"well i can just go to carspa"

Jakerooni said:
I also don't get how it takes 3 hours to wheel out the paint but only 60 seconds to wetsand it?



How are you taking off the wheels? 4 way lug wrench or impact? could shave off some minutes there as well if your using anything but the air compressor.



Can't really comment on the products used because I've never used them. But It might be worth the while to check into other products that have less cure times. If you can find any in the same quality range of the products you use.
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I like the leaf blower, its a little more quiet in the driveway than the shrill of a blow gun on a Saturday morning, I do these at my house.



I "spot" wet sand if necessary, not an entire panel. If there is a deep scratch or mark that will benefit forma sanding, I hit it.





I use and impact gun on some, the Lamborghini's and Ferraris get a hand twist with a star. I do not want to buy one of those wheels if I slip and scuff it.



I think a lot of people get hung up on different chemicals for different paint manufacturers. I try to streamline the process by using 1 abrasive manufacturer for all paints. I have been most satusfied with 3m until I tried Optimum, now its Menzerna as a complete abrasives line. I have all of the Menzerna abrasive products, 106ff and SIP are just staples to get rolling. You can find a lot of flexibility with products when you try different pads to get going with SIP or 106ff. I recently used Zaino Z-PC just to mix it up, not worth it to me. Results are results as long as you get there. Not all cars need such aggressive resurfacing, the previously mentioned schedule just outlines a worst case scenario. 50% of my work is completed with a few passes of a SIP/106ff mix and a few different pads on the Makita to get all of the depper marks out.

Most of these cars are trophys, they all arrive in decent shape. The only cars I see that need SIP have been tortured by a tunnel wash or a local hand wash guy at their office park. I also recommend to my clients not to come to me more than 1 time per year.



I recently got into installing the clear film bras from 3M. My first will be an M5 on the weekend of the Super Bowl. This is also completely outsourced, the dealer quoted $995, the installer quoted me $400, I quoted the end user $650. The installer agreed to come to my house and do the work there. I went so far as to have the installer come by on Monday to see my garage so I dont get any lip from him on Saturday when I have the customers car here.
 
Jakerooni said:
Jsatek- Wow good write up on process.. But I have a few questions. First off to any detailer out there. This whole paint gauge thing. I keep looking at it as pure hype. and I can't seem to get past it. Why you ask? Because no matter how many times I check the paint my wheel has no clue what a micron is. now or ever will it be anywhere near as precise as that gauge. I can't wheel that specific so in essence what does it really matter how thick the paint is? If it's thin 99% of the time there are visable signs that it's thin. I've just never understood the logical reasoning behind this gimmick outside of trying to "upsale" your customers because it looks "high tech" and whatnot. What's the true reason behind the paint gauge?



second I read you use a compressor to blow out the interior but use a leaf blower to dry the car? Umm why? That might save you quite a bit of time right there. Get rid of the leaf blower. I've never understood that either. If I was a paying customer with a high end car and you (in general) show up to detail my car and pull out a leaf blower I would tell you right then and there to pack your stuff up and get off my property. It's a huge sign of unprofessional imagery. I would look at it the same as a kid showing up to mow my 20 acres of lawn with a push mower. Especially if you already have the air compressor. Use it. Much more efficient, much quicker, and looks like you showed up on the spot with the professional tools of the trade. They have water sprite out there that absoultly do NOT marr the paint in any way shape or form. No need to not use the proper detailing tools in this case. (again these are only my opnions)



I also don't get how it takes 3 hours to wheel out the paint but only 60 seconds to wetsand it? even per panel that dosen't sound right about the wetsanding. How are you wetsanding? Maybe it something I could use to save off some time. Because I'll take a half hour or more sometimes to do a thurough wetsand.



How are you taking off the wheels? 4 way lug wrench or impact? could shave off some minutes there as well if your using anything but the air compressor.



Can't really comment on the products used because I've never used them. But It might be worth the while to check into other products that have less cure times. If you can find any in the same quality range of the products you use.



These are just some of my tips as I see to maybe save yourself a few minutes here and there. take them with a grain of salt if needed. In the end it's all about the end result and not the hands on the clock though.
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$600 for a PTG is allot of money till you burn thru the paint of a Ferrari or Lambo which I imagine is the type of cars that are being detailed for $700 by jsatek. Sure he could get a panel repainted for $300, but tell the client that his F430 will be ok with a repainted panel. :bat



Knowing if a car has already been polished a few times or maybe even wetsanded by using a PTG and knowing what the average paint thickness of that specific model is, could save your ashe big time. Yes I am sure that jsatek has insurance to cover burning paint, but like he says most of his business is by referral. So can he afford to really mess up one time?



Leaf blower-I am 99% sure that if a high end client asked jsateck why he uses a leaf blower to dry a car and he explained the reason to them.... :nixweiss



What it comes down to is that jsatek is not a hack down the street charging $80 for a detail.
 
gmblack3a said:
$600 for a PTG is allot of money till you burn thru the paint of a Ferrari or Lambo which I imagine is the type of cars that are being detailed for $700 by jsatek. Sure he could get a panel repainted for $300, but tell the client that his F430 will be ok with a repainted panel. :bat



Leaf blower-I am 99% sure that if a high end client asked jsateck why he uses a leaf blower to dry a car and he explained the reason to them.... :nixweiss



What it comes down to is that jsatek is not a hack down the street charging $80 for a detail.
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I think I would be on the hook for the panel refinish AND depreciation of the vehicle if I caused it. On resale, some of the highline cars get hit up to $2000 per panel for a repaint. Even a GOOD repaint depreciates the hell out of them.



If Neiman Marcus made a leaf blower and it gave my clients something talk about to their friends, I'd buy it! I just only want to use the air gun with the garage closed, my neighbors are all new to me. If they compain, I will be out of luck.



