What products for Police Vehicles?

Pig Meat said:
Ok, they are Police Cars that stay outside all the time; hummmm, let me think about this one....ok, the "normal advise" is what they are doing---->"Most people go through a drive through type of wash as it is easiest and quickest." So, do you seriously believe that claying, light polish, waxing and PAINT CORRECTION are something a Police Officer wants to do to a Police Car that he doesnt even own? And OMG, the suggestions to wrap the car in a clear vinyl wrap....seriously? I'll bet that MOST of the Officers dont even want to do detail their own personal cars.



In any event, just my opinion



Pig
Click to expand...



Pig, I do it to my two ambulances, two para-transit vans, and when I'm bored (which is almost always at work when I'm not on a call) I'll polish up our Medics chase truck which is 13 years old and has well over 200k on the clock. Around here, ambulances get abused just as much....if not more then police cruisers. I try to achieve at least 50-75% correction when I detail them which is twice a year. My people won't do anything more then wet the rigs down, put some soap on it, rinse, and call it a day. It just depends on the person and it's not limited to LEOs. In my area, LEOs don't "keep" their cruisers and most of them could use at the very least a light polish and wax. Every now again you'll see a nice looking older cruiser and a lot of the LEOs I know keep their car looking nice, not really autopian standards but nice enough to know they like their povs to shine!

People ask me all the time why do I spend so much time "waxing" the rigs. I hate a dirty vehicle and if I have the time and means....I'll shine it up. Besides would you want YOUR loved one being taken to the hospital in a mobile emergency room that looks like it doubles as a construction or contractors truck? and then get a large bill in the mail for that trip? I know I don't and have been complimented on the condition of the rigs more times then I can remember which is motivation enough to keep going at it! Some cops out there are just like us......just saying! :roll:
 
What is your off duty time worth, and what is the maket for cruiser cleaning with your PD? That should determine what you will charge... and if cops are anything like firefighters, they will ask for a "professional courtesy discount"... I know, as I am a firefighter and most of my clientele are cops, firefighters, paramedics and EMTs! :grinno:
 
Tkinney1016 said:
Charles- most cars go about 120k miles, the last 30k or so being a fleet car not a take home. It would be great to offer some different stuff like you mentioned but I'm curious how many guys are going to want it. And most cars sit on a lot for a year before they even get outfitted so a paint correction right off the bat would be needed if someone really cared about the paint finish.



The reason it's hard for guys to put a lot of time into the appearance is cause we lean on them, throw bad guys on them, eat off of them (lunch boxes on the trunk, spilled ketchup and salsa). Some guys just want a freshen up every year or so.



Anyone have any suggestions for a price on a full detail with mild paint correction and sealant? Just a ball park figure?
Click to expand...



What I do is really just the bare bones of a one step. I make sure they understand that and that you are not getting any real correction out of a one step polishing process. As others have said why should they or would they spend the money, and yes they are competitive with each other to some degree. But from the officers I know and deal with are loyal to people if they are interested in the first place and like the quality of your work, they will come back and tell their co-workers, friends, and family. As far as price this is how, I charge between $80-$120 depending on size and condition. Most of the time the vehicles are not to bad in the first place, it will take me about 3-4 hours. For the SUV's I charge $120-$150. These prices are about $50 less than I would charge regularly. But you will make it up in Quanity and friends/families vehicles, and most are ok with the prices.
 
Our agency in Calgary does not have "take home" patrol cars for its officers. Since all marked units are pool cars, the motivation is that much less on the part of the officers to keep them "detailed". The cars are run through an automated car wash as required, and vaccumed out regularly by the patrol guys. That being said, our agency has a budget that allows two "details" per car, per year. A local dealership charges our agency $80 for a wash, spray on wax, interior clean (Armor-All calibre of products) as well as carpet shampoo for seats and those vehicles that have carpet in them. If the vehicle is deemed to be a "bio-hazard" (fairly self explanatory), it is sent to another detailer that charges $200. This detailer does a wash and dry, but focuses on the interior where seats can be removed as required, and all surfaces are steam cleaned and disinfected. Neither "detailer" spends too much time waxing or polishing the paint work since in our climate the vehicles would stay that way for about five minutes, notwithstanding all the other rigeurs of patrol work that the exteriors of the cars are subject to, as mentioned above.



