High volume work

[OpulentAuto]

Hello everyone,

I've browsed this site for a loooongg time but I've finally decided to take the step to register and post. I've picked up some good info in the time I've been here and I hope I can start contributing some great advice as well. Anyways, a few months ago we got our foot in the door at a local used car auction. We've been looking to expand the business so we designed a low cost package to target used car dealers. We've picked up quite a few accounts as a result, and I'm interested to hear any recommendations you may have about quickly and efficiently prepping vehicles for sale.

We prep some vehicles for sale at the auction, but the majority of these new accounts have us prep the car for sale on their lot, after they have purchased it at the auction. Most are small dealerships, they typically purchase 1-3 vehicles per sale. We are responsible for getting the car ready for a retail buyer.

Anyways, our 'basic vehicle prep' package includes a hand wash & dry, jambs, wax, dress & clean tires, quick engine clean-up, all windows, vac/shampoo/extract mats and carpets, and clean/dress seats, dash, and other vinyl parts in the interior. It sounds like a lengthy process but I'm able to knock a car out in 2.5-3.5 hrs. These cars aren't babied like our typical retail customer. They are wholesale accounts and they are given wholesale treatment. No 2 bucket washes, no blowing the car dry, and frankly I don't care how harsh the chemicals are as long as they don't screw up the surface they're meant for.

Chemicals currently used:
Microfiber mitt, Cobra drying towels, Daytona Speed brush
PB SSS
PB Natty Blue or NXT 2.0
Meg's Wheel Brightener
Meg's Hyper Dressing for tires & engine
Citrus degreaser + p21 TAW for engine, wheel wells

Folex carpet treatment
PC carpet brush
Microfiber towels, terry towels
Megs APC
PB Natural Look

Like I said, these cars are treated differently than our normal customer's car. I'm having difficulty finding chemicals that are strong, work quickly, and are cost-effective. If you have any suggestions on how to improve our vehicle prep service, I'd love to hear them!

Also, we're currently trying to create a low cost package that includes a one step polish. What AIO would you recommend for this situation? And what steps would you remove (if any) from our current package to keep the cost down?

 

[tuscarora dave]

Get an account with a dealership detailing supplies wholesaler and buy cheap products in bulk sizes. Cut as many of the boutique level products out of this process as possible.Go to a spray wax instead of a paste. Generalize your cleaning products to different dilutions ratios of one single product. What area are you in? If you are in an area where there are lots of used car dealerships you should be able to find some local suppliers. I would say try Megs D-151 for the one step or whatever the local supplier has.

By buying products from a local dealership supplier for the wholesale details that I do I have been able to shave 50 to 60% of the cost off of product purchases. But keep in mind that when we pay top dollar for for boutique products we sometimes are paying for ease of use so some (not all) of the cheaper stuff will not wipe back off as easy as the higher end stuff. I have found though that less is more in the way of use with cheaper products in that if I work the polish until it is all but completely gone there is less residue to clean off so it cleans off quicker. There is always a learning curve in going with a new product. Cheaper bulk products and a smart process will leave for more profit.

 

[Bobarell]

Ok, I just registered as well. I also do volume work at a dealership. The thing with working for a dealership/auction site is that our products are overkill most of the time. Here's what I use.

ONR for washing paint
Megs APC at different mixtures for everything else
a chemical spot remover on hand just in case(Meg's Spot out right now)
Duragloss spray wax(Have optimum coming to replace it)
Meg's D151 for dark color cars(It's makes a so-so car POP)
whatever tire shine I am trying out at the time....just can't find an inexpensive one I like
And Meg's Natural look interior protectant(Need something better for this as well)
Little green machine and formula for extraction
And of course the MF's and wash media(Grout Sponges)

After I switch to the Optimum spray wax(1 gallon) I will be at ~$4.63 per car/truck plus whatever shines I am using(Inerior/tire/wheel wells) and spot remover. So right now I am ~$6 a car. It takes me between 2-3 hours per car.

 

[David Fermani]

I used Auto Magic for over a decade when I did high volume detailing. I tried Carbrite/PRO/3M/Ardex and liked AM the best. They also offered free training as well as large 55 gallon drums of product. You definately don't need high dollar products or equipment to do a great job. On dealer cars I wouldn't wax them or dress the interiors. That can save you time right there. I had 2 people that would prep cars, do quality control and delivery vehicles while the 6 detailers did the rest. We did 35 cars a day on average 5-6 days week.