Just02896
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- Nov 15, 2013
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Had some back problems for a while. Much better now but fast paced production washing would definitely not help! Lol!
Does anyone else wash cars at a car dealers lot? If so, share your stories
- Thread starter Real Riders
- Start date
Had some back problems for a while. Much better now but fast paced production washing would definitely not help! Lol!
dirtdestroyer
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- Jan 8, 2014
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This is absolute truth.
You would be working far harder than the "client" expects for peanuts the way you are thinking. If you want to build your business and make a profit you have to market to people who see some value in your skillset or comprimise and take the shortcut the dealer is perfectly fine with and even expecting (even then the profit margin isn't high enough given you aren't getting any loyalty or brand building from it). A dealer doesn't need someone with a skillset just a kid with a pressure washer and drying towel.
Mike has written over and over about designing packages to fit your client, don't do show car level detailing where production detailing is a better fit and so on. This is the same idea, don't provide production level washing when all they want is a spray and wipe. Better yet, focus on people who are looking for actual detailing and will pay for it. One step production detailing will provide most of your business until you can make a name for yourself and each client will help you build that name, this crap will not.
As for nobody willing to do it. if you are, someone else is. I see people trying to sell things door to door, people building roof trusses, cleaning septic tanks and other rather unappealing jobs all the time alot worse than spray and wipe. Someone is willing to work for peanuts but it isn't me.
rolop6
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- May 22, 2011
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Your not going to get $5-$8 for cars, it's just that simple!
If you want to try by all means, I've worked for dealerships and believe me they don't care! Neither do 99% of the people buying the cars for that matter. If you want to go waste your time for peanuts by all means, but you've been warned.
If you want to try by all means, I've worked for dealerships and believe me they don't care! Neither do 99% of the people buying the cars for that matter. If you want to go waste your time for peanuts by all means, but you've been warned.
Real Riders
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- Jul 18, 2013
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- #24
Are you saying $5 to $8 per car is working for peanuts, or are you saying that the dealer will want to pay peanuts to wash the cars for a spray and wipedown ($1 to $3) ?
dirtdestroyer
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- Jan 8, 2014
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He's saying if you think they will pay you $5 a car to do more than they want when they can pay $2 per car to get exactly what they want you will be dissapointed.
Dealers don't see the value in a 2 bucket wash, if they did the industry standard wouldn't be the spray n wipe. They want to keep overhead as low as they can and don't see the 2BW as having a proper ROI.
Real Riders
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- Jul 18, 2013
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- #26
Thanks for the info. Yes I agree with you that the two bucket wash is not important to a dealer. What I don't understand is why this dealer is having trouble finding someone to wash the lot. It looks like teens would be lining up to wash the lot for a summer job
My wife works for a very well established dealer in our area. She's the right-hand man for the GM of the store.
Well, I keep my cars clean as i can. I go and pick her up sometimes for lunch, and on occasion, i keep her car looking good. Last year, she had the wash people detail her car. Needless to say, when the sun came out, you could see nothing but rotary buffer marks all over her company car.
She was pissed. Went straight to her boss, and asked what kind of clowns they hire for detail.
I looked at it on a friday night, and said, "i'll take care of it."
I corrected all weekend, but when she went to work, her car looked better than the one on the showroom floor. She told her boss what I did, and later in the day, he went to go look at it. She said he was "impressed."
A month goes by, and i drive up to the dealership in my 2003 black camry that looks like liquid carbon. Go inside and wait at her desk so we can go to lunch. When she arrives, her boss is with her. I've met him before, so we say our 'hello's' and 'how ya been?' He then commented on the job i did on her company car. And would i be interested in working in the detail shop for used cars that need to be reconditioned before they hit the lot.
I kindly told him that it took me 2 VERY long days to correct what the wash crew destroyed in 45 minutes. If my wife was a paying customer, i would have charged her about $500 for my labor. Do you honestly think your going to pay ME that kind of money for a car you just took in on a trade?
I do car detailing as a hobby, not a living. And although you CAN afford my services, doesn't mean you WILL. You want/need fast and furious, not slow and perfect. So, thank you, but no thank you.
Well, I keep my cars clean as i can. I go and pick her up sometimes for lunch, and on occasion, i keep her car looking good. Last year, she had the wash people detail her car. Needless to say, when the sun came out, you could see nothing but rotary buffer marks all over her company car.
She was pissed. Went straight to her boss, and asked what kind of clowns they hire for detail.
I looked at it on a friday night, and said, "i'll take care of it."
I corrected all weekend, but when she went to work, her car looked better than the one on the showroom floor. She told her boss what I did, and later in the day, he went to go look at it. She said he was "impressed."
A month goes by, and i drive up to the dealership in my 2003 black camry that looks like liquid carbon. Go inside and wait at her desk so we can go to lunch. When she arrives, her boss is with her. I've met him before, so we say our 'hello's' and 'how ya been?' He then commented on the job i did on her company car. And would i be interested in working in the detail shop for used cars that need to be reconditioned before they hit the lot.
I kindly told him that it took me 2 VERY long days to correct what the wash crew destroyed in 45 minutes. If my wife was a paying customer, i would have charged her about $500 for my labor. Do you honestly think your going to pay ME that kind of money for a car you just took in on a trade?
I do car detailing as a hobby, not a living. And although you CAN afford my services, doesn't mean you WILL. You want/need fast and furious, not slow and perfect. So, thank you, but no thank you.
Real Riders
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- Jul 18, 2013
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- #28
I took a photo of one of the cars I am suppose to watch at the Chevrolet Dealer . They are wanting me to wash the Import lot. The cars are dirty and it looks like some have swirl marks and lines in the paint. It looks like they may be washing the cars with a dirty wash mop. The silver car has dirty streaks in the paint down the door and tire dressing would make this car look much better
Shane731
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- Dec 25, 2009
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I've worked at both a Honda and Kia dealer over the past 8 years (same company), and in my experience, neither the dealer nor customers care how you get their car clean just so long as it's "clean." Trust me on this - you could honestly be using oven cleaner and your grandma's underwear to wash their car and they'd probably never know the difference. I'm still amazed at what passes for "acceptable" work on a dealer lot.
AutowerxDetailing
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- Apr 10, 2012
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Real Riders
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- #32
I don't understand this post, can you write it again in more detail?
DaVinciAutoSpa
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- Oct 7, 2009
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allenk4
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- Mar 12, 2013
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Real Riders
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- #36
I would wash and dry only for $4 a car. I think that is fair. Do you wash the cars or do they hire a wash service?
allenk4
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- Mar 12, 2013
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How many could you do in an hour?
Maybe 10 minutes each?
That's $24 dollars per hour
- overhead of $1 per car
= $18 per hour if you are the one doing it
Does that sound correct?
Real Riders
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- Jul 18, 2013
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- #38
Yes 10 minutes a car wash and dry. I would say it's about $18 an hour and I would be happy with that wage for washing cars
allenk4
In time out
- Mar 12, 2013
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You had better bring some help...
Some of the lots have 300 or more cars on them...
That's 50 hours of washing cars at a pace of 6 per hour!
I suspect that they do not want you there during the day while customers are on the lot
Real Riders
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Yes, the Chevy dealer that wants me to wash their cars has Chevy, Hyundai, VW , used cars and Special Finance. Right now they just want the Import lot washed which includes 140 VW Cars not including the Hyundai cars. The last car washer took 10 days at 8 hours a day to wash just the Import lot