The quality of work by both companies is subpar by my OCD standards, however I hope the above provides some context around the broad range of pricing and quality of work on the market for government vehicles.



A
 
Just thinking out loud...



Have you considered an inexpensive AIO (KAIO, ColorX or Meg's Cleaner Wax, etc.,) and a bunch of bottles of M135/D156 (a.k.a UQD/UQW). This would make it relatively easy for an officer to maintain his/her vehicle. I suspect you could negotiate a volume purchase to keep the prices low and it only takes 10 minutes to go over the whole cruiser top to bottom after a tunnel wash. No need to be careful around trim, decals, glass, etc. No staining or white residue. You could expect 6+ months of protection using this approach.



Why are these supplies and washing not picked up by the local community? In order to extend the life of the capital investment, you would expect this would be viewed as a reasonable expense. Maybe launch an "Adopt a Crusier" program in your community. Get local businesses and private individuals to contribute to maintain the cruisers. As to the products, I wonder if a manufacturer of wax/sealant products might be interested in this fleet as a test bed for products. One would think they would at least be interested in a volume purchase and maybe the publicity they might get for protecting the vehicles of the officers who protect the community.



With 100+ vehicles, I expect a deal could be worked out with the owner(s) of tunnel washes, preferably touch-less, for the officers. Once washed, a wipe-down with a couple microfibers with M135 and D156 would keep the fleet looking pretty sweet.
 
I wouldn't be surprised by the earlier comment that fellow officers would want a discount. So it might be wise to take what you figure you want to make off a detail and add 30%, and use that as your "base price" and then tell them you will give them a 30% discount. ;)
 
Everyone, thank you for all the help. All of this info is extremely useful.



To touch on a few things- The department has a contract with a wash place that everyone gets free washes (vacuum, tunnel wash, then guy dries, does windows and you tip a couple bucks). This works fine but its still a tunnel wash and eventually any protectant may or may have not been there is gone and the car only looks good for 2 days. I agree on people wanting a discount. My old partner said he had the same car wash place do a "detail" on his car a year ago and he paid $100 (thats discounted too) so I told him I would probably be able to do it for that much. I figure a $100-$120 for a wash, light paint correction, wax, and interior detail (rubber floors, hard back seats) sounded fairly reasonable. $100 is about 30% of $150 for a regular price. As far as getting the city to do more for the cars is out of the question, we have been out of a contract for over 5 years now and are one of the lowest paid departments in the state for our size. I would rather have a raise than a waxed car :)



I'm really debating on going with the DG501 mixed with 601 idea for the sake of cost and it seems to be well liked and then do DG105 by hand. Just to make sure the 501 will give me some paint correction? Not looking for a ton but just some to help with swirls and such. Then I was thinking of buying a bunch of small 4-6 oz bottles with some fast clean and shine to send with them to use every month or so to help with maintenance.
 
D501 isn't going to give you much correction at all. Its a good chemical cleaner, but very low on the abrasive scale.
 
Hmm, then maybe just going with HD Speed since quite a few people seem to like it then top it with a good sealant? Because it hasn't been out long I'm having a hard time finding any reviews on the Speed as far as durability goes. I'm also game for the ZAIO however I want the longest protection I can get with some decent correction. I don't mind applying a quick coat of sealant by hand on top of the AIO if it has good durability.
 
It is a "sealant", I am testing it for many things, so far I have found that under normal conditions, IE, washes, high temperatures, rain, etc, it stopped "beading" in about a week or so, but that does not mean it is not there, the real test is for other things, and so far I am anticipating Speed, under normal conditions, will last 3 to 4 months.

I have applied it by hand, used a DA with a peach foam pad and a high speed rotary with a peach colored foam pad.

Of course, in using the rotary, not as much of the protective resins are left behind for longer term protection, but with the DA, finding it easy to use, little or no cleanup, no dusting, and easy wipe off when cured.

Plus, one additional thing for you to consider when doing the "new cruisers", based on your comment of "they come out of a pool", something I am very farmilar with, being a tech advisor and product supplier to Ford, GM and Chrysler, pool vehicles are usually very contiminated from the enviorment in which they are stored and the surrounding rail yards, etc.

