metropolitandet
New member
I work on cars of the same caliber every day, and think this guy is a joke. I'm not saying that we're inexpensive by any means, but this guy is way out of line with his pricing.
You have to check this out.
- Thread starter autoprincess
- Start date
martinager
New member
see attachemnt.. this ruined his status to me:
Plenty of autopians have prouced incredible results with the same tools, and not 10k wax. Just someone who milks the rich with money to blow.
Plenty of autopians have prouced incredible results with the same tools, and not 10k wax. Just someone who milks the rich with money to blow.
autoprincess
New member
like i've said before and my signature helps remind it "auto detailing is an art" it's just that his paintings are selling. whether you, me, or anyone else likes it or not. he's selling himself and doing pretty good with success (the fact) if you ask me.
David Fermani
Forza Auto Salon
beachy said:
I don't think he's doing show car prep by any way what so ever. These cars are likely occasional drivers or dealer pieces. If they were being shown, I'd hope that he'd be doing much more of an extensive prep.
I don't think just because these are high end cars like Lambo's, Ferrari's or Porsche's shouldn't dictate an unrealistic price for detailing. For example: There should be no varience in price between a $80,000 1990 Testarossa and $80,000 2006 Z-06. Just because it has an exotic nameplate on it shouln't mean that an alarm should go off in our heads telling us to quadriple the charge for detailing. It's not like most exotics see the same elements that a basic everyday driver sees.
Now "show car prep" is a different animal all together and requires an extensive amount of detailing and should cost substantial more than basic ordinary detailing.
silverline
New member
What is an appropriate price for detailing? I think it is the price in which your clientele is willing to pay for your services. Sounds like many here are envious of this guy, maybe not because he's giving anyone a better detail than others feel that can give, but because he's getting a whole lot more money for it. Sounds to me like he's done a pretty good job marketing his services to a very specific target market. What is wrong with that. I've read hundreds of threads on this forum and others relating to how to get more money for their services and "who" and "how" to market to the best target market. This gentleman has obviously done a very good job with this and seems to be providing a quality service to his clientele as well. Perception is reality....People in his area perceive him to be the best at what he does and are willing to pay for that. It may or may not be true, however, that doesn't really matter. I say give credit where credit is due, all professionals look for ways of not only improving the quality of their work, but also ways to increase ticket sales and reach the right target market. Here you have someone who has done this and he gets bashed for it. Maybe everyone should bash him a little less, and market like him a bit more. Just my thoughts.
Matt Williams
Silver Lining Detail
Matt Williams
Silver Lining Detail
imported_chpsk8
New member
David Fermani said:
The paint is so thin on a Ferrari F-40 that you can see the carbon fiber weave in the panels.
Price of vehicle does not equal the thickness of the paint.
All this guy is doing by performing this step is showing that he understands that paint is not a never ending resource once it has been applied, and that he is intelligent enough to take that extra step while detailing.
Part of the "service" that these people are paying for is that type of "over the top" service. These are people that pay $xxx,xxxx for a car and want to be able to say something like..
My detailer checks the paint thickness and records it at every detail.
My detailer applies $10,000 wax by hand... literally.
blahblah blah
He's not detailing some kids winged out faux TypeR.
I wish there were people around my area that would be willing to pay for a premium service like this. I'd ride them home every day! :2thumbs:
David Fermani
Forza Auto Salon
SilverLine said:
Don't get me wrong - I'm envious of this guy 100%. He's surrounded daily by awsome vehicles and gets paid an extreme amount to detail them. That's incredible!! But, what I somewhat resent and think is totally untrue is the fact that this mini-documentry protrays and states that this person is the "best detailer in the world". That's a complete understatement in my opinion(I'm sure alot Autopians would also think this). Just because you work on Super Cars all day long, use expensive materials and tools doesn't mean crap! It just gives this person an edge to market himself to the wealthy by.
