Is pay decent working as a detailer for an Audi dealership?

[sahrcar]

I have been detailing cars professionally I guess one can say for about 2 years now. I get paid here and there but cant seem to generate enough business to turn it over into a full time endeavour. Maybe only get a few cars per month Id say. Its nothing about my skills its just that other places nearby want to charge only like $80 and get people out in just an hour or less so the speed thing is attracting many people and even when I try to drum up business some "friend" nearby will chime in about that too how Im slower than other places. Im a one man show vs. a team of 5+ so of course Im going to be a bit slower timewise. The jobs I have obtained though have been wowed at my results. I need a steady source of income right now and benefits would be nice too. The local Audi dealership is hiring and they seemed impressed when I went in to inquire about their job listing ad. I know the pay wont be as high as Id make solo since Im charging about $40/hr but how much does one actually make as a detailer at a dealership? Is it a good work experience or are you just using crappy supplies all day and gotta rush through everything?

[08Sunburst]

I can only speak from the experience that i have, but, the dealer i work at normally sends cars out to be detailed. Granted, i work at a family owned dealer that is very small(4 people work there including myself). But for the price we pay for a "detail" its not worth the time for me to spend a day or two on one car.



The cleaning and detailing i do-do at the dealer, is mostly using crap products and done quickly.



For example, they dont buy claybar, they dont buy good compound, they buy the cheapest wax possible, etc etc.



BUT, i would assume an Audi dealer would be a little different. It all depends though, if they sell high end new audi`s, like R8`s and such, or if they sell to year old used ones.

[Dan]

It all depends on the dealership. Go look at the used cars on their lot and you`ll quickly find out what sort of work they do. As for money, it varies by location and style of dealership. The thing is, its a job that puts food on the table, stop worrying about the standards and take advantage of the situation to work faster/smarter. If you are seeking detailing perfection, you won`t be happy at ANY dealership. If you want to detail high end cars, start low and work your way up.

[Accumulator]

I can`t say anything about how they`d pay, but I will say that my Audi dealer (Stoddard Imported Cars, Willoughby OH...yeah, that`s a plug, they`re great) used to have a *VERY* good detailer. Good enough that I let him do one of my new Audis pre-delivery (let him do my Dad`s car too). But then he finished grad school and went on to his "real" career. Now their cars look, well....mighty bad.



I guess my points are that a) their good detailer didn`t consider it a lifelong career, b) looking at their cars these days you wouldn`t know that they really *DO* appreciate a good detailer, they just don`t have one working there at present, and c) they do "get it", moreso than some other Audi dealers I know...you can`t tell whether a specific Audi dealer (even one dealing in lots of their high-end cars) will appreciate good detailing or not until you interview with them.



Remember that virtually all their cars will have very hard clear ;) I forget which product line is the "Official Audi Dealer" choice these days (it used to be 3M, at least here in my part of OH), but they might dictate what stuff you can use...and that might be a real headache when it comes to correcting Audis.

[David Fermani]

Excellent work experience! Do they pay hourly or by the car? Get your feet in the door and there`s a chance down the road that this could allow you to open up your own shop servicing this and many other dealerships. I think everyone should have the opportunity to detail filthy dealer cars. Way too many people here got their start by working on their own cars and other creampuffs.