[Forum Admin]

Hi Guys,

Does anyone do car valeting. It would be great to get some advice and topics regarding this for members!

Feel free to reply to this or start your own topics discussing this!

[TN Cleaning Services Ltd]

Theres loads of Polish and Romanian roadside carwash & valets everywhere you go now.
Theyre dominating that line of work so you will see less and less mobile valeters.
You get the odd one or two doing a few cars in showroom garages.
That's about it though.

[Neil Jones]

I do a bit but over the last few years I've hand picked and kept the customers I want. I'm talking about the weekly valets at £30-£40 each. One of them only ever allows me to valet his car every week and I have to use a brand new sponge every time :-)

[Blast Away]

Mate of mine considers himself a detailer not a valeter.

[Total shine cleaning services]

used to do it but i can't get the hourly rate I need to run my vans, the odd high end job pays but as said above, you can get inside and outside done here for a tenner by the poles

Graham

[Michael C Capp]

In 2009 I started my valeting business, it was a success and I ran it for 2 years, then what happened......the poles, my workload dropped so much so that I decided to close the business, all I got was ''how much for a full valet?''  Id say for example £90.00, then Id get, ''forget it, can get it done for £30 down the road....

I now have a full time job and have got 6 of my old regulars a month, I wouldn't recommend starting a valeting business now, unless your in a wealthy part of London or similar.

[wpclean]

How did you keep the poles away from your six regulars ?

[Hilton]

Car valeters down the road from us was raided, turned out it was a front for money laundering (no pun intended) another one was used for drug dealing...

However the ones who started up in a local superstore car park are brilliant and really hard workers, I dont know how they do it for the money.

I used to know a few valeters all gone now one was a franchise can not remember the name.

I do believe that in the future there will be an opportunity for the mobile valeters at high end, I often drive past huge corporate car parks and can not understand why some one is not in there valeting the vehicles.These people do not want to queue up down the super market along with the focus and the fiesta's they want it done on their time the East Europeans have frightened people away and it will be those like matey down the supermarket who picks up this work as well unless someone steps in.

[SteveAllan]

Makes me f eckin mad, everywhere you turn people are moaning about the lack of jobs, the eastern europeans, the fact that they are taking so many jobs then what do they do - use their f eckin services coz they are cheap. No one wants to pay for a quality service. Come the revolution

[Mike Halliday]

I have my van cleaned once a week at the gym, there is a company in the carpark who does it while I workout.

I think this is the key to success with valeting, you need to take away all the inconvenience of having the car  cleaned, I would never uses any foreign labour to clean my van ( and there is plenty in my town) as I cannot be bothered to stand around waiting for them to do an excellent job on my van, I would rather they give it a quick job so I can get away.

There are loads of company carparks full of cars that sit there all day never moving, the owners could hand thier keys into reception and finish work to a clean, nicely valeted car with zero time lost to themselves.

Some Car valeters are losing out to foreigner because they are to lazy to find new avenues of custom, its easier to blame it on poles than admit they did'nt have the ingenuity to find the work

[Deep Cleaning Solutions]

Although I agree with you Mike to some extent about the Brits being lazy. The fact is it is not a level playing ground for some UK self employed people.

To give you an example, I use quite a few couriers to help me out on big commercial jobs and they are getting slaughtered by the East Europeans, especially on the HGV/Hauling side of things.

The East Europeans are coming over on a job then they work over here taking work from British workers because they are far cheaper. Their overheads are far less because lower tax, tax breaks, insurance ect for them ( that's if they have any anyway ). They do this until they get a job back the continent.

The UK workers are working with their hands tied behind their backs and it is impossible for them to compete against this unfair advantage. The European Union was supposed to create a level uniformed fair system for every citizen, but it is totally corrupt and we seem to take the brunt of it in this country!

[Gray1]

Here in Brum you can get a wash/shampoo/wax/rinse for £3.00 a quick valet including tyres/dash/doors/vac for £12.50

I was doing that for £25 in 1982 £20 for trade.

Until the industry is regulated then you have no chance.

[john meehan]

hi guys wat about the waterless car valeting.anyone on here know anything about that business.replies would be very appreciated thanks john

[Carl Smith]

Yea its tough out there at the moment for valeting services, the only advice I would give would be to stay away from the general public and go for business/corporate clients on the business/corporate/industrial parks where the service is more convenient for them.

Also, you could approach local independent car dealers to see if they want to hire you on a car-by-car retainer )on the pretence that you will get the car upto showroom clean condition - somethign the avergae valeter wont do) etc etc.

Hoe this helps

[TN Cleaning Services Ltd]

I know a guy who bought a waterless car valeting machine imported from Korea.
Its basically a big steam machine and takes the whole of his small van up.
So heavy that he leaves it in all the time.
I've not seen him clean any cars with it
but watched him remove paint from a brick wall with it no problem.