My question is, when using the guage and you collect data of say, 120 microns, do you then stop polishing periodically and re-measure to guage how much clear you are removing? Then use a quick in your head formula of 30 seconds of SIP and a Blue Edge pad removes 30 microns of paint, I have to keep moving?





I think this is all on topic, we are talking about how to add value and design a process/experience for a client. Using bits out of this thread should help some defeat a customer objection and add value as to why they should do business with you over the other guy.
 
Absoultly.. I'm learning tons on this. There are alot of things I have not tried and getting the proper answers helps out a great deal. I can see the reasoning behind the PTG in that light. With the super high end cars that 99% of us will never ever see in real life it's always good to have every precaution on the planet I would think.



And the leaf blower makes sense in the noise polution dept. definatly. Not something I'm accustomed to having never had to deal with mobil detailing just yet. Brick and mortor locations usually don't have to deal with noise pollution concerns.
 
wow, tons of good info in this thread...thank you all of you guys for helping me out. i have been going into details with potential customers, about how instead of moving 10 cars in 1 hour ill be spending 4-6 hours on one car and doing it the right way...i guess i cannot ge them all, but im taking everything you guys said into consideration and i will go about my "salesmanship" differently from now on. im actually about to photoshop some business cards up :)
 
8Banger said:
wow, tons of good info in this thread...thank you all of you guys for helping me out. i have been going into details with potential customers, about how instead of moving 10 cars in 1 hour ill be spending 4-6 hours on one car and doing it the right way...i guess i cannot ge them all, but im taking everything you guys said into consideration and i will go about my "salesmanship" differently from now on. im actually about to photoshop some business cards up :)
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Well I would also print this thread and hang it on a wall. Sure it's a small novel, but it will remind you about the suggestions that you got here.
 
jsatek,



Very nice setup. Where did you get your bottling/lables/bottle crate? Leaf blower is fine, but there are some other professional equipment like a portable air compressor you can use.
 
If your customers do not understand the difference between your detailing serivce and car spa, they are not auto enthusiasts (in other words they do not care). A non-enthusiasts ("NE") treats a car like a widget. It does not matter that widget A is better than Widget B, becuase the NE cannot decipher the difference.



If you are not detailing your individual or dealer clients' high end cars, then you are dealing with most who just don't know. You have to educate them. Tell them to go to the car spa and then come right back to you. Have then rub their hand over one of the 1/4 panels, then wash and clay the dang thing, polish--whatever and then show them the difference )let them see what's on the bar (and be slow when showing them -so they think you spend more time on the whole car than you actually do). After done w/ all steps and final buffing--have them run their hand over that body panel again. Voila--a 100.00 customer who thinks you are underpaid.
 
SilvaBimma said:
jsatek,



Very nice setup. Where did you get your bottling/lables/bottle crate? Leaf blower is fine, but there are some other professional equipment like a portable air compressor you can use.
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Yeah, I'm not really feeling that leaf blower thing. Blows micro level dust particles all over and in the air which are bound to settle some where--proably the other cars in your lot or shop.
 
I bought te bottles from U.S. Plastics and the label maker is a dymo from Office Depot.



What is the alternative to the leaf blower? Its the top of my Rigid shop vac, it converts to a blower. I have a compressor in the garage, but I can't use it at 8am on a saturday out in te driveway, te scream of the blow gun will certainly get my neighbors going. I just like to quick dry te car and blow the water out of the cracks so it doesn't drip onto a panel when I am polishing.
 
Well the obvious alternative (and take it for what you will) is a lamb skin chamoise and a can of compressed air (any computer store will have these in the grossloads) if you don't want to fire up the noisy air compressor. I've also been known to grab my Air Brush air compressor (runs silently) and use that in the interiors from time to time to blow things out. There are lots of really good alternatives to using leaf blowers. But if the leaf blower works for you then use what you know.
 
derekinthez said:
Yeah, I'm not really feeling that leaf blower thing. Blows micro level dust particles all over and in the air which are bound to settle some where--proably the other cars in your lot or shop.
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No more then the wind itself?



I use a leaf blower to dry my clients cars with and have no issues with dust or anything else settling on the car afterwards, it's not like I'm blowing the driveway clean, just the car.
 
JoshVette said:
No more then the wind itself?



I use a leaf blower to dry my clients cars with and have no issues with dust or anything else settling on the car afterwards, it's not like I'm blowing the driveway clean, just the car.
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In addition, the driveway is wet, which keeps the dust down.



When did the leaf blower become white trash?



My cars all get blown off with a blow gun in the garage pre-polishing, added protection from possible contaminants between a paint and pad.
 
Dirt_Turbo said:
ya i know would take me 9 hours or so to complete the whole car to a reasonable finish , but i just cant stand looking at it always never being cleaned,
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Working dirt cheap like that is what gives people the impression that quality detailing shouldn't cost much.
 
as if the air in an air compressor is 100% clean.....



I hope you guys are using a moisture seperator and a filter.
 
Yea I don't understand what is wrong with a leafblower either. If it's quieter and does the same job, why not? Besides the image issue, that is. I think that if he's bringing in $700 per detail, then maybe some of us could learn from him instead of criticize him.
 
guys today i did a big no no



i detailed 2 cars at $5 each i just need money so desperate



by the way i only did the paint no fancy wheel cleaning , etc



i used step 1 and 2 and nxt gen on 1 applicator pad all mixed together to tell you the truth it came out pretty dam good that mixture then toped with P21S



btw these cars were old beaters they just wanted a wash but i did a quick polish and wax



i removed some oxidation so it could get a bit of a reflection in it
 
what kind of detail do you do for 700 that sounds great do you have any pic you can post so we can see thanks and keep up the great work
 
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