Attention: Detailers that only offer Full Corrections.....

[Barry Theal]

Funny thing. I have seen owners of high volume shops and they drive in high end cars. Then you have high end detailers that only work on high cars but drive low end rides.



Hmmmm.....what`s up with this????

Thats because there is no money in doing highend cars all the time. High Volume shops have dealer transporter plates to move the cars. They don`t own highend ones they drive the dealers. . Thats whats up with that! lol

[David Fermani]

Dave, you now need to get real........come on now you know that shop was not a detail shop but a high end specialty suspension and alignment shop with the ability to do extreme high end correction along with maintenance work.



I was the founding General Manager and I left because the owner wanted to run a cheapo "Tire r us" type of operation where the facility and techs were set up to work on the finest cars on the road.





Just by your statement it obvious you do not know what the equipment was/is or how to use it?, if so maybe you can tell me how to get a Ferrari Scuderia to go from a negative to positive scrub radius? or more high speed stability?? would you set in more caster or not? and where in the rear or front or both?. Maybe you can explain how to fix a tire pull?? is it due to road crown or other factors?? also maybe a tutorial on bump steer and how to optimize tire runout with match mounting in conjunction with axial and radial forces put on the tire and wheel assembly with a dual plane static and dynamic loadforce balance.





Dave I know what the numbers are, and understand "Economy of scale" as it pertains to a shop and I would love to know what the princely sum you sold the shop for because unless you have ten kids or something you should be rolling.........I mean "Monied up" and people who are in that category(such as my client base) are not on detailing forums 24/7.



I too am on great terms with all five of the original guys I hired @ Performance Art and speak with them on a daily basis, so that in and of itself does not tell me much.My whole problem with you is the way you have banged people, all the while claiming you help "The community" where as I do it behind the scenes where only myself and the person I talked with know what transpired with out a thread touting myself as a guru.





Have you ever seen me come up with a "Hack list" of detailers?, have you seen me attack by NAME my direct competition for the exception when that person pulled some shady poop?, or attack your "Business partners" competition?.





I am not perfect Dave, and I have told lies in my life and have done things I wish I had not, however I do have a self induced code of honor that I attempt to live by and when I see a guy being a internet bully and no one speaks up.............well I did and the results are self evident. You have pre-judged all three of us (former Gloss-it guys) Dave S, Richie and myself made up your mind and that was that, telling some people(yes it got back to me) I was a schill........well I do not have a link in my profile going to Zaino now do I?.





This will probably get clipped, I know this and have recieved a few pm`s that were not flattering about the drama, but my zero tolerance for "Shenanigans" causes this reply and I stand by it....like a man should to "Say what I mean, mean what I say".

Bob - When are going to let this nonsense evaporate? It’s unfortunate that you and your crew continue to blatantly attack and talk down to me both here and on forums that I don’t even post on. What is this the 4th or 5th time you’ve outright attacked me on my own thread for no reason other than to play pinch hitter for the loosing team. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve you hacking into my pictures and posting them on another forum just to show me in an out of context bad light? This behavior is not only childish and unprofessional, but inexcusable. Stop thinking that everyone is out to get you and start acting your age by walking away from this self-enduced drama. Stop airing out your personal laundry and let it go. Nothing good will ever come of it for anyone. END

[Scottwax]

It absolutely makes sense to offer maintenance details, of high end cars, from the time they are new. If the maintenance is done bi-weekly or monthly by a qualified person, the car should never need "paint correction", with the exception of an accidental scratch. I offer a decent discount if a person agrees to at least monthly service for 6 months at a time. Many do bi-weekly. These cars stay virtually "new" looking, indefinitely. That is a major benefit for your customers, who really value the appearance of their cars.

Exactly. You can build customer loyalty by taking care of all their detailing needs, whether it be a full correction or regular washes. The goal of any business should be to make the customer feel your services/product are something they cannot do without. It is also nice to know you have regular business at least a couple days a week. I don`t do nearly as much weekly washing as I used to since I want to focus more on the detailing side of the business but I still have set aside a couple days for washes. Some of customers have been with me since I was just starting out back in the mid 90s. If I had only been willing to do details for them and not also do regular washes/maintenance plans, they probably would have found someone who would.

[justin30513]

Thats because there is no money in doing highend cars all the time. High Volume shops have dealer transporter plates to move the cars. They don`t own highend ones they drive the dealers. . Thats whats up with that! lol

I`m talking about some of the 8.00 drive thrus with 25 men and women waiting with terrys to dry off your car. I talked with one guy that owned 5 of these. He said people just want a clean car....nothing else. They see over 300 cars total on a good day. Of course some packages are more than 8.00 but still, it tells you what the majority of the market looks for and wants.

