Some people prefer to wash their cars with a hose in order to save a few bucks, but for car owners with money to burn The Ultimate Shine, a car cleaning company based in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, is offering the ultimate car cleaning experience for the unbelievable price of £100,000 ($150,000).
You’re probably thinking “this can’t be true”, right? That’s more than a brand new luxury vehicle! But apparently, for many of the world’s rich and famous, $150,000 is a fair price to pay to have their exclusive rides looking squeaky-clean. Paul Wilkins, who owns and runs The Ultimate Shine says his service isn’t aimed at the average driver who keeps his Ford Fiesta parked on the side of the road, but at rich car collectors who keep their rare and expensive vehicles in temperature-controlled showrooms and want them to look perfect. Although he doesn’t want to reveal the identities of his high-profile clientele, 34-year-old Wilkins says he cleans about three cars at the price of £100,000 per year. He also assures interested clients that they’ll be getting their money’s worth.
But how does one justify the £100,000 price tag for a one-time car cleaning operation? “Well, for that price I will fly out to any location in the world,” 34-year-old Wilkins says. “I’m usually dealing with serious car collectors who have temperature-controlled showrooms, so I travel to wherever they are kept.” After he puts on his overalls, Paul begins the cleaning process by decontaminating the body of the car and the wheels. Next, he machine polishes every bit of bodywork taking out any defects, a laborious process that can take up to a month. The dedicated car cleaner says he might have to go over it hundreds of time to make sure to make sure it’s completely clear of any marks. Once that’s done with, he will go over the bodywork with a special alcoholic cleaning agent to ensure there are no oily stains left on the paint. Finally, it’s time for the waxing. The Ultimate Shine owner uses a special Carnauba wax which has been gathered from one of the tallest trees in a secret location in Brazil, priced at £65,000 ($100,000). His company offers different types of this luxury wax for every season, each designed to protect the car against any element.
“Each job is so different but what I say is that, for the £100,000 price, I will work on the car for as long as it takes. I’m a perfectionist so sometimes it’s taken me a few months before I’m happy to hand the keys back,” Wilkins told The Scotsman. He’s even happy to offer a £300 ($460) valet for his clients, but says his true joy is turning amazing cars into “absolute perfection”.
If The Ultimate Shine cleaning service is to expensive for your budget, you could always buy Mitchell & King’s $97,060 GRV goldRally Wax, and apply it yourself. You’d be saving $50,000…
Photos: The Ultimate Shine/Facebook
