[Walter Pole]

The origins of this thread are quite interesting.

Am I right in saying that for cars you are best using a 'fibrillated' or frayed brush head, as it is softer to the bodywork?

I wash my car weekly using wfp brush and 0 tds water with no obvious negative effect and it takes less than 5 minutes, including hand-detailing the wheels.  I am thinking just now this would be a great add on or service to offer to many of my older clients, many who already pay about a fiver at the local garage.

[nat]

Am I right in saying that for cars you are best using a 'fibrillated' or frayed brush head, as it is softer to the bodywork?

sponge, soap and water! 

[Sir Squeaky]

Would that  leave a protective film over the uPVC to improve its appearance? And how long would that finish last (Summer months)??

Mark

Sorry, I don't follow.
uPVC?
The vinyls in cars are not uPVC's, that's what plastic window frames are.

If you do mean vinyl seats, then yes they would be improved for months, as it's absorbed into the material.

[ronnie paton]

im not talking from expeirence but a lad i know said he used to work for BMW and that the used the same system has me to clean there show room cars gives it a good finish??? only been told so dont know if its true??

[Ian_Giles]

How patronising, and how inaccurate!
I've valeted for various people all over the country.
I've also done cars at the Motor Show at the NEC, to a standard far higher than anyone on here I guarantee it, using techniques and matierials you wouldn't even have heard of.
They only pick the best technicians.
I've acheived the highest standard qualification from Autoglym themselves.
So yes, I do know what I'm talking about.

Neither patronising nor condescending, merely accurate. Are you saying that you did not work as a car valeter for a garage? My genuine apologies if I've got that wrong.
And I rather doubt you would be considered one the best technicians in the country either! Talk about blowing your own trumpet, if your level of expertise is so great, what an earth did you come into window cleaning for??
If people from all over the country were after your services you could surely have commanded a far better income than you could have done by starting window cleaning!
A patronising reply would be to say that this is the job they give school leavers they can't trust to do anything else...and I didn't say that did I?
You have been what...9 years a window cleaner? Your field of expertise is far greater there than in car valeting I'm sure, and even there you create no end of controversy with your opinions.
And I was not arguing with you on car valeting in general, merely your assumption that pure water is going to affect the paintwork of a car, and where do you get the idea that pure water is aggressive? What accurate research have you read on the subject?
In fact it is probably far less aggressive than some rain (acid rain and so on).

I was no less accurate in the other things I said, trap grit between sponge and brush, regardless of what you add to the water and you will potentially mark the paintwork.

Ian

[Sir Squeaky]

And I rather doubt you would be considered one the best technicians in the country either! Talk about blowing your own trumpet, if your level of expertise is so great, what an earth did you come into window cleaning for??
If people from all over the country were after your services you could surely have commanded a far better income than you could have done by starting window cleaning!

I came into window cleaning because there's more money.
Yes I was at various garages, that's how I got selected for the motor show.
It also meant I got sent to other garages in the Midlands to sort problem cars out.
It plays havoc with your income all that travelling.

Window cleaning was local and more reliable.

[ronnie paton]

sueakey mobile valeting can be extremly  lucrative im sure you could of made it pay has well if not better than window cleaning if you an expert???

say 6 cars @£30 each easy going in aday??

[nat]

it really isn't lucrative ronnie, no where near as WC, and its a lot more hassle for your money

[Sir Squeaky]

sueakey mobile valeting can be extremly  lucrative im sure you could of made it pay has well if not better than window cleaning if you an expert???

say 6 cars @£30 each easy going in aday??

Nat's right.

You can't do 6 cars in a day.

A thorough FULL valet on a used car should take you minimum of 3 hours including wet-vacing the interior, and cleaning the engine bay.
To do it properly anyway.

I used to spend most of the day on some really bad cars.
Don't forget, people won't come and pay you money to clean almost-clean cars.
You'll get farmers pickups with an inch of mud on the floor and soiled seats.

Your reward? £40-45 roughly.

Also, you won't have a monthly round of regular income like windows.
My mate's missus does it, and she makes very variable money.

I looked into it before windows and it's not worth the hassle.
It's a shame, because I much preferred doing it.
(well, when it was Ferraris, Porsches and Skylines!)

[Moderator David@stives]

Some people would argue with there own shadow.

Did you see the £3000 valet on the news recently

[mark dew]

Some people would argue with there own shadow.

 

[Sir Squeaky]

Some people would argue with there own shadow.

Yes, and whenever I say anything, you're always the first. :

As usual Dave, you don't actually read the posts.
If you had, you'd realise I was agreeing with the previous post.

[Londoner]

Surely this sort of work ( mobile valeting ) is very dependant on area. Loads in London and around the bigger towns but not a lot in Cowpat in the Marsh. Or wherever.

[Sir Squeaky]

Exactly, and one or two mobile units can sew it up.

No more call for it around here.

[nat]

Nat's right.

Thanks Squeaky I'm always right 

the thing with valeting is it is very much up and down, WC you have a set amount month in  mounth out which makes it a lot more stable, plus to earn a tenner your looking at 10 mins in WC, for a tenner in carwashing probably 30 mins or so, plus as squeaky already said, you don't get to clean cars that are clean, they are always real mucky, i used to bump up the price on real bad ones but you can get caught out on under pricing.

i think seeing a car fully valeted is more rewarding than seeing a clean window though, but then who cares? show me the money!