Dealership Detailing wages?

MoparAddict

MoparAddict

She'll Buff Out
The more and more i talk to people about detailing, the more i hear about how dealerships have a bad rep.
The sad thing is i know why. I see it all the time at work how some of the guys cut corners, dont remove swirls, dont remove stains,dont remove spiderwebs, water spots everywhere ect ect.
Im the complete opposite and a total perfectionist.
The thing is that no one says anything about there work nor mine. Theres a huge difference between mine and the others. I feel, if i were to buy a used car, i would want it close to new as possible.
Im the youngest and the least paid there. The other guys make 5 and 7 more a hour then i do and they only been there 3 weeks longer then i have.
Im am in no way trying to brag but me and one other (my foreman) are the only ones who removes stains, gets out water spots, removes spider webs/swirls, wet sands, airbrushes ect. Ill buy my own equipment and products and bring them to work. Anything that helps me do better and faster work, ill buy. The others guys wouldnt spend a dime. They say the dealership should pay for it.
There are four of us at the dealership. Me and my foreman are the same. Hes been detailing for 15 years i have been for 3 months lol. So obvious he will be paid more but the other two are still making 5 more than me when i do much better work. What should i do about this? Leave the dealership? Dont try as hard sense they dont seem to care or notice the difference in work? I heard the owner is very hard to get a raise from so thats prob out of the question. Any suggestions or has anyone had a similar experience with this?
Any help would be much appreciated.
 
That's why I work for myself. I don't want anyone else deciding how much my work is worth but me.

I see your problem and it's a shame that your quality work isn't being rewarded. It also sounds like to me that you belong out on your own or working for a detail shop that appreciates good work. Dealerships have that reputation because 99% of them don't care about anything but how much they can squeeze out of a deal.

Troy
 
AMEN Troy. Also, When I worked at a dealership, I brought my own supplies and hand tools in.
Screw it.... I was losing money working there...

Another reason why I work for myself
 
Dealerships, in general don't care about the quality of work as much as they do quantity. This tends to apply to wholesalers and auto auctions as well.

The average retail customer looks at a car for what it is on the lot, not if it's "Perfect" or "Showroom."

A majority of people think a wash, quick wax, and tire dressing ARE showroom.

Look at the vehicles they often trade in: they are rolling garbage cans. Anything is better

You may not be happy as a dealership cleanup person unless they are one that is more considerate of detail oriented, thorough work.

Use your current opportunity to learn about more products and processes. Keep an eye open for a shop or other dealership that might be more into quality AND is willing to pay for your efforts. Best of luck to you.
 
Thanks guys for your input. I think im probably going to quit here in the near future and go out on my own or maybe go apply to a small detail shop. I guess there is a reason for dealerships having a bad detail rep. To bad.
 
PRB said:
Dealerships, in general don't care about the quality of work as much as they do quantity. This tends to apply to wholesalers and auto auctions as well.
Click to expand...

You're right, most dealerships don't care. They just want the car cleaned and the customer sent on their way.

But there are those few that do care. Mostly the larger dealers in the country. Like the ford dealership i worked at. We didn't hire just anyone, and we trained each employee with a trained detailer before letting them work on their own. If you train people right and pay them what they're worth you can count on cars going out perfect or close to it.

This is also a reason why there are so many so called mobile detailers out there. People start working at these places. Learn a little bit about detailing, think they know it all, get sick of the low pay and go out on their own after the big bucks.

I would try to get a raise, explain everything to the boss/owner. And if it doesn't work out the way you want, start looking around.
 
Before you quit your job, get info. By that, I mean learn. Not just detailing, but the business side of it. The business aspect outweighs the actual detailing itself.

Few things, no all, to research...
Permits
License
Insurance
EPA regs.
MSDS sheets and how to read them
Know the business, don't just jump in and go.
There are alot of things that need to be addressed first. Stick with what you have...learn more, save some money, and when you are fully ready, go for it...

my .02
 
I think within the week ill go talk to my foreman about a rasie and see what he says. I was offered a full time job at a body shop i work at nights after the dealership. They offered me a lllllot more money but i dont think they have a enough work for me to get my 40 hours in.
I actully been looking into getting a business license, city regulations and so on. I been going around to other shops to asking them what they had to do to start up. What they offer, pricing ect. So im just going to get all the knowledge i can. Ill stick around a few more months at the dealership, see what happens and go from there.
Thanks again everyone for your help.
 
