Hand Car Wash versus a Professional Valet

Nobody likes to have a dirty car especially after the bad weather recently, but the best way of cleaning a car is often up for dispute. With prices varying widely between machines washes and different car valeting throughout the UK along with the DIY approach, it seems as though the best way to clean a car is as clear as my windscreen.

I have heard on various forums that machine car washes can actually damage or scratch your car. This has never happened to me personally and machines are obviously designed to avoid causing any damage. However, although these can be a very effective way of washing a car, and often quite cost effective and do not take much time, for me the risk of damage to my car is a slightly too bigger risk to take.

The other option is to take your car to a hand car wash or car-valeting-franchise the prices for this do seem to vary quite a lot across the board and depends on region to region. The average is perhaps around £6, though you can find some for much less than this or get a full valet by paying not much more. The benefits of this are that it does not take long to complete at all and you are left with a very good finish. Some people have problems with hand car washes due to their bad reputation in the press (the BBC recently reported that around 80% of car washes do not operate in accordance with legal requirements) concerning money laundering and not complying with legal immigration requirements. However, despite the bad reputation in the press there are many car washes that do operate in accordance with the law and the service that they offer is certainly a good one.

Finally, you can take your bucket and sponge and opt to do it yourself. This is obviously the cheapest method, once you have initially shelled out the necessary equipment but these can of course last up to a lifetime and the results you achieve are entirely based on the effort that you decide to put in, if you can afford the energy and time to put in that effort of course!

Source: http://www.articletrader.com/automotive/cars/hand-car-wash-versus-a-professional-valet.html