Traditional valeting services are usually based on low cost, low quality wash and wax services aimed at the masses. However, there are now an increasing number of detailing services available to more discerning customers, with a shift in emphasis towards specialist techniques such as paint correction and the use of premium products for paint protection. Such services are much more time consuming and require a much greater degree of skill, meaning they are more expensive. However, because the value of used vehicles is greatly affected by the condition of the bodywork, wheels and interior, such work usually pays for itself, particularly on prestige and performance vehicles.

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2. There are numerous detailers to choose from. Why use Polished Bliss?

Very few detailing companies in the UK offer the same level of professionalism and commitment to their trade as us. We have invested heavily in specialist premises and equipment, formal training, bespoke premium carnauba wax products and comprehensive all risks insurance cover, in order to ensure that our customers are in skilled and safe hands. Potential customers should note that we are not amateur enthusiasts; we have a wealth of experience, and detailing is our full time profession. Please see the why choose us section of the website for more details.

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3. Why are your prices very expensive; how do you justify them?

Our fixed price menu of service options is based around our standard hourly labour rate of £35 per hour plus VAT plus a small additional charge for materials used. This in itself is not expensive; most main car dealerships charge two to three times as much for labour on repairs and servicing, and their work is no more skilled than our own. Time is the key reason why our prices are so expensive. It takes on average 8 hours to do an All Surface Protection Detail, rising to around 16 hours for a Minor Paint Correction Detail and 24 hours or more for a Major Paint Correction Detail. However, rather than charge an hourly rate, we instead prefer to operate a fixed price menu of services, so as to ensure our customers know exactly what they will be paying in advance, no matter how long the detail actually takes (and some have been known to take well over 30 hours!). Our prices for large 4x4 vehicles are higher for the simple reason that details on such vehicles typically take much longer to complete, due to the greater surface area to cover.

How do we justify our prices? Firstly, because we have proven ourselves to be the most talented professional detailers in the north-east of Scotland, delivering outstanding results on every single detail that we undertake - please view our portfolio to see recent examples of our work. Secondly, because the high quality of our work frequently adds considerable value to the vehicles we work on, meaning that such work largely pays for itself; in one recent case, the owner of a Lotus Elise 111R secured one thousand pounds over the best book price for his car at a main dealership as a direct result of our work, making a handsome profit in the process. Thirdly, because we are experienced professionals who understand the importance of trust and respect, and have thus invested heavily in specialist facilities, equipment and all risks insurance cover in order to ensure that our customers and their vehicles are in safe hands.

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4. My car is brand new; should I get it detailed, and if so, what would the benefits be?

Sadly, it is all too common for brand new vehicles to be delivered to customers with any number of defects present in the paint, such as fine scratches and polishing holograms left over from the production line. It is equally disappointing that many dealerships do not have the time or skills available on-site to correct these defects prior to delivery; instead, all that is typically offered is a basic valet (which often does more harm than good) and a low quality 'lifetime' protection package. We are happy to take on preparation work for new car deliveries and ensure that you receive your car in perfect condition with the very best surface treatments applied from the outset. Protecting the bodywork and alloy wheels properly from day one will ensure that they remain easy to keep clean over the first six to twelve months of ownership, and will also help to ensure that harmful contaminants like bird droppings and bug remains do not etch such surfaces.

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5. Since purchasing my car I have washed it regularly with good products but swirl marks and scratches have appeared; if I have my paint corrected won't they just appear again?

Maintaining paint to a high swirl free standard is dependent on two key factors. The first is the use of high quality car care products, whose properties are proven, and the second is good technique, which must be learnt. Based on our experiences with our own cars and overseeing maintenance plans for our customers, we have found that it is possible to keep paint virtually swirl free up to 18-24 months at a time, even with regular washing. Many of the techniques we advocate for safe and effective washing can be found in the relevant guide in the car care advice section of the website. In addition, we are always happy to offer one to one advice (and even tuition if necessary) in order to ensure that our customers are able to safely and effectively maintain the finish we leave them with.

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6. The bodywork on my car is full of heavy swirl marks and fine scratches; is it too late to correct it?

It is never too late to make a vast improvement to the condition of sound paint by careful machine polishing and wetsanding. In cases where sub-surface defects are very severe, the limiting factor is always paint depth. If the defects lie wholly within the uppermost layer of paint (either the pigment layer in older single stage paint systems or the clearcoat in most modern paint systems) then there is a very high likelihood of achieving a 95% level of correction or better. In cases where such defects penetrate to no more than 50% of the depth of the uppermost layer of paint, then there is a high likelihood of achieving a 99% level of correction or better. Many of our customers have been completely amazed at the level of correction we can achieve, and in numerous cases we have done away with the apparent need for expensive bodyshop attention; please view our portfolio to see recent examples of our work that demonstrate this.

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7. I am a concours entrant and take great care of my vehicle; will my car look any better if it is professionally detailed?