David Fermani
Forza Auto Salon
chpsk8 said:
* From my experiences, I was under the impression that Italian high end cars have several more coats of base and clear that most other vehicles.
* Price of a vehicle should not dictate the cost of detailing it. Unless your using $10,000 wax of course.
*I don't take this procedure as a demonstration of intelligence, but a show of smoke and mirrors to deceive his clients that what he's doing is "so critical to the finish" that it needs to get done. Again more marketing tactics. Well done.
autoprincess
New member
One thing I saw that I would critigue his work is that (I might be wrong the sound was off when I was watching the video so I couldn't hear what he was saying only observing what he was doing) he was spraying wheel cleaner on the rims and detailing them after he washed the car. Ummmm, in my book that's backwards. The FINAL detail of rims comes last not the first cleaning. I also might have missed some things, because I just fast forwarded through it, to pick up the jist.
I still give him props for bringing in the customers the way he does. I would love to detail regularly a lamborghini vs. jetta. (might even knock some off the price if I can drive it around for an hour, I promise I'll put gas back in it)
I still give him props for bringing in the customers the way he does. I would love to detail regularly a lamborghini vs. jetta. (might even knock some off the price if I can drive it around for an hour, I promise I'll put gas back in it)
I would probably agree that he may not be the "Best" detailer. I would also like to think that he did not start out at these extremely high prices. He may have started out reasonably priced and saw a huge demand for his service. He may have just had an abundance of customers scheduled all the time and as he increased his prices, he may have noticed that there was still a large demand for him.
If I had a huge demand for my services and was busy beyond control, I would increase my prices accordingly. I can see that if the demand was so high for my services (and there was that kind of market in my area) that the prices could reach the area that his are in.
Well, thats my theory. hehe.
If I had a huge demand for my services and was busy beyond control, I would increase my prices accordingly. I can see that if the demand was so high for my services (and there was that kind of market in my area) that the prices could reach the area that his are in.
Well, thats my theory. hehe.
He's probably been paid that much to perform an "intensive" detail on one car...and now suddently that's what he gets. Yeah right. I've heard that before - a guy gets $450 to detail a car one time and now all of a sudden "that's what he gets for detailing."
Though I too am somewhat envious - working on those types of cars isn't as pleasant as it sound...it's actually rather nerve-racking.
Though I too am somewhat envious - working on those types of cars isn't as pleasant as it sound...it's actually rather nerve-racking.
Just saw this on the other thread about him:
Dear All,
Paul Dalton of Miracle Detail seems to have created a bit of a stir, so I thought I'd better try and answer a few questions. Starting with why he's not posting himself!
Basically, it's because Paul is extremely busy (detailing and correcting the paintwork of cars, as you may expect) doing 10-12 hours - with a long waiting list meaning little free time even at weekends. So he cannot post on detailing forums as much as he would like. However, he does read them because of his professional interest in detailing.
Therefore, I would like to step in as his marketing/PR guy and 1) explain a bit about the Fifth Gear feature, and 2) try and act as a conduit for any questions you may have for Paul. I will answer them as well as I can, but please bear with me as I am not a detailer myself. I am just as likely to get my terminology wrong as you would talking to me about a 'six page roll-fold in a C5 outer'
Firstly, Fifth Gear.
Fifth Gear were poised to do a feature on Paul before we launched his '5k car wash' service in a bid to raise his profile, establish his credential as a leading detailer in the UK (and beyond) and also spread the 'detailing gospel'. Remember that all publicity for Paul indirectly benefits all professional detailers. I have first hand evidence of other detailers being asked for a similar service to Paul's 5k car wash (normally for less money, as you would expect!).
The Fifth Gear feature, and subsequent mass-media coverage, required Paul's services to be simplified for a mainstream audience. These are people who don't know what a clay bar is and they would think two buckets wholly impractical. They are your mums, dads, girlfriends and 'non-believing' mates. Washing up liquid and a gritty sponge is their car care equipment of choice.
