clayed/waxed a car, and don't own or know anyone with a machine....

 

[martandem]

On a side note, as well as some minor swirls I have some light scratches that are not visable when the paint is wet.... ideally i'd like to pay someone to do a clay, machine polish and cure the swirls/scratches, then wax it myself so that its at a stage where i can maintain it myself.... what do you think is the best way to do this? Pay someone off here? Go to a detailing specialist? Do it myself? I have never clayed/waxed a car, and don't own or know anyone with a machine....

Any tips/suggestions people? This noob needs an education!