Do you complete detail over 2 days?

I almost always ask the client for 2 days if I am doing paint correction. The worse thing to do is charge $1000.00 plus and then feel rushed. I like to deliver the vehicle mid-afternoon or early evening the 2nd day.

YankeeFan said:

I was wondering if you apply a sealant, is it feasible to use a daily driver all week, wash and dry the following weekend then apply the LSP. Is the sealant and paint compromised during that week?

Thanks,
Howard

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Many use the sealant as an LSP so I see no reason you couldn't do what you're saying. In fact, that is EXACTLY what I am doing to my car and my GF's car. I finished with Optimum Poli-Seal, and will come back with a wax when I get time. In the meantime, I've been very pleased with the performance of the sealant. We got hammered with rain yesterday, and my GF said her car was beading perfectly.

Possibly if I had the whole two days to work on the car but I wouldn't want to do that anyways...not with a Porter Cable, at least.

I usually work panel by panel when I want to do some real polishing. For example:

Drive home from work, clean up the hood, clay & polish hood, apply wax/sealant, buff it off and then drive the car the next day, and work on the next body panel, etc. etc. until I'm totally done.

I also usually break up the detail over a couple weekends. Working a about 4 hours at a time. I physically cannot hold up for 10-12 hours at one time like some.

Depends on how bad the car is. With my UDM I can sometimes get a detail done in one day if I start early and finish up just before dark. If it needs more then 8 - 10 hours though I finish it the next day. I make sure to tell everyone that I will need their car for at least one day, but most likely two.

Glad someone else couldn't hold up, I just did my first detail and I have never been more sore.

haha im working on taking up a full 6 days...+/- 2 full days or so...

I started working on my car this previous friday (washed and clayed), the car cover was put on, with a tarp overtop that as it sat all day sat due to having to work. Sunday i began the paint correction process. Cut the entire car and then covered it back up. Polished the car on tues. It's sat cover up for two days since all the rain here in NJ. Tomorrow the sun comes out so i will be going over the car with a set of glazes and a coat of sealant, only to cover up once again. Friday i will finish up with applying a wax and i will be finished.

It's spring break haha...this is the only reason i can get away with this although my parents think im obsessed...i told them their are worse things to be obsessed with...they laugh and say that's true!

Since I can't devote any large blocks of time to keeping my cars nice, I have to do it in two hour blocks. It has taken me two months to completely go over a car. Luckily I have plenty of garage space and can leave a car taped up and covered. Plus I only do one small section at a time. Like just the rear sail panel or just one door. But I complete it before going on to the next area.

Now when I was in my 30's i could do a car in one day. If I tried that today it would kill me.

BenzDetailer said:

I almost always ask the client for 2 days if I am doing paint correction. The worse thing to do is charge $1000.00 plus and then feel rushed. I like to deliver the vehicle mid-afternoon or early evening the 2nd day.

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How do your clients re-act to you having their vehicle for 2 days? Do you have insurance? I am just thinking that if i asked some of my clients to leave their car for 2 days they might be like....."Whaaat? that long?"

Then again, i suppose if you took your car into the shop to get some other type of services leaving your car in the shop for a day or two doesnt seem too bad.

Also, how much are you charging for this 2day service? You said 1000 or more?

Sory for soo many questions, I am just really interested in this.

Thanks for the info and help. Your welcome to pm me if you want.

Well if you charge 40 bucks an hour I could totally see 1,000+