What's Your Car Washing Time?

We do regular washes (clean wheels, Hand wash & dry incl. door jambs) in about 15 minutes.



Full serve washes (above plus interior wipedown, vacuum, windows & tire dressing) take about 30 minutes.



This is with 2 people working.
 
Wow. I washed a Dodge Intrepid yesterday. Here is my process and time.



Clean Wheels, wheel wells, and tires.

Clean bumper covers, and rocker panels.

Wash the body.

MF chamois dry, followed by blow dry for wheels and crevices.

Dress tires and plastic side mirrors.

Vacuum interior front to back, including mats, dash, and seats.

Wipe dash, door panels, and leather seats with damp MF.

Run ozone machine for ten minutes.

Clean inside of windows.





Time- 2 hours
 
Anthony Orosco said:
.......

I would normally not do it this fast, more like 55 to 60 minutes and I usually get around $40 to $55 for a wash.....
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I think this is the only price I've ever seen posted here that makes sense to me. I've seen a bunch of posts in the past few years where you Pros are charging like $20 a wash. I think that's far too low with the techniques being used. I guess it also depends on your clients and location. Not to mention, I'm slow. :)

*******

Wow....some of you guyz are lightning fast ! :bow

Another hobbyist here. Takes me 1 1/2 to 2 hours to do:



Exterior wash/dry

Door Jams

Wheels

Clean and dress tires

Exhaust tips

quick clean/dress interior as needed
 
I can do an exterior wash in 25 mins, including



Spray + Rinse on rims

CG's rim cleaner on tires and wells

Pressure wash rims, tires, wells, and underbody

Soap up paint

Rinse paint

Dry

Dress trim, tires and wells





I find the longest step, as long as the one I hate the most, is drying. I'm currently looking into a DI system, figuring that it could save me 10 minutes per wash, and more importantly cut down on marring.
 
Doing our vehicles always takes a few hours, but keep in mind that my "extreme wash technique" is pretty labor-intensive. But note that I work at not inducing even micromarring in the doorjambs, etc. Takes a few minutes just to clean out the "inaccessible" areas like the back side of the front fenders- gotta get in there with the front door open (MF on a stick). I must spend 15 minutes on just the undercarriage and ditto for the underside of the hood/etc. Cleaning each of the dozens of slots in the grills takes a while too..four surfaces and seams each, soft plastic that can mar (using a brush doesn't get them truly clean, there's always a little dirt left behind).



But on a more normal note :D I can wash/quick wax a car for friends/family in about an hour or so. All a matter of what you're doing and to what degree. When I had the Volvo wagon I'd do it in less than an hour, and it wasn't exactly small. Wasn't show quality either, though.
 
Accumulator said:
Doing our vehicles always takes a few hours, but keep in mind that my "extreme wash technique" is pretty labor-intensive. But note that I work at not inducing even micromarring in the doorjambs, etc. Takes a few minutes just to clean out the "inaccessible" areas like the back side of the front fenders- gotta get in there with the front door open (MF on a stick). I must spend 15 minutes on just the undercarriage and ditto for the underside of the hood/etc. Cleaning each of the dozens of slots in the grills takes a while too..four surfaces and seams each, soft plastic that can mar (using a brush doesn't get them truly clean, there's always a little dirt left behind).



But on a more normal note :D I can wash/quick wax a car for friends/family in about an hour or so. All a matter of what you're doing and to what degree. When I had the Volvo wagon I'd do it in less than an hour, and it wasn't exactly small. Wasn't show quality either, though.
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Dude....you're INTENSE :xyxthumbs





SK2003TypeS said:
I think this is the only price I've ever seen posted here that makes sense to me. I've seen a bunch of posts in the past few years where you Pros are charging like $20 a wash. I think that's far too low with the techniques being used. I guess it also depends on your clients and location. Not to mention, I'm slow. :)

*******
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Thanks for your input:) Alot also depends on what the market a detailer is in will pay but I also believe that one can MAKE their market. Not everyone can or wants to pay the higher price but I am not looking for just any cars either so I would rather do 4 Porsches at $45 each than one soccer mom mini-van for $180.



Anthony
 
Think I need to get a DI unit from CRSpotless.



