Car detailers

What to put in your job description

• The make, model and colour, and whether it is a car, a van or something larger.
• What you want: a mini valet, a full valet, an interior deep clean, paint correction or a coating.
• How it looks now: pet hair, stains, swirl marks, scratches, or bird droppings left too long.
• Where the car is: a driveway, a garage or the street, and whether there is water and a socket near it.
• When it suits you, and whether it is for a sale, a lease return or a special day.

Don't put your name, phone number or address in the description: every trade who covers your area reads it. Your name, phone, email and address go only to the trades who take the job (3 at most).

Questions to ask before you hire

• What does the price include, inside and out, and how long will it take?
• Do you bring your own water and power?
• What products do you use on leather, fabric and the paint?
• Where does the wash water go? It should not run into a street drain.
• Do you have insurance that covers damage to my car while you work on it?

Registers and schemes to check

There is no legal register for car detailers or valeters. Ask what training they have for paint correction and coatings, and to see photos of their own work. Some coating makers keep a list of the installers they have trained. We don't check this for you yet.

What the job usually involves

• A wash and dry by hand, with the wheels, the tyres and the glass.
• Inside: vacuuming, cleaning seats and carpets, and wiping down the dashboard and the doors.
• Paint care: decontamination, a machine polish to take out swirl marks, then wax, sealant or a coating.
• Extras such as the engine bay, headlight restoring or odour removal.

How quotes and visits work

A valet is usually priced by the size of the car and what is included. Paint correction and coatings depend on the paint's condition, so many detailers want to see the car, or photos in daylight, before a fixed price. Ask how long it takes: a coating can take a full day or more.

Ask for a written quote (a fixed price) rather than an estimate (a guess that can change), and for what it includes. If you agree a job in your home, you usually have 14 days to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations; if you want work to start sooner, you may have to pay for what has been done.

Safety

• Take valuables, child seats and anything you need out of the car first.
• If they use your power, the cable should not run across a path where people walk.
• Wash water with soap and dirt should not run into a street drain: those often go straight to a stream.

Insurance

Ask whether they have public liability insurance and cover for damage to a customer's car while they work on it. Ask what happens if they mark the paint or the trim.

Guides for homeowners

• How to compare quotes from local trades

We take jobs from anywhere in the UK: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Trades choose the postcode districts they cover.

Car detailers by town and city

England

Scotland

Wales

Northern Ireland