# Am I slow or was he very quick ??



## MarkSmith (Dec 17, 2010)

Yesterday I started cleaning a car, and at the very same time I started to do it a mobile valeter pulled up two doors down to clean another car. We both started at the exact same time ( near enough )

This other valeter washed, dried and hoovered the car and had applied a liquid wax before I had even finished washing the car !

He did the full car, wash, dry, wax and hoover in just 30 minutes, but it normally takes me 30-40 minutes JUST to hoover a car !!!!

Does this mean I am just very slow, or is this other valeter just not paying enough attention to the car ????

I never got to see the other car after it was done as it drove off before I had finished, but I just wonder how long these tasks take other people to do - am I slow or am I about normal ?

Me: Wash, Dry, Wheels, Liquid Wax and Hoover on a Ford Focus - took me 1 Hour 45 minutes

Other Valeter: Wash, Dry, Liquid Wax and Hoover on a Fiat Punto - took him 30 minutes

??


----------



## Sirmally2 (Feb 28, 2011)

I would say you're about spot on. 

Obviously it can be done quicker but realistically would you want to race through getting it done and then wonder afterwards if you could have spent that little bit longer making sure you were happy and satisfield with the job you had done

Also his technique may be not as thorough as yours. Could inflict it to swirl central!


----------



## 888-Dave (Jul 30, 2010)

That 30 minute wonder is what's known it the trade as the splash n dash :lol: , for 90% of people that is perfectly fine. He's probably only charging £15-£20 so spending any more time is just not worth it. 
Your not slow by any means Mark just paying more attention :thumb:


----------



## Dan J (Jun 18, 2008)

MarkSmith said:


> Yesterday I started cleaning a car, and at the very same time I started to do it a mobile valeter pulled up two doors down to clean another car. We both started at the exact same time ( near enough )
> 
> This other valeter washed, dried and hoovered the car and had applied a liquid wax before I had even finished washing the car !
> 
> ...


Depends on the condition of the car tbh though that does sound very quick for the task in hand, I doubt very much it was done properly,thoroughly but a punto isn't big so shouldn't take long but it does sound like a rush job.


----------



## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

I would say he sounds spot on for a quick clean, and you are maybe putting a bit too much thought and time over it...

Not saying that is a bad thing... just how I see it from what you have said....

:thumb:


----------



## Zetec-al (Feb 28, 2011)

I would say 30 mins to do all of that is way to quick if he was using the correct techniques.. your time scales sound a lot more realistic Mark!


----------



## turboyamaha (Nov 18, 2010)

I would not be quicker then you Mark!


----------



## alxg (May 3, 2009)

Surely this is what differentiates a "Valeter" and a "Detailer"; time taken due to attention to detail (pardon the pun).


----------



## Serious (Mar 19, 2008)

Time is money. As they say.


----------



## srod (Dec 31, 2010)

alxg said:


> Surely this is what differentiates a "Valeter" and a "Detailer"; time taken due to attention to detail (pardon the pun).


Not sure I would necessarily agree with that. I can manage a 30-min quick hoover, wash and brush up (with a spray on rinse off wax) if doing a 'service wash' for a dealer, but the car has to be in pretty good condition for me to manage that.

Generally, I would spend probably between 1 to 2 hours on that kind of valet, but then I wouldn't be using a spray on rinse off wax unless it was raining. I would never rush a valet for a private customer regardless of how much (or little) it was costing them.


----------



## mlgt (Apr 11, 2008)

It really depends, possibly the other car wasnt that dirty and simply needed a quick once over with the hoover.
I know with my A6 its relatively clean and I simply give the mats a quick hoover, the leather crevices a once over and then the boot a one pass. This can take about 15 minutes. 

I would then give the interior a quick wipe down with a microfibre doused in something like C3 (as it is already protected) to dust off. This can take 5 mins. 

At the same time the alloys would have had something like bilberry or wolfs breaking down and the power washer comes out. 

