People want detailing done for pennies!!!

AeroCleanse said:
Some of the reasons I switched to ONR, less time, no water runoff.
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Even with ONR, I still have to get the water out of the crevices. So if I'm whipping out the blower, I might as well do a full wash. Also, the vehicle tends to get very dirty, and I worry about marring with just an ONR. So I do a full wash.

By the way, that estimate I gave above is for a QUICK wash. If I really feel up to it, I whip out the foam gun as a pre-rinse. So add another 15 minutes for getting all that ready to go.

I also forgot to add the wheel wells. If I do the wheel wells, I have to spray ARO, let settle, agitate, rinse... that adds another good 10 minutes or more total for 4 wells. I'm well over 1-1/2 hours when done.

If you are doing your ONR in 20 minutes, I assume you don't get to your rims/tires? And you may have some water runoff the next day? :(
 
Rims and tires and wheel arches are also done. I don't get any water run off. There is some water on the ground, but no run off.

I've never had any marring caused by ONR.

I don't count time getting ready as part of the wash.

I'm not saying your doing it wrong if it takes you about 1-1 1/2 hrs for the old wash method. But 4-5 hours seems excessive to me.
 
I think $100 is a great price for a SUV. Wash,clay,wax,interior and dress is exceptionally cheap in my opinion. We did this neglected 2006 Mustang for $110.We washed it with a cleaner we carry that removes quite a bit of the contaminants from the paint. then wash again with a car wash and wax shampoo.Give it a coat of an express type of wax and vac, clean dress all rubber,vinyl,plastics,clean windows and door jambs...I feel you get what you pay for and some people need to just go to the whirl and swirl and get what they want to pay for...
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So, I finally settled with the guy. Here's what I'm going to do for $50

Hand wash/dry
Wheels cleaned
Tires cleaned and dressed
Interior vacuumed
Windows cleaned
Spray wax

Shouldn't take me more than a couple hours. :xyxthumbs:
 
Mark have you even seen this SUV yet? I hope you're not getting into more then its gonna be worth.
 
^ yeah thats true..i hate turning down any customer if they are willing to come to reasonable terms like this but sometimes you gotta
 
07 z-oh-6 said:
So, I finally settled with the guy. Here's what I'm going to do for $50

Hand wash/dry
Wheels cleaned
Tires cleaned and dressed
Interior vacuumed
Windows cleaned
Spray wax

Shouldn't take me more than a couple hours. :xyxthumbs:
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Dubbin1 said:
Mark have you even seen this SUV yet? I hope you're not getting into more then its gonna be worth.
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Yeah, the fenderwells might be caked with mud, the doorjambs have years of dirt and grime in them. And he could be expecting a major cleaning of the interior instead of just a quick vac.

I think the price and work you settled for is fine, but I would be sure to mention that all your doing is vacumming the interior and wiping out the main portions of the doorjamb.

If the wheels have a ton of brake dust that could eat up your time as well.

Now that I think about it, that price should apply to something that is "maintained".

Or who knows, it could be pretty clean and in good shape.

Just throwing some thoughts out.
 
I get a wash done on a Camaro done in 45 min or so.
4 min- get wash bucket and fill with suds, then unreel hose and bring to car, then start on wheels.
rinse wheels and tires- 5-10 seconds a wheel. Then I spray Griot's Garage Wheel Cleaner on all four wheels. Then I use my boar's hair wheel brush and clean the sidewalls of the tire, and then the wheels, about 1-1.5 minutes per wheel.I start with the wheel I sprayed with cleaner first, and work my way around the ccar, so that the cleaner has some time to work on each wheel . ( this is doable if its only been two weeks or less since the last wash. )If the wheel has sealant on it, then 1 minute per wheel, if no sealant, then 1.5 min to 2 min per wheel. If it's been longer than two weeks since the last wash, it may take 6 minutes per wheel, or need a harsher cleaner.
I might rinse the car for 30 seconds before washing the last wheel.
after wheels, I rinse car for 1 minute.
I then soap up my boars hair car wash brush, getting it frothy, by agitating the water every time I dunk it for more soap, and then wash half the roof. Then rinse entire roof, and thoroughly rinse brush until it looks perfectly clean. Then I dunk it again. )I have two brushes, one for wheels, one for car. I glide the brush across the paint gently, and the whole roof is done in a minute. You get the idea for the rest of the car. That's the first wash, done in 10 minutes tops.
Then I get out my microfiber wash mitt, and wash the car again, only I rub as hard as I need to in order to remove any bird droppings, or more embedded fine grime. and this time, it takes me 15 minutes to wash it, including periodic rinsing
That's about 30- 33 minutes for the washing.
Then I sheet rinse the car for 30-45 seconds.
Then I dry. 10-13 minutes more to dry.

