Why does it take me so long?

M

MINIack

New member
Sorry if this subject has already been discussed.



I have been detailing for dough for a couple of years now. But I am going full time now and creating a real business instead of doing just friends and family.



I've been reading how it takes you guys 8-10 hours to do a big vehicle. It would probably take me a week to to a van. :rolleyes:



What shortcuts could I take to spend less time? Am I just picky? I did a Passat waggon today and it took me 9 hours. One of those hours was taking care of a big swipe on the side. (unusual). I even take longer doing my own cars (2-3 days).



Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks!



Spence
 
A lot of it is in the order you are doing things. I always do the glass last for example. By the time I do the dash and the doors and QD the jambs and maybe the wipers or the cowl over whatever vents are by the wipers I always end up getting something on the windows. If I do the windows first then I'd just have to do them over again. Kind of like washing the car from top to bottom instead of from front to back. Washing the car from top to bottom means the dirty water runs down onto more of the already dirty car. Going from front to back may require you to backtrack to get areas the dirty water runs down again. It doesn't always save time but it sure doesn't lose time. Just figuring things out like that save a ton of time in the long run.



Knowing what products to use on a glance is also a valuable skill. If I look at swirls and instantly know that its something that DACP can handle then I just go straight for that. If DACP isn't working and I need to move up the scale then I just lost whatever time it took me to figure out that I picked the wrong products. If I spend 10 minutes scrubbing away at waterspots on the car with just my mitt and soapy water instead of going for the PPCL or GEPC then I've lost time. Figuring out what damage requires what product really helps. Not using the same product for everything really helps too.



Being really critical of your products helps in the beginning. If the tire treatment you use is hard to work with and doesn't really satisfy you, then find something better. That can save time. Instead of spending 20 minutes trying to get rid of the streaks your inferior glass cleaner makes, just find a glass cleaner that is easier to work with and use it. Instead of scrubbing the carpets with a POS carpet cleaner that doesn't work anyway, just find a product that gives you results. Experiment with a few. Definitely take the suggestions of others who may have done the testing already for you. That is why Autopia is so great. Since I've been here I've easily shaved an hour off every car I've done just in learning new techniques or being introduced to new products that are so much better than the ones I was using.



Its all about getting into a groove that is comfortable for you. I'm sure that if I hand polished every car I worked on then after several years I'd be as fast as Scottwax is at it. To start with I will be probably 10 times slower though. Don't judge your speed by others' speed. Maybe you are doing just find considering the condition of the vehicle, type of vehicle, and products you have to work with. Find ways of using better products or more effective methods and your times will drop. You've obviously got the experience to implement new methods if you got your hands on some better chemicals maybe. :)
 
Spence,



You may need to examine your business model. Way back, when I decided to detail for money, I realized two things quickly. One, I could keep my more lucrative day job and detail at night or on the weekend. And two, some people are content getting an 'entry-level' detailing done on their vehicles. So, I developed two types of offerings. One is a full-blown-just-short-of-concours detailing job, and the other is a 'quickie' job that leaves the vehicle looking nice but doesn't tie up a lot of time. The quickie jobs are priced accordingly, but I always treat them as seriously as the full-blown details. I can typically accomplish one in under two hours, so the $75-$100 I charge is more than adequate.



A lot of it depends on the local market. Here in my part of NC, we've got a few larger car washes that dominate the majority of the detailing. And boy, am I happy they do. Why? Because an 'inside-outside' detail from them is $130, and doesn't include any error correction in the paint or stain removal on the interior. As a result, people don't cringe at my prices (which in comparison are quite moderate).



A couple of shortcuts that I could think of (and you may already have...):



1) Come up with a quick detail package, and use a cleaner/wax product (Mother's, Meguiar's, etc...) to save a step.



2) Invest in a random orbital buffer, which will increase your speed and reduce your fatigue.



3) Find products that will help you streamline your operation. For instance, I use Eagle One A2Z Tire and Wheel Cleaner, so I can do both steps with one product. Look at Stoner's line for some great aerosol products. Five minutes saved here and there can add up in a hurry.



4) Don't perform a 9-hour detail unless someone paid you for a 9-hour detail. The only people I would do that for is my wife and my parents! :) But seriously, you need to charge for the work you are performing. Otherwise, the days are really going to drag!



I'm done rambling......hope this helps!!



DavidM
 
Jngrbrdman ...

Great advise. I spent a bunch of time getting the wax off. I think it had something to do with the heat. It was 80 today. I guess I need a "wax off" bonnet.



For convience sake I've always gone with Griots Garage's products. They have everything I need without having to search and buy from several different places.



Since I've been on Autopia I am getting used to some of the names and will try some of them when I get a chance.



DaveidM..

Your absolutly right! I do need to tone my detail down. My wife keeps telling me the same thing. $135 for nine hours works to $15 an hour, which is okay I guess. But I should have priced it higher for the problem area.



I think for now I'm going to keep prices fairly low so I don't scare off any customers. I'm in WA and the weather breaks every other day so people don't want to clean too often. (doesn't make sence) Also, there are a lot of people out here that think a detail is just a wash and vacuum. So paying anything more than the local gas station carwash is silly to them.