Bodywork gets a quick rinse down and start with a 2 bucket wash from the top down. 
Takes me another 10 mins and then rinsed and topped with c2 whilst drying down.

So a wash can take me around 20-30 mins if I just want to give the car a quick clean. If its caked in moterway grime then this wil take up to 1 hour. This will only happen once every 2-3 months that I do a deep clean, but I guess our cars are always going to cleaner than John Smiths car right? 

For info - The car is polished once a year and then topped with C1, in between washes I used C2 diluted with the water on the car as a quick drying method.


----------



## Lloydy (Jan 13, 2009)

Time is money so he is probably knocking them out quick

This sounds gay but he probably does not have the passion you have either


----------



## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

It takes me about 30-40 minutes to hoover and tidy mine up inside..line all the vents up,make sure the mats are straight..make sure both seats are at the same position on their runners..
Hmm.


----------



## P200MSD (Jan 5, 2009)

You will always be more thorough if it's your own car, as it's free and only costing you time, whereas the valeter needs to do a certain amount of jobs a day to make money. If he took longer, he would either have to charge more or lose money himself.

Plus as has already been said, a basic standard is good enough for most people and they probably still think that is a full valet as it was hoovered and polished.


----------



## DetailedClean (Jan 31, 2012)

you pay for time/quality of work at the end of the day...


----------



## President Swirl (Oct 23, 2011)

Time is money to him. There is no way that you could do an even half decent job in that time. Your incentive is the right result. If his customers seem happy, leave him to it.


----------



## Sirmally2 (Feb 28, 2011)

President Swirl said:


> Time is money to him. There is no way that you could do an even half decent job in that time. Your incentive is the right result. If his customers seem happy, leave him to it.


The other side of this is they see the speed the other guy does his, then your still there 45 mins later and the other customer comes out the door. Id be questioning why my valeter was done and you are still at it...


----------



## Reflectology (Jul 29, 2009)

not necessarily slow just thorough....I took 2 hrs just for a maintenance this morning on a Focus St....what you have to remember though is this other valeter and others alike ram as many jobs in a day as they possibly can...time is of the essence for them mate and its all about what i was taught at 15 yr old when i started painting..."quality not quantity"


----------



## Soul Hudson (Jul 5, 2011)

Normal wash for myself is about 4-5hours, once a week when i'm home. At least 30 mins on the wheels more like 45 mins. This includes a top up with Auto Finesse Finale and Poorboys wheel sealant etc as well. I have the time so probs fanny on a bit to much as alot of my enjoyment comes from actually cleaning the car.


----------



## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

I'd say that was pretty quick to me, even for a pro but as mentioned it probably didn't cost the customer too much.

I give the inside of my cars a wipe down and vacuum during every clean. That usually takes me 20-30 minutes.

Outside, I usuallly spend a minimum of 90 minutes going over it and that's quick. When there's more to be done that's a minimum.


----------



## Phil1971 (Sep 3, 2007)

You've got to do a lot of those in a day to make a living, especially when you take into account time/cost for travelling in between each job. 

As a "fill in" between what we would call a proper detail, then it's probably an a nice little earner when passing by, but I certainly couldn't keep up that sort of pace all day every day !!

I can't wash/dry/vac a car in less than an hour, no matter how badly I do it !!

Hat's off to guy if he can sustain it and meet his customers expectations (however low we may think they are).


----------



## nick.s (Dec 21, 2009)

Well, my good lady has a Punto mk2, and a basic wash can just about be completed in 30 mins (foam and dwell, rinse, 2bm) if you are rushing. Add another 30mins + for the wheels (pressure rinse, trims off, VC on rims, agitate, rinse, trims on after quick tyre scrub), then about 20 mins for a Mr Miyagi special........you see where I am going here Mark 

Nowt wrong in your approach nor time...


