Valetly

Your first wash starts here.

A practical setup guide for car wash operators. Start with Free Core, bring your first location into Valetly Control, then give your team Valetly Work for the bay floor.

Free Core costs £0 per month for one active location. No payment card is required.

1. Create your free account

   Valetly Control · Start free

   Free Core includes one active car wash location and Basic Finance. No payment card is required.

   1. Open Valetly Control and choose Create your free account.
   2. Enter your business name, owner email and password. Review the Operator Terms and Data Processing Agreement before accepting them and creating the account.
   3. Follow the first-run setup prompts. You can return to Settings to update your setup later.

   Use an email you can access. Keep the owner's login for the owner; staff receive their own accounts.

2. Add your location and opening hours

   Control · Settings → Locations

   Set up the fixed site where your team will wash vehicles.

   1. Create your first location and enter its name and address.
   2. Check the operating hours for each day. Mark days closed when your car wash does not operate.
   3. Save the location and follow the first-run prompts to create a service detail and your first active service. Return to Locations afterwards to review your bays.

   Free Core supports one active location. Pro adds capacity for more locations when you need it.

3. Build your service menu

   Control · Settings → Services

   Tell your team and customers what each wash includes, how long it takes and what it costs.

   1. Choose Create service details. Enter a reusable inclusion such as wheel clean or hand dry, then choose Add service detail. Add other inclusions and save the panel.
   2. Choose Create service. Enter a clear service name, duration in minutes and prices for the vehicle sizes shown. Use GBP for your UK price list.
   3. Select the service details included in the package, save it and check that the service is active.
   4. Repeat for your other wash packages. Add Service extras, such as Vacuum or Pet Hair Removal, if you offer optional paid upgrades.

   The first-run guide asks for a service detail and an active service. Service extras can be completed later.

4. Set up your bays

   Control · Settings → Locations → Edit location

   Keep reserved work and on-the-day arrivals organised around the space you actually have.

   1. After creating your first active service, return to Locations, edit the saved location and find Bays.
   2. Add Booking Bays for reservable work and Walk-in Bays for on-the-day arrivals. Give each bay a name your team will recognise.
   3. Check that the bays you want to use are active. Only create as many bays as your team and site can safely handle.

   Check any existing booking bay before adding more. Only add bays that match your real operating capacity.

5. Invite your team

   Control · Settings → Users

   Give each person access suited to the work they do.

   1. Choose Invite staff and enter the staff member's details and email address.
   2. Select Manager or Technician and assign the correct location.
   3. Ask the staff member to open their activation email and set their own password. Check that their account is active before their first shift.

   Invite technicians for the bay floor. Keep owner access for business setup and payment settings.

6. Get Valetly Work ready

   Android · Valetly Work

   Use Control in the browser for the back office and Work on an Android device for the wash floor.

   1. Install Valetly Work on the Android phone or tablet your team will use at the wash.
   2. Sign in with an activated staff account assigned to your location.
   3. Check that the correct location, services and bays are available before using the device for real work.

   Valetly Work is the operator's floor app. Valetly Marketplace is the separate customer booking app.

7. Record your first wash

   Valetly Work + Control

   Walk through the workflow with your team before your first busy day.

   1. For the next real walk-in, choose Start New Wash in Work. Enter the vehicle registration, choose the service and vehicle size, and check the price and any extras.
   2. Follow the wash through its workflow and mark it complete when the work is finished.
   3. Record the payment method accurately. Cash and Card terminal record money you have already collected; they do not charge a card through Valetly.
   4. Open Control to confirm the wash appears in your records and check the recorded takings in Basic Finance.

   Any practice washes and payments you save can affect your records. Use real work when recording production takings.

8. Enable online bookings when you're ready

   Optional · Owner · Control → Settings → Stripe & Subscriptions

   Connect Stripe when you want customers to discover your site and pay for online bookings through Valetly.

   1. As the owner, open Stripe & Subscriptions for your location. Find Stripe payment setup and choose Connect Stripe.
   2. Complete Stripe's business verification and payout setup using the details it requests.
   3. Return to Control and check that the location can accept payments. Complete any outstanding Stripe requirements.
   4. Check your active services, opening hours and booking bays before inviting customers to book through Marketplace.

   You can run Free Core with cash or an external card terminal before connecting Stripe. Marketplace discovery and online bookings require Stripe charges to be enabled. Applicable platform and Stripe processing fees are separate from the free plan.