What’s the difference between car valeting and detailing?

Alongside car storage in Northamptonshire, we also provide our customers with the option to have their car fully detailed. Detailing is a deep cleaning technique for cars and motorbikes that has exploded in popularity in recent years. Relied on extensively by show-goers, car meet aficionados and enthusiasts throughout the world, it really is the way to get your car looking its absolute best. However, it’s easy to confuse detailing with car valeting, and we’re often asked what the difference is between the two. So, we thought we’d write a blog about it!

What is car valeting, exactly?

A car valet is a popular way for owners to have their vehicle cleaned, polished and waxed to make it look ‘as new’ in appearance and, often, enhance the resale value. Valets come in many forms, but the best involve washing, polishing and waxing all bodywork, dressing the tyres and exterior plastics, polishing glass and cleaning the wheels and shuts. It’s a pretty thorough process! Car valeting goes a bit further than that, too, by removing unwanted contaminants that could damage the paintwork (think of all the undesirable stuff your car comes into contact with during day-to-day life, and you get the idea). The interior benefits significantly from a valet, too, with the usual vacuuming joined by chemical treatments for trim, carpets, upholstery and headlining.

So, how is detailing different from valeting?

Good question, because if you read our description of a car valet above, you’d be forgiven for assuming that’s about as good as it gets when it comes to cleaning your car. Detailing, however, is an entirely different animal. This is a process that is focussed primarily on bringing the paintwork, plastics and exterior metals back to their absolute best. Think of it as a paint correction process that aims to remove scratches, blemishes and swirl marks. Machine polishers and abrasive polishes are used extensively during detailing, along with precise tools that enable the experts to reach tricky areas and tackle the tiny little details (hence the name!) that a normal clean, wash and wax inevitably miss. The result is a car that really does look like new, and a finish that will last for a significant amount of time. Put simply, if you really want to look after your car from an aesthetic point of view and value the way it looks, detailing is something that’s certainly worth investing in at some stage during its life.

Need car storage and detailing?

SCRCS can provide both! Get in touch with us today to book your space in one the most secure car storage facilities in the UK, and treat your pride and joy to the deep clean of its life! Image credit