----------



## organisys (Jan 3, 2012)

alxg said:


> Surely this is what differentiates a "Valeter" and a "Detailer"; time taken due to attention to detail (pardon the pun).


This. The difference between Valeting and Detailing.


----------



## alxg (May 3, 2009)

srod said:


> Not sure I would necessarily agree with that. I can manage a 30-min quick hoover, wash and brush up (with a spray on rinse off wax) if doing a 'service wash' for a dealer, but the car has to be in pretty good condition for me to manage that.


My comments weren't meant to offend, I just think we (as in those who frequent this forum) will take that extra bit of care, will notice that dirt in the door shuts and want to get it clean. A Valeter won't necessarily go that far if they have 1hr to wash/wax/hoover/dress trims as it isn't going to pay.


----------



## dcj (Apr 17, 2009)

perhaps it took you so much longer as you were watching what he was doing? Did you look inside the car? I have some customers who have a wash and vac once a month and you only lift the rubber mats out and vac around the edges and the carpets are clean. I have a few of those and charge £20 but only do them when passing by and don't make a special journey. 
I could spend a lot longer on them and charge accordingly but probably wouldn't get £40 for what is just a wash and vac. Yes you get what you pay for,but realistacally not everyone will pay for or even want a “detail”
.


----------



## srod (Dec 31, 2010)

alxg said:


> My comments weren't meant to offend, I just think we (as in those who frequent this forum) will take that extra bit of care, will notice that dirt in the door shuts and want to get it clean. A Valeter won't necessarily go that far if they have 1hr to wash/wax/hoover/dress trims as it isn't going to pay.


No no I wasn't offended in any way; sorry if I came across otherwise. Your comment was perfectly fair. Personally, when I am booked to valet a car, I always explain up front that I will not rush and even if I am charging just £15 for a 'small valet' I will still take as long as it takes, depending on the state of the car etc. If the owner expects me to complete a job in 30 minutes which is going to take me the better part of 2 hours then I respectfully decline the job. Rushing is likely to lead me to scratching the car and that is something I can well do without!


----------



## MirfieldMat (Mar 13, 2011)

srod said:


> No no I wasn't offended in any way; sorry if I came across otherwise. Your comment was perfectly fair. Personally, when I am booked to valet a car, I always explain up front that I will not rush and even if I am charging just £15 for a 'small valet' I will still take as long as it takes, depending on the state of the car etc. If the owner expects me to complete a job in 30 minutes which is going to take me the better part of 2 hours then I respectfully decline the job. Rushing is likely to lead me to scratching the car and that is something I can well do without!


You state you will take as long as it takes to do a small valet. That is a good ethos to have regarding getting the job done correct, but what happens if you have say 5 small valets to do in a day. Average 90 minutes a job. When you are booking them in, do you allow for 90 minutes per job plus travelling between jobs or do you say I will be there between 12 and 2 and estimate a time?


----------



## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

MarkSmith said:


> Yesterday I started cleaning a car, and at the very same time I started to do it a mobile valeter pulled up two doors down to clean another car. We both started at the exact same time ( near enough )
> 
> This other valeter washed, dried and hoovered the car and had applied a liquid wax before I had even finished washing the car !
> *
> ...


Mark I will step against the grain, there are several reasons why he may have been able to complete the task to an acceptable level in such a short time, the old addage work smarter not harder :thumb:
It is how the time is spent eg spray the wheels with wheel cleaner gel and leave to dwell (and the shuts if required), no need to stand around doing nowt whilst the dwelling is in progress, simply get on with the interior, apply the glass cleaner, feather dust the interior, spray the upholstery with cleaner then vac ( a good powerful vac will make easy work of the interior) especially with easy to use crevice tools :thumb:
Then power wash the wheels , foam the panels , leave to dwell rinse off, start to dry, once dry or nearly dry the AIO can be applied, whilst that is waiting to dwell, dress the trim and tyres and clean the exterior glass, by the time that is done, then AIO should be hazed and ready to be removed, that is as good as everything done, even adding in a steam clean can see under an hour. Machine polishing that is a different story


----------



## srod (Dec 31, 2010)

MirfieldMat said:


> You state you will take as long as it takes to do a small valet. That is a good ethos to have regarding getting the job done correct, but what happens if you have say 5 small valets to do in a day. Average 90 minutes a job. When you are booking them in, do you allow for 90 minutes per job plus travelling between jobs or do you say I will be there between 12 and 2 and estimate a time?