Thanks!
 
MINI,



Don't think for a minute that people won't pay, just because it's raining. As you can see, I am in Vancouver, and the weather here is even worse, and I still get more work than I can handle as a weekend warrior. What you need to explain to them why and what they need, and show them the results. That's why when people ask me why I spend so much time on my own car even though I could be making money, I tell them, "It's my business card." Just show them what their car looks like and explain to them what you will do for them in a detail vs. just a wash and wax. And if they still want the latter, then just do that, but don't detail for a wash and wax price.
 
MINIack said:


I spent a bunch of time getting the wax off.
Click to expand...



Try S100 for the wax, or Einszett Glanz Wax if you need something that will last more than 2 months. Both are the easiest and quickest on/off waxes I've found here. Probably save you at least an hour right there.
 
My advice is drop the Griots Garage line!



For a guy starting out like you they will take too much of your profit. There are far better products out there AND they sell in bulk which Griots does not do on many of their products.



As a "pro" you want big bang for your buck so this means usually buying in gallon or even 5 to 55 gallon drums.



Some others to check out would be Meguiars, Pro, Auto Magic and Hi-Temp.



Anthony
 
These are the steps for my $120.00 detail.



1. Pre spray wheel wells, tries, rims, door jambs and bugs.

2. Clean wheel well and rims

3. Pre rinse whole car

4. Hand wash car

5. Rinse car and door jambs

6. Dry car and door jambs

7. Dress tries and all vinyl parts

8. Apply paint cleaner and wax

9. Cleans outside windows



1. Purge any big items in the interior, then vacuum whole interior

2. Pre spray carpets

3. Clean whole interior

4. Pre sprays seats or clean leather

5. Clean carpets and seats

6. Apply leather lotion if needed

7. Clean inside glass.

8. Check the whole car if anything I might of miss

9. Fragrance

10. Pull car up and dress tries again.



Most the time this takes me four hours. I don't dress the interior unless the customer ask for it. If the customer want a three step on the paint I just charge more or anything extra they want.
 
Wash_Me,

$120 would be fine for a small to midsized car or midsize truck. But how much time/up charge would you go for a full size car or SUV?



I have a Chrysler 300M to do soon.
 
Hey miniack I learned years ago that if you want to make money in this business stay away from family and friends. They always want everything for next to nothing. I tell them that this is the way I make a living, I pay my bills this way. HELLO. Good luck when you go full time. The big thing is just to find your groove. You will find a rythm that works for you.
 
Auto Care USA said:
Hey miniack I learned years ago that if you want to make money in this business stay away from family and friends. They always want everything for next to nothing. I tell them that this is the way I make a living, I pay my bills this way.
Click to expand...
Great advice.:up Always stay faaaar away from the "family discount". They will always try to get you to do the job for their friends at cost as well.:nono
 
MINIack- I agree with Anthony, drop the Griot's. I'm a big Griot's customer, but their products are quite expensive compared to the lines he mentioned, and many of them take too much time and effort for me (and I'm not even a pro). Another place for one-stop shopping is

TOL and many of their products are available in bulk.
 
Hey MINIack, where about in WA do you live? Obviously im fromt eh Olympia area, and work in downtown Seattle.



Anyway, just to comment on the family discount, i still charge my family, but only a mild shaving off the top, i still want them to pay for what they get, and keep it high enough so that they dont feel like its a freebee ill do everyweek. And at that price, they dont have a problem telling their friends my full prices.

For the quicker details i too charge ~$120 (depends on vehicle and paint issues), for family i charge $90-100. Its enough off the top to give them a deal, but enough money to make them appreciate it.
 
I live in Yelm which is only 14 miles from Oly. I can feel ya about the weather,but you will still have the repeat customer once you get going. I am not a full time detailer (work at night,detail in the day), but I would have to agree to give the people what they pay for. If they want their whole car done for $100 they cannot expect to get the same attention to detail that a person who pays upwards of $200. To cut down on time, make sure you get an idea of what the person wants as a final outcome and charge accordingly. If you feel it will take you 9 hours to achieve what they want, than let them know it will cost them more. I have figured into my head how long certain things will take,and charge on a rough hourly rate.
 
$120.00+ for cars (4 hours), $135.00+ for small SUV's(4to5 hours), Huge SUV's, $145.00+(5to6hours). I try to make $30+ hour if a can but I alway do a good job first.
 
I live in the Kent / East hill area. This is South of Seattle for those of you who don't know the area.



MINIack
 
Wow, thats cool...

I actually make a trip to kent every saturday.

Theres a cool little hole in the wall bar called the Carriage Square that has some great steak on Saturday. Salad, Baked Potato, and 12oz new york steak for $9.50 (that includes tax). SO me and some friends (who also live in Kent) go there every saturday for that.

We may have to get together one of these days.
 
Try and analize what takes up your time. When I first started i ran an add for a spring clean up pacakge which included a carpet shampoo. What a time and back killer. That was my majour time killer so I came on here got some good advice and straightened it out. I tried a few things until something worked for me and now I don't cringe when I hear carpet shampoo!...........LOL,



Clint
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top