Average time of a car detail

Rednsxe · 06-21-03, 01:28

How long does it usualy take you guys to detail a car. In and out and just Outside. Also how much time do you spend on each step, Clay, smr/dacp, polishing.......

fuggedit · 06-21-03, 05:04

How long does it usualy take you guys to detail a car. In and out and just Outside. Also how much time do you spend on each step, Clay, smr/dacp, polishing.......

I would say about 4 hours is how long I spend on the average detail. I have spent up to 10 hours (a trashed minivan). If I was to just ignore the interior it would probably knock 1 - 2 hours off the job.

Clay - 30 to 60 min
DACP - 1 to 2 hours (I don't do this on every car)
SMR - same as DACP
Polish - depends on the polish, if I'm using SEC probably less than 30 minutes
Wax - about an hour - closer to 30 minutes if using S100

EDIT....
BTW, after posting and reviewing I realized this thread was in the Professional Detailers forum. Ooops, I thought I was in Autopia University. I'm not necessarily a "professional" detailer. I detail on the side whenever I have a "gig" or spare time for one of my vehicles.

Greg · 06-21-03, 08:09

About 3 1/2 hrs for me. I do not typically clay cars though. Wash, polish, glaze, seal. Then steam clean carpets, vacuum, condition leather, etc.

Smoker · 06-21-03, 08:21

Somewhere between 3 and 5 hours depending how bad it is.

I did a nice well looked after 2002 Excursion in 3 1/2 and cost them 80 bucks , but a trashed 2001 Millenia took me 5 and cost them 120.

All depends how much the customer is paying and what they want doing.

A 'maintenance' Wash and Vac will take about 45 minutes as long as the vehicles up to my standard.

NJDetailer · 06-21-03, 11:52

Cars usually take around 3 hours. That's for full interior and exterior detail, includes a 2 step exterior detail (polish and wax) and shampooing the interior. This does not include clay or compounding, these are extras and will add to the time required.

EvreDtail · 06-21-03, 01:00

Wow, you guys are fast. It takes me between 6-8 hours for a car and 8-10 hours on a truck. I actually detailed a saab 9-3 convertible this week, it took me 15 hours, but it looked great when it was finished and the customer was estatic. I really take my time to make sure I get "every detail" on every car that I do.

NJDetailer · 06-21-03, 03:25

Quote:

Originally posted by EvreDtail
Wow, you guys are fast. It takes me between 6-8 hours for a car and 8-10 hours on a truck. I actually detailed a saab 9-3 convertible this week, it took me 15 hours, but it looked great when it was finished and the customer was estatic. I really take my time to make sure I get "every detail" on every car that I do.

Once you come up with a good system you can really cut your time down. Having the proper equipment and knowing how to use it helps too. I make sure I get "every detail" too. I did a full detail on a black Cherokee which included a fallout wash and a 4 step exterior detail in under 5 1/2 hours.

What was involved in the 15 hour detail and what do you charge?
Do you polish/wax by hand or machine?

Rednsxe · 06-21-03, 08:46

When you guys clay w/in an hour, do you guys get every spec off with it or just go over quickly until it glides smoothly and then let the Cleaner finish the rest of the surface off? I did a very thorough clay on a CLK and it took me about a little over a hour and a half