Honestly, at the moment, most of my work is for full valets and so this does not really arise. The truth is that I have income from other sources and so I can afford to turn down some of the smaller valets... which is more or less what I do. I say 'more or less' because I generally end up rescheduling valets if multiple bookings are likely to cause me to have to rush around. The most valets I have done in a day was 6 and it wasn't very pleasant!  Was totally cream crackered at the end of that lot!

At the end of the day, personal circumstances being what they are, I don't need to rush. I would rather do 2 'high end' full valets a day as opposed to 6 or 7 smaller valets. Sure the smaller valets are useful, not so much for the money, but for the 'word of mouth' advertising it brings which is another reason I do not like to rush. If I am having a quiet period then I will gladly take on some smaller valets etc.

I appreciate though that many valeters are perhaps not as fortunate as myself in that I can, to some extent, pick and choose what I do.


----------



## svended (Oct 7, 2011)

If I'm doing a maintenance wash it'll take me about an hour or so. But thats on a car thats had the full treatment done previously. Bet the Fiat Punto was looking worse for ware after a three days or so. Worth spending a little extra time to do it properly. Many people that use these valeters only want the car clean for a specific reason like going to a wedding and not having the dirtiest car in the car park.


----------



## deanchilds (Dec 11, 2007)

I can get a range done in just over an hour when doing mini Valets. It's a mini valet not a detail. If smaller then 40mins or so.


----------



## deanchilds (Dec 11, 2007)

Avanti said:


> Mark I will step against the grain, there are several reasons why he may have been able to complete the task to an acceptable level in such a short time, the old addage work smarter not harder :thumb:
> It is how the time is spent eg spray the wheels with wheel cleaner gel and leave to dwell (and the shuts if required), no need to stand around doing nowt whilst the dwelling is in progress, simply get on with the interior, apply the glass cleaner, feather dust the interior, spray the upholstery with cleaner then vac ( a good powerful vac will make easy work of the interior) especially with easy to use crevice tools :thumb:
> Then power wash the wheels , foam the panels , leave to dwell rinse off, start to dry, once dry or nearly dry the AIO can be applied, whilst that is waiting to dwell, dress the trim and tyres and clean the exterior glass, by the time that is done, then AIO should be hazed and ready to be removed, that is as good as everything done, even adding in a steam clean can see under an hour. Machine polishing that is a different story


Spot on!


----------



## dcj (Apr 17, 2009)

deanchilds said:


> I can get a range done in just over an hour when doing mini Valets. It's a mini valet not a detail. If smaller then 40mins or so.


Same here,plus its all about the quality of an interior. I could vac out the same amount of dirt from the interior of a RR much quicker compared to a focus or similar.


----------



## ianFRST (Sep 19, 2006)

maybe you spent too long watching him? :lol:

i reckon i could prob just about do that in half an hour. spray wheels, blast off, quick blast of the car, wash car (no foam etc) blade it off, dry it, hoover, wipe dash, quick polish, job done.

5 or 6 of them a day and i bet hes laughing


----------



## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

For a punto that he may well be maintaining on a frequent basis, 30 minutes is about spot on. I offer valeting services as not everyone are so pinickity about cotton bud brigading round a car. Not saying it like its a bad thing being fussy and over conscientious just most are after a clean car, period.


