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PVD Assessment Programme

April 12, 2022

I honestly can’t believe it’s over two years since I wrote this article detailing how our Trade Association of Professional Valeters & Detailers has worked hard to develop an assessment and certification process. Since then, and despite the COVID pandemic, the PVD assessment programme has progressed significantly.

The PVD Assessment Programme:

Firstly, before a candidate begins the PVD Assessment Programme, the Professional Valeters & Detailers Trade Association expects them to have met specific accreditation criteria. Find out more HERE.

Moving forward, a candidate must successfully pass the initial written elements of the course. This part is conducted using Classmarker software with live invigilation via video conferencing using a smartphone. After this stage, they can book a test at their nearest assessment centre. Here, they will need to complete tasks, demonstrating their practical knowledge and ability to work safely, efficiently and effectively.

In February this year, Auto Curators Hampshire studio became one of the ten official PVD assessment programme centres.

Training the Trainers:

To receive this status, we needed to attend a training session ourselves.

This session ran in February at UK Detailing Academy in Gloucestershire. All the assessors were present, and we spent time going through the final worksheets we’ll be using to mark candidates. We also assessed Rich March and James Keely of the UK Detailing Academy, carrying out the required tasks and processes.

Whilst it was a bit of fun, it was essential to ensure that we were all marking and assessing in the same way. Candidates must know they can go to any centre and get the same fair treatment. We have a scoring system (which is confidential), and a candidate must reach a specific score to pass. However, they’ll never see their actual score, that isn’t important, but they’ll know whether they’ve passed or not. Above all, candidates should know we’re not trying to catch them out or make anyone feel intimidated; we simply want to see candidates working safely.

The Importance of Professional Development:

In an industry like vehicle detailing, it’s essential to stay up to date with new techniques and products. Technology, like paint tech and polish tech, evolves all the time, and if you don’t keep up with it, you’ll get left behind. For that reason, professional development is mandatory for PVD members. However, Matt and I both enjoy learning new skills and honing existing ones. So, we always try and find a couple of courses each year to attend (and would do so, even if it wasn’t mandatory).

It also makes good commercial sense, helping us work more efficiently and effectively for the bottom line.

In January, Matt and I attended an Advanced Sanding Course at the UK Detailing Academy. It was fun to try some techniques that can be super effective but also destructive if carried out incorrectly. We experimented with scratch repairs that would be considered a last resort before a trip to the body shop, but we found that we could get some good results filling and sanding long scratches, then sanding in a certain way. And in a training environment, that’s what we need to learn – where the line lies.

It was a good day of learning, plus we walked away having bought a shiny new Flex sander, so we were both happy!

If you’re starting out as a detailer, do consider professional accreditation and the PVD Assessment Programme, it really is worth the hard work and you’ll become part of a supportive group of professionals.

Category: Articles, PVD Assessment Programme
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Mar 23

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Our good friend Pete, of @petrolheadtours came to see us this week with his recent purchase. This dramatic looking Morgan Aero 8 is a very rare Series 1 car, unbelievably over 20 years old now. 
I’m fortunate that I’ve had the chance to drive these before, and the old school looks don’t prepare you for the driving experience. A very light car by modern standards, it features an aluminium chassis similar to that in a Lotus Elise, but borrows it’s drivetrain from a BMW 540i - so, a 4.4 litre, naturally aspirated V8 is under the bonnet. 
Pete is only the third owner of this amazing car, but years of someone lovingly wiping dust off the paintwork with a dry cloth had left it looking as dull as a blackboard. 
After a careful wash, there was an even more careful machine polish to carry out. The shapes are extremely awkward, and thus time consuming, but the results were well worth it. Finished with Onyx Graphene Pro ceramic coating, Pete was quite taken aback with the results when he collected it. We look forward to seeing it again at events this summer. 
Want the same for you car? Get in touch, we can help you. 
#autocurators #morgan #aero8 #detailing #paintcorrection #hampshire #hook #basingstoke #ceramiccoating #onyxgraphenepro
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Mar 15

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Q: When is a Yaris not your regular Yaris?
A: When it’s a Toyota Yaris GR!
We recently had the pleasure of welcoming one of these amazing cars to our studio for XPEL PPF installation. Find out more about the project in our latest blog article… Visit our dedicate PPF website ‘PPF On My Car’ from the link in our bio.
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Mar 9

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This super rare Alpina B3 Touring left us this afternoon, after we installed our Extended Front end PPF package. 
Having been delivered to us directly from Sytner Nottingham, on a covered trailer, we carried out a full new car preparation, before installing Xpel Ultimate Plus over the whole front, the sills, pillars and a rear luggage strip. We ceramic coated the paintwork and wheels, and protected the beautiful interior. This car will get lots of use, and should now stay looking like this for a long time. 
#autocurators #alpina #alpinab3 #sytner #xpel #ppf #hampshire #hook #basingstoke #reading #detailing #paintprotection #newcar #xpelhampshire
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