# Detailing products in UAE?



## DesertDog

I know that ACE Hardware do some of the Meguiars products....

Are there any other decent retailers of detailing products, either Abu Dhabi or Dubai?


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## nuriksari

I was just wondering the exact same thing. I searched on the net but could not find something. However i know shinearama is a good option to make some orders,i used to use that website while i was in my hometown turkey. Maybe we can order some stuff together so we can share the shipping and the cost will be less. That was what i was doing back in time turkey.


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## Grommit

You would think there are. 

I mean the money out there and the cars that kicking around. Would be a detailers dream. Charge what you like to look after the Shieks cars etc.


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## DesertDog

Grommit said:


> You would think there are.


Unfortunately not...

This is UK detailing as it was 20 years ago; T-Cut and a bit of rag


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## DesertDog

I'll answer my own question...

Without trawling through all of the auto valeting places in Mussafah, ACE (especially the Dubai stores) is about your best bet.

Don't bother with the Swissvax distributor, their prices are rip-off plus!

I've just used Ultimate Finish to order some goodies. No VAT to pay and shipping only 120Dhs equivalent for express shipping by DHL. 

I ordered my stuff on Thursday afternoon and the DHL man was at my office by 8.30am Sunday morning! No taxes or duties were requested.

:driver:  :driver:


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## Mike Hunt

Try Qatar if you really want to feel let down


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## B17BLG

sounds like there is some money to be made out there by detailers! I'll pack my bags!


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## Mike Hunt

I always thought so, but the locals driving some really expensive cars are quite happy it seems to let an Indian bloke with a dirty rag wipe their cars down in a supermarket carpark, setting up a detailing business would be difficult as you need a local sponsor who would have at least 51% of your business.


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## DesertDog

Bang on the money!

My next door neighbour (an Emirati) currently has 5 cars - an AMG 63, a Nissan Patrol, a Nissan Tida, a Nissan Armada and a GMC Silverado. All of them are fairly new cars and look like shaite.

He has a Filippino yard boy/general gremlin/gopher who hoses a couple of them down each day and gives them a once over with the dirty rag.

Earlier this week I saw the gopher doing the AMG - a beauty of a car and not much change from £100k - the boy dropped his rag on the sandy drive, then proceeded to shake off the grit and then continued to wipe down the car! Jeez...


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## Mike Hunt

When I was in Abu Dhabi 3 years ago there used to be a used performance car dealer not too far from where they were building the new bridge over the creek. Had a look in there a few times and the state of the cars in there Lambo's, Ferraris and Aston Marins was appalling, they just don't get it. It's not just Emiratis, Qatari's are just the same.


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## cassy

If you have a look on the G Techniq website there is a reseller in Saudi (http://gtechniq.com/quote-me/) and they are quite close to the UAE. 
I also remember seeing something about G Techniq working in the UAE but on the Yachts and if they bring in products for them im sure they will be able to add some car products if you ask nicely.


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## DesertDog

cassy said:


> If you have a look on the G Techniq website there is a reseller in Saudi (http://gtechniq.com/quote-me/) and they are quite close to the UAE.
> I also remember seeing something about G Techniq working in the UAE but on the Yachts and if they bring in products for them im sure they will be able to add some car products if you ask nicely.


Gtech do have a dealer in Dubai.

They are useless and obviously making so much coin from doing the flash boats that they can't be arsed to answer enquiries from mere mortal car hobbyists like me.


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## Autoglym

We have several distributors in the region, you could contact one of those and see if they could assist you?

http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/Trade-Distributor.asp


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## Mike Hunt

Autoglym said:


> We have several distributors in the region, you could contact one of those and see if they could assist you?
> 
> http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/Trade-Distributor.asp


The place distrubuting in Qatar is right next to the Al Jazeera studios, the imaginatively named Trophy Car polishing centre its also a petrol station, I've been in there one or twice for fuel and noticed the old 10 second rule being observed, that being if you drop your dirty rag on the floor and pick it up off the sandy forecourt in less than ten secounds it's still ok to be put back on the paint.

I could go out on a Saturday and buy a peregrine falcon with less hassle than finding a few micro fibre cloths and some shampoo, ok so the falcon would cost a bit more.


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## DesertDog

Mike Hunt said:


> When I was in Abu Dhabi 3 years ago there used to be a used performance car dealer not too far from where they were building the new bridge over the creek. Had a look in there a few times and the state of the cars in there Lambo's, Ferraris and Aston Marins was appalling, they just don't get it. It's not just Emiratis, Qatari's are just the same.


Would that be Princess Motors / Autos in Sas Al Nakl, close to the petroleum institute?

Before I opted for the (absolute bargain) GT500, I was looking at Porker 997 Carreras. They had a real beaut of an MY11 Carrera S4 in Lime Gold with just 11K on the clock, but the paintwork was just awful - I don't think they'd even bothered to give it to the jinglies for a once-over.

I've had a few thoughts about setting up as a professional detailer here, but I've come to the conclusion that the potential market is almost non-existent. It's a real conundrum given the amount of money they spend on buying their cars, yet seem quite happy to neglect the maintenance.


