Is it possible?
Discussion
...to get a decent detail, including swirl removal (nothing major, just that the car has clearly been through a few machine car washes in its time with a previous owner), for £300 quid?
I have all the stuff (inc Makita etc) but I would really like to have my new car (not brand new) professionaly detailed to begin with. I just think £4-500 is too much for what I want doing. That doesn't mean I don't think it's worth it.
I have all the stuff (inc Makita etc) but I would really like to have my new car (not brand new) professionaly detailed to begin with. I just think £4-500 is too much for what I want doing. That doesn't mean I don't think it's worth it.
Edited by ukwill on Thursday 11th February 14:29
Your paying for per hour really ,
so a white / silver smallish car £250 and a large black car could be as much as £1000 .
Jap car in light colour with soft paint for correction only £200-£250 (mx5)
German car in black with rock hard paint as well as being large £500 - £1000 ( X5 / Q7 )
then factor in how badly damaged is the paint as sometimes a couple of passes in a medium/fine compound on a lightly damaged paint surface can take just a day to turn around to perfection on a small car , where as badly damaged paint could double that for same car.
If the car has been prepped before hand (washed and clayed correctly) then it will save even more time for the detailer , all the car would need is a good wash and dry and take some depth reading , then onto correction stage .
A new car even if large could be quicker (less damage / more paint depth to play with) than an old small car which has loads of damage and allready had tom , dick and harry have a go at machine polishing the paint badly in its life time .
And lastly some customers just dont want absolute perfection (people all have their own level of fussiness) on their paint surface , so gauging the customers requirements you can alter the desired effect to the cost they are will to pay .
Does this help a little ???
Kelly
so a white / silver smallish car £250 and a large black car could be as much as £1000 .
Jap car in light colour with soft paint for correction only £200-£250 (mx5)
German car in black with rock hard paint as well as being large £500 - £1000 ( X5 / Q7 )
then factor in how badly damaged is the paint as sometimes a couple of passes in a medium/fine compound on a lightly damaged paint surface can take just a day to turn around to perfection on a small car , where as badly damaged paint could double that for same car.
If the car has been prepped before hand (washed and clayed correctly) then it will save even more time for the detailer , all the car would need is a good wash and dry and take some depth reading , then onto correction stage .
A new car even if large could be quicker (less damage / more paint depth to play with) than an old small car which has loads of damage and allready had tom , dick and harry have a go at machine polishing the paint badly in its life time .
And lastly some customers just dont want absolute perfection (people all have their own level of fussiness) on their paint surface , so gauging the customers requirements you can alter the desired effect to the cost they are will to pay .
Does this help a little ???
Kelly
kds keltec said:
Your paying for per hour really ,
so a white / silver smallish car £250 and a large black car could be as much as £1000 .
Jap car in light colour with soft paint for correction only £200-£250 (mx5)
German car in black with rock hard paint as well as being large £500 - £1000 ( X5 / Q7 )
then factor in how badly damaged is the paint as sometimes a couple of passes in a medium/fine compound on a lightly damaged paint surface can take just a day to turn around to perfection on a small car , where as badly damaged paint could double that for same car.
If the car has been prepped before hand (washed and clayed correctly) then it will save even more time for the detailer , all the car would need is a good wash and dry and take some depth reading , then onto correction stage .
A new car even if large could be quicker (less damage / more paint depth to play with) than an old small car which has loads of damage and allready had tom , dick and harry have a go at machine polishing the paint badly in its life time .
And lastly some customers just dont want absolute perfection (people all have their own level of fussiness) on their paint surface , so gauging the customers requirements you can alter the desired effect to the cost they are will to pay .
Does this help a little ???
Kelly
Yeah it helps - cheers. I know (well I think I know) that the level of correction needed on mine is relatively minimal - typical spider webs all over that stick out (to me) as its Black. The dealer offered to have it done for £120 yet I'm old enough and ugly enough (very) to know that you get what you pay for in this life. Now that may sound a bit ironic considering I'm asking for a job around £300, but from my own observation (and work on my own previous cars with the makita etc) I would have thought that to be a decent amount of money for the job. I don't know. I might end up doing it myself, but I was hoping to give it to someone for a couple of days and go back to a gleaming car for once - rather than working my arse off cleaning it all weekend, when a pro could have no doubt done a better job! I will stew on it for a bit I think!so a white / silver smallish car £250 and a large black car could be as much as £1000 .
