This section answers some of the popular questions we get asked. If you don't see your question answered pleaseEmail Us or join our forum www.thevaletingforum.co.uk
What do you need from me? We would require electric (we have a 50m lead), keys to the vehicle, (to open electric windows and move the vehicle slightly to give the wheels a 360º clean) and water but we do carry water if you don't have an outdoor tap.
What are the benefits having my vehicle valeted?The main benefit in having your vehicle regularly valeted is to help maintain it's value. If your selling your vehicle and it has not been cleaned for sometime, having it valeted will increase it's value and sale potential by hundreds of pounds.
What is detailing? Detailing is technically the same as valeting but used if we give your car a very thorough clean.
What is clay barring? It is literally a soft piece of clay which is rubbed over the paint and glass after washing to remove bonded contaminants such as; micro tar spots, fallout (iron filings) tree sap and over spray etc. It will leave your paint unbelievably smooth to touch and water will simply roll off the body when it's raining. It's highly recommended!
What kind of finish do you give?We aim to get your car as clean and immaculate as possible giving show room results. Your vehicle will be finished to a sales spec as if you had just bought your car from a show room, particularly as we do a lot of work for local garages.
Are you mobile? Yes we are fully mobile, we come to you which is much more convenient as you don't have to do any travelling. Just sit at home whilst we clean your vehicle on your driveway or at your place of work. Your vehicle will not be taken away and you can keep an eye on it at all times.
How far do you travel?For general Valeting we operate around a 20 mile radius of Yeovil in Somerset (BA22) Our maximum being 30 miles.
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's the difference between a hand polish and machine polish?A hand polish can be very effective especially if your paint is in good condition, but a machine polish is far more superior, it will remove/reduce scratches, leave a more reflective finish and will make the paint smooth to the touch.
What about the weather? Unfortunately if it's very wet we will have to re-book you unless of course you can provide a large garage or shelter, please click the link Weather Forecast to check the weather. We do have a gazebo for customers with large enough driveways and light rain conditions.
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 products do you use?We tried a varied range of products over the years, but we have have one company that sell superb products and we mean superb! We dont want other valeters finding them so we will only tell you if you book your car in!
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.
Do you charge VAT? Yes all prices are plus VAT.
What are your operating hours?We operate Monday - Saturday 9:00am - 6:00pm. Sundays we are closed.
How long have you been in business? TML Valeting started in June 2006, (Ltd in January 09) but Thomas the owner, has over 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%.
Washing guide:
First rinse the wheels, then spray acid free wheel cleaner on to them and agitate using a soft bristled brush and allow to dwell whilst washing the car. Next 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 guarded buckets.) 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.
The 2 bucket method
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! 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.
