CORY'S CAR CARE

Terms and Conditions

The small print, kept short.

Last updated 2 November 2026

These are the terms you agree to when you book. I've tried to write them the way I'd explain them to you on the driveway, rather than the way a contract usually reads. If anything here isn't clear, ring me and ask.

1. Who you are dealing with

Cory's Car Care is a trading name of Cory Roberts, a sole trader based in Peterlee, County Durham.

Contact: contact@coryscarcare.co.uk · 07496 692221

In these terms, "I" and "me" mean Cory's Car Care, and "you" means the customer.

2. Booking, deposits and payment

A 25% deposit is taken at the time of booking to secure your appointment. The remaining balance is due on completion of the work.

Because bookings are made online or arranged at your home, you have a legal right to cancel within 14 days of booking. By ticking the box to accept these terms, you are asking me to carry out the work within that 14-day period, and you accept that once the work has been completed in full, that right ends.

If you cancel within the 14-day period and before the work has been carried out, your deposit is refunded. If you have asked me to begin and then cancel partway, I may charge a fair amount for the work already done.

After that period, or where you cancel at short notice, clause 3 applies.

3. Rescheduling, cancellations and no-shows

Plans change, and I would always rather move an appointment than lose it.

You can reschedule once without losing your deposit, provided you give me at least 24 hours' notice. The new appointment needs to happen within 30 days of the original date.

Cancellations with less than 24 hours' notice, and no-shows, mean the deposit is retained. That isn't a penalty — it's a slot I can no longer fill at that notice, and travel I've usually already committed to.

If I have to cancel or reschedule, your deposit carries over to the new date, or is refunded in full if you'd rather not rebook.

4. Travel

I'm based in Peterlee and travel is included free of charge up to 15 miles. Beyond that a travel charge applies, calculated in a straight line from my base:

Distance	Travel charge
Up to 15 miles	Free
Up to 25 miles	£5
Up to 35 miles	£10
Up to 45 miles	£20

Anything beyond 45 miles is by arrangement. Travel charges are shown before you confirm your booking.

5. Access, water and power

As a mobile service I need safe, off-street access to the vehicle with at least 1.5 metres of clear space around it, along with a working outdoor tap and a standard electrical socket, unless we've agreed otherwise beforehand.

If you're not sure whether your parking works, tell me when you book and we'll sort it out then rather than on the day.

If I arrive and those requirements aren't met and we haven't agreed an alternative, I may not be able to carry out the work. Where that happens it's treated as a cancellation with less than 24 hours' notice under clause 3.

6. Vehicle condition and surcharges

Prices assume a vehicle in average condition for its age and use. Vehicles that are heavily soiled — significant pet hair, sand, mould, smoke odour, builders' debris — take considerably longer and may carry an additional charge.

I'll always discuss any price adjustment with you before starting work, never afterwards. If you'd rather not go ahead at the revised price, I'll say so plainly and we can leave it there.

If you're a first-time customer I may ask for a couple of photos before confirming, so that the price I give you is the price you pay.

7. Photographs

I photograph most of the vehicles I work on, before, during and after, and use those images on my website and social media. It's how people find me and how they judge whether my work is any good.

If you'd rather I didn't photograph your vehicle, or didn't show the number plate, just tell me before I start work and I won't. There's no need to explain why.

I don't photograph vehicle interiors containing personal belongings, documents or anything identifying, and I don't name customers or give addresses.

8. Pre-existing damage

I carry out a walk-round inspection when I arrive and photograph anything already marked, so we both have a record of how the vehicle was before I started.

I'm not responsible for damage that results from the condition the vehicle was already in — failing lacquer, existing stone chips, loose or perished trim, faulty interior components, previous poor repairs. Cleaning sometimes reveals these rather than causes them.

This doesn't affect my responsibility for my own work, which is covered in clause 12.

