I have an opportunity to do some "volume" work...need opinions!

L

Lemonxxs

New member
GF blazer has bug prints in the plastic side view mirrors. They look like fossils they are so old. The plastic is dented with little bug skeletons!



We tried AIO, SMR, Compound etc not in any particular order on small areas to see what would work. Well we have real shiny bug fossils now.



Thinking of sanding (2000 grit) them and then polishing the sand paper marks out as you would paint.



Anyone else ever do this or have suggestions????
 
there's a post/thread that kills me...you had me falling out of my chair with the thread name alone....fossils..:up shiny bug skeletons.....i have to go sit down.....i have no suggestions.....does that bug/tar remover ever actually work....that night be for just fresh corpses though...the newly dead...not fossils....:bounce
 
Am I the only one with this problem? No body buys used cars that were neglected a bit?



I have little bug pyramids with bug mummies on the side mirrors. These were advanced bugs for their day.



Suggestions please!
 
maybe you can charge people to see your exhibit and use the proceeds towards new windows :D



I used finish restorer on my beaters plastic side view mirror holder thingy, it made some of the black come off but it was shiny as all. I don't know if you bug fossils are deep enough you may have to resort to more abrasive means.
 
I took my rotary buffer and 3M Perfect-IT II on a very low speed(950 RPM)to remove the contamination. I then followed that with a nice rub down of leveling compound. They look brand new. Please give it a try.
 
The bugs are gone and all you see is little imprints of where the bugs were. They are indentations in the plastic.



Guess I will start softly and work my way to abrasive until I find what smooths the plastic to smooth again.
 
Hey all,

I just got a word of mouth referral and received a voicemail from a woman who says she has 10 cars that she wants washed and waxed. I haven't called her back yet, so I don't know if this is a small dealership, a collector, or what. My wife passed the voice message along to me and she said that it sounded like the woman emphasized wash and wax ONLY. So I don't know if I'll be able to upsell claying the vehicles or not - though I would much prefer to as you all know how important the claying step is.

Anyways, I do this on the side and typically only do a few vehicles a month at the most. I've never done any work in volume before and was looking for some quick opinions on what I should charge for the job before I call her and go check out the cars and quote a price.

Assuming the vehicles are only "average" dirty, I'd want to be prepared with a price quote for a wash/clay/sealant and for a wash/sealant. Please give me your opinion as to what would be reasonable rate for 10 vehicles.

Thanks in advance!

-J
 
Hard to say, on how much to quote her, she might be shopping around so be careful and call first to see what she wants done to them. I would price them from 125.00 to start if she wants them wax. If it's just a wash then 50 sounds right.
 
Try to get an amount you are comfortable with, like 100 per car, and do the work yourself. If she balks at the price you want but you don't want to turn down the money, consider moving down to a package deal of 800 dollars. Then hire a friend for 100 dollars, knock all of the cars out in a day, and pocket 700 for a day's work.

 
Thanks for the suggestions. I spoke with her earlier today and turns out that she owns a few funeral homes in the area and has a "fleet" of black vehicles...2 Hearses, 2 full-sized vans, an Edge, a Grand Marquis and some other rides. I was pretty comfortable talking approximate prices but it turns out that my quote was a decent amount higher than another guy she's been talking with. I guess he's actually done one of her vehicles already. I did manage to get her discussing additional services other than 'wash and wax'...we talked about claying, polishing, etc.

She's going to find out what exactly the other guy does and then compare him to what I would do. Hopefully she'll bring me in to do 1 vehicle so I can show her the difference!
 
Wow, 10 vehicles -that will keep you very busy ! :)

I just did a 2001 BMW 740iL= longer than a normal 740i, and the extra sheet metal/inside dimensions, etc., really make a difference, and you are going to do 10 even bigger vehicles !

Hard to believe that anyone could charge less than $100 and do a decent job even with just a wax on top.

Are you not going to do the inside - vaccum, dust, inside glass, console, vents, etc., because the size of Limo makes for alot of extra time - I know because I just rode in a new Cadillac Limo a few weeks ago..

Well, whatever you end up doing, if it was me, I would use something like Meguiars D0151 Reconditioning Cream. It cuts real fast, leaves a smooth glossy finish and its supposed to leave a wax on top of everything.

If you used something like this, and it worked fine for you, you might not have to go back over those big, long, dogs, and apply wax, etc., over them at the end, so this could be a timesaver for you..

Good luck, this sounds like a nice project, and if you work it right, could be a moneymaker too!

Perhaps you can call around like a customer, to shops in the areas these Funeral Homes are located and see if you can find out what others would charge to do this work, determne the average prices and price yourself up or down from there, so you stay competive..

Good luck, does anyone from here live around there to come by and help you out ?

Dan F
 
RootsRadical said:
Thanks for the suggestions. I spoke with her earlier today and turns out that she owns a few funeral homes in the area and has a "fleet" of black vehicles...2 Hearses, 2 full-sized vans, an Edge, a Grand Marquis and some other rides. I was pretty comfortable talking approximate prices but it turns out that my quote was a decent amount higher than another guy she's been talking with. I guess he's actually done one of her vehicles already. I did manage to get her discussing additional services other than 'wash and wax'...we talked about claying, polishing, etc.

