I need a "system"

Porkanbeans

Porkanbeans

O RLY?
Regardless of what I read on the net about certain techniques or products that help speed up a detail, I still find myself taking too much time detailing as a whole. It took me 2 hours to wash and vac 2 SUVs the other day, which is pathetic. When I look back on that particular job, I realized that using the client's water not only took me a total of 10 minutes or so to set up, but it also slowed down the detail because of lackluster water pressure. This has had me thinking about getting a pressure washer so I can save time washing and hack through wheel and tire cleaning times.

Other than the pressure washer idea, I don't know how to expedite my details. Please share your "system": how you organize your products before heading out to a job, set up your stuff at the job site, and go through your detail without running around in circles (like me :eek: ). Would you recommend your "system" to me considering my equipment consists of a shop vac, rotary, PC, and eventually a pressure washer?

Thanks much!
 
Why rush Quality. The average person can do about 2-3 full details per day. Do everything the same way each time you do a job and you will get faster. You don't want to get so fast that your work becomes compromised. Hope this helps.
 
That is not a question that I think is easy to answer. Here is my "system" for detailing a car. It takes roughly 3 or 4 hours to complete that particular process, but it can be shortened considerably if you cut things out. The key is to do things in the right order. I need to find a way to word my 'short process' and then I can post that, but it is all there in that thread.
 
I think that a lot of your time is entering an unfamiliar job site. I have a shop and do very little mobile detailing however, when I do detail at a customer's home, I find myself spending more time on the vehicle than I would at the shop. When I set up an appointment "on the road", I make sure to ask a lot of questions, such as: space, lighting, heat, electricity, and the location of outlets, water, etc. Depending on the equipment that you have, you may want to ask even more that will help you prepare.

I agree with the comment about follow a step by step process for every vehicle that you do, which will allow you to keep you quality of work, but eventually speed up the process.

Hope this helps.
 
SA Detailer said:
For a wash & vac on a SUV, it takes us about 30 to 40 minutes and about 20 to 30 min. on the car.
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If all they want is a wash and a quick 'once over' on the interior then I can do that too, but I don't really like doing washes. They bore me and since it isn't my primary source of income I don't generally offer them. I'm sure my view would change if I did this for a living. When you are doing something for a living then you can't afford to let the tedious things bore you. I may choose to always remain a hobbiest part time detailer for that very reason. I like being picky with who I will and will not work for. :D
 
Thanks everyone, I think a lot of my problem has to do with inexperience. I've got every process down pat, but since I don't have a steady amount of jobs everyday, it's hard for me to get into a rhythm. Since I detail a lot for personal enjoyment at a leisurely pace, I find myself wasting time on jobs by forgetting to do "this" or not doing "that" in the right order. I can probably count the number of mobile jobs I've had on my two hands, if that gives you a clue as to what I'm talking about :stick . When summer hits, I'll be able to rack up the jobs and practice my regimen.

Thanks again.
 
I think that if you want more speed you need to not get sidetracked by the small details an hour a vehicle is ok if you are not doing this mobile all the time.
My set upm for a wash and hoover goes like this.

clean wheels as nec .
soak car blast off exess dirt
wash rince
dry wheels and tyres
blade vehicle
leather exess
dry door shuts boot
dress tyres .

Prior to that .
Hoover interior de dust as nec clean all glass shut doors.

On a good day with a fair mix of vehicle conditions I can do ten of these a day.
I have been using this set up for years it works well for me if I got to a house I work in the same order but as I use something it goes back in the van so that when im finished I can make a fast exit.
I like to tidy as i go along I also have my van set up for maximum efficiency time is money you should aim to be 100 percent efficient plus.
Get into the habit of estimation the correct time for the job and charge for it .
No good spending two hours and getting paid for one.

Im big on doing the job right first time in the right time and getting the right amount for it.
Good Luck.
Jay
 
tooklean said:
Why rush Quality. The average person can do about 2-3 full details per day. Do everything the same way each time you do a job and you will get faster. You don't want to get so fast that your work becomes compromised. Hope this helps.
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I'm with this 100%. Take your time...do it right...charge accordingly.
 
Thanks again everyone. Just to update, I did a run-of-the-mill mom-mobile Honda Oddysey this weekend and got it done in 4 hours! I didn't rush through it either. I felt I did a high quality job. I made a "game plan" similar to what Jason suggested (thanks!) and stuck to it. Granted, I only sealed the paint, but I still feel this was an accomplishment. Basically the job was a wash, wax, and full interior detail with carpet cleaning, leather cleaning/conditioning, etc.

Some HUGE time savers I learned while doing this van:

-When cleaning carpet mats, if rubber backed, spray an APC on them, scrub it in with a circular motion, and rinse it out with a high pressure hose or PW. The mats are left like new. There was no damage done to the mats either. Then extract the remaining water with hot water. This saved so much time. I basically did the same for the floor carpet, minus the hose. Worked awesome. I did have a mild cleaning solution in the extractor though. I believe ebpcivicsi does this, and I figured I'd try it. I will never do carpets differently unless they are foam-backed.