Therefore, the shoot for Fifth Gear was broken down into 'basic stages' and was not completely representative of what Paul does to a client's car. It is about as real as the film Titanic was... dramatising a true story so that everyone 'gets' it, but the details may be slightly different or inaccurate. Leonardo Di Caprio never floated away on an iceberg in real life!
So... two buckets and grit guards. Paul uses multiple buckets for client cars and uses grit guards. For the shoot he used one bucket with a grit guard because the car had been thoroughly detailed prior to the shoot. In effect, he was washing a clean car, for the benefit of the cameras.
As for Zymol Royale, at the time of this shoot, Paul was one of two to three detailers in the UK with Zymol Royale. There are now a few more. The reason for any inaccuracies is due to the time difference between shoot and broadcast date; a period of a couple of months.
Secondly, Paul would like to thank everyone for their interest and support. He has been a bit dismayed about some of the negative comments, especially from those who think he is a guy swanning around with loads of money, 'ripping people off' or who can't detail cars properly! So to address those issues quickly.
'Loadsamoney'? Nope, Paul's 5k car wash is a genuine service but for obvious reasons is a rarity... demand is currently just 1-2 of these per year and as it is based on Paul's hourly rate he doesn't earn any more from this as from a day to day full order book. Normal detailing/paint correction comes in at about 300-600 GBP per car. If it saves a respray or helps a car sell for top money then it's good value. And it's not as if you need him to come over every week.
'A rip off'? Not really. Paul charges 75 GBP plus VAT per hour, which is expensive compared to some detailers, admittedly, but he has invested heavily in his business (Merc van, 4k paint depth gauges, 7k Royale) and has formidable paint correction skills. In the UK, a main dealer charges you 100 GBP plus VAT per hour for an oil and filter change, and an average plumber charges you in the high sixties. So is Paul really pricey when working on the cars that he does? Paul's one of the top few detailers in the UK, if not the world, and I bet your plumber wouldn't be top of the same plumber's league.
'Can't detail cars properly'? What the papers/TV say, surprise, surprise, isn't always that close to reality. It is repackaged, reprocessed and regurgitated for a mass audience. 'Australian microfibre towels and filtered water' were reported third hand by one magazine as 'filtered water imported from Australia'. Quite different and a bit silly. Suffice to say, Paul has 13 years of experience, details cars to extremely high levels and is proud of his professionalism. If he was dropping his sponge on the floor every five minutes, he wouldn't get near a Veyron, would he? The results, his client list and order book show that he is doing something right - and it's not just my marketing, even if I would like to claim that it was, LOL.
Thanks for reading all this and I hope it has given you an insight into the mysterious Paul Dalton. He isn't 'above' contributing forums, he just doesn't have the time. But I will try and log in every now and again, time permitting, of course.
Dear All,
Paul Dalton of Miracle Detail seems to have created a bit of a stir, so I thought I'd better try and answer a few questions. Starting with why he's not posting himself!
Basically, it's because Paul is extremely busy (detailing and correcting the paintwork of cars, as you may expect) doing 10-12 hours - with a long waiting list meaning little free time even at weekends. So he cannot post on detailing forums as much as he would like. However, he does read them because of his professional interest in detailing.
Therefore, I would like to step in as his marketing/PR guy and 1) explain a bit about the Fifth Gear feature, and 2) try and act as a conduit for any questions you may have for Paul. I will answer them as well as I can, but please bear with me as I am not a detailer myself. I am just as likely to get my terminology wrong as you would talking to me about a 'six page roll-fold in a C5 outer'
Firstly, Fifth Gear.
Fifth Gear were poised to do a feature on Paul before we launched his '5k car wash' service in a bid to raise his profile, establish his credential as a leading detailer in the UK (and beyond) and also spread the 'detailing gospel'. Remember that all publicity for Paul indirectly benefits all professional detailers. I have first hand evidence of other detailers being asked for a similar service to Paul's 5k car wash (normally for less money, as you would expect!).