----------



## Sparky160 (Aug 12, 2011)

Seems a bit quick but then again if thats what he does day in day out Im sure his method is down to a tee so maybe can cut a lot of time out that way just by specialization of each task. Still can't imagine us detailers being happy with the end results after half an hour but then again we are a special sort and only make up a very small proportion of the population. :lol: Id say 99% of his customers are happy with the results they get and the valeter gets paid. Win win situation for all involved really.


----------



## Chri5 (May 18, 2008)

MarkSmith said:


> Yesterday I started cleaning a car, and at the very same time I started to do it a mobile valeter pulled up two doors down to clean another car. We both started at the exact same time ( near enough )
> 
> This other valeter washed, dried and hoovered the car and had applied a liquid wax before I had even finished washing the car !
> 
> ...


The diffrence is an ocd detailer and a man that makes money by how many cars he cleans.

You care he does not.


----------



## mk2jon (Mar 10, 2009)

I think your spot on with your time,i bet your customer could'nt fault your work in any way,plus you know yourself nothings been missed.


----------



## Chuffy (Mar 5, 2008)

I've started work with a valeting company and couldn't believe how fast these guys can go who have been doing it for 8+ years. It's all about technique, keep washing cars day after day untill you can do it with your eyes closed and you get faster. Cars can still be washed in a safe way in a quick fashion.


----------



## dcj (Apr 17, 2009)

Chri5 said:


> The diffrence is an ocd detailer and a man that makes money by how many cars he cleans.
> 
> You care he does not.


We know nothing about how much he charged or what the op charged ,what condition the cars were in before they started and how often each car is cleaned and what condition the cars were in when finished so how can anyone judge?
Theres another thread on here and plenty of "detailers" have said they would do a job for £40 as money is money,yet when a valeter does a job quickly he gets pulled from pillar to post. Shame on him for daring to make a living.


----------



## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Just bought swmbo a new vengabus for the kids and the state of it after Revive in Macclesfield had their "valeter" round it for a pre-sale prep I can see why they only take 30minutes! It's about quality not speed imo, yes we can all probably rush round a car in 30 minutes but to do it properly a weekly wash takes me and hour. I wouldn't say taking 2 days to get the car where you want it is slow, as has been said, he's rushing them out to make money by volume not quality.


----------



## Chri5 (May 18, 2008)

dcj said:


> We know nothing about how much he charged or what the op charged ,what condition the cars were in before they started and how often each car is cleaned and what condition the cars were in when finished so how can anyone judge?
> Theres another thread on here and plenty of "detailers" have said they would do a job for £40 as money is money,yet when a valeter does a job quickly he gets pulled from pillar to post. Shame on him for daring to make a living.


Im just saying in general, theres valeters and Detailers, detailers do as the title valeters just clean.

When i worked in an Autosmart franchised unit it was all about numbers.

I did this as a Sat job and in return i could use the place myself!

A mini Valet was wash and Tango, interior clean with glass, we charged £20 and could be done in less that half hour!

Yet just to wash mine and do the same job im on it for hours.

This is just my opinion based on my experience!


----------



## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

I still run Splash n Dash Valeting and when the correction jobs for Mirror Finish Details are quiet I cram 4-5 £30 jobs in a day.

No foam on these jobs, only the front of the wheels are washed, I use Bilt Hambler Wheel stuff to clean them, while that is cooking I hoover the indside, clean interior glass and wipe down plastics with a damp cloth.

Power wash off the wheels and power wash the body. Wash car, no faffing about with 2bm, just use the biggest mitt.

Power wash it again and blade off glass.

Whilst car is drying a bit pack the gear away and use the blower to dry car.

Total time usually 35 mins.

Time is money and as most are fleet cars already full of swirls all they want is them clean.


----------



## dcj (Apr 17, 2009)

Chri5 said:


> Im just saying in general, theres valeters and Detailers, detailers do as the title valeters just clean.
> 
> When i worked in an Autosmart franchised unit it was all about numbers.
> 
> ...


