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Jon TDS

Jon TDS

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Did an exterior and interior detail today. Since I just started recently I'd like to know if my pricing is correct.

Questions:
1. Do you guys price or bill tar removal separately? I noticed that after ironx and clay that I was left with still a lot of tar to remove.

2. There were a lot of pet hair in the interior. Removed most of them but is this typically part of interior detail package?

Thanks!

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Jon TDS said:
Did an exterior and interior detail today. Since I just started recently I'd like to know if my pricing is correct.

Questions:
1. Do you guys price or bill tar removal separately? I noticed that after ironx and clay that I was left with still a lot of tar to remove.

2. There were a lot of pet hair in the interior. Removed most of them but is this typically part of interior detail package?

Thanks!

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Click to expand...

Tar removal is always case by case. It depends on the amount. If it’s ridiculous, I’ll charge extra.

When it comes to pet hair, I factor it all into the overall cost.

You can spend a great amount of time removing pet hair. Some people will state that they are not seeking perfection. But still, I’m a detailer. Some people do want near perfection. So I recently charged $300 for a pet hair interior only. Took me six hours for the interior. The first two was vacuuming.

2015 Ford Transit with three rows of seating. Pet hair was everywhere. IF you have seen the interior of this type of can, you’ll understand. I don’t see passenger Transits often. But what a task this turned out.
 
On #1, what Dan said. Depends on the situation.

On #2, we have four levels of pet hair hell in our Square library. Price starts at $15 and goes to $60. Anything that I think that is going to be more than level 4 pet hair removal will be discussed with the customer beforehand. I've only gone to level 4 twice. I usually end up at level 1 or 2. Most people with a car full of pet hair have no problem with that. Just tell them beforehand so it's not a surprise because people hate surprises that cost them money.
 
1. As a more general comment, it doesn’t matter to me if it’s sap, tar, paint, etc. my pricing is based on a thorough process and if that doesn’t remove the contaminant, then I do need to charge for the extra effort. Now if that effort is 5 minutes, I’m not going to hit them for it, but if it’s an extra 30-60 minutes, they will be charged. Usually I will discuss this with them before hand, and potentially do a quick test spot to get a better feel for the time required for specific contaminants. Finally, I will go over the vehicle with them after the normal process and show them what’s left and let them decide if the extra cost is worth it or not.

2. I manage expectations on pet hair and do charge extra in a similar fashion to above. If they are selling the car, I will charge more on the front end, if they are keeping the car and the pet, then I usually point out that it may not be worth it to get every last hair knowing that it will be back before long.
 
Good point! Thanks guys! I guess setting expectations ahead of time is key.

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I kind of do the opposite. If they're keeping the car and the pet and it's a car/customer that I'd like to work with again, I'll get as much of that pet hair out of the car as humanly possible. Then when I go over the car with them, I make sure they know how much work I did and suggest that if they continue to have it maintained in a regular manner, the pet hair removal will be much more manageable and less expensive in the future. This usually leads to some discussion about having us back more frequently than once in an alpaca exploded inside my car time frame that they're currently on. Because you should always be closing. That means closing the next job.
 
I will say this, I used to work with the same broke dick Ridgid vac that everybody uses. Blah. We switched to the big $200 Shop Vac model that big blue carries and that thing pulls like you wouldn't believe. It's permanently mounted inside my trailer running 50' of pool hose on a crevice tool. I've never used a better vacuum.
 
Are U using a turbo brush attachment (brush roller spins by a turbine powered by the vacuum cleaner's suction) They remove pet hair like there's no tomorrow; however U still need to clean out the turbine & brush roller for maximum efficiency

It depends on the situation when it comes to tar & pet hair removal. If its just a bit of either tar and/or pet hair I dont charge extra; but if its excessively dirty & coated with pet hair or tar I charge depending on size of vehicle, time spent cleaning & other factors
 
Got a pic of that attachment?

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Jon TDS said:
Got a pic of that attachment?

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Here's one that I often use; it doesn't slow down like other brushes I used to use & has 'WindTunnel Technology' (reduces dirt scattering instead of being picked up):dblthumb2:

Not even thick carpet or fabric can slow this brush when its connected to a shop vac
 
Interesting! I'll research that. I think I can break even immediately with one service.

