New Detailers Association

[Auto Care USA]

First I want to give you guys credit for trying to legitimize my profession. As far as the weekend detailer, if it were not for you guys and your mistakes I could not comand the big dollar. The average person will pay top dollar for quality. I am the most expensive detailer around and I am the busiest. Matter a fact I often here when I talk to a new customer, yes Mr Smith told me to call you and he may make a comment that you are good but you also are expensive. I have legitimized myseld by my service, workmanship and quality. Dollar for dollar our service cannot be compared. You show me another detailer who has loaner vehicles, tells his customers that if you are not happy with the job it's FREE and most of all does a better job than the competition. They are even calling for rain tomorrow and all of my customers will show. This says alot for the work.

[detailbarn]

Originally posted by Auto Care USA
First I want to give you guys credit for trying to legitimize my profession. As far as the weekend detailer, if it were not for you guys and your mistakes I could not comand the big dollar. The average person will pay top dollar for quality. I am the most expensive detailer around and I am the busiest. Matter a fact I often here when I talk to a new customer, yes Mr Smith told me to call you and he may make a comment that you are good but you also are expensive. I have legitimized myseld by my service, workmanship and quality. Dollar for dollar our service cannot be compared. You show me another detailer who has loaner vehicles, tells his customers that if you are not happy with the job it's FREE and most of all does a better job than the competition. They are even calling for rain tomorrow and all of my customers will show. This says alot for the work.

Well stated Auto Care!

[theveed]

Originally posted by PrecisionOnline
theveed,

Detailing is a highly skilled business when it comes to using a rotary buffer for paint correction; wheel indentification for using certain acids; proper engine detailing and stain identification for proper removal. Glad you'd like to join but you'd be our #2 Phillipine detailer, someone beat yout to it. :-)

Hehe, really, who will that be? There aren't a lot of us reading this board, so probably he's a friend of mine...

[Anthony Orosco]

Originally posted by Jim Hammill
NY detailer, thanks for your questions.

Among many of the things we are trying to do for detailers are:

-assistance with Business Insurance and Health Insurance
-Buying groups for discounts
-Networking opportunities
-Training certification
- Providing Technical Information Sheets , which the Department of Automotive Technology at The Southern University of Illinois Carbondale is assisiting us in the production of.
-Annual conventions, golf outtings, dinners, awards, etc.
-Tried and tested detailing products -- give the "PDTA Seal of Approval"
-Assistance with OSHA and EPA compliance.
-Marketing programs

All of these ideas have come from other detailers who have told us this is what they want from an association. Please visit the web site and take the survey, tell us what you would like an association to provide for you. This association will be run by detailers for detailers, providing practical advice from people who are out working in the industry on a day to day basis.

Thanks.

Jim.

This is a nice thought but I personally don't see it becoming a reality. Why? Well because who says you are qualified to call me an "expert"?

I mean no disrespect to Jim or Brian, I have a great deal of respect for Brian as a person and a detailer, he does great work BUT again who is qualified to call another an "expert" or to say they now have a certificate in auto detailing? Detailing is far too subjective and I myself might attend a class and flunk because I want to do things my way. My way works for me but it may not work for the other guy, or the guy teaching the class. He tells me to always charge this much for this job or use this glaze over this cleaner but not this wax over this sealant and I disagree, so in that case what happens to me? Again detailing is far too subjective to be mandated.

What if I don't want to use the "Official PDTA" stamp of approval products?

What if the products I am using now are already "tried and tested" by me?

What if I don't like to socialize and go out and have dinner?

What if I hate golf?

What if I don't need insurance or a business license in my state?

What then am I paying for?


The hack detailers will always be there, they will come and go like high tide, so an association will not help here because it is not illegal to be a hack detailer like it is illegal to practice medicine without proper schooling. I know some weekend warriors that do better work than "pro" detailers with a shop, insurance, nice T-shirts and a EPA qualified discharge system. So this "pro" detailer sees the weekend warrior doing some work on the side and goes and tells the PDTA......so what can they do?

Like Autocare wrote, I make money from the hacks when they screw up a car. I am also the most expensive detailer around my parts and I am not losing any work because of it.

If certification meant anything special then there wouldn't be so many darn lawsuits against doctors, lawyers and auto mechanics.

This may sound all negative but I do wish Brian and Jim the best.....who knows 10 years from now we may all thank Brian and Jim for their charting uncharted territory.

As for now I would not join nor do I have much interest in it.

Anthony

[Intel486]

Let me put this idea up.

Maybe the organization needs for right now to give up the idea of claiming the detailers in the group to not be hacks and to be experts. Give up the idea of certification. Maybe in the future it can be implemented but focus on something else.

Why not make it an organization of detailers who work for profit (Prove they are registered to do business in their state and pay taxes.)

You can then provide services that non-hack detailers would appreciate. Help provide insurance, provide TSB, provide information about marketing, information about running your business, etc. The Hackers probably won't want to pay the money for that so they'll leave. In time people will begin to recognize that detailers that belong to the group are probably better detailers than other.

You might also want to come up with a list of rules that members should agree to such as the BBB's "Code of Advertising"

[3Dog]

My dream is to be AutoCare USA someday!

[LangMan37]

Originally posted by Intel486
Let me put this idea up.

Maybe the organization needs for right now to give up the idea of claiming the detailers in the group to not be hacks and to be experts. Give up the idea of certification. Maybe in the future it can be implemented but focus on something else.

Why not make it an organization of detailers who work for profit (Prove they are registered to do business in their state and pay taxes.)

You can then provide services that non-hack detailers would appreciate. Help provide insurance, provide TSB, provide information about marketing, information about running your business, etc. The Hackers probably won't want to pay the money for that so they'll leave. In time people will begin to recognize that detailers that belong to the group are probably better detailers than other.

You might also want to come up with a list of rules that members should agree to such as the BBB's "Code of Advertising"

I like this idea

[ajbarnes]

Originally posted by Auto Care USA
First I want to give you guys credit for trying to legitimize my profession. As far as the weekend detailer, if it were not for you guys and your mistakes I could not comand the big dollar. The average person will pay top dollar for quality. I am the most expensive detailer around and I am the busiest. Matter a fact I often here when I talk to a new customer, yes Mr Smith told me to call you and he may make a comment that you are good but you also are expensive. I have legitimized myseld by my service, workmanship and quality. Dollar for dollar our service cannot be compared. You show me another detailer who has loaner vehicles, tells his customers that if you are not happy with the job it's FREE and most of all does a better job than the competition. They are even calling for rain tomorrow and all of my customers will show. This says alot for the work.

[card00d85]

my number is 493 vesti