31 Jul Car Paintwork: prevention or cure?

Introduction

In this blog, we discuss as openly as possible why we think ‘prevention’ is always better than ‘cure’ when it comes to car paintwork.

A conversation that arises with our customers on a regular basis.

Customer – “I want my car paintwork to look great again, what should I do”

Detailer – “Well………………”

Thoughts

This conversation is a tough one for any detailer, and as much as we try to void discussing money as the first point of conversation, it really does come down to this.

One of the things I ask all customers upfront is “how honest can I be about your car”?

Most people have invested in a car for one reason or another, but chances are it’s because they loved the car and have a high opinion of it.

The last thing they want is the hypercritical eye of a detailer, picking the car apart panel by panel, but it’s critical we highlight the flaws for the following reasons:

• What can be done to fix them and at what cost?
• Are there problems that we cannot fix?

Common Causes

Many times, the customer will want to return to the dealership to discuss an issue that wasn’t highlighted at the point of sale.

The most common cause of an increase in the cost of a detail, is undoing cheap repair work or the damage that the dealership will inflict while cleaning your car before collection.

When we receive vehicles that have been properly prepared, repaired and finished, the time and cost to then detail on the car is greatly reduced.

While it will certainly cost you more upfront, we always recommend using a dedicated car paintwork specialist instead of the cheaper mobile paint repair companies

As we have mentioned in previous blogs, the difference between letting the dealership prepare your car or not, can be the difference between £400-£1000 in remedial polishing.

So, if you are planning on using a detailer, the following steps will save you much time, money and disappointment:

1 – When buying a new car, tell the dealership not to wash or prepare it in any way, it will save you a considerable sum of money.

2 – If you do have the misfortune to have a scratch, scrape or scuff, visit a dedicated paint specialist or detailer first and avoid the extra cost of undoing poor-quality work.

3 – Consider how much the car is worth to you and what you are willing to invest in the vehicle based on your longer-term plans for it.

Be upfront and honest with your chosen detailer regarding your budget, and we will endeavour to be as helpful as we can to improve and protect your car.

If you would like to book a pre detail inspection for your car, visit our website and send us a message.

Additional Links

Check out our previous blog ‘Car Polishing: what can and can’t be achieved?’ here.

Do you want to meet our team and understand what services we offer in further detail if so visit our blog here.

If you would like to know more about how to protect your car’s paint, check out a previous blog here.

Alternatively, book your car in for the signature DSJ detail here.

More information on how to protect your car with ceramic coating can be found here.

‘Blast from the past’ – find out which local celebrity came to drop off their pride and joy here.