Can't seem to wash the sedan in less than 90 minutes if I want it completely dry by the end, including the wheels. Washing takes a while to prevent swirls on black paint!



If I was a pro detailer, I'd go out of business in a week or have to charge exorbitant prices.



- J
 
Anthony- Heh heh, and I didn't even mention stuff like having to remove some of the Audis' underhood cladding to clean areas that only get seen when the car is serviced. If I don't do it every time these areas get pretty grungy and the job gets even harder. And I've found stuff that could've caused trouble if it got into the drain holes so there *is* a practical reason for doing it.



That "intensity" sure comes back to bite me though! Besides all the work I end up doing, the Jag Club of Ohio won't let me judge, basing that decision on the way I expect my "drivers" to be. They're afraid I'll scare people away from our Concours :rolleyes :(
 
JustinTRW said:
If I was a pro detailer, I'd go out of business in a week or have to charge exorbitant prices...
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Yeah, me too. I've quit doing cars for other people; I just wear myself out and they don't even notice what I've done.
 
Accumulator said:
Besides all the work I end up doing, the Jag Club of Ohio won't let me judge, basing that decision on the way I expect my "drivers" to be. They're afraid I'll scare people away from our Concours :rolleyes :(
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:shocked THAT'S SO GREAT!! :2thumbs: :bow :up :up
 
Accumulator said:
That "intensity" sure comes back to bite me though! Besides all the work I end up doing, the Jag Club of Ohio won't let me judge, basing that decision on the way I expect my "drivers" to be. They're afraid I'll scare people away from our Concours :rolleyes :(
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For some reason, this doesn't suprise me anymore. Maybe I'm just becoming too used to Autopians, but I can honestly see this happening now :D



Otherwise, it takes me between 30-45 minutes to do what Anthony does, but without vacuuming and the tire dressing. I do a modified Accumulator method, and it goes pretty quick, but as others said, the thing that takes me longest is drying. If I use the blower I can cut off about 10 min, but otherwise it takes like 45 min
 
sheesh, all that in ~40 minutes?

i think it takes me that long just to wash the entire exterior(after letting the wheel cleaner soak for a few)...add another 10-15 minutes if i want to get meticulous and clean the underside of my hoodscoop of all the bug guts, which involves removing from the hood.
 
I can do a full service wash in about 30 minutues to an hour depending on condition and size. I guess speed comes with experience and having a systematic technique down when washing a vehicle. Also, the right equipment and supplies add to how quickly you can get it done. However, I do find myself sometimes taking longer than usual, primarily when I'm working on the Lamborghini, the Porsche, and some other higher end vehicles....of course that has to do with me not wanting to leave!! :drool: :lol
 
Accumulator said:
Yeah, me too. I've quit doing cars for other people; I just wear myself out and they don't even notice what I've done.
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All of the cars I've done they're very impressed. These are the ones that have used mobile detailers or hand car wash places and paid anywhere from $100 to $300 for a detail. I'm glad they notice that the car looks alot better than those places they were going with. This past weekend I did a 2003 FX35 silver that had been detailed in the past. Both the husband and wife were stunned by how it looked better than when they bought the car. I'll be doing his black expedition soon which has swirls/spiderwebs all over. But that's gonna be one sweet ride once i'm done.



But damn I'm really impressed with some of the times.
 
Anthony Orosco said:
Thanks for your input:) Alot also depends on what the market a detailer is in will pay but I also believe that one can MAKE their market. Not everyone can or wants to pay the higher price but I am not looking for just any cars either so I would rather do 4 Porsches at $45 each than one soccer mom mini-van for $180.



Anthony
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I totally hear that. I had my friend go to a pro to get his truck done. Results were amazing, but he didn't understand the pricetag.

I would think Porsche owners would be able to appreciate the level of quality work.
 
Well....a 911 isn't exactly a large car.....



Normal sized sedan, I can QEW wash in around 20 minutes (wheels and fenderwells included if they aren't filthy or hard to clean design), add in another 20 for vacuuming, wiping down doorjams, dash and console, cleaning glass, and dressing the tires and fenderwells...again depending on condition.



Oh yeah, my Dad and I, working together, QEWed his Lexus in less than 10 minutes, maybe another 5 for wheels (me) and doorjams (him).
 
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