FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

This section answers some of the popular questions we get asked. If you don't see your question answered please Email Us

Why do the prices start from? The start from price is the standard charge for that option, but if your vehicle is in a poor condition it may take us longer to complete the service and we may have to charge you extra. Also in option 3 and 6 it may take longer to restore and correct the paintwork. If you want us to achieve the perfect finish and we have exceeded our time, you will have to pay for the extra hours to complete the work. 

How long does it take to clean my vehicle? We can give you an estimated time over the phone or by email but we will not know an exact time until we have seen the vehicle. 

What is a compound? A compound is a polish that contains tiny abrasive beads that break down when the compound is being worked into the paint. They help flatten and level the clear coat (lacquer) to remove scratches and swirling.  

What is the difference between a Wax and a Sealant? A Wax is mostly made up of natural products such as natural carnauba wax from trees native to Brazil, nature's hardest, purest and most transparent wax. A Wax will give you a deep rich and glossy finish but doesn't tend to last quite as long as a Sealant. A Sealant is synthetic and made up of either polymer-based formulas or acrylic resins, and will last longer than a Wax. It will also give a very shiny and reflective finish but the paint will not look as deep as a Waxed vehicle. So to summarise choose Wax for a deep glossy finish or Sealant for a very shiny long lasting finish.

What about the weather? We do have 3x4.5m Gazebo which Thomas can use if it's raining so long as it's not too windy. It's really only suitable for small cars i.e VW Polo, Rover 25, Peugeot 206 sized cars. You would also need to have a flat tarmac/concrete driveway as the Gazebo is fairly large. Unless of course you can provide a large garage or shelter, please click the link Weather Forecast to check the weather.  If not we can arrange another booking for you when it's dry, by giving you a call.

What if I don't have an outdoor tap? If you do not have an outdoor tap we can supply our own water via our large water tank on board the van. But if you do have an outdoor tap this would be more convenient for us especially if you have a really dirty car or a large 4x4 as they require a lot more water to clean.   

Do you offer waterless valeting? No, some valeters operate using a waterless valeting service but we always use water. You can not get a vehicle properly valeted unless you use clean fresh water to flush away the dirt.

What about electric? We would need you to supply electric for our machines, as they are industrial machines we would need a large and heavy generator which for us is not practical.

What products do you use? We use Nielsen Chemicals and Wilcox Wash Supplies for all our cleaning, companies with an excellent range of products we enjoy using. They are certainly not the cheapest but give fantastic results. We have tried other popular brands like Autoglym and Autosmart but they don't even come close! 

I'm worried if you machine polish my car I will get swirls on the paint? Some valeters or even body shops leave buffer trails on your paintwork which show up when the sun catches it. We guarantee you will not get any swirling or buffer trials with our machine polishing, not even on black cars.

What payment do you accept? We accept cheques and cash on the day or you can pay with your Credit/Debit card on-line via Paypal. This would however need to processed prior to our arrival.  If you do want to pay on-line please let us know and we will send you an invoice to your email address. You can then click pay now in the email taking you to Paypals website allowing you to complete the transaction.

Do you charge VAT? We do not charge our customers VAT

What are your operating hours? We operate Monday - Saturday 9.00am - Dusk. Sundays are available on special requests.  

How long have you been in business? TML Valeting started in June 2006, but Thomas the owner, has 10 years experience in Car Valeting.

I have been driving my vehicle since it was valeted and it's now dirty, whats the best method to wash it? The worst thing is obviously not to take it to the automatic car wash, this will inflict scratches and swirling on the paint which you can see when the sun reflects off the paint. The second thing is not to use a sponge. This can do just as much damage as the drive through car wash. As the surface of the sponge is flat, grit sits on top of the sponge and will damage the paint.  We recommend you buy a genuine lambswool wash mitt, we sell these or you can buy them from accessory shops etc. The grit buries deep inside the wool reducing the risk of swirling by 95%. 

First fill two buckets of water, add wash and wash shampoo to one bucket and leave the other with plain water. Now rinse the vehicle with water flushing away as much dirt as possible. Next use a genuine lambswool wash mitt, dip the mitt into the wash and wax bucket and start washing the vehicle from the roof down wards. When you need more shampoo, quickly dip the mitt into the plain water, give it a good swirl but never touch the bottom of the bucket.  You can also buy grit guards. By doing this you remove any particles of grit off the mitt into the plain bucket before using the wash and wax. Continue this method until the whole car is covered with wash and wax shampoo.

Now leave it to dwell for 5 minutes unless your in direct sunlight, rinse immediately. Some people throw whats left of the wash and wax bucket over the vehicle this is not recommended as it may contain some grit! Next do the wheels, again using the mitt or a soft bristled brush. You may need to use alloy wheel cleaner if you have done a lot of miles to help remove the brake dust. To finish, dry the car. Ideally you should use a microfiber towel as these soak up much more water than a chamois (usually it will dry the whole car in one go with no wringing out) and they are much kinder to the paintwork.