Dealer wipe downs for $1 per car?

F

fredcandetail

New member
Joined
Jan 5, 2011
Messages
522
Reaction score
0
They have 400 cars ...

Can 3 guys reasonably do this?

Any gotchas or anyone attempt this?
 
If you're not profiting on one car, you won't profit on 400. You can never make up in profit with volume.

So do the math. Can you clean 1 car and cut a profit with 3 guys?
 
Sounds like you'll have to literally run around the cars to make this profitable at all.

I feel sorry for the people that will end up buying these cars. Wiping a car clean for a buck can't be good for the paint even if the person doing the wiping has good intentions.


Everyone has their own price they will work for, regardless of quality. That's our economy in the year 2014. This type of job isn't about quality at all it's about a dealership trying to spend as little as possible to get a job done.

I really don't care that much about what's going to happen to the paint as these cars will be bought by people that are really not "our" demographic crowd, that is these are transportation cars or daily drivers and the people that will buy them don't know the difference between swirls and squirrels.

That said.... it's still a shame how the precious thin paint on new cars is dealt with...


Clearcoats are Scratch-Sensitive


:dunno:


Best of luck to you....



:)
 
Where in the World have you been Fred?
And:
What a question to ask of the AGO forum folks!!

"Gotchas"?
IMHO...If you accept this Dealer-proposed "detailing task"...
You are the one that is: The gotcha!!

Still boils down to what you decide, though.
Good Luck.

Bob
 
Yo BobaRheeno!
Been busy, busy, busy and I got a call from a dealership and was asked if we'd do it for .70 a car and when I did the math I added up 3 guys @ $10/hr for $240 there wasn't much profit so I came back at $1.50 making my shop profit for the day $360...
So is it not a great idea for the car to spray water and wipe the diet around and off... NOPE! but does it put some cash in the bank and feed 3 men for the day YEP
but yes I forget that this forum is for enthusiast and the topic may be taboo.... My bad
But again has anyone tried it?
I tried it for kicks and I can wet and shammy a Camry in 48 seconds and hit the windows with a MF in 1:15 ....
So in one hour a tech can knock out about 35-40 cars
So in 5 hours we could be done ...

Again anyone try this or know of anyone with direct experience??
Just curious
 
fredcandetail said:
I tried it for kicks and I can wet and shammy a Camry in 48 seconds and hit the windows with a MF in 1:15 ....
So in one hour a tech can knock out about 35-40 cars
So in 5 hours we could be done ...
Just curious
Click to expand...

Sounds like a young man's game to me.
 
This is the way it has been for a long time, dealership lot wash for $1.00 a car, used to get about $2.00, but apparently this is over. What they want is the dust knocked off the lot cars. If you did it, I would do a pressure wash and move on, I would not touch the car.
You do have to get in there and knock them out fast. I have seen many of the rigs roll thru dealerships around where I live and they are always different rigs, so that tells me something...None of them can last at that rate.
 
I would try to up sell on a rinseless wash with wax and see if you can make $5 per car doing just about the same amount of work.
 
I was actually thinking low water pressure units for each tech ...
Anyone seen the MYTEE low pressure units?
We have two at the shop and they are great!!
As I type that I can already see two guys tending to the pressure washer method and one on the low pressure unit ...
 
What's the current condition of these vehicles?
Do they look like the Eighth Plague of Egypt has befallen them?

It might turn out to be pretty profitable if you and your crew were to land at least a polish/wax Detailing-contract with the Dealer.

Best Regards,

John "BobaRheeno" Travolta
 
Did this type of work many moons ago. There is very little profit and exhausting work. Very hard to make any real money doing this type of work. It it can be a decent side/evening business if you set it up right.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using AG Online
 
JBT - they are brand new and have only been one week with service as the las crew abandoned the job ... YES I KNOW RED FLAG but I've taken on worse jobs and when the guys heard they we're wipe downs they said "better than bending over in a minivan clean sh!t between seats" ... IJS
 
fredcandetail said:
JBT - they are brand new and have only been one week with service as the las crew abandoned the job ... YES I KNOW RED FLAG but I've taken on worse jobs and when the guys heard they we're wipe downs they said "better than bending over in a minivan clean sh!t between seats" ... IJS
Click to expand...
All I can say to you now, F.C.D., is:
Gotta keep the guys happy---Don't want to lose them!
I know all about the Families' bellies: :hungry:

Bob
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Sounds like you'll have to literally run around the cars to make this profitable at all.

I feel sorry for the people that will end up buying these cars. Wiping a car clean for a buck can't be good for the paint even if the person doing the wiping has good intentions.


Everyone has their own price they will work for, regardless of quality. That's our economy in the year 2014. This type of job isn't about quality at all it's about a dealership trying to spend as little as possible to get a job done.

I really don't care that much about what's going to happen to the paint as these cars will be bought by people that are really not "our" demographic crowd, that is these are transportation cars or daily drivers and the people that will buy them don't know the difference between swirls and squirrels.

That said.... it's still a shame how the precious thin paint on new cars is dealt with...
Click to expand...



Mike, I was on a Nissan lot a couple weeks ago wanting to look at one of their new models and the swirl marks on all their new inventory was insane! They had "3 guys " with rags hanging out of their back pockets with a pressure washer spraying them down and wiping them dry. It was a sunny day up here in Tampa and the cars were just blinging with siwrls marks. I could hardly believe the amount on them, all 2013's and 14's and they were trashed. They would all need full corrections.
 
I hear you blackHawk ... I said WOW too as I new we would not be employing the safest techniques but more so the fastest BUT it puts me in the red for this day and I don't know about you but full correction customers in Ferraris in south Texas aren't lined up every single day of the week...

I guess this is where I say... SAY HELLO TO THE BAD GUY! lol
 
Do a combination of these two things...


HUMP DIESEL said:
If you did it, I would do a pressure wash and move on, I would not touch the car.
Click to expand...

custmsprty said:
They had "3 guys " with rags hanging out of their back pockets with a pressure washer spraying them down and wiping them dry.
Click to expand...


It ain't going to be pretty but they aren't paying for pretty....


If it were me I would pass and find better work but if you need the work giver her a whirl, see if you can tweak a technique where everyone wins. (except the future car owner)


:D
 
Wipe down aka install swirls then leave your business card in the glove box, bam :buffing:
 
I get the hate on the less than stellar quick wipe downs - yeah yeah ..
Wait ... guess who gets to do the paint corrections for the cars after they are sold!?!?

Maybe I'm not so stupid after all....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top