How long does it take you guys??

N

nosed_b18b

New member
Ok. Today I finished my first project, my integra. It took me a while to finish it because of my school/work schedule. But I managed to work on the car around that. Overall, it was a 2 day process.



Anyways, to my question. How long does it take you guys to do a full detail?? I'm talking about like from wash/clay/polish/wax??? The reason I ask is because after I finished my integra, I decided to work on my parent's car, a black 98 camry. It was about 4:30 when I started, so I figured I had like a couple of hours left until the sun went down.



Well, next thing you know, sun is down, and what do I have accomplished??? Only a wash and clay job. It took me 2 hours to wash and clay. Wow. I don't get how you guys can do this so fast?? I was hoping that I would be finished with polishing by then at least. How do you guys do it???:nixweiss
 
I just washed my [small, CRX] car, polished 4 sections by PC, then applied a coat of Gold Class by PC, then some S100. I started at 1:00 and ended at about 6:00. So it took me 5 hours to do that, and I didn't polish the whole car, or use clay! That doesn't include clean-up time either. I understand where you are coming from, and unfortunately, I can't give you any guidance. I also would like to hear how others do it!



Kevin
 
Its like anything in life, pros are quicker as they do it all the time and become more proficient and efficient ( if they dont that means less work and less $ in their pocket )

As for me, a weekend warrior detailer, a full detail is at least a 6-7 hour proposition, sometimes more.

A quick wash and spruce up ( usually a coat of S100 ) is about 2 to 3 hours.
 
On an average size car a full detail (which in my eyes consists of the extractor coming out for the interior and a two step polish/sealant on the exterior) takes me about 4 - 4.5 hours.
 
..meaning everything is stripped off, I'd guess it takes me at least 5 hours on a medium sized car to really go thru all the steps. Could I spend 8 or 9 hours in total? Oh, yeah....but then the evil looks start coming from the wife.
 
1 Clean WS6 said:
On an average size car a full detail (which in my eyes consists of the extractor coming out for the interior and a two step polish/sealant on the exterior) takes me about 4 - 4.5 hours.
Click to expand...
I usually spend an hour more....My last hour consists of moving the car into the best light available and then post tripping everything I've done.....especially glass, exterior plastic/rubber & wheels & tires. That last hour has kept my clients coming back. I'm not knocking anyone else's routine.....just slowing mine down.
 
1 Clean WS6 said:
On an average size car a full detail (which in my eyes consists of the extractor coming out for the interior and a two step polish/sealant on the exterior) takes me about 4 - 4.5 hours.
Click to expand...

Wow, now that is incredible. I just don't get it. Even if I try my hardest and fastest, I still couldn't see myself being able to scrub those stains to perfection and polishing/waxing the exterior in under 5 hours.
 
nosed_b18b said:
Wow, now that is incredible. I just don't get it. Even if I try my hardest and fastest, I still couldn't see myself being able to scrub those stains to perfection and polishing/waxing the exterior in under 5 hours.
Click to expand...



It all depends on the condition of the vehicle. If the interior has seen any extended use as a play pen for small children or pets it will take longer. Also, I never dress interior plastic/vinyl trim...most customers don't like the look or feel of interior dressing so I just clean all the panels and leave them natural finish.



I've also been doing it all day every day for almost 3 years now...which I'm sure helps.;)
 
nosed_b18b said:
Wow, now that is incredible. I just don't get it. Even if I try my hardest and fastest, I still couldn't see myself being able to scrub those stains to perfection and polishing/waxing the exterior in under 5 hours.
Click to expand...



When you do this for a living, your process is more organized and you also develop speed. When I first started, it took me 5-6 hours per car to completely detail them. Now, it takes 3.5-4.5 hours for cars on average (two step on the paint and complete interior detailing and dressing) and 4-6 for trucks and SUVs. I can apply a hand wax to the average sized vehicle in 10 minutes or less for example. Removing it takes around 5 minutes. If you can't do quality work in a reasonable amount of time in this business, you starve.
 
Well, I just got my first customer. My neighbor saw me cleaning my cars and she decided to come over and ask me about it. Unfortunately, it's a larger SUV. It's definately gonna take a while. Alright, well we'll see how this goes for me.
 
On my Jeeps it usually takes me about 5 hours. On my wife's mustang it usually takes me about 5 hours. Even though her car is much smaller than my SUVs it takes time because it is black and requires more attention.
 
I'm just a newbie still but when I did both my cars back in the fall (on different weekends) each took me at least 6 hours -- everything by hand.



That's wash (conventional, not a QEW), dry, clay, paint cleaner, polish/glaze, and wax.



And it gave me a sore back too. :-)



I'm hoping to learn with my new PC this spring, and speed things up overall.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top