# How about a list of polishers/correction businesses?



## SadlyDistracted (Jan 18, 2013)

We have a great section on product and equipment traders, but nothing quite so clear on paint correction / polishing folks here in the UK

Would this be a great section to have by regions, might even drum up some business for them?

S


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=40246. :thumb:


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## SadlyDistracted (Jan 18, 2013)

Shiny, 

Excellent - now I feel rather embarrassed for not having seen this !

Looks like we could do with a few more in the NW,

I have to admit to a bit of self interest after the dealer who I just bought my new (to me ) car frpm promised to 'detail as discussed' to correct the swirled paint and has frankly wasted his money and my time. And now the discusses should read 'disgust'! 

There are no 'scratches' in the paint just lots of swirls that need polishing out and I unfortunately do not have the time or place to polish this year so I'd like someone who would not charge me an arm or two to give it a proper polish detail. (in the NW!)

S


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## chongo (Jun 7, 2014)

SadlyDistracted said:


> Shiny,
> 
> Excellent - now I feel rather embarrassed for not having seen this !
> 
> ...


The problem is that if you want it detailed by a pro Detailer then you will be given a price that some may think that's to much for what he has offered. There is no haggling when it comes to pricing a detail, so best be prepared to be shocked if you think that getting your car professionally Detailed is going to be cheap.:wave:


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## Toto (Oct 6, 2014)

chongo said:


> The problem is that if you want it detailed by a pro Detailer then you will be given a price that some may think that's to much for what he has offered. There is no haggling when it comes to pricing a detail, so best be prepared to be shocked if you think that getting your car professionally Detailed is going to be cheap.:wave:


second that one


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## SadlyDistracted (Jan 18, 2013)

Hmm, OK folks let me reconsider the question / 'ask' to be constrained to a pro polish with out all the addons e.g. wheels, dressing etc?


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## [email protected] (Apr 2, 2007)

chongo said:


> The problem is that if you want it detailed by a pro Detailer then you will be given a price that some may think that's to much for what he has offered. There is no haggling when it comes to pricing a detail, so best be prepared to be shocked if you think that getting your car professionally Detailed is going to be cheap.:wave:


If you shop on price alone then you could end up disappointed with the result.

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

SadlyDistracted said:


> Hmm, OK folks let me reconsider the question / 'ask' to be constrained to a pro polish with out all the addons e.g. wheels, dressing etc?


Any detailer you speak to should be able to accommodate nearly any request you have. Even if they have packages listed they will also be bespoke of you want to adjust them slightly. 
A simple machine polish to remove swirls without removing wheels etc is very very common


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## Caledoniandream (Oct 9, 2009)

SadlyDistracted said:


> We have a great section on product and equipment traders, but nothing quite so clear on paint correction / polishing folks here in the UK
> 
> Would this be a great section to have by regions, might even drum up some business for them?
> 
> S


I feel your pain, but it's a very difficult subject. 
I too don't have an idea what a decent detail would cost, and would it be worth it. 
Some of the stuff here posted by the professionals, is absolute amazing and more an artform than a job. 
Would it cost £ 250, £ 150, or maybe £ 500 a day, I don't know, would be nice to have an inclination, but how are you going to compare? 
The boy around the corner probably buffs your car and wax it for £100 in 4-5 hours, if you happy with it, then everybody happy. 
If you have a look at many the cars straight from the dealer, then I would not even willing to pay £25 for the job, but I can assume that 90% of the British car buyers are totally happy with that. 
It's a bit like engineering, we can give you an estimate, but we won't quote on new developments, as you come always across something that request a little bit more time to make it perfect. 
A lot of detailers can do a good job, some a very good job, and very few a perfect job (inside the constraints of the base where they work from, e.g. thin paint, deep scratches etc.) 
I guess the pricing follows the same constrains. 
And again, what are you aiming for? Absolute perfection, or a good result?


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## SadlyDistracted (Jan 18, 2013)

The North, LA12, seems to be a bit of a detailer dessert, nearest folks from the sponsors list Deadeye , 65 miles and Obsidian100 miles away :-(

So I'm left wondering what a good polishing (swirl removal) runs to £££ wise for a very clean Carbon Black metallic BMW 5 series, it's not a show car its a bit of a daily/weekly driver, but will be kept very clean. Just trying to ball park it, appreciating it'll be a guestimate unseen
S.


