Smiley.... Cheaper to wash your own vehicle or have it Valeted?

This I have used with permission of my good friend Doug from Vincent Park Car Wash & Valet

Being in the Automotive Detailing industry for a good number of years now, I have regularly come across a number of people who have unknowingly left their garden technician to their own devices when washing a car. This usually occurs when the individual in question decides “well I’m paying someone to work in my garden for the day and well I can just get them to clean the car before they leave. After all it is much cheaper that way.”

OR IS IT?

When approached by customers or people just querying how they can get their cars paintwork back to what it used to be, most of them distraught as the paint looks somewhat destroyed, I can only feel for them.

Unfortunately in most cases they will have to re-spray their vehicle and this can range anywhere from R 20 000 – R 40 000 depending on the vehicle. In some cases however we are able to clean up what has been done and make the car look new again.

Now for the part that will probably scare most people.

Before allowing any new employee to wash any car at my detailing centre they are put through a training system. After all, your cars paintwork is delicate and needs to be treated with care. Anyway, one specific day a gentleman was looking for a job, goes by the name of Smiley, probably because he was always smiling. Smiley was put through the usual training method and seemed to be managing quite well. By midday Smiley was looking a little drained so I asked him, “Smiley what’s up?” to which he replied, “Yoh, this is really hard work, you make this very difficult. There is an easier way to wash cars all us garden boys use it and it goes much quicker and takes off all the marks and makes the rims shiny.” Quite surprised and always curious and open to suggestions from my staff on how to improve washing techniques I asked him how. “Easy was the reply, you need a green sponge, this yellow one is not right” Before I let Smiley even close to a car with a “green sponge” I asked him to bring me one. He ran off and fetched me a Pot Scourer. That was quickly tossed in the bin and he was politely informed that those cleaning sponges would never be used in our detailing centre. So before you leave your garden technician to wash your vehicle, think twice about his level of skill as well as his interest in your vehicles paintwork.

I leave you with one last question

Would you let your garden technician clean your dining room table? If not then why let him wash a vehicle that costs more than 10 times that value?

Author

Douglas Swanepoel