These vehicles are normally covered in industrial fallout (IE, rail dust/ferrous oxides, acid etching, deep soiling into the pores of the clearcoats) and should be decontaminated chemically, before advancing to any attempts at polishing or protection.

The use of a tested and manufacturer approved chemical cleaning/decontamination system, will make the white, white again, remove the iron/ferrous particles, neutralize the acids, etc.

Check the training video at ValuGard.net regarding the ABC system, which is the one that Ford offers under their MotorCraft brand as well.



Grumpy
 
If you go a sealant route and would like to try POXY , add a couple drops of DG 601 to your pad as you apply. Works for me.
 
Pig Meat said:
Ok, they are Police Cars that stay outside all the time; hummmm, let me think about this one....ok, the "normal advise" is what they are doing---->"Most people go through a drive through type of wash as it is easiest and quickest." So, do you seriously believe that claying, light polish, waxing and PAINT CORRECTION are something a Police Officer wants to do to a Police Car that he doesnt even own? And OMG, the suggestions to wrap the car in a clear vinyl wrap....seriously? I'll bet that MOST of the Officiers dont even want to do detail their own personal cars.



In any event, just my opinion



Pig
Click to expand...





I won't touch this one!
 
There are tons of variables here to determine what you should use. If they are going to pay $50 then I'd wash it, throw some HD Speed on it and call it a day. If they will pay $150 or so then I'd wash, clay bar, Opti Seal, Optimum Spray Wax and interior and let em roll. If they want a 1 or 2 step polish tell them to add $60-$100 on top. IMO, anything cheaper than these prices is not worth your time and materials.

It is hard to beat a tunnel wash type place for this type of work but if the LEO's want something more than a wash and interior then you would be the man to go to. Just do not kill yourself on pricing. I know of some officers who take good care of their cars and spend their own money doing so so for the negative comment earlier about them not doing it, think again...
 
Want to know where the "real money" is for the cruisers?

Look at the "light bars" and their condition at 40,000 or 50,000 miles.

Then ask the right "money man" what a replacement for the cover cost for one.

Not cheap!

You can easily show a posistive "cost/benefit" ratio for the bean counters, and that is a no brainer.

I did this for the Anaheim PD several years ago(actually almost 20 years ago and really upset the supplier of such to the city), so the price for a replacement has to be 20% higher.

It was around 1990, and then I did one light bar cover, half of it only.

With the right process and a good variable speed rotary, etc, you can make them new in about 45 minutes of labor and a couple of bucks of product.

(by the way all, this was probably the first time anyone found the way to restore the plastic headlight covers used today, it just sort of grew from then)

PM me, I will give you the process, it is a bit more agressive than doing headlight covers, which by the way is another "add-on" for what you are looking to do.

Grumpy
 
I'll have to get my products I decide on and time how long it takes to do my car. Then I'll price it out from there. And as a couple have said, make a couple base packages and do some add ons because not all of the cars will need everything.



Looks like I'll probably grab some HD Speed to start off with and give it a go.



Any suggestions on pads? How long will they last?
 
Ron Ketcham said:
Want to know where the "real money" is for the cruisers?

Look at the "light bars" and their condition at 40,000 or 50,000 miles.

Then ask the right "money man" what a replacement for the cover cost for one.

Not cheap!

You can easily show a posistive "cost/benefit" ratio for the bean counters, and that is a no brainer.

I did this for the Anaheim PD several years ago(actually almost 20 years ago and really upset the supplier of such to the city), so the price for a replacement has to be 20% higher.

It was around 1990, and then I did one light bar cover, half of it only.

With the right process and a good variable speed rotary, etc, you can make them new in about 45 minutes of labor and a couple of bucks of product.

(by the way all, this was probably the first time anyone found the way to restore the plastic headlight covers used today, it just sort of grew from then)

PM me, I will give you the process, it is a bit more agressive than doing headlight covers, which by the way is another "add-on" for what you are looking to do.

Grumpy
Click to expand...



Ron, I'm interested in your process for the light bar. PM sent.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top