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sudsmobile said:
I will say this, I used to work with the same broke dick Ridgid vac that everybody uses. Blah. We switched to the big $200 Shop Vac model that big blue carries and that thing pulls like you wouldn't believe. It's permanently mounted inside my trailer running 50' of pool hose on a crevice tool. I've never used a better vacuum.
Click to expand...

I have looked at the Rigid and Shop Vac 6.5 HP vacuums for a while... Would really like the extra power compared to my 5 HP unit but unfortunatelly they only make them with huge canisters. Way too big for my mobile rig. If they came out with a unit that was 6.5 HP and 5 gallon tank, I would buy it for sure!
 
flooramatic said:
Here's one that I often use; it doesn't slow down like other brushes I used to use & has 'WindTunnel Technology' (reduces dirt scattering instead of being picked up):dblthumb2:

Not even thick carpet or fabric can slow this brush when its connected to a shop vac
Click to expand...

I use one for cleaning removable mats and sometimes use it in the car if there is room. It's hard to use in tight spaces but on cloth seats there is no issue. Never tried it on dog hair. Good to know it makes short work of it. Now when people call me and start describing horible situations like "Oh I have 2 big dogs and there is a lot of hair" or "My little boy was sick in the car" I just decline the job. Super busy with Ceramic coating jobs so I feel no need to take jobs I know will make me miserable.
 
Jon TDS said:
Interesting! I'll research that. I think I can break even immediately with one service.

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The one I purchased at a vacuum store cost me 30 CAN$ so in the US it's probably in the 15-20$ range. Very inexpensive and it works very well for removable mats, so you can expect to use it a lot.
 
Thanks!

For ceramic coating, which one do you use and what advise do you give to clients re curing and water exposure? I have a client who was interested pulled back after hearing that cquk 3.0 would need 48 hrs cure time without water contact.

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Jon TDS said:
Thanks!

For ceramic coating, which one do you use and what advise do you give to clients re curing and water exposure? I have a client who was interested pulled back after hearing that cquk 3.0 would need 48 hrs cure time without water contact.

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Right now I am using McKee's 37 exclusivelly. I am planning on adding Gtechniq CSL eventually but that product is a little more tricky because of the water exposure issue you mentionned.

So, with McKee's, I am mobile and do most of the work outside. Sometimes people have garages or are parked in underground garages but these are uncommon for me. What I do after applying the coating is I apply CarPro Reload on top to protect the coating during the cure period. McKee's doesn't mention what the cure time is but for most coating it's a week. The first 24 hours are the critical part where you don't want water on it, afterwards it should not be an issue. So for the first 24 hours, and during the rest of the week, the sealant will protect the coating from getting wet.

What I tell clients is this: Do not wash the car for at least 7 days after application. If they ask about water exposure I explain about the sealant.

I also send them an email with a reminder of things to avoid doing (automatic car washes and the like) and a video I made explaining how to maintain the car.

As a side note, I think CQuartz is a very bad choice for a detailer to use. As far as I know, you have to apply 2 coats. So that is 1 hour of extra work for you, plus the time you have to wait between coats. Also the product is really expensive for a 2 year coating. McKee's 37 is 45$ for a bottle that will allow you to coat about 5 cars, Cquartz is what? 70$? And you can only do 1 car with it. I tested EXO and it was the same issues, I did 1 car and had only about a quarter of the bottle left. So I will not be offering EXO. Also the durability of EXO and CQuartz are less than McKee's, so I see no reason to offer them.

CSL is a product that Gtechniq warranties of you are an authorized installer, so I have confidence the product is good. Also it's a 1 coat product and it's very easy to apply, just like McKee's. The only reason I am not offering it is I fear it might confuse clients and make them hesitate. Right now my close rate on coating is very high. I would say I close 80% of the people who contact me. I don't want to reduce that. You know the saying, don't change a winning formula.
 
Thanks man.

I agree from a cost standpoint that's a no brainier! Thanks for sharing that.

Have you thought about BF SiO2 spray instead of reload? That's also cost effective.


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I used to offer coatings. The most I do now are paint protection details done with sealants or wax.
 
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