For most of us, buying a car will most probably be the second biggest investment you will make. Some vehicles being luxury, prestige or even sports cars can cost more money than a house itself, so understandably it makes good sense to protect your investment the best you can. There are a host of valeting companies out there who will offer you a range of services to help keep your car clean and maintain its value.

Using Paint Sealants

Paint sealants are an effective way of keeping your car looking like new for longer. They work by forming a tough shield that covers your cars paintwork, this will then protect it against the effects of things such as the suns ultraviolet rays, scratches, stone chips, acid rain, road film, road salts, bird droppings and just about every other contaminate that slowly but surely ages your car and makes it look dated.

If you were to place an old car next to a new one of the same make and model you will immediately be able to notice the effects the environment and general ware and tare has on its paintwork. On the other hand if you were to place side by side two cars of a similar age make and model, one of which has been protected with paint sealant and the other one without, it’s obvious which one is which. And you would see that there is little doubt as to which is worth the most money! As you may already know, cars these days are valued mostly on their cosmetic appearance, so it makes good sense that if you wish to maintain your vehicle and keep it looking new, then you need to coat it with paint sealant.

Valeting Programs

As soon as your vehicle has been coated and protected using paint sealant, it’s recommend that you regularly have it valeted properly and avoid using car washes if possible. The automated car washes you see today use harsh stiff brushes which will scratch your paintwork. Not to mention that an automated car wash does not actually wash your car properly, but instead pushes dirt and grime into the recesses and crevices of your car where it harbours contaminants that will eventually cause rust and thus damage the paintwork. The best way to have your cleaned would be to have it carefully valeted by hand and with hot pressure washers to properly remove contaminants and dirt that could in time damage your vehicles paintwork. And best of all, it doesn't need doing too often, in fact once every six months should suffice. However you should regularly give your vehicle a gentle hand washing to remove any bird droppings, bugs and road grime, which all contain acids that will breakdown your protective sealant paint and eventually begin to damage the paintwork (if left for too long).

Stone Chips

One threat to your vehicles paintwork (for which little can be done) are stone chips. Stone chips come off the roads surface and hit your vehicles paintwork and will eventually break through paintwork to the bare metal underneath, leaving this damage unprotected will leave it exposed to rust. The answer is to buy a good quality paint sealant which will help reduce the numbers of chips. It’s recommended that when you buy a new car from a dealer, you should also order a touch up paint from them too. Regularly Inspect for stone chip damage and immediately cover the chips with paint. (This would be best done with an artist's brush). Don't worry if it looks a mess, because touch up paints is cellulose and the base colour acrylic, which means it can be easily removed at a later date with thinners and retouched by a professional.

Here are some other treatments that a valeting service may offer:

• Bronze Valet
• Paint Sealants
• Fabric Protector
• Renovo hood protector
• Alloy wax
• Metal mate