Tips and tricks to a happy customer.

Gurge said:
great tips todd! I like the idea of making anything the customer touches feel slick

guilty of the key hole thing

someone mentioned inside the fuel door and I like doing that also. that area is often neglected but eventually the owner will notice

and removing the key scratches around the door definitely gives the 'wow' factor


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Those look like finger nail scratches mixed in. If those are all from the key missing the lock, it must be very dark where they live, because they missed the lock by a mile :D
 
Excellent points, DC.

detailchick said:
Be really gentle when cleaning the shifter nob and steering wheel , especially on older cars . They can get really dirty and eaten up with the hands natural acidic oils( you may not see this till its clean) and you dont want to tear it up any further . Sometimes being clean they even look worse unfortunetly and some before you could have used something really harsh for cleaning.I like to use Lexol leather cleaner because I know its very gentle.

I had one steering wheel start crumbing apart on me so I stopped and asked the owner what hed beed using on the steering wheel and he told me windex!Thankfully he knew he already messed it up himself.
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I always thought this was a result of improper care or from people's rings until I wound up having my own steering wheel start to do this early on. Seems that some of them are just prone to crumble.

detailchick said:
I always like to check the tires for tread wear or any nails and screws for the owners safety.Also low tire pressure and abnormal tire tread wear .
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Spending time up close and personal often gives a detailer a view of the vehicle that the owner often doesn't. I have found all sorts of safety issues that owners were not aware of. They are very grateful for the notice.

detailchick said:
One thing a detailer I trained with taught me is to spend a couple minutes in the drivers seat and give everthing a second look around from that angle because that is what is most likely going to be noticed.
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As I was working today I thought of this thread and was going to say the exact same thing.:bigups This is often when I see what I missed above the rear view mirror.:redface: I use a swiffer duster to go over the dash, console and doors to get the last bit of dust that might have settled and to make sure I'm really looking.

Also don't forget to hold the window and door lock switches when cleaning them, otherwise it can be very noticeable when pressed later. Anther big no-no to miss is the space between the steering wheel and the column. If missed it will be noticed when the steering wheel is turned. I simply use my MF towel from the rest of the dash once it is saturated with my cleaner of choice, fold it over and "floss" the gap.
 
Wow!!! So great tips here... I really appreciate the tips you are all sharing... As I only do select cars part time I want provide a higher end service than the local shmucks. These tips will simply add to the service I provide. Thanks everyone!!
 
All good tips above :bow


Something I always did after a simple wash & vac would be to quickly go over the car with Aquawax or Optimum Spray Wax. The product cost was nil and it took all of ten minutes max to make it look really nice as opposed to just clean. The customer felt that they got a great deal more than they paid for. This little gesture made for a lot of referrals.
 
I keep a supply of valve stem caps around (black and chrome) and replace the missing. (Yes, my customers tend to need this.)
 
There are so many nice tips coming out in this thread. That is one of the really nice things about this profession/ forum compared to a lot of others. Things are kept as valuable secrets to never be shared.
 
RTexasF said:
All good tips above :bow


Something I always did after a simple wash & vac would be to quickly go over the car with Aquawax or Optimum Spray Wax. The product cost was nil and it took all of ten minutes max to make it look really nice as opposed to just clean. The customer felt that they got a great deal more than they paid for. This little gesture made for a lot of referrals.
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Ive done this as well, and it looks as if you spent even more time on it then you did as it looks like you truly waxed it. I usually try to kick in something that takes me and extra 10-15 mins. Customers appreciate that you have gone the extra mile.
 
how about a little air freshener, new car, leather, etc. ? i've had friends who were enthralled with a little new car scent inside.
 
I use a toothpick and carefully remove debris from hairline crevices.. like dried coffee stains...

lubricate any door hinges ( suck to have a car detail, you open the door and its squealing),

I use a flap plastic trim tool, wrap a MF towel on it and clean the window guides. ( would suck if a client wave goodbye to you with the window down, then put it back up only to see smears on his window)
 
overtimedetail said:
I use a flap plastic trim tool, wrap a MF towel on it and clean the window guides. ( would suck if a client wave goodbye to you with the window down, then put it back up only to see smears on his window)
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now there is something i can honestly say i havent thought of! im going to steal this from ya, hope ya dont mind!
 
If the door windows recess into a frame, lower them slightly (to expose the top of the door windows) and clean that. Usually they get a lot of crud and some rubber marks in that area that never gets cleaned.

I agree with all of the posts saying what a great thread this has been. Thanks guys and gal.
 
Todd Helme said:
If the door windows recess into a frame, lower them slightly (to expose the top of the door windows) and clean that. Usually they get a lot of crud and some rubber marks in that area that never gets cleaned.

I agree with all of the posts saying what a great thread this has been. Thanks guys and gal.
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i always get that but i am guilty of being a crappy window cleaner. ive tried everything but that edge has to be propper lol!
 
tropicsteve said:
how about a little air freshener, new car, leather, etc. ? i've had friends who were enthralled with a little new car scent inside.
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I think this depends on the car and how it smells after you are done. A classic Ferrari dressed in Conolly Leather or a new Porsche, I wouldn't want to alter that smell. For more regular cars I usually give a spray of DP Series DeOdorizer's.
 
Todd Helme said:
I think this depends on the car and how it smells after you are done. A classic Ferrari dressed in Conolly Leather or a new Porsche, I wouldn't want to alter that smell. For more regular cars I usually give a spray of DP Series DeOdorizer's.
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i can't believe a new ferrari or porsche owner wouldn't be impressed with a little tree new car scent air freshener hanging from the mirror :D
 
-door, trunk & hood jams, wiper cowl area & gas cap are part of the prep wash. if i catch one of my guys not washing out a door jam during the prep wash i bug out. also, lift the hood & do the front area & make sure the headlights are fully clean all the way round to the top.

-make sure the front grille is polished free of bug guts & cleaned fully! this is another thing thats included that is sometimes forgotten during the prep wash!

-something that should always be done, even if its a simple hand wash...polish the front windshield with #0000 steel wool or clay to remove the bug guts. you dont have to polish all of the glass but make sure that windshield is taken care of on the cuff. just do it.

-for the steel wool pads hold it between your middle 3 fingers, using your thumb & pinky finger as a guide to protect against the plastic cowl or that rubber molding towards the top of the windshield. obviously you want to leave the wipers up before doing this. since i just thought of the wipers...i used to get a box of isopropyl wipes, like what the doctors use before they prick you with a needle...those little alcohol swabs are great to clean the edge of the wiper blade. im going to pick up a few boxes of this today.

-when im doing a full in & out detail i will make sure all of my glass is polished with #0000 steel wool or some clay.

if things bother me then they have to bother my customer. :bigups

thats enough from me today. gotta get my day started!

tips & tricks to a happy boss = a happy customer (#winning)!
 
just thought of another one:

check door jams for shoe scuffs. if you find some give that a lil rub down with a lil lq thinner (gulp) or some M105 then follow with some polish applied by hand.

:cool:
 
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