Just got a deal to do 20 - 25 cars a month for a small dealership, need help on......

P

Paulie Walnuts

New member
Pricing and product.



Its a little mom and pop, actually brother and brother dealership and they move about 20 to 25 cars a month. Here is what they want me to do:



Hand wash outside

Clean interior

Spot clean seats and carpet (he said they might change that to fully shampooing carpets)

Exterior buff and wax





Obviously this much less detail than I am used to.



The only products I would need to get would be a good one step that will repair some defects, clean, polish, and seal the paint. I would also need a tire and rim cleaner that I can get in the gallon that can cut fast.



This dealership only sells cars in the $2000 to $12,000 range.



I am thinking either:



Optimum Poli-Seal



autogeek_1964_71053035




or



Poorboys Polish with Sealant



autogeek_1964_8594190




For tires I was thinking



autogeek_1964_51128189


I know its not good to use often but these are used cars that they just want to get clean.



Now for pricing, I told him I normally have a $200 minimum but that is obviously for a much more detailed detail with higher quality products.



I was thinking I try and bill out at $40 an hour this job would take me at the most 4 hours putting me at $160 with a volume discount proposing $140. The thing that is a b!tch is that they want me to work at my house which is about 12 miles from the lot so there would be travel time in there as well. I figured $140 is a good starting point but I really would not want to go below $120. I can whip through these depending on condition but I do bill myself out higher than most because quite frankly I do a better job.



Thank you in advance and I appreciate your thoughts



WHB
 
Yeah, last time a dealer contacted me I got offered $70 per car for a full detail. Wash, vac, carpet and upholstery (or leather), polish and wax.



Maybe you wanna step out of the "autopian mode" and go with a quick wash, vac, extract, and wax with a cheap liquid wax. Do you really need to polish them? Can you just use a filler glaze?
 
Just make sure to give them what they pay for, like kapinnn said, dull it down, wayyyy down if needed. have fun with it though, hell induce a swirl here and there if ya want lol.
 
Yea if I go above $80 for a full dealer detail here they just cut me loose and go to the next detailer. WE have a boatload of mobil detailer in the area now willing to go to their lots and do a complete full detail for $75. Really cutting my b*lls on it. You defiantly won't make much coin doing dealer work. But if your in the snowbelt like me they will make your bills through the winter months when your normal paying customers flee for warmth.
 
Well I told him my normal detail rate is $200 minimum and stated that he may need me for a few of those if they pick up a good vehicle. And remember that this isnt your typical dealership not to mention where its located is in a remote area where I cannot imagine that there is much detailing talent. The city is at least 20 miles from the Twin Cities and I dont think they are going to get someone from the TC to come out to them. Maybe I will lower it a bit. Yeah I wont make a ton of money but I just lost my job because my company sold to their competitor so any income is good income right now.



And to answer another question yes they require a machine polish.
 
Meg's #66 on a white pad and rotary is excellent for dealer work, it's cheaper, cuts harder, and fills better than PS. I would go with wheel brightener instead of SnR - it's cheaper and dilutes 4:1, so you can make 5 gallons of spray and rinse cleaner for 20 bucks.
 
WilliamHBonney said:
And to answer another question yes they require a machine polish.
Click to expand...



Yeah, that alone makes for half of the time spent. I wouldn't charge less than $120 per car, even with the guaranteed busines you are going to get. That would take at least 3-4 hours per car so including your driving time you would do 2 cars a day (3 if you wanna push).



I would use something like the Eagle One tire and wheel cleaner, cuts grime and dust quick although it's a little harsh on the wheels. Duragloss 901 for the wash. Probably OP for polishing and aqua wax or OCW as LSP.



Try to get a balance on products that work fast, are easy to apply, cheap, and decent looks.
 
wash machine polish w one product spray wax, that's what i would do, If they complain about the quality just tell them that you were unaware they were interested in a detail and you'd be more than happy to do that kind of work for them, at your normal rate.
 
WilliamHBonney said:
Pricing and product.



Its a little mom and pop, actually brother and brother dealership and they move about 20 to 25 cars a month. Here is what they want me to do:



Hand wash outside

Clean interior

Spot clean seats and carpet (he said they might change that to fully shampooing carpets)

Exterior buff and wax



...