-Use a water based dressing for wheel wells. I used to use VRT or NL for wells but, since they are pretty thick, I had to apply them with a sponge. This time I used (sprayed) AutoMagic's Dress It Right, which is water based and lasts an incredibly long time. It dried evenly and has stayed there since Saturday (I saw the car today). This is a great product for tires and exterior rubber too.

Thanks again guys!
 
I did a black convertible mustang today & it took me 6.5 hrs. I did the following:

1. Wash
2. cleaned the convertible top
3. SSR2.5
4. SSR1
5. Polish
6. Seal
7. detailed all trim ext & int.
8. Vac.
9. Cleaned & cond. Leather seats
10. once over on the Rims.

Does this sound about right or did I take a long time???
 
hemin8r said:
I did a black convertible mustang today & it took me 6.5 hrs. I did the following:

1. Wash
2. cleaned the convertible top
3. SSR2.5
4. SSR1
5. Polish
6. Seal
7. detailed all trim ext & int.
8. Vac.
9. Cleaned & cond. Leather seats
10. once over on the Rims.

Does this sound about right or did I take a long time???
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Correct me if a wrong, imo i think you might have been able to skip the polish since you used SSR1. this would have saved some time maybe 1 HR or so and wouldn't been seen as cutting corners.

I say this because i remeber Steve telling me if you use SSR1 then you don't always have use a polish.Good prep is important but sometimes (including me) are process may be a lilttle over kil,l inturn spending more time then needed.
 
My Method:

Spray some tarminator or car wash soap on certain spots (bugs, heavy dirt, etc) and let soak while you...
Clean wheels and windows
Rinse car down
Wash car
Claybar if applicable
Dry car with waffle weave MF, touch up small spots with another MF

Then, I walk around the car looking for deep and moderate scratches, as well as evaluate swirls and light scratches. I put a piece of blue painters tape on each scratch I can find.

Rotary + Meg's Burgandy + DACP on the scratches I labeled. If that doesn't work, Medium Cut Cleaner, then DACP.

SSR2 or 2.5 +P C, depending on how bad the swirls are. If they aren't too bad, then...
SSR1 + PC.

Machine Glaze + PC if the car is black or very dark color, or if the customer is paying for a show car level detail. If I still have a lot of time left, I'll go for the #7.

Base wax I choose is usually either EX-P, #26, or NXT paste depending on what I think will look the best. After, I'll might put a layer of Natty's or S100 over it. For EX-P and NXT, I let them dry for about 45 minutes while I work on the interior. Which leads me to...

Vacuum. Quick wipe down with MF + quick interior detailer of interior surfaces.
If they are paying for it, I'll shampoo the carpets and use folex on the tough spots.
303 protectant on the applicable surfaces.

Clean all the nooks in crannies and other surfaces, like wood, buttons, ash tray, vents, etc.

Go over car with halogen lighting or flashlight and take time getting all wax and polish residue out of the cracks. I'll usually use a toothbrush and a nice big soft brush for that. If I need to, I'll use something like tarminator on a toothbrush to really reach the tough spots.

Dress trim and polish metal surfaces.

Then, I QD the car to get rid of the rest of the polishing dust, leftover wax, trim dressing, etc. Last, I dress the tires, roll the car foward, and dress the unexposed parts.
 
It seems to me that a job done well will take some time. There was a time saver thread, where I picked up the window technique that goes one direction inside and one outside so smudges are quickly picked up.

On average, these are my exterior times:

1. Wash, bugs, wheels + dry - 1/2 hour. A little more for an SUV or lots of bugs or a multi-spoke wheel.
2. Clay and KAIO - 45mins, though there is a thread about skipping the clay wipe when polishing.
3. Polish - about 1.5hr/app including pad care
4. Wax - about 45 mins for both steps and inspection

-the only exception is white cars with red mud stains, which take a lot longer

Inside, though, I think I break down a bit. Vacuuming goes quick, unless there are dogs or barf or something. Shampoo is fine, using Oxi method or Automagic shampoo. I've recently started using a matte dressing that cleans, so if the vinyl/plastic surface isn't too dirty, it is relatively quick. The door jambs here are killing me, with years of Rust Check and undercoating typically built up, I've had to start charging extra. Maintenance cars are okay though.

SUV's are killing me. I'm spending 3hour-3.5hours on wash, wheels, dry, door jambs, vacuum, cracks & crevices, clean dirty vinyl & plastic with APC, shampoo, int. dressing, windows, tire shine, inspection. Is that way too long? Since I've started timing myself more closely, I haven't got any clean cars that want the shampoo package.
 
Go over car with halogen lighting or flashlight and take time getting all wax and polish residue out of the cracks. I'll usually use a toothbrush and a nice big soft brush for that. If I need to, I'll use something like tarminator on a toothbrush to really reach the tough spots.
danwatt said:
My Method:

I use to use a tooth brush to remove the wax from the knooks and crannies .i now use the meguiars 3 way brush for this and i'll never again use a tooth brush. there is a smaller brush on the end of the megs 3 way and i use this for the trim and molding around the glass.The brisstles are stiff and slide under the glass molding removing any and all wax. i found that cleaning up with brush was faster then using the blue masking tape,Try it..
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