The Fifth Gear feature, and subsequent mass-media coverage, required Paul's services to be simplified for a mainstream audience. These are people who don't know what a clay bar is and they would think two buckets wholly impractical. They are your mums, dads, girlfriends and 'non-believing' mates. Washing up liquid and a gritty sponge is their car care equipment of choice.
Therefore, the shoot for Fifth Gear was broken down into 'basic stages' and was not completely representative of what Paul does to a client's car. It is about as real as the film Titanic was... dramatising a true story so that everyone 'gets' it, but the details may be slightly different or inaccurate. Leonardo Di Caprio never floated away on an iceberg in real life!
So... two buckets and grit guards. Paul uses multiple buckets for client cars and uses grit guards. For the shoot he used one bucket with a grit guard because the car had been thoroughly detailed prior to the shoot. In effect, he was washing a clean car, for the benefit of the cameras.
As for Zymol Royale, at the time of this shoot, Paul was one of two to three detailers in the UK with Zymol Royale. There are now a few more. The reason for any inaccuracies is due to the time difference between shoot and broadcast date; a period of a couple of months.
Secondly, Paul would like to thank everyone for their interest and support. He has been a bit dismayed about some of the negative comments, especially from those who think he is a guy swanning around with loads of money, 'ripping people off' or who can't detail cars properly! So to address those issues quickly.
'Loadsamoney'? Nope, Paul's 5k car wash is a genuine service but for obvious reasons is a rarity... demand is currently just 1-2 of these per year and as it is based on Paul's hourly rate he doesn't earn any more from this as from a day to day full order book. Normal detailing/paint correction comes in at about 300-600 GBP per car. If it saves a respray or helps a car sell for top money then it's good value. And it's not as if you need him to come over every week.
'A rip off'? Not really. Paul charges 75 GBP plus VAT per hour, which is expensive compared to some detailers, admittedly, but he has invested heavily in his business (Merc van, 4k paint depth gauges, 7k Royale) and has formidable paint correction skills. In the UK, a main dealer charges you 100 GBP plus VAT per hour for an oil and filter change, and an average plumber charges you in the high sixties. So is Paul really pricey when working on the cars that he does? Paul's one of the top few detailers in the UK, if not the world, and I bet your plumber wouldn't be top of the same plumber's league.
'Can't detail cars properly'? What the papers/TV say, surprise, surprise, isn't always that close to reality. It is repackaged, reprocessed and regurgitated for a mass audience. 'Australian microfibre towels and filtered water' were reported third hand by one magazine as 'filtered water imported from Australia'. Quite different and a bit silly. Suffice to say, Paul has 13 years of experience, details cars to extremely high levels and is proud of his professionalism. If he was dropping his sponge on the floor every five minutes, he wouldn't get near a Veyron, would he? The results, his client list and order book show that he is doing something right - and it's not just my marketing, even if I would like to claim that it was, LOL.
Thanks for reading all this and I hope it has given you an insight into the mysterious Paul Dalton. He isn't 'above' contributing forums, he just doesn't have the time. But I will try and log in every now and again, time permitting, of course.
autoprincess
New member
"the mysterious Paul Dalton"
Whooooo aaaahhhhh he's mysterious. :nana: :soscared: :hide:
Whooooo aaaahhhhh he's mysterious. :nana: :soscared: :hide:
About pricing for exotics:
Talk to your insurer, and find out how they determine what is 'exotic'. You may be surprised, and if you don't charge more for those types of vehicles, you are making less for them, than for run-of-the-mill vehicles, because of your liability. Just ask Joe of Superior Shine about his recent experience!
Talk to your insurer, and find out how they determine what is 'exotic'. You may be surprised, and if you don't charge more for those types of vehicles, you are making less for them, than for run-of-the-mill vehicles, because of your liability. Just ask Joe of Superior Shine about his recent experience!