Car detailing involves two categories; the professional cleaning and restoration of exterior paintwork and external vehicle components to their original state, or if possible, a condition that exceeds this, and the internal cleaning and restoration of the various surfaces inside the vehicle, including carpets and other materials.
difference between car washing, car valeting, car restoration and car detailing?
Car valeting is an extensive ‘wash’ with the purpose of cleaning, polishing and dressing surfaces and vehicle components to achieve that new vehicle look. This will typically be accomplished by the use of cleaning compounds and polishes to achieve a temporary high-shine look.
Car detailing fits somewhere between valeting and restoration. Restoration requires the vehicle to often have parts repaired and rebuilt.
Car detailing extends on valeting due to the process of physically removing imperfections, typically by use of cutting compounds, polishes, machines and manual labour, to restore surfaces and components to a more permanent condition comparable to that of the original condition.
Detailing is generally limited to restoring the condition of the of the vehicle in its current physical state and does not include replacing or rebuilding components.
What Does Car Detailing Include?
Car detailing can start from the basics through to deep cleaning and correction where individual body panels, components and internals can be removed.
The list of services will generally include some, or all of the following, but not limited to:
Exterior Car Detailing
- A multi-stage wash
- Wheels removed and cleaned
- Inner arches cleaned
- Brakes, suspension components cleaned and polished
- Under body cleaned
- Tyres cleaned and coated
- Glass and paintwork decontamination process
- Vinyl, rubber and plastics trim treated
- Chrome and metal surfaces cleaned and polished
- Paintwork buffing and correction
- Paintwork polish and protection
- Certain body panels, lights may be removed for extreme clean / polish / correction
- Engine cleaning
Interior Car Detailing
- All internal components such as plastics and rubber corrected and cleaned
- Seats may be removed for deep internal carpet cleaning / correction
- Seats cleaned / corrected
- Glass cleaning / polish
Car Detailing Prices
Businesses typically offer certain levels of detailing from basic cleaning through to the full package where components are removed cleaning, corrected and polished. This can require that a vehicle remains with the workshop for several days. Prices can range from anything up to several thousand pounds for the full package.