9. Ceramic coatings and aftercare

A ceramic coating needs time to cure properly, and what you do in the first week matters:

• Keep the vehicle dry for the first hour after application.
• Don't wash it for seven days.
• Avoid automatic car washes and brushes entirely from then on.

You get a written aftercare guide on the day. If a coating fails because it was washed inside the curing period, or because of automatic washes, harsh chemicals or abrasive polishes afterwards, that isn't something I can be responsible for.

The coatings I use are not sold with a manufacturer's warranty, and I don't offer one. The durability figures I quote — up to eight years on paintwork, two to three years on glass and wheel faces — are the expected life under normal UK conditions with correct maintenance. They are not a guarantee.

A coating is a chemical barrier. It resists salt, acid rain, UV and road film. It does not prevent stone chips, scratches or impact damage, and I'd rather say so plainly than have you find out later.

10. Paint correction

Paint correction removes defects from the lacquer permanently — nothing is filled or hidden.

The figures I quote are estimates based on experience, not promises. Roughly 70% of defects removed on a single stage, roughly 90% on a two stage. What's actually achievable depends on the paint: its hardness, its thickness, and how much lacquer is there to work with. Some defects are too deep to remove safely, and I won't take more lacquer off a car than is sensible in order to chase one.

I'll tell you what I think is achievable on your car before starting, and show you a test section where that helps.

Matte, satin and wrapped finishes cannot be machine polished and are handled differently. If your vehicle has one, tell me when you book.

11. The Maintenance Club

Membership runs monthly with a minimum of three months. After that it continues until you tell me you'd like to stop — just let me know before your next visit is due.

Payment is taken on the day of each visit, not in advance.

Joining requires a Full Deep Clean or a ceramic coating within the previous four to six weeks. The Club maintains a standard; it doesn't create one.

I need the same access, water and power described in clause 5. If I arrive for a scheduled visit and can't get to the vehicle, I'll do what I can to rearrange, but a visit missed at no notice may still count as that month's visit.

If something comes up and you need to skip a month, tell me and we'll work it out. I'm reasonable about this, but it's at my discretion rather than something built into the membership.

12. Engine bay cleaning

Engine bay cleaning carries a degree of risk on any vehicle, particularly older ones or those with existing electrical faults, perished seals or previous poor repairs.

I cover sensitive components, control the amount of water used and work to professional standards. Where a fault appears afterwards that was not caused by any failure on my part to take reasonable care — an ageing connector, a seal already perished, a fault already developing — I'm not responsible for it.

Nothing in this clause limits my responsibility to carry out the work with reasonable care and skill, which I can't exclude and wouldn't want to.

If you have any doubt about your engine bay, say so and we'll leave it alone.

13. Personal items and child seats

Please take personal belongings and rubbish out of the vehicle before your appointment. I'm not able to take responsibility for items left inside it.

For safety reasons I don't remove or refit child seats. If a seat is left in place I'll clean around it as best I can, but I can't promise a complete finish underneath or behind it.

If you remove the seat yourself before I arrive, I'll clean the area properly — it makes a real difference.

14. Weather

I may need to reschedule in extreme weather — heavy rain, high winds, freezing conditions or extreme heat — where it would affect the quality of the finish or the safe application of products.

This matters most for ceramic coatings, which need dry conditions to apply and to cure. I'd rather move your appointment than apply a coating badly.

If I reschedule for weather, your deposit carries over.

15. Insurance

Cory's Car Care holds commercial insurance arranged through Coversure (Swindon). Details are available on request.

16. If something goes wrong

Tell me. Ring or message me as soon as you notice, and send a photo if you can.

I'd always rather hear about a problem than have you say nothing and not book again. Most things can be put right on the spot or on a return visit, and I'll tell you honestly whether I think it's something I've caused.

I'll respond within two working days.

Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 or the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.

17. Changes to these terms

These terms may be updated from time to time. The version that applies to your booking is the one you accepted when you booked.