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The World’s most expensive Car Wash

Posted 1 year ago in Miscellaneous News

If you own a £150,000 supercar (like the ones you could win in our competitions), you want to treat it to a thorough car wash. Gurcharn Sahota takes car washing to its ultimate peak…

Gurcharn Sahota takes up to 250 hours to clean each vehicle with an array of 100 cleaning fluids and wax that costs £8,200 per tub. His premier wash includes polishing and buffing every inch of the car inside and out five times.

He even uses a computerised microscope – normally used by forensic scientists – to examine the bodywork for the minutest scratch not even visible to the naked eye.

Mr Sahota, who drives a clapped-out VW Golf himself, started the business five years ago by washing his neighbour’s cars with a bucket and sponge. But he has since cleaned hundreds of supercars and now boasts a string of celebrity clients. He said: ”When I was younger I washed neighbours’ cars and my dad’s car whenever I could. They never paid me, I loved it so much I did it for free.

”Things have built up from there and now I’m cleaning some of the fastest, most powerful sports cars in the world. People come to me and they want the best treatment going for their car. If you’ve got a £500,000 car then a few grand for cleaning is worth it. Sometimes I’ll work through the night to get a car looking absolutely pristine. They’re world class motors that deserve a world class wash.”

Mr Sahota, who lives with his parents in Derbyshire, has converted their double garage into a hi-tech workshop.

He built a Formula 1-style pit for scrubbing the underneath of cars and layered the entire workshop floor and walls with specialist tiles imported from Italy which help reflect flecks of dirt on the cars. He begins every clean in the same way – washing it with a lambwool mitten and soapy water.

He said: ”I treat every car like an individual project, I want them to leave my workshop looking better than they have ever done. I have my processes which I go through and I am meticulous about each one. If you’re paying £150,000 for a car then you’re going to want it to be perfect. The first time I cleaned a Ferrari Enzo it took a week and when I tried to sleep all I could see was Ferrari red. The car has to be free from all contaminants like dust and dirt before you start otherwise it’s going to get scratched. I just want perfection. Finishing is the best part because you know what it was like when you started. That gives me great satisfaction.”

After spending hundreds of hours cleaning by hand he uses a £5,000 computerised microscope which examines the car for blotches and scratches. A buffer is linked to a highly sensitive paint gauge which scans the car to prevent patching on the bodywork. Finally, he uses a specialist clay which he rubs over the bodywork to remove any imperfections. Mr Sahota, who works alone, started cleaning cars while he studied for a degree in accountancy at Birmingham University. After graduating he begged a local Aston Martin dealer to let him clean a DB9 for free.

The dealer, who reluctantly agreed, was so impressed with the results he passed on his details to clients and began using him on a regular basis.

He then established his own firm – Elite Detailing – and has opened a second workshop in Worcester. He said: ”The work just started flying in. My reputation was great and word just spread.”

His parents Gurbinder, 55, and Amarjit, 53, were so impressed with their son’s work they converted their double garage into a hi-tech workshop for his business. Since then he has washed hundreds of supercars including Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Porsches. His proudest moment cleaning one of the world’s most expensive cars – the McLaren F1 GTR worth up to £3 million.

He said: ”The McLaren F1 GTR is without doubt my favourite car. It is so exclusive you hardly see any of them on the roads. They are a very attractive car and every inch of them is perfect – they are a work of art.”

He does not disclose the identities of his celebrity clients identities but one of his customers is the lawyer Nick Freeman – known as Mr Loophole – who regularly sends his Aston Martin DBS Volante to him for a clean.

His other customers include Premiership footballers, rock stars, actors and stockbrokers.

Mr Sahota’s car washing tips:

1. Use warm soapy water.

2. Add warm water mixed with a PH neutral shampoo in one and plain water in the other.

3. Use a lamb’s wool wash mitt which only costs £8 and is better than a sponge.

4. Always wash from the top down.

5. Use different cloths on the bodywork and wheels.

6. Avoid acidic and high-alkaline wheel cleaners and any silicone-based products because they stain.

7. Use a towel instead of a chamois leather to dry the car.

8. Always check the cleaning materials regularly to make sure there’s no dirt in them.

9. Always dry the bodywork in small circles to prevent streaking.

10. Take your time and enjoy washing the car.

Source: Daily Telegraph

A video of the world’s most expensive car wash can be found here on the Daily Telegraph website.

What do you think? Would you spend £7,000 on a car wash? Leave a comment and let us know!

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  1. Rajen Gooranah says:

    I thought Paul Dalton was the best, well looks like there is always someone around the corner. I might spend that much only if I won the competition!

  2. Christian says:

    Fair play to the chap – Must be nice to earn whilst enjoying what you do.

    Would love a good wax up on my car – I’ll start saving!!

  3. Paula F says:

    Wow what an interesting story. Obviously worked very hard and brought something unique to the marketplace. Well done Mr Sahota.

  4. John says:

    You can have people licking your car for £ 7000 and he just cleans it with soapy water. lol

  5. FISAL AL ARAB says:

    Mr. John
    you Said “You can have people licking your car for £ 7000″
    I want to know where is thes people I need them to lick my Ferrari for $ 10000.

  6. Cobra says:

    Obscene and pointless.

  7. steve says:

    how does a working class guy get a figure of £7000 for a weeks work? (greed!!) but good luck to him if the rich clowns will pay it.

  8. Mehran says:

    “DO WHAT YOU LOVE, THE MONEY WILL FOLLOW”. These words make sense once again after reading your story.
    BRAVO Mr Sahota!!!

  9. Al says:

    Pay 7k for a clean drive it out of the garage and five minutes later it’s dirty again anwyay.

  10. chris says:

    Steve doesn’t take setup + running costs (overheads) into account and anyway what does it matter if the guy is working class? He charges a damned good rate for 250 hours work and the final fee is sureley determined by what the customers will pay.I admire his conscientiousness, innovation, and attention to detail.Just wish I could either afford him or start to enjoy washing the car.Pity there will now be copy-cats who cut corners, try to do a similar job but also still claim their benefits(for which we will all pay of course) at the same time.Not that I’m having a cynical rant, you understand.Goodonya Gurcharn Sahota

  11. odeta says:

    Luks like nisests cars atrakts super
    best wosching