How Anal Can You Be?

Beemerboy

Beemerboy

Just One More Coat
I'm talking about during the detail.

Lots of time I clean areas and dress that I have to wonder if the customer even notices.....Depending on what angles the car sits at I will degrease the rear axle and dress it with spray on.....The tire treads I wash with the pressure washer to make sure that there is no dirt or anything stuck inside the grooves, for the most part, even the back of the tire I have a brush that cleans that area....all the jambs are cleaned, dried and then dressed with a spray on dressing, in the areas that I can't reach.....The tail pipe if its not chrome of which I would polish, then I use steel wool and paint black....With some of the newer car and certain rims you can see the struts, brake caliper, all those are cleaned so that they stand out..

My thoughts on the word "detailing" is to clean so that every angle that you see the car at its been addressed, its clean, shiny, like new again, or as good as it can be.

I guess this is why I have a huge repeat business....and most all customers never question my pricing

What about you?
 
I think it will benefit you a lot more than work against you. However, if you need to stick to a strict time frame it's just not always practical to do all those kinds of little "bonuses". ( I'm sitting here in shock that I just typed that! ) If you get the feeling that the customer is going to be looking for those touches, then try to get as much in as you can but always give them a disclaimer before the job that the detail may have to take longer. Don't knock yourself out so much so that you can't move any more when you're finally finished unless you are being very well compensated for doing so ;)

On that note, I got to run because there's some touch up paint that's dry by now and it's in an area I caught where the customer didn't see :redface:
 
I clean them also regardless of the customers attention to detail. Its the perfectionist in me. I dont feel comfortable not doing the best job i can so i do the best job. Im about as anal as they get. I even have a separate pair of shoes i can throw on when delivering and moving the car so i dont get the floor mats dirty after its cleaned. I'm anal with the best of them
 
CalgaryDetail said:
I clean them also regardless of the customers attention to detail. Its the perfectionist in me. I dont feel comfortable not doing the best job i can so i do the best job. Im about as anal as they get. I even have a separate pair of shoes i can throw on when delivering and moving the car so i dont get the floor mats dirty after its cleaned. I'm anal with the best of them
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I got some of those paper mats like the mechanics use for this reason....local detail supplier here has them cheap....also the customers love them....I was going to get some of those plastic seat covers but that seemed like over kill.:lmfao
 
In my case, it depends on who you ask.

My wife, neighbors and kids around the hood would all say I was crazy and anal. But I bet most of the members here would not say that I am... I pretty much go for the perfect finish @ 5 feet. I don't do tirewells, door jambs (well, sometimes I do), I have stained trim on my wife's auto, tires aren't evenly glossed, etc. But all my cars do shine like h**l, bead off the water and the paint is well protected. They look great in the parking lot or drive way, but couldn't pass a "Well Detailed Test".
 
Bill D said:
I think it will benefit you a lot more than work against you. However, if you need to stick to a strict time frame it's just not always practical to do all those kinds of little "bonuses". ( I'm sitting here in shock that I just typed that! ) If you get the feeling that the customer is going to be looking for those touches, then try to get as much in as you can but always give them a disclaimer before the job that the detail may have to take longer. Don't knock yourself out so much so that you can't move any more when you're finally finished unless you are being very well compensated for doing so ;)

On that note, I got to run because there's some touch up paint that's dry by now and it's in an area I caught where the customer didn't see :redface:
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Bill

The difference for me is this is a part time weekend thing for me....this weekend was the first time in a long time that I did two cars in one day...I charge accordingly for all my jobs.....My theory in business is not only meet the customers expectations but exceed them......
 
There is no measure of how anal I am:lmfao I don't do this for a living though. If I did I would have to charge a fortune to make any money because I take sooo long to finish.
 
Beemerboy said:
Bill

The difference for me is this is a part time weekend thing for me....this weekend was the first time in a long time that I did two cars in one day...I charge accordingly for all my jobs.....My theory in business is not only meet the customers expectations but exceed them......
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I subscribe to the same theory. I will not allow myself to be rushed because the over the top finishing touches ( I won't compromise and refuse to complete a detail without just about all of them) take time. I've never met resistance from a customer about this and they've always been more than surprised and thrilled with the results.


The paper floor mats are an excellent standard. In addition, if I must deliver the freshly detailed vehicle, I am sure to wear my white gloves :redface: :D
 
For customers, I try to be as thorough as time permits.

I set certain time goals that keep me on track. I find, generally speaking, that vehicle's in nicer condition, I have more time to polish the gauges, seat belts, seat brackets, and so on. Whereas, the really gross vehicles, I jump straight in with the stronger cleaners and work as quickly as possible to make everything perrrrty and 'dirt' free. I find many customers prefer everything to be "clean" in the realest sense of the word. If their gauges are clear of saliva, dust, and haze, AWESOME...They could care less if they have a few mars and scratches on them, but moreso that their interior is now "like new" to them.

I have had slim to no complaints with this generalized logic. In the end, you really have to feel out the customer and try to assess what they are looking to achieve with the detail. Ultimately, that will lead to both parties parting happily when it's all said and done.
 
I'm as anal as I get paid. I shoot to make the car stand out in a crowd. Nothing that would stand up in a show and forget about concours. I would like to make more per car and do less vehicle but so far haven't made the switch.
 
I like to make sure that everything is as immaculate as it could be, time permitting of course. I make sure the wheels and wells are immaculate and dressed, and Make sure the jambs are degreased, shined, and dressed were dressing is needed. I take the same pride in everything else I do. If I have more time I will go more into things, but I find that the little details at least make me feel good, even if the customer doesnt notice them.

Greg
 
I have lately been dressing the under the car with dressing. A lot of people
think I am crazy, but it's just me that knows it was done.
 
Um let's see... Anal is the topic... well let's say that I have cleaned areas of a car that most people dont even know of except for us detailed focused individuals. Most of the time i ask my customers to drop the car off around 8:00 am and ask them to call me around 3:30 pm, and i should be able to tell them when it should be ready. Most of them have more than 2 cars so they doint mind leaving their cars with me for as long as it takes. I usually dont give a time frame this way I dont feel rushed and miss anything.
 
Dave,
You started this thread because of me didn't you. :)
Ok, I'm smiling and I'll respond more after I go dust off the coupe.
-John C
 
JohnZ3MC said:
Dave,
You started this thread because of me didn't you. :)
Ok, I'm smiling and I'll respond more after I go dust off the coupe.
-John C
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John

Glad you made it over its a great site with TONS of good info about detailing and product!

Welcome!
 
Good topic. I don't think you can ever be too anal about your own car, but when doing others' for money, I think there is a point you can go overboard. You can waste a lot of time, when reality is, if the car is daily driven, it's going to get a speck of dirt on it as soon as it's driven.

I agree with what GSR said, you can take a car that is fairly well taken care of and make it a 10, but it is going to take a lot longer to do that to a neglected vehicle.
 
you're just asking for it by posing this question on this forum, aren't you... ok, I'll play. anal enough that I remove parts that can't be seen on or off a lift (to polish with jewelers rouge, of course) on the acura, but not so much that the exhaust pipe on the jeep keeps me up at night.
 
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