Carpet Dyeing

[ezd96]

I was wanting to know if any of you Pro`s have taken on Carpet Dyeing as a add on service. I have ran across so many cars that could use this service so I thought I would do some research on the subject. Floor mats would be a great testing ground I think.



First part of the research was ask the Pro`s that may be doing the service. I have already looked at a few companies that sell the product like Rightlook, Paitbull ect. and of course they claim its wonderful but I want to know the real answers from someone that does the work. Is Carpet Dyeing for real or just crap? TIA:)

[PRB]

I was wanting to know if any of you Pro`s have taken on Carpet Dyeing as a add on service. ...They claim its wonderful but I want to know the real answers from someone that does the work. Is Carpet Dyeing for real or just crap? TIA:)



When I did the work professionally, I rarely did dyeing. Where you see that used in volume is by volume cleanup shops that service the average used car lot or auction.



I do not have experience with any of the franchises. I purchased my own products on the rare occasion that I did the work myself.



Personally, I say use it as a last resort. What you`re doing is covering something that is devastated by dirt or some kind of stain. There was one shop here in town that would do a quick surface clean, then dye the heck out of carpets, mats, and even seats that had deeper dirt or stains. He said it saved time and made things look great. I disagreed, as did most customers.



Two things:



1) The dye usually looks a bit different than the original carpet color. Think of it as you would when seeing a spot paint repair on the body of a car.



2) They dye easily wears off carpet and seats. People are in for an unpleasant surprise if it transfers to their clothing.



Often, the heavy dye job will feel crusty and still not totally cover the problem. While it can be a money maker, you`d have to identify your market to decide if it works for you. Our dealer accounts did their own sub-K on that stuff and I did as well, for most jobs.



If you want to attract business doing this sort of work, it`s usually done mobile since it`s a low pay-per-job item ($20-30/unit is what I saw, in most cases). It`s not as if you could make money picking up and delivering one car at a time unless it is an added service with the cleanup. Usually, the leather and vinyl repair contractors were the same ones doing the carpet dye and pinstriping. Also consider the cost and inconvenience of having materials to mix or a multitide of pre-mixed cans.

[ezd96]

Thanks for that input PRB. I mainly was looking to just do the mats and include that into my Complete Detail Service package. I figured that if you could master the mats over time then maybe the bottom of some door panels and on to the carpet. The cost of materials seemed reasonable to play with from what I have found. Great info, just the reply I was looking for!!