One of the things that has struck us as odd over the last two years is that the vast majority of concours level cars we have seen, no matter how clean and well presented, have always seemed to have sub-standard paint in terms of featuring visible sub-surface defects like swirl marks and scratches. It is almost as if paint condition doesn't matter at such events as long as the bodywork has a decent shine and the rest of the car is immaculate in terms of cleanliness. We beg to differ! The bodywork is the most visible part of any car, and is indeed the fundamental element that defines many cars in terms of their aesthetic beauty and appeal. The bodywork is the first thing most people assess when they see a vehicle at a show or an event, so it is important to ensure that the paint looks flawless. Using modern polishes and sanding equipment, we are able to achieve a 99% level of correction on most paint types, old or new. So, unless paint is already in flawless condition, we guarantee that we can make it look much better, both in terms of the outright level of shine and the almost complete removal of visible sub-surface defects; please view our portfolio to see recent examples of our work that demonstrate this.

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8. Do you sell any of the products you use, and do you offer any premium treatments?

With the exception of a small number of bespoke premium carnauba waxes, all of the products we use professionally on a daily basis are available for purchase in the car care products section of the website. Our philosophy is simple; we only sell products that we know to work very well based on our own professional experience. This greatly benefits our retail customers, in that we only offer products whose properties and performance are proven, but also means we are able to provide our detailing customers with comprehensive maintenance kits upon request. In addition to offering a range of standard finishes using high quality products from our store, we also offer upgrades to bespoke premium carnauba wax finishes if requested.

Our current bespoke premium carnauba wax of choice is based on a formula developed for the 1947 Bentley Mark VI Cabriolet by Franay, which won numerous best of show awards in its debut year on the concours circuit and is widely considered to be the most unique and valuable Bentley in existence. The nourishing ingredients used in this wax are evergreen, honeydew, coconut, cantaloupe and sunflower oils, and it contains over 61% Brazilian No. 1 white carnauba by volume, making it one of the world's finest and most exclusive waxes. The finish that it gives is nothing short of mind blowing, and has to be seen with the naked eye to be believed, as digital images are unable to capture the vibrancy and shine it endows to all paint types.

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9. Do you offer stone chip repairs and alloy wheel refurbishment services?

Stone chips are an everyday occurrence, and unless you cover your bodywork with an expensive clear film wrap like Ventureshield or Armourfend then there is no way to avoid them; sadly no amount of wax layers can protect against small stones striking paint at high speeds! In many cases individual stone chips will be tiny and difficult to spot, but over time their number will increase to the point where these individually insignificant defects become collectively significant, giving affected panels a peppered appearance. Unfortunately, due to the tiny size and great number of such defects, the only aesthetically effective solution is to have the affected panels professionally resprayed. However, in cases where widespread peppering is not evident and damage is limited to a small number of large isolated chips, then we can usually help. Using touch up paint supplied by the customer, we can fill such chips using artists brushes and then level the fresh paint by careful wetsanding before finally polishing out the resultant sanding haze and restoring a perfect finish. This type of repair can be performed as part of any paint correction detail, usually with a high degree of success; the results are rarely seamless upon close inspection, but from a distance the chips will have all but completely disappeared. At the current time, we do not offer any kind of alloy wheel refurbishment services.

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10. Can you come to my home or place of work to detail my car?

When we first started offering professional detailing services we did so on a mobile basis, travelling to our customers homes or places of work to detail their cars. From quite early on we realised that this approach was compromising our standards, as working in cold, cramped domestic garages or exposed, dirty commercial environments isn't conducive to producing first class finishes. We knew that ultimately in order to offer the level of quality we were aiming for we would need a fully fitted out heated detailing studio to work from, that would provide perfect working conditions all year round. This dream finally became a reality in the early half of 2007, when we moved into our current premises in Kintore. Please see the our facilities section of the website for more details.

The net result of establishing a first class working environment has been a noticeable improvement in terms of what we can achieve. Whereas a year ago we were able to achieve a 95% level of correction on most cars, we are now able to achieve 99% or better; please view our portfolio to see recent examples of our work that demonstrate this. So pronounced is this improvement in our standards that we are now no longer willing to offer mobile services of any kind whatsoever. To do so would compromise what we can achieve, and compromise is not something we are willing to live with. Our aim is always the same; to detail our customers vehicles to the highest possible standard, and in order to do this we need to work under perfect conditions in our preferred environment.

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11. Do you offer a collection and delivery service?

When requested, we are able to offer a fully insured collection and delivery service to customers living or working within thirty miles of our premises. Our standard road risks insurance policy covers us on a fully comprehensive basis for vehicles worth up to £150k. In cases where the value of the vehicle exceeds this, we will be able to arrange a temporary increase in cover up to the actual value of the vehicle provided we are given sufficient notice to arrange a cover note with our insurers. However, in all cases, rather than simply return the car after the work is done, we will offer to collect customers and bring them to our studio to view their vehicles before they drive them away again. This is because we take a great deal of pride in our work and would rather our customers see their freshly detailed cars in an immaculate and pristine state in our studio as opposed to potentially sullied after the drive back to work or home. In cases where this is not possible, we try to ensure we take a selection of beautiful studio photographs for the owner to enjoy instead.

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12. I am a well known businessman and my privacy is important to me - can you be discrete?

Whilst we post some of our work in our portfolio and on numerous internet forums for our peers and customers to follow, we are quite happy to adhere to strict confidentiality and privacy agreements when requested. Whenever we do use images of customers cars for promotional purposes either in our portfolio or on the internet forums we sponsor, we always distort or blank out registration plates in order to ensure anonymity.

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