Title, basically.
A car detailing service is like a car wash (most times they provide this service too), but they go beyond washing, offering car cosmetics and various treatments for both the inside and outside.
1 Like
Good question and it has been raised previously (but not answered) on the Car Wash Wiki talk page.
Currently, Iād probably use car wash as the base and then add tags appropriately. So:
amenity=car_wash
self_service=no
automated=no
vacuum_cleaner=yes
vacuum_cleaner:self_service=no
but may be worth coming up with some sort of sub-tagging (e.g., car_detailing=yes or something like that).
Edit: Iām also not sure what weād do if the place didnāt actually wash the car (and just cleaned inside). Using the above weād end up with a troll tag of amenity=car_wash + car_wash=no
I think some specific tag is needed hereā¦ car_wash might cover part of the āproblemā, or might not.
My concern with using amenity=car_wash for this is that people looking for actual car wash services might end up there and find out that they need an appointment and/or that the services are way more expensive than at a regular car wash.
we have shop=car and shop=car_repair, but nothing like it (or at least nothing thatās well established) for car detailing specifically. Some businesses do that on the side while others have it as their main service, which makes it difficult to decide if it should be a main tag like shop=car_detailing or whatever or car_detailing=yes / service:car_detailing=yes on another feature type.
2 Likes
Absolutely needed, theyāre all over the place here with vacuum, carpet spanker, compressed air, and popular, the waxing of the tires because they need to shine and be protected against the sun. Often just map the roof with the ātoolsā.
1 Like
so, how does one go about āstandardisingā a new tag?
- See if thereās already some Wiki documentation
- Look around on Taginfo
- Make a Wiki page for a fitting tag and/or a proposal.
- Gain community input and raise awareness that youāre trying to fill this information gap
- Either go through the proposal process or classify the tag as āin useā and just use it
Getting a proposal approved is no guarantee that a tag will become popular, though. I got my defensive_works=* proposal approved and still ~40% or so of the tag usage is made by myself.
On the other hand, natural=shrubbery was rejected in a formal vote but is rising quite rapidly in usage.
1 Like
I think this would be described as a car valet service in the UK (car detailing means absolutely nothing to me, and Iād have been lost without the description you provide). I suspect quite a few hand car-washes claim to provide valet services, but they are cursory.
In the East End of London there are quite a lot of these whose main customer base are London Black Cabs, but they do serve ordinary folk. Many are located in railway arches (another tagging challenge).
1 Like
Found this tag, service:vehicle:detailing, combined with a shop=car_repair ( overpass turbo ).
Not sure this is the right way to go, either; shop=car_repair is usually for actual car repairs, not car cosmetics 
There are also 3 objects with car_valet in the tag. I see that quite a few of my local car valet services also describe themselves as doing car detailing: so the phrase is known to those who purchase the service. I think it needs a clear description on the wiki.
I also note that most of the services are mobile and dont have premises.
Interesting, i found this article explaining the differences between valeting and detailing.
To be honest, I never heard of valeting before, but iām not a native speaker either 
I also note that most of the services are mobile and dont have premises.
Hmm, thatās different here (in Romania), they operate in specialized buildings (mostly). Iād link to some of them, but I donāt want to advertise (but a Google Images search for ācar detailing site:roā shows some of them)
I also have a feeling that ādetailingā is the more popular term: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=car%20valeting,car%20detailing
Iād like to start a proposal for a new tag, amenity=car_detailing, but:
- not sure about the
shop=car_repair+service:vehicle:detailing=yescombo; this feels like a best effort using the existing tags, not very suitable for the purpose. - not sure how to tag if one wants to specify the exact services provided; for example, if one place offers washing, waxing and applying protective film, how should that be tagged?
amenity=car_detailing+service:vehicle:detailing=wash;wax;protective_film?
Interesting, i found this article explaining the differences between valeting and detailing.
To be honest, I never heard of valeting before, but iām not a native speaker either
Valeting, from the word Valet, is a common term in the UK
I also note that most of the services are mobile and dont have premises.
Hmm, thatās different here (in Romania), they operate in specialized buildings (mostly). Iād link to some of them, but I donāt want to advertise (but a Google Images search for ācar detailing site:roā shows some of them)
Same in the UK, they are at fixed locations, often on garage forecourts or are available on supermarket car parks where they valet your car whilst you do your shopping.
I also have a feeling that ādetailingā is the more popular term: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=car%20valeting,car%20detailing
As a native English speaker I have never heard of detailing either.
1 Like
As an American I have never heard of the term. Though Iām not surprised based on my cursory knowledge of valets. I only have only heard of ādetailingā but I like the image of a valet dusting off a car.
The only problem I see is āvalet parkingā. Which is often just a designated staff member parking and holding your keys while youāre visiting an establishment. This can be done as a courtesy or due space constraints. It is often required because customers canāt legally be in the parking area.
As way to reduce confusion in case a locations like higher-end car maintenance locations provides both services. I propose to use the more explicit āvalet_cleaningā. This way everyone understands which service the valet is performing. It is quite possible that the same valet parking your is the one who will give a deep clean.
I agree that could be a problem: but this kind of thing is more-or-less non-existent in the UK, and fancy cleaning of the car would be the default assumption.
I would agree that if used in a tag it may well be misinterpreted, and so could accept car detailing, although from descriptions this sounds like a specialised kind of car service (which falls under car_repair). As the service may be offered by car washes, service garages and dedicated specialists a separate amenity or shop tag may be inappropriate.