A Job @ The Dealership

The local Nissan dealership here has an opening for a detailer. I know the guy well its where I brought my Murano in December. I called and talked to him about what they are looking for.
Has to be able to wet sand, buff out scratches, steam engines, etc. Your basic all around detailer. I`m thinking no big deal I can do all those hands down.

I asked what the pay looked like and he said for a top end guy like myself $14.00 an hour. I`m thinking crap I book out right now at $25.00 an hour for full details, so what`s the motivation to work for this guy.

Question: is this about the going rate for detailers at dealerships? Seems way cheap for the amount of work load you would have

Huh, in Memphis the guys make about $7 an hour. You should see some of their work!

I think you will learn very quickly that MOST dealerships are looking for quantity not quality.

Good luck either way!

It`s been my experience over the years that the lowest paid person on a dealers lot has been the detailer. "Anyone can wash and wax a new car" seems to be the attitude of the masses. As arrogant as it may sound, I tend to agree. In this area (SO-CAL LA/OC/RIV metro) wholesale used car complete details ("sleds" as we call em) are many times not done "on-site" but farmed out to a shop at a rate of $55-85 each. Having a signed dealer account means steady work through the off season, but it also means performing more work for less money.


I add that I was recently in talks with a car wash about a detail manager position and was quite shocked and partially insulted when I found out that $8.00/hr was the high end of the pay scale for the position. It also might explain why his six bays are consistently empty. :-p

I don`t do that bad for dealer work. I get paid per vehicle. $60 cars $70 trucks. I do between 2-3 a day depending on what day it is as they`re open 12hrs 3 days a week. I`m averaging 12-14 per week and 3.25hrs per vehicle. On top of that I do my own detailing out of my driveway 4- 6 cars a week @ at least $100 each, but I only do that weather permitting. I`d like to get out of dealer work all together, but being in NY, it sure helps out in the winter.

So you want to work for the Dealership`s new detailing department.."Paint Scratch and Swirl Mark Application Division"?

Dealerships just want the car prep done quickly.

Good luck on that one.

One of the Autopia members just got done doing 101 Chevy Equinox SUV`s for the NY Auto Show.

See this link and ask yourself if you still want to work for a Dealer.


Detail of 101 Chevy Equinox

Regards,

Deanski

I feel for that person... I worked 25 Major Auto shows a year for 5+ years...UGH!!

Thanks this is the info that I knew would be here, helps to make an educated decision about what you want and should do:google

I worked at the local GM dealership this summer... $7/hr. I hated it. At first it was, just get it on the lot and get it good later... Then it was make it look new quick... then take some time and make it right.... back and forth. Then a guy who had been detailing there for 20+ years came back and hated me because I did things the right way. (he would wash a car with a mit... the mit would hit the wheels then fenderwells, then hood, NEVER hitting the rinse bucket once)... The few cars I got to do without any other detailer touching them looked new and sold quick..

I`d say stay with your current job...

Having worked for many dealers I would say stay away yes most do offer benefits and 401k but average including Bmw dealers and Mercedes about $10 - $15 hr you can make much more doing this on your own. And there idea of a full detail is buff it wax it get it out on the lot... And your always the fall guy. Detailer at dealers are the bottom of the barrel..

Yea, don`t do it, it is not worth it. I just ended my job with a new/used car dealership. I just wasn`t getting paid like I should have been getting paid. Quantity over quality is always the way of the dealer, unless of course a customer has a problem with one of the scratches you didn`t take out cause you were in a hurry, then of course you should have taken your time with it. I hate dealers, they are all the same. If you spend too much time on it they get pissed, if you don`t spend enough time on they get pissed. Can`t win.

I have been around this for a few 24`s and dealers don`t pay what you are realy worth however it is a good place to learn the trade if your just starting out.I think if you can offer more than just a clean an wax say like an oil change or tire rotation or small problems fixed you can make some good money.example just last week i had a friend of mine`s son wanted his car cleaned and as i was cleaning it i noticed some antifreeze on the ground before i even called him i got a price and then called him on the problem and he said fix if you can, well instead of making 120 bucks for 4hrs i made 260 for 5 hrs not bad for a sat morning. so the more you can do the more your value and that goes for dealers too if you offer more you can make some money but overall dealers don;t pay like the public.