Jap car in light colour with soft paint for correction only £200-£250 (mx5)
German car in black with rock hard paint as well as being large £500 - £1000 ( X5 / Q7 )
then factor in how badly damaged is the paint as sometimes a couple of passes in a medium/fine compound on a lightly damaged paint surface can take just a day to turn around to perfection on a small car , where as badly damaged paint could double that for same car.
If the car has been prepped before hand (washed and clayed correctly) then it will save even more time for the detailer , all the car would need is a good wash and dry and take some depth reading , then onto correction stage .
A new car even if large could be quicker (less damage / more paint depth to play with) than an old small car which has loads of damage and allready had tom , dick and harry have a go at machine polishing the paint badly in its life time .
And lastly some customers just dont want absolute perfection (people all have their own level of fussiness) on their paint surface , so gauging the customers requirements you can alter the desired effect to the cost they are will to pay .
Does this help a little ???
Kelly
ukwill said:
I might end up doing it myself, but I was hoping to give it to someone for a couple of days and go back to a gleaming car for once - rather than working my arse off cleaning it all weekend, when a pro could have no doubt done a better job!
Will, I don't think we've ever met or spoken, but if I may - I've been there a few times when Kelly's customers pick up their cars and time and time again they all say "you aren't charging enough mate." I'd bet a crisp tenner you'd leave with the same sentiment. In fact, book it in and I'll leave the tenner there ready, just in case. My Elise is heading his way this weekend.When it come to top cars being detailed by top people, you will always pay for quality. I think 500-700 quid for a serious wheels off 5* detail taking two days is not silly money. Just think about what little you get when using a solicitor / accountant / main dealer for the same money!!
belleair302 said:
When it come to top cars being detailed by top people, you will always pay for quality. I think 500-700 quid for a serious wheels off 5* detail taking two days is not silly money. Just think about what little you get when using a solicitor / accountant / main dealer for the same money!!
LOL! £700? 
Good luck with that. That's a years insurance + tax. I'm oooot.Jaykaybi said:
ukwill said:
I might end up doing it myself, but I was hoping to give it to someone for a couple of days and go back to a gleaming car for once - rather than working my arse off cleaning it all weekend, when a pro could have no doubt done a better job!
Will, I don't think we've ever met or spoken, but if I may - I've been there a few times when Kelly's customers pick up their cars and time and time again they all say "you aren't charging enough mate." I'd bet a crisp tenner you'd leave with the same sentiment. In fact, book it in and I'll leave the tenner there ready, just in case. My Elise is heading his way this weekend.I could just about justify £300. I couldn't justify £500. To me, that is insane. To someone else that is no doubt a bargain.
belleair302 said:
When it come to top cars being detailed by top people, you will always pay for quality. I think 500-700 quid for a serious wheels off 5* detail taking two days is not silly money. Just think about what little you get when using a solicitor / accountant / main dealer for the same money!!
Thou speaketh sense. The industry is full of dozens of hobby-jobbies in vans, all with wonderful dazzling names, who've just bought a PC and think it's an easy buck (perhaps something to do with the recession) and work to the end of the day, not the end of the job. And of course you can't be a 'valeter' these days, oh no. To be fair, some of them can come up with some half reasonable results - that's not that hard to do. Heck, I've done it myself, I should know (anyone remember the 50:50 shots on TonyHetherington's white Exige S?).
But.
The last 25% of the result from someone like KDS Keltec takes 75% more skill and effort and adds 100% to the grin factor afterwards, and I say this from experience.
What's the hourly rate for a mechanic?
ukwill said:
Jaykaybi said:
ukwill said:
I might end up doing it myself, but I was hoping to give it to someone for a couple of days and go back to a gleaming car for once - rather than working my arse off cleaning it all weekend, when a pro could have no doubt done a better job!