Thank you in advance and I appreciate your thoughts



WHB
Click to expand...



Ryan,



You either plan to take a pay cut or you're thinking you can do cars at a much faster pace (working twice as hard). Either way, it does not sound like a very good deal for you.



db
 
Buy some products from automagic. Use their new car glaze followed by bannana wax or wet wax. About $25 per gallon. Then use one of their drressings and they run for about $20 per gallon. Also get someone to help you. I was doing some dealer work and was able to do wash, glaze, wax, clean wheels, dress tires and wheel wells, and spot clean with folex in about 2 hrs for $70.
 
themightytimmah said:
Meg's #66 on a white pad and rotary is excellent for dealer work, it's cheaper, cuts harder, and fills better than PS. I would go with wheel brightener instead of SnR - it's cheaper and dilutes 4:1, so you can make 5 gallons of spray and rinse cleaner for 20 bucks.
Click to expand...
Good call I forgot about that. Just sucks its so hard to get someone besides AutoGeek to ship it and Im not spending any money at AutoGeek unless I really really have to.
 
DavidB said:
Ryan,



You either plan to take a pay cut or you're thinking you can do cars at a much faster pace (working twice as hard). Either way, it does not sound like a very good deal for you.



db
Click to expand...
Hi David,



I normally dont do that many cars a month, usually only 3 to 5 and thats just on Saturdays. I do not have a normal 9-5 job right now because the company I worked for sold our division off to their biggest compeitor and they layed off all their sales staff because the new company wants to keep there staff. So its either do this until I can get a full time job and bring in some money or just rely on my wifes income. I make at least twice what she does normally so needless to say any money at this point is good money. Plus I have a lot, I mean a lot product sitting around that I can use. I appreciate your input though, surprised to see the mayor post in my little thread hehehe :usa
 
Yea I think some real good points have been made here.



1 if you must go cheaper to get the deal then use cheaper products to make up for the loss. I know I don't use my top shelf stuff for the dealer cars I do here. Unless they specifically request it. (sometimes they get lucky at the auction and get something worthwhile)



2. Don't do a full out detail for them. Let them outline expectations and do only what they expect. This will also save many hours of time (in therory)



3. I'll add always invoice. (they need it for taxes and it saves your butt in disputes) saying exactly what you did and if need be break down the prices and product cost.



4. if you find yourself saving alot of extra time I personally like to throw in a few freebies. just to make them happy. From painting truck rails back to black wet sanding some deep but removable scratches.. etc etc. Dosen't really cost me any extra to give a little extra.
 
one step the outside

folex the seats

apc the interior and carpets

extract

optimum protectant plus on the interior

whatever tire dressing

DONE



oh and the washes arent your normal 1 hour washes...they get dropped to getting most of the dirt off the car, then using the onestep (megs 66) to remove oxidation and remaining stubborn dirt...you are just getting the cars ready for sale, not making them showroom ready...give or take what they expect....
 
WilliamHBonney said:
Hi David,



I normally dont do that many cars a month, usually only 3 to 5 and thats just on Saturdays. I do not have a normal 9-5 job right now because the company I worked for sold our division off to their biggest compeitor and they layed off all their sales staff because the new company wants to keep there staff. So its either do this until I can get a full time job and bring in some money or just rely on my wifes income. I make at least twice what she does normally so needless to say any money at this point is good money. Plus I have a lot, I mean a lot product sitting around that I can use. I appreciate your input though, surprised to see the mayor post in my little thread hehehe :usa
Click to expand...



WOW!....I'm going throught the same thing. I've been notified at the end of September that my sales job is going away because our small company was gobbled up by a bigger one.



So, I'm doing lots of details outside my shop environment to build some savings for the winter (or until I get another job).



Hang in there William.....know what you're going through!



Totoland Mach
 
Personally i charge around $150 for such dealership work. This includes engine. If it needs some extra paint attention, then it is discussed. If you have extra time some day, give the vehicle the full treatment. Maybe they know the difference between a quick job and one that is done right. It increases resale and they can become known for better vehicles.



I just quit working out of a mom and pop dealership. They had and wanted the cleanest vehicles around. It was common to spend $150- $350 to recondition a vehicle.
 
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