Most detailers and valeters do the everyday work; only some take on the specialist jobs. Each page below counts the detailers and valeters who list that service themselves, by town, from the 4,695 listings on this site.
A full valet is inside and out in one visit: wheels and arches, a hand wash and dry, the door shuts wiped, then a proper vacuum, the plastics and glass cleaned and the mats done. It sits in the middle of most price lists, above a mini valet and below the detailing work. The price follows the size of the vehicle and how dirty it is, so a family car after a wet winter often costs more. The towns below are the ones where a valeter offers a full valet.
A mobile valeter brings the water, the power and everything else to your home or your workplace and works on the drive or in the car park. It suits interior work, maintenance washes and smaller details. Heavy polishing and coatings usually need a unit with light and shelter, so ask what they will and will not do outdoors, and whether they need a tap or a socket. The towns below are the ones where a valeter offers this.
Interior detailing is the deep version of a vacuum: seats and carpets shampooed or extracted, plastics and leather cleaned and dressed, vents, seat rails and boot done, glass left clear. It is what to book for pet hair, spilt milk, smoke or a car about to be sold or handed back. Time is the variable, so most quotes follow photographs or a look at the car. The towns below are the ones where a business offers interior detailing.
Machine polishing uses a rotary or dual-action polisher with a cutting or finishing compound to bring the gloss back to tired paint. A single-stage polish lifts most light marks and is often sold as an enhancement detail before a wax or sealant goes on. It is the lighter relative of full paint correction, which works through several stages to remove deeper defects. The towns below are the ones where a business offers machine polishing.
Paint correction removes swirl marks, wash scratches and dullness by machine rather than filling them with a glaze that washes off. It is sold in stages: one stage for a tidy-up, two or three where the paint is badly marked. It is the work that goes in before a coating or a wax, and it is priced by the size of the car and the state the paint is in. The towns below are the ones where a business offers paint correction.
A ceramic coating is a liquid layer cured onto the paint once it has been decontaminated and polished. It makes a car easier to wash and holds its gloss for longer, depending on the product, the number of layers and how the car is washed afterwards. Most of the cost is in the preparation, which is why a quote normally follows an inspection rather than a phone call. The towns below are the ones where a business offers ceramic coating.
Paint protection film is a clear urethane layer fitted over the paint so that stone chips and scuffs land on the film instead of the panel. It is usually fitted to the front end, the sills and the door edges, or over the whole car. It is a fitting job as much as a detailing one: ask to see edges that are wrapped rather than cut, and what the warranty covers. The towns below are the ones where a business offers this.
Sun and grit turn a plastic headlight lens yellow and cloudy, which costs light on a dark road and, at its worst, an MOT advisory or failure. Restoration sands the lens back through grades of abrasive, polishes it clear and seals it so the haze takes longer to return. It is a short job, usually priced per pair and cheaper than a new pair of units. The towns below are the ones where a business offers headlight restoration.
A business appears on a service page when its own listing names that service. Plenty of detailers and valeters offer more than they publish, so ring and ask if your town looks thin.
Tell us what you offer and it shows up on these pages at the next rebuild. Listing is free.