Yes, you can book a mobile valet for a Ferrari, a Bentley or a 1968 E-Type — but you should ask more questions than you would for a family hatchback. The techniques that are perfectly fine on a five-year-old Golf can cause real, expensive damage to soft modern supercar paint or original 1960s lacquer. Here's what to check before anyone touches the car.
Why these cars are genuinely different
Classic paint is fragile in a way modern paint isn't
Many pre-1980s cars wear single-stage paint — no separate clearcoat, so the colour is the surface. Polish it aggressively and you remove colour; you'll see it coming off on the pad. Original paint on a classic is a large part of the car's value, and it can't be put back. The correct approach is cautious, minimal, and often more about preserving than correcting.
Modern luxury paint is often softer than you'd expect
Counter-intuitively, a lot of prestige German and Italian paint is softer than mainstream Japanese finishes, and marks alarmingly easily. Black and dark metallics on high-end cars show every swirl under direct light. This is precisely the kind of car that should never see a spinning brush or a shared wash mitt.
Trim, chrome and rubber
Older cars carry materials modern chemicals were never designed for: real chrome that pits, anodised trim that stains permanently, rubber seals that perish, delicate badges and painted pinstripes. A strong alkaline traffic-film remover — routine on a modern car — can leave permanent white staining on aluminium trim in minutes.
Soft tops
Fabric and vinyl roofs need their own products and their own method, and they must be re-proofed after cleaning or they'll take on water. Pressure washing a seam is a good way to create a leak. See our soft-top cleaning and proofing service for what's involved.
Interiors that can't be replaced
Original leather, wood veneer, Alcantara and period cloth all need specific handling. Modern all-purpose interior cleaners are far too harsh for aged leather, and Alcantara mats permanently if it's scrubbed wet. Proper leather cleaning and conditioning is a different process to fabric shampoo.
Questions to ask before handing over the keys
- "Have you worked on this type of car before?" — ask for specifics, not reassurance
- "What's your wash method?" — you want to hear two-bucket with grit guards, pH-neutral pre-wash foam, plush microfibre mitts, separate kit for wheels. If you hear "brush", stop there
- "Do you know if this paint is single-stage?" — a detailer who understands why that question matters is a detailer who can be trusted with the car
- "How will you dry it?" — soft drying towels or filtered blown air, not a shared chamois that's been dropped on the ground
- "What are you using on the trim?" — the correct answer involves knowing what the trim is first
- "Will you machine polish?" — on a classic, the right answer is often "not without discussing it first"
Insurance: the bit people forget
This is the most important item on the list and the one least often checked. Standard motor trade insurance policies carry a maximum value per vehicle. A policy might cover cars up to £50,000 — which is fine until the car on the driveway is worth £150,000.
Ask directly whether their cover extends to your car's value, and don't feel awkward doing it. Anyone genuinely used to working on prestige vehicles expects the question. If the answer is vague, that's your answer.
Why mobile can actually be the better option
There's a real argument that a valuable car is safer being cleaned at home:
- It never leaves your property — no transport, no third-party premises, no unfamiliar driver
- No car park damage — a meaningful risk for a wide, low or irreplaceable car
- You can watch if you want to, and many owners do the first time
- Low mileage cars stay low mileage — relevant for collectors
The trade-off is conditions. Paint correction and coating work needs shelter, so if you have a garage, offer it.
How we handle these cars
Prestige and classic work is booked differently to a standard valet — we'll talk through the car first, agree the approach before starting, and on classics we'll deliberately recommend the conservative option over the dramatic one. Original paint is worth more than a perfect finish.
See our dedicated supercar and luxury detailing and classic car detailing services. For anything unusual, get in touch with a few photos and tell us about the car — including anything you already know about previous paintwork or repairs.
