Are car valets worth it

billyhead

Folks,

I was wondering are full car valets worth the money. The local valet service company have an offer of a full valet for 79 euro and I was considering getting it done on my 5 year old car. Is it worth it or should I just give the interior a hoover and exterior a wash myself:D

-Corkie-

79 sounds very cheap for a valet. I love doing it myself personally. You can buy fantastic products from www.detailer.ie for the job..

biko

I always do it myself, it's usually fairly quick and afterwards I can spend the dosh I saved on beer.

EPM

I find I usually do a better job myself, although for a proper polish and wax of the exterior I'd take it to a professional.

coylemj

+1 The satisfaction of doing a good job yourself is worth double what you'd pay a professional. I don't doubt that they might do a better job as they are more experienced and probably have a few tricks of the trade for bringing up a shine in spots where the ordinary punter might struggle but at the end of the day I prefer to do it myself.

-Corkie-

EPM wrote: »

I find I usually do a better job myself, although for a proper polish and wax of the exterior I'd take it to a professional.

That been someone like seperate from Detailer. I would not spend my money on sonething and some young fella cleaning it that didnt give a dam about it.

scoobymunster

Is there like an idiots guide to that detailing stuff? I'd be tempted to buy something to give the car a once over but I haven't a clue what to get and it's all pretty expensive.

neilthefunkeone

Is a valet just a wash, hoover and clean the interior plastics.. if so you can do that yourself.. Sure i do that once a week to my own motor.. Wouldnt pay someone 79 euro for that..

thirtythirty

Eco Wash in Dun Laoghaire pavillion are amazing - it's no water, soft chemicals for outside, and power vaccum on the inside. I've stopped to admire quite a few cars theyve been working on, even if they were bog standard motors.

If it's a "valet" with a power washer, leave it and do it yourself though

neilthefunkeone

neilthefunkeone wrote: »

Is a valet just a wash, hoover and clean the interior plastics.. if so you can do that yourself.. Sure i do that once a week to my own motor.. Wouldnt pay someone 79 euro for that..

For €79 they'd be waxing it at a minimum too Wash, hoover and clean the dash is about €20 in many places.

maidhc

Dont let anyone near a car with polish unless you know they know what they are doing, particularly a dark coloured one.

I saw a newish black BMW 5 series recently that was destoyed with swirl marks from a polisher. You would only see it in the dark, but it was awful.

mickdw

How the hell do you get dirt/marks off the plastic door sills?
Also, what is a good product to use to clean the engine bay? I would like the plastic bit to be clean but not with a fake shine - both sills & engine bay.

-Corkie-

mickdw wrote: »

How the hell do you get dirt/marks off the plastic door sills?
Also, what is a good product to use to clean the engine bay? I would like the plastic bit to be clean but not with a fake shine - both sills & engine bay.

A brillo pad soaked with some washing up liquid. Use it very gently though.

wd 40 for the engine bay and rub it in well..

mickdw

mickdw wrote: »

Also, what is a good product to use to clean the engine bay? I would like the plastic bit to be clean but not with a fake shine - both sills & engine bay.

Autoglym machine degreaser and a controlled amount of tyre shine for the plastic bits, I buff that off with a cloth

supersaint3

oh I've seen that engine before, in my beautiful 75 2.0 v6 that went up to that great factory in the sky but what a motor!

supersaint3

supersaint3 wrote: »

oh I've seen that engine before, in my beautiful 75 2.0 v6 that went up to that great factory in the sky but what a motor!

Do you mind me asking what happened it?

R.O.R

A proper, professional Valet from a reputable, recommended company is well worth it.

I know how to clean a car myself (but very rarely do it), and have in the past spent hours polishing / waxing my car. It looks good in the end, but not to the standard of the guys who do our valeting in work.

We get all our company cars back here, and some people really are just filthy b*****d's. The difference a full professional valet can make is unbelievable, especially on a rep's car with beige cloth seats.

Really must get around to taking some before and after shots when we get a particulaly minging example in.

batman2000

I'd agree with ROR.

I love my own car and I would wash it, give it a polish, do the tyres, polish the glass, clean the plastics, cleaning the alloys...

I would always keep the interior clean on a weekly basis.

However the only part that can go wrong is: If the seats get dirty. If the valet for €79 included shampoo seats and carpets, thats a fairly good deal. All the car cleaning products I buy is AutoGlym. On a nice day (not too sunny for the waxing !!) nothing like giving the motor a good clean

Stevie Dakota

RoverJames wrote: »

Autoglym machine degreaser and a controlled amount of tyre shine for the plastic bits, I buff that off with a cloth

Missed the scuttle there buddy

When I had the E34 I loved cleaning all the nooks and crannies, the Focus just does not instill the same level of neurosis!

Stevie Dakota

Stevie Dakota wrote: »

Missed the scuttle there buddy

That's not underbonnet really :pac:

supersaint3

RoverJames wrote: »

Do you mind me asking what happened it?

Crashed on N11 few years ago, not my fault, wrote off loved that car. After it was gone I just went with it and got a diesel...

-Corkie-

I was going to start a thread on this actually but who would be intrested in learning how to Valet your car properly. Seperate that posts here does the training. I think it would be a good idea for a meet up!!!

http://www.detailer.ie/academy.html

-Corkie-

-Corkie- wrote: »

I was going to start a thread on this actually but who would be intrested in learning how to Valet your car properly. Seperate that posts here does the training. I think it would be a good idea for a meet up!!!

http://www.detailer.ie/academy.html

I could well be interested
Am thinking of buying one of these yokes or similar as the ZT is fairly swirly in places
http://www.detailer.ie/store/index.php/detailing-kits/kestrel-starter-kit.html

-Corkie-

RoverJames wrote: »

I could well be interested
Am thinking of buying one of these yokes or similar as the ZT is fairly swirly in places
http://www.detailer.ie/store/index.php/detailing-kits/kestrel-starter-kit.html

I have access to a buffer but Seperate sent me a great PM the other night advising me on what to buy etc. I can forward to anyone who wants it..:)

-Corkie-

-Corkie- wrote: »

I can forward to anyone who wants it..:)

I'd be very interested

alexmcred

mickdw wrote: »

How the hell do you get dirt/marks off the plastic door sills?
Also, what is a good product to use to clean the engine bay? I would like the plastic bit to be clean but not with a fake shine - both sills & engine bay.

I find a damp Micro Fibre cloth really good for getting marks off plastics someone also mentioned peanut oil on here before for bringing exterior blacks back to life

clancyoo7

I'd be interested as well, please

MetzgerMeister

batman2000 wrote: »

If the valet for €79 included shampoo seats and carpets, thats a fairly good deal.

It won't include that. Usually it costs €80 to get the seats and carpets shampoo'd only.

johnos1984

-Corkie- wrote: »

I have access to a buffer but Seperate sent me a great PM the other night advising me on what to buy etc. I can forward to anyone who wants it..:)

If you wouldn't mind I've been promising myself one for ages. It would be handy for when I get another classic as well.
As for the course, yes I'd be interested

Glowing

pigsback.ie/iphone/ViewDeal.htm?ffw92

pigsback are doing a deal with thompsons at the moment, 49 instead of 99 for a full Valet. I had one done a few months ago and i'd recommend ...