What Products?

K

Krafcik

New member
Ok this is for the Profesisonal detailer that works out of his house. What products do you use/keep in stock? And how many of each. Also, do you offer different prices for different products. For example, if a customer with an escort wants a cheap wash/wax do you use cheaper wax (turtle Wax) and offer a cheaper package. On the other hand do you use Klasse for more expensive cars . . . I hope you get the idea . . . I'm thinking about begining my own home detail service so more info the better.





CK
 
Stock high quality products or don't stock anything at all. Don't think that because someone drives an inexpensive car that they don't care about it. Look at it this way, if they spend 5,000 for the car and now they are going to pay you 50 bucks to detail it then that is the sam as if they had a 50,000 dollar car and are paying you 500 bucks to detail it. The ratio is the same so use the same products. Leave the cheap stuff on the shelf for people who don't know any better. Just something to keep in mind.



I basicly charge by the hour. I know how long its going to take to do a job so I set my price by how much I'd like to make per hour while I'm doing it. If you bring me a swirled up Porsche or a swirled up Pinto then you can expect to be charged about the same mount of money. Some of it depends on the condition of the paint to begin with but the price of my work doesn't have anything to do with the price of the car.
 
Ok I agree with you . . . but which high quality products do you stock, do you stock many brands. If so, how to you determine which one to use?? Car condition? Car Color???
 
A lot has to do with the condition. I'm not going to use SMR on a car with no swirls for example. You'll need a supply of various grade paint cleaners and swirl removers. You'll also probably want to have a sealant handy. You probably don't need one of each. I've got Blackfire, Platinum, Klasse and Meguiar's #20 at my disposal. I'll have some Zaino for next year as well. Sometimes I feel like seeing what Platinum will look like on a car and sometimes I'm happy with how Klasse will look. It just depends on the color I guess.



Don't expect to be able to just place an order for all the products you'll need. It has taken me several years to figure out what works and what doesn't. It has also probably cost me thousands of dollars over the years. Its not information that I could have read on any board and its really not info that I can impart easily. You pretty much have to experience a lot of it for yourself.



To start with I would decide if you are going to be working by hand or with a machine. If by machine then you need to decide what kind you want to use. There are a lot of different polishers out there. I would suggest getting a Porter Cable 7424 random orbital polisher. That works well for me.



Then you'll need to pick out your wash, paint cleaner, swirl remover, sealant and wax. There are dozens of choices there. The SEARCH function on this board will help you sort some of them out. You could do very well with just some Meguiar's Gold Class car wash, Klasse AIO and SG and a jar of P21S carnauba. That will put a world class shine on anyone's car regardless of the condition. It won't do a whole lot for swirls but all those products can be applied by hand and will stun just about everybody. That is just what I would recommend untill you've had time to build up a supply of other products and have tested them on different cars. :xyxthumbs
 
Ok well, I guess I should tell you what I already have.



I have the following:



Pinnacle Poly Clay

Pinnacle Clay Lubricant

Klasse All-In-One

Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze

Sonus High Gloss Acrylic Spritz

Porter Cable 7424 Dual Action Polisher

with Six inch Velcro Backing Plate

with White Foam Polishing Pad

Extra White Foam Polishing Pad

Grey Foam Finishing Pad

Six Inch Wool Disc.

4 Six inch Viper Micro Fiber Applicator Bonnets

2 Micro Fiber Applicator Pads

3 Viper Microfiber Detail Towels

Koala Wipe Towel

Mequiars Sratch-X

Mequiars Quick Detail

Meguiar's Gold Class Premium Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner

Meguiar's Gold Class Clear Coat Car Wax.
 
Looks like a good start to me. :up That is a good list for the exterior. The rest of the stuff you need will be stuff that you figure out in the middle of a job when you say, "Crap. I wish I had some some kind of trim restoring product right about now." Then you'll go out and get some and be set for the next time you need it.



What are you using on the glass, trim, engine, interior (dash, leather, cloth, carpet, etc), wheels and tires?
 
Well I have some Mequiars stuff I've been using for tires, trim and the dash and what not . . . I plan on getting 303 stuff and i have no clue what nor how to do an engine.
 
You should do some research on all purpose cleaners as well. It is a lot more convenient and practical to dilute one product for several jobs than to buy 20 jugs of different cleaners for various purposes. Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner Plus is a good example of this. The Prowax line is exceptional and reasonably priced as well.
 
There are some great threads around on engine detailing. They shouldn't be too deep down either. I think we were just discussing it a few days ago. David's eBook would be a good thing for you to purchase too. That will help you get the hang of what process will get you the best results. In the detailing business time is money and the only way to save time is to have good techniques and know the process.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top