Not having a go at you mate,just the attitude on here in general sometimes. 
Op spends an hour and 3/4 for a his service yet another spends 5 hours just washing his own car,so then now who,s the thorough one?


----------



## Guest (Apr 17, 2012)

As has already been said, a good experienced valeter can get round a car in very quick time..and do a damned good job! It really ticks me off when I hear people on here slagging off valeters coz they think detailing is the only way to go. It's not! It's ANOTHER way to go. A comment earlier was that valeters are quick because they don't care. A naive and crass thing to say, I think. There are valeters out there that care a great deal and that's why they have stayed in the game so long. I dare say some of them could run rings round a few on here!


----------



## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

30min all up for wash, dry, wax, and hoover? 

Maybe 30min for each step for me! :lol:


----------



## Chri5 (May 18, 2008)

CleanMe said:


> As has already been said, a good experienced valeter can get round a car in very quick time..and do a damned good job! It really ticks me off when I hear people on here slagging off valeters coz they think detailing is the only way to go. It's not! It's ANOTHER way to go. A comment earlier was that valeters are quick because they don't care. A naive and crass thing to say, I think. There are valeters out there that care a great deal and that's why they have stayed in the game so long. I dare say some of them could run rings round a few on here!


In my post i must add, some dont care because they dont know, not because they think they cannot be botherd.

Its a business anyone can get into without knowing how, washing a car is simple!

As i clearly mentioned, its my personal experience on this.

I cant add to anyone else's, just my own and this is how it worked when i was there many years ago!

I am in no way slagging anyone off.

Heres an example, a unit has just opened by me and was posting leaflets through the door, i took a ride round today to see what type of people worked there, i seen a skyline in there and it looked ok from where i was looking, as i got out my car i could see micro fibres on the floor with polishing sponges on a dirty floor whilst another guy was applying polish, this is the kind i mean,and without slating them, they didnt proberbly know what it would cause!


----------



## BellUK (Mar 12, 2012)

IMO valeting and detailing are separate things, valeting a basic clean which to be honest most are more than happy with nowadays, detailing a more advanced service, a full detail can not be acheived by valeting and IMO products have to be different and are likely to be a lot more expensive.

You can valet for example a Corsa in 30 minutes interior and exterior, including vacuum upholstery, dress plastics, remove rubbish, wash 'n' wax, dress tyres, clean and buff windows and mirrors.

To detail a Corsa, it would take hours and would include more advanced things such as claying prior to applying waxes, sealants, etc. You would also use a pre wax cleanser, and generally spend much more time on the detail paying great attention to detail. A detail can also include machine polishing, removing swirls or scratches, improving paintwork.

You get what you pay for. :thumb:


----------



## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

I was lead to believe detailing was an american word for valeting:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:


----------



## BellUK (Mar 12, 2012)

> The term "car detailing" has been widely used in America for some time but it is still not often understood in the UK. To confuse matters, an ever increasing number of companies are using the term simply because they sometimes polish (mop) a car or offer valeting.


 - Taken from detailingservices.net.

IMO and I am sure most would agree in the UK detailing is very much different to valeting, a valet being a basic clean and a detail being more advanced. But everybody is different and some may not agree with me.


----------



## masammut (Jul 13, 2011)

It takes me 3-4 hours washing my car every weekend and that's if I'm not waxing it, cos then it takes me 4-5 hours. I don't hurry though - I enjoy it as it relaxes me after a whole week of work.


----------



## Titanium Htail (Mar 24, 2012)

Most other everyday drivers just want the car to look clean and based on the number of small static 4 man-band wash sites starting around here, that seems acceptable for many, a sponge and pw at 30000mbar, £4.99 done, I am in the alternative queue.