TexasTB said:
Before you quit your job, get info. By that, I mean learn. Not just detailing, but the business side of it. The business aspect outweighs the actual detailing itself.

Few things, no all, to research...
Permits
License
Insurance
EPA regs.
MSDS sheets and how to read them
Know the business, don't just jump in and go.
There are alot of things that need to be addressed first. Stick with what you have...learn more, save some money, and when you are fully ready, go for it...

my .02
Click to expand...



I was going to say this Mopar you can learn a lot for working where you are...and learn a lot of what not to do....looking for another shop to work at would be a solution but leaping from one job to the next only makes you look better, than just quitting and then looking...
 
Trevor I remember when I first started I was in the same basic boat as you, then I found another job with a pretty good guy, he was kind of a cheapskate but I learned a LOT and had some good times with him. I'd stick with the job as long as you can hold out, especially if your foreman is willing to teach you a lot of new tricks and methods.

Or, you could have Rich talk to your boss. From the stories he's told he's roughed up a few folks in the past :bubba
TexasTB said:
Before you quit your job, get info. By that, I mean learn. Not just detailing, but the business side of it. The business aspect outweighs the actual detailing itself.

Few things, no all, to research...
Permits
License
Insurance
EPA regs.
MSDS sheets and how to read them
Know the business, don't just jump in and go.
There are alot of things that need to be addressed first. Stick with what you have...learn more, save some money, and when you are fully ready, go for it...

my .02
Click to expand...
Great advice :bigups
 
MoparAddict said:
I was offered a full time job at a body shop i work at nights after the dealership. They offered me a lllllot more money but i dont think they have a enough work for me to get my 40 hours in...
Click to expand...
With the pictures of the befores & afters from the Pacifica, the customers reaction and satisfaction, you have excellent bargaining tools for negotiating a raise. However, if the working less than 40 hours means making the same amount per week/month (or more) my suggestion might be look further at their offer which might allow you more time to do side jobs -- thus allowing you to (if it's what you want to do) grow a business. Either way, good luck :)
 
[Bthe thing is most people who buy a car from a dealership only care about it looking washed and the tires dressed:D
 
LikeaRock said:
Trevor I remember when I first started I was in the same basic boat as you, then I found another job with a pretty good guy, he was kind of a cheapskate but I learned a LOT and had some good times with him. I'd stick with the job as long as you can hold out, especially if your foreman is willing to teach you a lot of new tricks and methods.

Or, you could have Rich talk to your boss. From the stories he's told he's roughed up a few folks in the past :bubba

Great advice :bigups
Click to expand...

Ya i dont think anyone would talk back to rich haha, it was good to see you yesterday too.
 
dr_detail said:
With the pictures of the befores & afters from the Pacifica, the customers reaction and satisfaction, you have excellent bargaining tools for negotiating a raise. However, if the working less than 40 hours means making the same amount per week/month (or more) my suggestion might be look further at their offer which might allow you more time to do side jobs -- thus allowing you to (if it's what you want to do) grow a business. Either way, good luck :)
Click to expand...

I never even thought of that, thats a really good idea. Ya i would love to own my own business someday.
 
Beemerboy said:
I was going to say this Mopar you can learn a lot for working where you are...and learn a lot of what not to do....looking for another shop to work at would be a solution but leaping from one job to the next only makes you look better, than just quitting and then looking...
Click to expand...

I would deff find another job before i quit this one. I couldnt afford to quit then look, way to many bills to pay lol. I think im going to go apply around at some of the smaller shops around here that have a good rep. Iv also had a few people approach me asking if they were to open a shop would i come work for them, so we'll what happens with those as well. Play it by year.
 
Think of the dealership as a personal test lab! LOL

I tried NUMEROUS processes on vehicles. I got everything from very clean cars in to absolute garbage cans. I learned a lot and what processes to use efficiently. But yea, most dealerships care less about anything except money
 
TexasTB said:
Think of the dealership as a personal test lab! LOL

I tried NUMEROUS processes on vehicles. I got everything from very clean cars in to absolute garbage cans. I learned a lot and what processes to use efficiently. But yea, most dealerships care less about anything except money
Click to expand...

You deff have a good point on that. You get every type of car in there, in all different conditions. You really get learn all kinds of different processes that work well and are efficient.
 
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