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## Mike Hunt

Yes thats the one, the most shocking state was a Maserati MC12 they had in there which had been given the full brillo pad treatment. I was considering buying an M3 from them, which was the cheapest car in the showroom!

I had the same idea when I was there, and came to the same conclusion. Shame really.


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## Mike Hunt

Auto Glym distibutor is awful no stock at all apart from 25 litre containers of shampoo. Loved watching his jinglie ninjas brandishing their rotary polishers, most entertaining. I'm sure you could sell Qatari's sand if you put it in a nice box.


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## Tomukas

DesertDog said:


> Bang on the money!
> 
> My next door neighbour (an Emirati) currently has 5 cars - an AMG 63, a Nissan Patrol, a Nissan Tida, a Nissan Armada and a GMC Silverado. All of them are fairly new cars and look like shaite.
> 
> He has a Filippino yard boy/general gremlin/gopher who hoses a couple of them down each day and gives them a once over with the dirty rag.
> 
> Earlier this week I saw the gopher doing the AMG - a beauty of a car and not much change from £100k - the boy dropped his rag on the sandy drive, then proceeded to shake off the grit and then continued to wipe down the car! Jeez...


lol gremlin


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## Tomukas

Mike Hunt said:


> The place distrubuting in Qatar is right next to the Al Jazeera studios, the imaginatively named Trophy Car polishing centre its also a petrol station, I've been in there one or twice for fuel and noticed the old 10 second rule being observed, that being if you drop your dirty rag on the floor and pick it up off the sandy forecourt in less than ten secounds it's still ok to be put back on the paint.
> 
> I could go out on a Saturday and buy a peregrine falcon with less hassle than finding a few micro fibre cloths and some shampoo, ok so the falcon would cost a bit more.


I was in dubai for 1 month detailed 2 expensive ferraris , spent 5 days days of each other all equipement i got with me thru airport , polishes ,shampoos , mit , interior products etc etc , and cars looked awful there obvious that theres alot of sand there and you need to be extremely careful what i seen most "spider web" scratches from bad wipping - washing down in circles technique with bad equipement its sad


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## sharmam114

I am a few years late.. But yellow hat has a decent selection of products...


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## Sherif

Brands I found available in Dubai:
Meguiar's
Turtle Wax
3M
Sonax (some products are dirt cheap from dealer)
Optimum
3D / HD
Swissvax
Chemical Guys
SmartWax
Migliore
22PLE (dealer refuse to sell the products but can apply it for you)


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## Russ and his BM

^^^ Available where, please?


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## sealthedeal

Sherif said:


> Brands I found available in Dubai:
> Meguiar's
> Turtle Wax
> 3M
> Sonax (some products are dirt cheap from dealer)
> Optimum
> 3D / HD
> Swissvax
> Chemical Guys
> SmartWax
> Migliore
> 22PLE (dealer refuse to sell the products but can apply it for you)


Any online availability with US/UK retail rates?


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## sealthedeal

DesertDog said:


> I know that ACE Hardware do some of the Meguiars products....
> 
> Are there any other decent retailers of detailing products, either Abu Dhabi or Dubai?


If you have Indian colleagues/friends, India has good detailing items available online(on international retail prices) , so you could schedule a delivery when any of them is travelling and bring it back. Ofcourse, only if they'd be willing to carry the 2-3kg for you..


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## Focusaddict

When you got an absolute crap loads of money, you don't care if stuff gets damaged.


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## JamesRS5

There is a gtechniq team at the 'Fast Car Service Centre' on the D62 in Dubai, the guys did a new car detail on my RS5, great job and Ali the owner of the gtechniq franchise has an incredible eye for detail, they work under the company http://www.prodent.ae and are located at the service centre.

They also sell the gtechnic products if you want to buy some, I have the G1 shampoo and T1 tyre polish, great products.


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## Migliore

The full Migliore line is available at our friends Majestic Car Care in Dubai: http://www.majesticuae.com/.


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## After_Shock

Do my own detailing out here, the companies who do it well charge crazy money for it so despite the climate I bought all the equipment myself and just do it when I can.

Have done a number of other forum member cars out here but summer is here now so being able to do it is hard work without an AC workshop.

The mentioned list of available products is literally your lot, prices seem to vary every time you get something so have to put up with that. A number of products I ship in and some I buy here.

The Gtechniq stuff is good but it is pretty much only sealant/coatings that they are interested in doing which is the case with virtually every place, very few expect the mega expensive shops offer actual correction.

I viewed a car which supposedly had a 7 stage process done to it by a well known company out here, multi stage correction etc etc and two stage sealant, car looked good and shiny etc and im sure the sealant was good but correction wise it was about as strong as AG SRP being machined in. 

In a nutshell the industry is 20 years behind out here, despite the cars kicking about as mentioned the car care is dire, cars are disposable items out here, second an updated model comes out the old one is binned hence no one really cars about the appeared except the fact its clean.


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