----------



## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

The old valeting v detailing thing again. Round and round we go :detailer:

Everyone's perception is different on each trade. My perception is that they are one of the same albeit a more ethical and conciseness to work regime is brought forward to detail a car. With time comes knowledge and a marginally quicker pace. Those that have never been in the trade have very little grounds to compare bar from what they have seen in the odd splash and dash houses or they have come across a valet bay where by the lad's in there are more money rather than quality orientated. Truth be know, the money isnt all that in car care full stop and any that haven't been in the trade again, have no room for judgement. Most are trying to make a living, period! You get what you pay for in this life and yet again, I cannot stress to all that all are not like minded with regards to car care. A clean car is good enough to them.


----------



## trv8 (Dec 30, 2007)

Some attitudes on here realy pss me off :devil:.
Why do some people think that valeters can only valet cars .
I'm a valeter, not only can I valet my customers cars, but if they require swirl removal/enhancement (and many have) I'm able to do that too. 
I don't regard myself as a detailer, I'm a valeter with regular happy customers.
Just because someone decides to call themselves a 'detailer' doesn't mean they are any better than a good valeter. I've seen a couple of examples of so-called 'detailing' by someone local to me, and to be honest it was no better than what I can do.

Not ALL valeters just clean cars
Not ALL detailers are better than valeters

Seems like there's a lot of people over the last year-or-so have appeared from no-where and decided to call themselves detailers so they that they can charge more for their services......but they seem to be NO better than a good valeter.


PS
NO offence meant or intended to the recognised detailers on DW, you guys probobly know what I'm on about :thumb:.


----------



## Turkleton (Apr 18, 2010)

trv8 said:


> Some attitudes on here realy pss me off :devil:.
> Why do some people think that valeters can only valet cars .
> I'm a valeter, not only can I valet my customers cars, but if they require swirl removal/enhancement (and many have) I'm able to do that too.
> I don't regard myself as a detailer, I'm a valeter with regular happy customers.
> ...


I totally agree with you, I'm in a similar situation, work at a valeting place on saturdays, do a few private jobs but can offer more thorough stuff to those who ask.
Also noticed how 'detailing' is flung about by everyone now and like you say, gives them a chance to charge more because it sounds better


----------



## Dan J (Jun 18, 2008)

CleanMe said:


> As has already been said, a good experienced valeter can get round a car in very quick time..and do a damned good job! It really ticks me off when I hear people on here slagging off valeters coz they think detailing is the only way to go. It's not! It's ANOTHER way to go. A comment earlier was that valeters are quick because they don't care. A naive and crass thing to say, I think. There are valeters out there that care a great deal and that's why they have stayed in the game so long. I dare say some of them could run rings round a few on here!


Very good points here and points which get over looked by snobbery imo, I'm from a valeting background and thankfully the dealership I worked at had very very high standards which were instilled into me during my training which I am extremely gratefull for now, I'm naturally fussy anyway which helps with this type of job. 
And yes I'd definatly hold my own against anyone on here, I say that, not because I'm being big headed but I've had a lot of experience at this and have seen some shocking standards/methods of work over the years.



Beau Technique said:


> The old valeting v detailing thing again. Round and round we go :detailer:
> 
> Everyone's perception is different on each trade. My perception is that they are one of the same albeit a more ethical and conciseness to work regime is brought forward to detail a car. With time comes knowledge and a marginally quicker pace. Those that have never been in the trade have very little grounds to compare bar from what they have seen in the odd splash and dash houses or they have come across a valet bay where by the lad's in there are more money rather than quality orientated. Truth be know, the money isnt all that in car care full stop and any that haven't been in the trade again, have no room for judgement. Most are trying to make a living, period! You get what you pay for in this life and yet again, I cannot stress to all that all are not like minded with regards to car care. A clean car is good enough to them.


Spot on Scott, now if I'd have put that I'd have either been ignored or flamed:lol:



trv8 said:


> Some attitudes on here realy pss me off :devil:.
> Why do some people think that valeters can only valet cars .
> I'm a valeter, not only can I valet my customers cars, but if they require swirl removal/enhancement (and many have) I'm able to do that too.
> I don't regard myself as a detailer, I'm a valeter with regular happy customers.
> ...