If I had a leaf blower I would hope I could use that exclusively to dry the car in about 4-5 minutes. Is this possible?
 
Grizzly said:
Yeah, the fenderwells might be caked with mud, the doorjambs have years of dirt and grime in them. And he could be expecting a major cleaning of the interior instead of just a quick vac.

I think the price and work you settled for is fine, but I would be sure to mention that all your doing is vacumming the interior and wiping out the main portions of the doorjamb.

If the wheels have a ton of brake dust that could eat up your time as well.

Now that I think about it, that price should apply to something that is "maintained".

Or who knows, it could be pretty clean and in good shape.

Just throwing some thoughts out.
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Good points. :props: I did see the SUV and I think I'll be done in 2.5 hours at the most.
 
I think that, for most people, it's a car. Some people want their car to look nice and so they wash & vacuum it monthly. For those who want to make money in detailing, you need to identify those few people who really care. "Those people" may be people who lease vehicles, own higher end vehicles, or those few who really want CLEAN vehicles.
The last car I did was a BMW that had never been taken care of. It took 24 - 26 hours, did the outside/inside/wheels/engine. The folks were blown away but won't keep it up because to them, it's a car. Since detailing is a hobby, I detailed to car for me. I did a hell of a job and I can take great satisfaction in the way the car looks. For you pros, I appreciate your conundrum.
 
SATracker said:
I think that, for most people, it's a car. Some people want their car to look nice and so they wash & vacuum it monthly. For those who want to make money in detailing, you need to identify those few people who really care. "Those people" may be people who lease vehicles, own higher end vehicles, or those few who really want CLEAN vehicles.
The last car I did was a BMW that had never been taken care of. It took 24 - 26 hours, did the outside/inside/wheels/engine. The folks were blown away but won't keep it up because to them, it's a car. Since detailing is a hobby, I detailed to car for me. I did a hell of a job and I can take great satisfaction in the way the car looks. For you pros, I appreciate your conundrum.
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By saying "the folks" did you mean your folks, as in your parents? I'm a big believer in starting out detailing your parent's cars in order to get experience, as young as they will let you. :) I started when I was 9. I was small and light enough to climb on top of the roof on their Suburban to wax the roof ( the neglected roof) with cleaner wax, and I would start at the front and work my way back, as I polished and waxed the area in front of me, as I crawled backwards. Not that I recommend that... for safety reasons you understand..:)
 
Dubbin1 said:
Mark have you even seen this SUV yet? I hope you're not getting into more then its gonna be worth.
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:iagree: I do not like to take jobs without first seeing them. But,that's the nature of the business. Customers call and book a detail, I try to get all the information I can about what needs to be done.
My price for an SUV is $185 plus tax. No paint correction for this price.
Wash,hand wax,vac & shampoo carpet,and mats. Steam clean panels,cup holders etc.
Windows, dress wheels ,wheel wells, tires,. Estimated completion 3 hours.
 
07 z-oh-6 said:
So, I finally settled with the guy. Here's what I'm going to do for $50

Hand wash/dry
Wheels cleaned
Tires cleaned and dressed
Interior vacuumed
Windows cleaned
Spray wax

Shouldn't take me more than a couple hours. :xyxthumbs:
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I agree with your list and price, sometimes you have to settle. Do you have OCW or DG Aqua Wax?
 
OvertimeDetail said:
I did a Lincoln aviator for $120 no clay, wash-wax- steam interior
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Whats the point of waxing a car without claying it?

1. Application/Removal is a PITA.
2. Wont last long at all.


For $120, I think claying should have been included.

Never undertsood why someone would just "wash and wax" the paint.
 
well he didn't wanna pay for clay, to each n their own prices. it's what I charge, so if the customer doesn't like it, go else where. but he was very very happy, n got couple referrals from that detail. I charge what I think I'm worth, I don't care what the corner shop charges.
 
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