How to choose a detailer or valeter in Tamworth, Lichfield and Burton upon Trent

Studio, unit, garage or mobile

Across the five areas covered here, 21 of the 31 businesses are mobile, working from a van rather than a fixed address: this includes every business in Swadlincote bar one, and most of the Tamworth and Lichfield entries. The other 10 work from a fixed unit, studio or garage bay. Platinum Studios in Burton upon Trent and Staffordshire Car Care in Brereton, Rugeley, are the two dedicated detailing studios in this list, both running certified paint-correction and coating programmes rather than just a wash bay. Central Garage (Lichfield) Ltd is a general repair garage that also runs a dedicated valeting and jet-wash bay alongside its MOT and mechanical work, so a valet can be booked alongside a service. The remaining fixed businesses – Fazeley Car Spa and Detailing Centre, LB Detailing, Sparkle And Shine, Auto Utopia, V12 Valeting Centre, A B V S and Car Shine Uk – are valeting units or yards rather than dedicated studios.

What the credentials found here mean

• IMI-accredited, GYEON ceramic coatings and RUPES polishing equipment: Platinum Studios, Burton upon Trent.
• GYEON-certified, factory-trained to fit paint protection film: Staffordshire Car Care, Brereton, Rugeley.
• Registered limited companies: Fazeley Car Spa Ltd, RS Auto Spa Ltd, Clarity Mobile Valeting & Detailing Ltd and Pride N Shine Mobile Valeting Services Ltd all appear on the Companies House register under those names.

Eight of the 31 businesses here show a Google rating, each linked to the business's own Google Maps listing with at least three reviews; the other 23 have no profile on an independent source this directory can verify and link to (Google Maps, Trustpilot, Fresha, Booksy or Yelp), so no star rating is shown against them. Spires Valeting and Staffordshire Car Care both had ratings quoted on other sites, but not from one of this directory's allowed sources, so those figures are not shown here either. Ask to see reviews directly, or ask how long the business has been trading, rather than judging by a number seen on a directory site.

Where coverage is thinnest

Burton upon Trent has the most choice, with nine businesses, followed by Tamworth and Lichfield with six each; Rugeley & Burntwood and Swadlincote have five each. No area here has only one or two confirmed businesses, but several of the Burton upon Trent and Swadlincote entries come from a single directory listing rather than an own website, so it is worth ringing round rather than picking the first name you see.

Questions worth asking before you book

• Fixed studio, garage bay, unit, or mobile – and if mobile, does the detailer bring their own water and power, or do they need yours?
• Is the quote for a wash and valet, or does it include machine paint correction or a ceramic coating? Correction and coating work costs more and takes longer than a valet.
• A large group of listings here rest on a single directory record rather than the business's own website or a second, independent source – Blingshine Cleaning Services, Lichfield Car Valeting, HD Mobile Detailing, Sparkle And Shine, Auto Utopia, A B V S, Auto Shine, Prestige Mobile Valeting, Image Car Commercial Mobile Valeting, J R Mobile Valeting, On Site Car Valet and Car Shine Uk among them. Ring first to check each is still trading at the address given, and what a visit actually covers, before you make a special trip or book ahead.
• Two names in Burton upon Trent and Swadlincote – SG Valeting & Detailing, which also trades as Burton Mobile Valeting, and Definitive Shine, which serves Tamworth, Lichfield and Sutton Coldfield – use more than one name or cover more than one town, so confirm which name and which area you are booking under.