A majority of my regular customers are from other peoples rubbish work, there are a lot of bandits out there who think they can do it but haven't a clue and it shows in there work, 
I believe the same effort should go into a basic clean right up to a full correction with bells and whistles.
Keep doing what your doing mate:thumb:


----------



## B-mah (Oct 4, 2011)

Mark you just carry on doing what you do at your pace, knowing you have done the best job possible in the time you have taken. For what you have done i take probably 4hrs to complete but hey what's the rush, the proof is in the pudding at the end. :thumb:


----------



## adf27 (Mar 14, 2012)

Titanium Htail said:


> Most other everyday drivers just want the car to look clean and based on the number of small static 4 man-band wash sites starting around here, that seems acceptable for many, a sponge and pw at *30000mbar*, £4.99 done, I am in the alternative queue.


I want a 30,000 bar pressure washer :lol:


----------



## srod (Dec 31, 2010)

adf27 said:


> I want a 30,000 bar pressure washer :lol:


You could blast a car into low Earth orbit with one of those!


----------



## stephen2982 (Jul 7, 2011)

you could offer a bikini trimming service in your spare time.


----------



## greenwagon (Dec 31, 2008)

A basic wash for me is 2 hours and I enjoy doing it on my day off 
To me it's a stress beater and I like to spend 5/6 hours on a good polish as well 

Great reading this thread never knew it was possible to do a wash and insides in 30 mins 

If I was that quick her indoors would want to go out shopping which costs me more money


----------



## srod (Dec 31, 2010)

I was called out to do a full valet today. Arrived at 1 pm, thinking I'd be done by 5 pm.

Took me four and a half hours just to do the interior (and am going back tomorrow morning to do the outside). Beat that for speed! 

When I arrived at the client's house I was dismayed to see it was a farm.

When 2 dogs (one the size of a barn!) came out to greet me, my heart sank!

Sure enough it was dog hair central in a mud-filled city! Even the head-lining was coated in hair. The back seat (once I found it under all the hair) had some stains which I could only assume was dog urine - they took 4 shampoos to remove and I am still unsure as yet whether I got them 100% and so might have to shampoo again tomorrow.

If it weren't for my Maguiars dog hair brush I would have been truly sunk! In fact I think I would have high-tailed it out of there! 

I'd like to have seen the valeter referred to by the OP sort that little lot out in 30 minutes!

Still, the inside looks much much better now, immaculate almost!


----------



## Dan J (Jun 18, 2008)

srod said:


> I was called out to do a full valet today. Arrived at 1 pm, thinking I'd be done by 5 pm.
> 
> Took me four and a half hours just to do the interior (and am going back tomorrow morning to do the outside). Beat that for speed!
> 
> ...


I bet they said it wasn't that bad on the phone when booking it in


----------



## srod (Dec 31, 2010)

Dan J said:


> I bet they said it wasn't that bad on the phone when booking it in


He said it was in showroom condition! 

No, the guy was quite honest on the phone, but still... I did a Toyota Auris a while ago which was also coated in dog hairs, but the quality of carpet is much better in a Toyota and the hairs were quite easy to remove in that case.

In this case I thought that standing and swearing at the dog hairs for an hour would be enough to dislodge them... but it didn't, made them even more stubborn if anything!


----------



## MarkSmith (Dec 17, 2010)

srod said:


> He said it was in showroom condition!
> 
> No, the guy was quite honest on the phone, but still... I did a Toyota Auris a while ago which was also coated in dog hairs, but the quality of carpet is much better in a Toyota and the hairs were quite easy to remove in that case.
> 
> *In this case I thought that standing and swearing at the dog hairs for an hour would be enough to dislodge them... but it didn't, made them even more stubborn if anything!*


:lol::lol::lol::lol:


----------