[imported_Detailing Technology]

If you can pull in the revenue required to make you happy form exclusively doing high-end work, you are successful.



If you do it from $15 washes and $100 details, you are successful also.



Its all in your definition of happiness.

[Scottwax]

I`m talking about some of the 8.00 drive thrus with 25 men and women waiting with terrys to dry off your car. I talked with one guy that owned 5 of these. He said people just want a clean car....nothing else. They see over 300 cars total on a good day. Of course some packages are more than 8.00 but still, it tells you what the majority of the market looks for and wants.

Just like the majority of the market for a detail just wants a clean, shiny and well protected car. They don`t look at the paint the way we do nor care if the paint is completely defect free. Of course, that doesn`t mean you can`t educate them on what to look for and possibly turn them into a more discriminate customer who will eventually want a higher level of paint correction. You do a good job for them, gain their trust and they will then be more open to taking their paint to the next step.

[Junebug]

Well said Scott! I`d like to add that a lot of family vehicles - the biggest thing is getting that interior looking new again. I don`t know why people eat in their cars. Then wonder what that smell is!



I did a Dodge Charger a few months back, lady said her young nephews ate some crackers in the back seat - not possible - they never got anthing in the mouths, it was all in the carpet. Could have been worse, could have been the old lady with the cats!

[justin30513]

Well I have 3 kids and I could not imagine them not eating in our vehicle. Especially on long trips! It`s just part of it. Job security!

[Scottwax]

Well said Scott! I`d like to add that a lot of family vehicles - the biggest thing is getting that interior looking new again. I don`t know why people eat in their cars. Then wonder what that smell is!

The smell is job security for us!

[VW 91]

Just by your statement it obvious you do not know what the equipment was/is or how to use it?, if so maybe you can tell me how to get a Ferrari Scuderia to go from a negative to positive scrub radius? or more high speed stability?? would you set in more caster or not? and where in the rear or front or both?. Maybe you can explain how to fix a tire pull?? is it due to road crown or other factors?? also maybe a tutorial on bump steer and how to optimize tire runout with match mounting in conjunction with axial and radial forces put on the tire and wheel assembly with a dual plane static and dynamic loadforce balance.

I thought this was a detailing forum? Try to stay on topic bud.

[Thomas Dekany]

Try to stay on topic bud.

You should leave the "vwvortex" attitude at the door bud. With only 2 posts you are now telling one of the best detailers to stay on topic? He is on topic fyi.

[VW 91]

You should leave the "vwvortex" attitude at the door bud. With only 2 posts you are now telling one of the best detailers to stay on topic? He is on topic fyi.

I dont see how any of that applies to day to day detailing. Whatever, I am just an amatuer with a "vwvortex" attitude.. Oh well, I just lurk here and dont like to post. I find that there is a lot of good info here, but at times drama like this occurs.

[Thomas Dekany]

I dont see how any of that applies to day to day detailing. Whatever, I am just an amatuer with a "vwvortex" attitude.. Oh well, I just lurk here and dont like to post. I find that there is a lot of good info here, but at times drama like this occurs.

Auto IS on topic. After all he was called "narrow minded". He is proving the OP wrong. If you don`t want to read it, you don`t have to.

[VanityDetailing]

Oddly enough, I`ve found that most of my clients specifically want full corrections. However, whereas I average 3-5 cars a week (weather depending... it is FL after all), I`d much rather have 5-7/week. I think that part of it is that I make one promise to my clients... "you won`t find anyone in the area, to do as much as I do, for cheaper." Am I undercutting a lot of detailers? Sure. But it`s a means to an end... I have bills to pay, and as of 2 weeks ago, now I have a wedding to save up for. I`d much rather average $200/car on a full correction/detail, and have 5+ a week, than to have three $300 jobs. Maybe it`s my inner workaholic, and maybe it`s a personal pride thing, but I have to stay busy. If it means a few "cheapy" jobs here and there, then by all means. A day I`m not working, is a day I`m not making money. A $50 day is better than a $0 day.

[brwill2005]

Again, it is all in how you position your product and who you target. If you position yourself as the best "correction" expert, you are essentially targeting those who have cars that need correction. How did those cars get to the point of needing "correction"? Someone, either the owner, the dealer, or another car appearance establishment damaged the paint. I think a smart choice is to position yourself as one who offers meticulous maintenance/detailing of fine cars, so that they never need "correction". Target those who have newer cars and are passionate about keeping them looking great. Usually these people are too busy to do it themselves. Offer your target market quality, convenience, and exceptional service and there will be a demand for such services.