Is it worth getting my new car detailed?

It’s a common misconception that all new cars are delivered looking their absolute best. Unfortunately, car dealerships do not have the time, budget, or skills to prepare your car to the highest standard; more often than not your new car is merely given a basic valet prior to handover (referred to on’t interweb as ‘dealer prep’), which often does more harm than good. It’s not just the dealerships that get it wrong though, in some instances the cars don’t even leave the factory looking their best. The majority of the time this is overlooked due to the excitement of collecting your new car - a few days later you start to notice a couple of imperfections, and then a week or two later, often the first time you wash your new car, you see a bit of paint damage which was probably there all along but you just didn’t realise it.. the honeymoon period, over..

But what’s the answer? Having a new car detail is a good starting point. Buffer trails left behind from the de-nibbing process back at the factory and minor swirl marks likely to have been caused by the infamous ‘dealer prep’ are two of the most common defects I come across on new car paint finishes. These are all relatively straight forward for a good detailer to rectify. Look a little closer and you may find a bit of sanding haze which requires more time and skill to resolve. Most of the time it can all be rectified though, so don’t get too stressed if this article is starting to sound familiar.

The top image shows the paint damage on the front bumper of a brand new Porsche, the bottom image is after my rectification work.

Once all of these niggles are resolved, some protection is recommended to preserve this finish for as long as possible. Protection is key, even if your car was delivered perfect because nobody touched it (it’s been known for some to ask for a car to be delivered without any prep) it will still need protecting to help reduce the amount of wear and tear it’ll get over the coming years. Now, I know what you’re thinking, your salesman probably offered you some of their branded protection like Guard-X, Star Guard, Pure Guard and so on which are all mostly one and the same. They might even have thrown it in for free as part of the deal (whether it got applied or not is another story, this is a very real issue even if you paid for it, but it’s not for this article). All paint correction, whether mild or moderate, will have removed anything applied at dealership level, so this is where a ceramic coating is a sensible choice, as they give superb levels of protection and durability; they can be applied to your paintwork to help reduce the chances of fine scratches and abrasions, wheels to help reduce pitting from embedded brake dust, plastics to reduce fading from UV rays, and also your glass to act as a water repellant and reduce bug etching.

The overall result? a car that literally looks better than new..

Delivery mileage Porsche 718 GT4 Clubsport following our Ultimate New Car Detail, with #Labocosmetica ceramic coatings.

All of this is why demands for my new car detailing services have been on an upward trend since the day I turned professional. Let me take care of your new car delivery, and I’ll make it an occasion to remember.