She's going to find out what exactly the other guy does and then compare him to what I would do. Hopefully she'll bring me in to do 1 vehicle so I can show her the difference!
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Paula the price shopper..she got what she needed. Should of been talking about the referral and how happy they where with your services.
You didn't get an Yes. You didn't get an No. You got something worse. I 'll get back to you.....Every phone call is a lesson.. Good Luck.
 
Sorry for not replying to comments on this thread earlier but my home PC crashed hard due to something as supposedly harmless as a Quicktime upgrade and I spent countless hours troubleshooting the issue and finally reinstalling Windows and transfering everything back over to get it up and running again. :banghead:

I had the opportunity to do a major detail this past weekend on a gi-normous white Chevy Silverado with a cab over the bed. (An 18-hour PITA job as the ENTIRE thing was contaminated with a hundred thousand dots of rust from rail/brake/??? dust getting into the paint and then not being taken care of promptly as well as a ton of black dots which came from a messy undercarriage coating job...) Needless to say, the owner of this vehicle knows the owner of the funeral homes and is going to be the second person to vouch for me there. He's even going to take it over to her and show it off. So perhaps this will give me some extra leverage on the contract.

@ Stokdgs: I likely would be doing the inside of the vehicles in addition to claying (if I get my way) and a coat of sealant. Thanks for the suggestions - your input is appreciated. Oh, and I do have a good friend of mine that could help me out on the jobs if needed.

@ Chubby: Pessimist or realist? :p In any case, I know what you're talking about. The thing is, though, it's all good. If I can land the contract, that's great. Saves me some minor hassle as I'd have a bunch of vehicles to do at only 2 or 3 locations. If I don't get it, that's fine too. I'll probably have to work for a lower price than I usually demand in order to get the bid and I don't have any trouble landing individual work when I need it (as much as I'd love to, I don't detail full-time).

-J
 
J

If you have not already pointed out to this person, that our industry is like any other in that you do (for the most part) get what you pay for. You might also point out that done your way will not only result in (probably) a better looking vehicle that reflects her business and is ultimately less expensive in the long run. The job properly done will look better, last longer and be easier to maintain. You could even help them secure maintenance products to help prolong the good looks and the time between the next detail. Above anything else, let them know you want the contract and are willing to work with them to develope a system that fits their needs.

jk
 
RootsRadical said:
Sorry for not replying to comments on this thread earlier but my home PC crashed hard due to something as supposedly harmless as a Quicktime upgrade and I spent countless hours troubleshooting the issue and finally reinstalling Windows and transfering everything back over to get it up and running again. :banghead:

I had the opportunity to do a major detail this past weekend on a gi-normous white Chevy Silverado with a cab over the bed. (An 18-hour PITA job as the ENTIRE thing was contaminated with a hundred thousand dots of rust from rail/brake/??? dust getting into the paint and then not being taken care of promptly as well as a ton of black dots which came from a messy undercarriage coating job...) Needless to say, the owner of this vehicle knows the owner of the funeral homes and is going to be the second person to vouch for me there. He's even going to take it over to her and show it off. So perhaps this will give me some extra leverage on the contract.

@ Stokdgs: I likely would be doing the inside of the vehicles in addition to claying (if I get my way) and a coat of sealant. Thanks for the suggestions - your input is appreciated. Oh, and I do have a good friend of mine that could help me out on the jobs if needed.

@ Chubby: Pessimist or realist? :p In any case, I know what you're talking about. The thing is, though, it's all good. If I can land the contract, that's great. Saves me some minor hassle as I'd have a bunch of vehicles to do at only 2 or 3 locations. If I don't get it, that's fine too. I'll probably have to work for a lower price than I usually demand in order to get the bid and I don't have any trouble landing individual work when I need it (as much as I'd love to, I don't detail full-time).

-J
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Don't understand why you have to lower your trousers to get the bid. Since your saying: 'I don't have any trouble landing individual work when I need it.'
 
Sorry, Chubby...I thought I explained it in my earlier post. It's simply a matter of weighing the pro's and con's of each choice. Taking the job at a lower (although still acceptable) rate has the 'con' of less $$$ but the 'pros' of detailing a larger volume of vehicles off-site at a couple different locations...less hassle, my garage stays freed up for my own vehicles or other things, etc., as well as some good referral opportunities from that job...personal vehicles rather than just business vehicles - possibly even at the same off-site location, etc.

At this point, I know that she is shopping around and I'm not holding my breath. I'd like the contract, but only for a fair price. I'd also just like an opportunity to compare myself to 'the other guy'. Don't worry, I won't "lower my trousers" too much. Most I'll do is show off just an inch or so of crack. :p

-J
 
Man, those Funeral cars are real creepy to work on. I use to have an account here withy a local mortuary. My fav part was bringing the limos/hearst Home at night and parking them out front :Car smiley:

The Limos and Hearst really are not any harder or take much longer then your average sedan. Pretty much just alot of flat panels and the cars hardly see any harsh conditions :2 cents:
 
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