Almost every disused petrol station, supermarket car park or lay by in every town has one, the “cheap” carwash, but what is the true cost? How does the average valeter compete?

They cant beat them on price, but when you find out what the true cost of a cheap car wash is, you might just reconsider how you get your pride and joy cleaned.

We have a guide to “Scratch Free washing” on this website,  you can download it for free, (you don’t have to put in “your details” either). We understand that not everyone has the time or the inclination to wash their own vehicle, but if you have someone else clean your vehicle, you could use the information from the guide to help you recruit a suitable valeter/detailer.

A professional valeter/detailer will charge hundreds, sometimes thousands of pounds, correcting your vehicles paintwork, but a lot of these paint defects, scratches and swirls can be avoided.

A few pounds for a Scratch Shield suddenly seems like a bargain, it is certainly an investment that will pay for itself almost instantly.

Do it yourself or get someone else to do it, a few simple steps will help keep your paintwork in top condition and should prevent the need for expensive paint correction work. So what is the true cost of a cheap car wash? Potentially quite a lot! But it doesn’t have to be that way.