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

SadlyDistracted said:


> The North, LA12, seems to be a bit of a detailer dessert, nearest folks from the sponsors list Deadeye , 65 miles and Obsidian100 miles away :-(
> 
> So I'm left wondering what a good polishing (swirl removal) runs to £££ wise for a very clean Carbon Black metallic BMW 5 series, it's not a show car its a bit of a daily/weekly driver, but will be kept very clean. Just trying to ball park it, appreciating it'll be a guestimate unseen
> S.


Right away I can give you a pretty precise estimate of £500. I don't personally single stage black bmw's where ever possible. Reliably hard and compromise don't mix. The owner is usually underwhelmed with the results and a detailer always wants more. 
So 2 stages of machining, basic things like glass cleaned and tyres dressed, with a complimentary interior valet is all we would be talking about. Similar to the recent z4 I did.


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## pxr5 (Feb 13, 2012)

Would a pro-detailer just do the polishing stages. 

Say, if I were to do all the cleaning/decon stages and then apply my own LSP afterwards. Or is that a wrong way to look at it, in that the detailer would want ensure everything was done correctly and carry out the full process.


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## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

Caledoniandream said:


> I feel your pain, but it's a very difficult subject.
> I too don't have an idea what a decent detail would cost, and would it be worth it.
> Some of the stuff here posted by the professionals, is absolute amazing and more an artform than a job.
> Would it cost £ 250, £ 150, or maybe £ 500 a day, I don't know, would be nice to have an inclination, but how are you going to compare?
> ...


I'm not going to ask any personal questions like what is your hourly rate,I'd imagine it's above the minimum wage,as a craftsman take a car sprayer/bodyshop self employed professional for instance charges say £35 an hour x 10 hrs per day and takes 4 days to repair that's £700 out of that he/she has all their overheads to pay i.e N,I,TAX ,LIABILITY/INSURANCE,UTILITY BILLS, and that's before taking into account consumables like cloths,tape,pads,applicators ,and then the products used.
People forget these things because they may confuse it with a hobby/passion they may share with the detailing side of things,and forget that pro detailers run a business and businesses do tend to make a profit,and out of the above figure they need to provide a living for their family and also replace equipment and products,so the question is,is it a fare asking price?
The amount of times I've seen weekend warriors and hobbiests say they're back is broken and the body aches and then wonder how pro detailers do detailing day in day out.
Well ask any pro detailer if they have a bad back and I'd say everyone would say yes,the works hard very hard so these people need to be compensated for the work they do.
So by having the work carried out for whatever reason,everyone has to weigh up the cost against value,I know when I was fit an able,for the majority of those people who came to me wanting a pre sale detail got their full asking price so was it worth it to they they can say,and for those who had there vehicals detailed could'nt thank me enough,and for those who had accidental spills or other biological upsets couldn't have been more appreciative,as most folks stomachs would churn just smelling these bio hazards,so the questuon of value and worth is solely down to the individual as for most things in life.
This isn't a pop at anyone but just a jolt to put thing into perspective and reality I'm stonned and no offence intended.:thumb:


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## Blackwatch (Jul 29, 2015)

I will be adding my name to the list in the North ( covering Yorkshire ) as soon as I can afford to pay the DW sponsor fee. unfortunately I have just had a massively expensive 3 months personally where if it could break, blow up or fail it has , so funds are at an all time low.


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## Blackwatch (Jul 29, 2015)

pxr5 said:


> Would a pro-detailer just do the polishing stages.
> 
> Say, if I were to do all the cleaning/decon stages and then apply my own LSP afterwards. Or is that a wrong way to look at it, in that the detailer would want ensure everything was done correctly and carry out the full process.


Personally I prefer to do a customers car from the first stage to the last. Then, if needs be, I would explain to the customer how to maintain the cars appearance. Some people already know, however the amount of times I have spent 2 or 3 days correcting someones car, only to be asked if they are ok to wash it with a bucket and sponge once every two months and expect it to stay looking great is beyond me....


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