Will, I don't think we've ever met or spoken, but if I may - I've been there a few times when Kelly's customers pick up their cars and time and time again they all say "you aren't charging enough mate." I'd bet a crisp tenner you'd leave with the same sentiment. In fact, book it in and I'll leave the tenner there ready, just in case. My Elise is heading his way this weekend.I could just about justify £300. I couldn't justify £500. To me, that is insane. To someone else that is no doubt a bargain.
Edited by Jaykaybi on Thursday 11th February 16:29
Jaykaybi said:
ukwill said:
Jaykaybi said:
ukwill said:
I might end up doing it myself, but I was hoping to give it to someone for a couple of days and go back to a gleaming car for once - rather than working my arse off cleaning it all weekend, when a pro could have no doubt done a better job!
Will, I don't think we've ever met or spoken, but if I may - I've been there a few times when Kelly's customers pick up their cars and time and time again they all say "you aren't charging enough mate." I'd bet a crisp tenner you'd leave with the same sentiment. In fact, book it in and I'll leave the tenner there ready, just in case. My Elise is heading his way this weekend.I could just about justify £300. I couldn't justify £500. To me, that is insane. To someone else that is no doubt a bargain.
Edited by Jaykaybi on Thursday 11th February 16:29
belleair302 said:
If the paintwork on your new car is nearly new and there is good depth to your clearcoat then a full exterio (do you want the inside done too?) should not be silly money.
Any thoughts regarding some protective film...Armourfend / 3M?
I took a clients car for a "protective film" to be fitted around 18months ago,it was superb,but you MUST make sure that the paint is perfect before its applied as any swirls/scratches will be sealed under it,the people i took it to said they would prepare the paint first,ended up there meaning of prepare was T'cut and cloth,I ended up going to a local Halfords and buying a polisher,finding a bodyshop which i burrowed a decent polishing head and compound and sorted it before they put the film on.it was one of the market leading companies that do it so beware,and the car was a VERY VERY nice Porsche 993 GT2 so not a old banger.Any thoughts regarding some protective film...Armourfend / 3M?
Jaykaybi said:
Thou speaketh sense. The industry is full of dozens of hobby-jobbies in vans, all with wonderful dazzling names, who've just bought a PC and think it's an easy buck (perhaps something to do with the recession) and work to the end of the day, not the end of the job. And of course you can't be a 'valeter' these days, oh no. To be fair, some of them can come up with some half reasonable results - that's not that hard to do. Heck, I've done it myself, I should know (anyone remember the 50:50 shots on TonyHetherington's white Exige S?).
But.
The last 25% of the result from someone like KDS Keltec takes 75% more skill and effort and adds 100% to the grin factor afterwards, and I say this from experience.
What's the hourly rate for a mechanic?
2 buckets, a grit guard and a snow foam lance does not make you a detailer. But you'd be surprised at the amount of people who go out and buy these kind of things along with a cheap DA machine and then call themselves a detailer.
There is good detailers out there but a hell of a lot more bad ones unfortunately which is what drags the whole image of the profession down unfortunately
kds keltec said:
ukwill said:
I've managed to sort something out. I'll be sure to post some before and afters when the work is done. Thanks for everyone's input
cool 
will what car have you got now ??? i guess not the 911 as you said its black
Kelly
I've just bought an E39 M5. Can't believe how well priced these cars are!
Weather is pants at the present and I don't have a garage so I might hold off on the cleaning til the spring!
ukwill said:
Hi Kelly
I've just bought an E39 M5. Can't believe how well priced these cars are!
Weather is pants at the present and I don't have a garage so I might hold off on the cleaning til the spring!
Hi will nice choice of car I've just bought an E39 M5. Can't believe how well priced these cars are!
Weather is pants at the present and I don't have a garage so I might hold off on the cleaning til the spring!
I have owned the same in the past and really is a great all round car , got to be one of the best jack of all trades type cars on the road .
Yep your right the price for the E39 M5's are a steal for so much quality car and far better built than new 5 series too .
Customer dropped of his GT3 yesterday and came down with his other car E39 M5 (in a nice colour and option list) we talked longer about the M5 than the 911
I think everyones got the same idea with regards to weather and spring time , had dozens of enquires this year all asking for bookings in march and april onwards
Kelly
Edited by kds keltec on Monday 15th February 12:19
Gassing Station | Bodywork & Detailing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff