Detail in a day???

Dan

Dan

Well-known member
Can a true detail be done in a day? I keep seeing more and more threads where the pros are taking over a day to just polish paint. I know I can't do it all in one day, even on a pretty clean car. If you were doing what you considered an ideal job, how long would your average detail take?
 
I can if I have a helper follow me take off the polish after I buff it. I also need help masking off trim (when I do) I have done it in a day But I would prefer to do it in a 2 day process, preps day one with a "heavy" polish / inside, cover the car with ol car cover then ONR it then finish the polish then seal/ wax it.
 
I know there are going to be differences of opinion about what should be done on a street detail but the way I look at it, doing things that won't make a difference after the first car wash isn't a good use of my time or my client's money.



A few years ago I did cars for a collector who had his 5 daily drivers washed twice a week and detailed every three months. I decided to to an experiment, on one car I did all the fancy stuff. I took off the licence plates, cleaned every gap around every light, etc. On the other, I just washed and dried like a normal detail, then touched every surface I knew I'd touch in a car wash, I didn't take off the plates, etc. After one car wash there was no difference.



Of course, by the time I got around to that, there was no grease in the door jams where there shouldn't have been, they'd all ready been waxed a couple of times and the cars were in pretty much show condition but still, the things I emphasize are those that are going to matter after the first car wash, the paint, the carpets, the controls, vents, mirrors, glass, wheels, etc. I don't shampoo under seats, there's no dirt there and no point in getting clean carpet wet. So, no point in removing the seats.



Good value for money. If I'm charging for something that's only going to last a week, I'm not using my clients money and my time wisely.



BTW, I can do two complete details a day because I know what I'm doing and don't have to re-do things. Work flow and thirty years of waking up every day trying to figure out how to get a better result, faster and easier makes a difference. I used to take 8 hours and get nowhere near the results I get now.



Robert
 
WhyteWizard said:
I decided to to an experiment, on one car I did all the fancy stuff. I took off the licence plates, cleaned every gap around every light, etc. On the other, I just washed and dried like a normal detail, then touched every surface I knew I'd touch in a car wash, I didn't take off the plates, etc. After one car wash there was no difference.
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I guess that is where the difference is. To make myself happy, I go after all the spots where I know dirt is hiding. A good interior detail takes me 5 hours.
 
yakky said:
Can a true detail be done in a day? I keep seeing more and more threads where the pros are taking over a day to just polish paint. I know I can't do it all in one day, even on a pretty clean car. If you were doing what you considered an ideal job, how long would your average detail take?
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I think of paint correction as separate from detailing. To me detailing is cleaning the car and waxing / paint sealant.
 
It really depends on your situation. I have a perfectly set up and organized shop, and can perform a concours level detail sometimes in a day. If you're mobile, it might be a little more difficult.





John
 
Yeah, there's too many variables to hang a specific number on how long it'll take.



Just for an exterior detail on an average sized car, it'll take me 10-14 hours.
 
yakky said:
I guess that is where the difference is. To make myself happy, I go after all the spots where I know dirt is hiding. A good interior detail takes me 5 hours.
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The difference is who's being made happy and how. There's nothing more than dust under the seats, my vacuum eats that in one pass, the cracks and crevices get handled by a Purdy nylon polyester paint brush in one hand and the vacuum in the other - vacuum hose controlled so it doesn't touch the car of course. My steam cleaner gets the carpets clean without soap so I don't have to spend a lot of time rinsing. Cleaning and treating leather is one pass clean, one pass treat, come back at the end and wipe everything down.



Outside is wash, getting oxidized rubber off the moldings, water spots off the glass, wheels clean, fender wells brushed clean, clay, final rinse, dry, buff with the rotary to get the scratches, Makita BO6040 with orange pad to get the swirls and leave the paint looking waxed, then sealer and top coat of carnuba. Clean the glass, put the floor mats and personal effects back in the car, do the glass, treat the tires.



I'd be happy to have anyone here inspect my work - knowing of course that any detail can be picked apart - but with the idea of value for money. If I take a whole day on a car, I have to charge $450. If the car's going to a show or is a very high end car being sold, that makes sense but like I said, if there's no difference between that and what I'd have done for half that after the first wash, that means I took $225 of my clients money for maybe on weeks difference in the over all look. I'm a professional, I work to make my clients happy.



Finally, a car I did for a client to drive around up at Pebble this year was parked at the Concorso Italiano - A Celebration of Italian Style it was parked at another display, got judged and took second. A yellow 4 cam. My client paid $275 for his detail and I'm pretty sure the guy who got third paid a whole lot more.



Robert
 
LOL... I guess the question becomes, how long would it take YOU to get your car clean enough to have US look at it, vs what is a good value for a customer. Like it has been mentioned, anyone can pick apart a detail, even if you don't include the engine bay or undercarriage.
 
yakky said:
LOL... I guess the question becomes, how long would it take YOU to get your car clean enough to have US look at it, vs what is a good value for a customer. Like it has been mentioned, anyone can pick apart a detail, even if you don't include the engine bay or undercarriage.
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Impossible to answer without knowing the condition of the car.
 
average daily driver detail..... Shouldn't take more than 6-8 hours for everything. regardless of condition of the car. Specialized detailing and really finicky paint that needs extra special needs can take quite a few hours or even days. Concourse detailing is on a whole different level. But your masterpiece is only as good as your canvas ;).. Conditon of the car makes all the difference in the world.
 
How long is your day? I have 20 hour days sometimes! :lol



Among the questions that I ask the customer during my interview is:



1.) What are his expectations

2.) Is the car garaged or lives outside each night?



For #1, a lot of times, the customer will say that what bothers him most is a little isolated defect, instead of all the swirls. They are usually shocked to find that swirls can be removed! I put the condition that sufficient time is needed however. If time is really an issue, a combination of light swirl removal with a product with fillers might solve the problem for the customer, but I make sure they understand that the swirls will reappear. This sort of customer has low expectations so pleasing them is easy. I had a Cayman S last week where the owner was very specific about what he wanted detailed..I spent an hour and a half detailing the paint between the Cayman emblem BEFORE I began polishing.



For #2, an outdoor car suffers more abuse than a garaged one. There is no point in making the paint flawless. Like #1, set a realistic goal for swirl removal and use protection with fillers to further improve the finish without unnecessarily compromising the paint thickness for future polishing work.



I finished a black Maserati (flawless finish) on Saturday in 8 hours with 2 employees. One followed me with a PC (removing any buffer trails) as I rotary buffed and the other worked on the interior and exterior trim details i.e. wheels, exhaust tips, etc..



Sure it's possible but you have to know what you are doing and provide a realistic solution that satisfies both you and the customer.



Richard
 
I like spending 6-10 hours doing new car preps these days. Complete details usually take 2-3 days. I can't do recon work in a single day any more. I think I need medication for my OCD. :grinno:
 
David Fermani said:
I like spending 6-10 hours doing new car preps these days. Complete details usually take 2-3 days. I can't do recon work in a single day any more. I think I need medication for my OCD. :grinno:
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David May I ask what recon work is? Is that different then Autopian type of work? Please fill me in here.
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Reconditioning (to me now a days:D) is a complete detail that involves a multi-step correction & total interior cleaning. I look back at all those high-volume 2-3 hour full detail jobs we did back in the day and it makes me cringe sometimes. It paid the bills though...(and I'd probably do it all over again if I could :chuckle:)
 
The days of scothbrite pads on leather. Wool pad 3000 rpms and LSP ready. You mean keroscene takes tar off? Are you kidding me? lol What do you mean you pressure wash cloth seats? lol those days? I remember them.
 
sadly I'm reliving that nightmare right now dave :( These guys I'm working with don't have a clue...



Some classic examples of what I'm dealing with (what these guys have told me)



1. Clay bars are for overspray only.

2. I can get a full detail out the door in about an hour.

3. we get the stickers off with that 5 gallon tub or laquer thinner over there.

4. we use blue coral and auto magic. They have really good products.

5. Dress the engine bay? How do you do that?

6. I've been detailing since johnson was president so I know it all.

7. only wax half way down the door. It's a waste of time to wax the entire car.

8. Why can't I use the hose on the carpet? That's how they told us to clean them.



:hairpull:hairpull:hairpull:bat:bat:bat
 
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