How much value does a professional valet add to your car's price?

By Ané Theron

If you want to maximize your profit when selling your used car privately or trading in, a professional valet will be a good return on investment. As much as the right products and a Saturday's worth of elbow grease will do the job, the experts have all the right equipment on hand to sort out shallow scratches or marks, stains on your upholstery or roof lining, dull headlight lenses, sad-looking leather or vinyl, and a dirty engine bay. A nice deep clean will usually get rid of nasty odours as well - a smelly car can be a deal-breaker of note!

Price for a full valet? From about R850 upwards. Value added to the total selling price of your car? It can amount to thousands of Rands, depending on the age of the car and in what state it is in.