Detailing checklist?

clovis

clovis

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HI all, new to the forum and love it. I want to start doing detailing on the side and was wondering if anyone knows where I could get detailing forms, and or a detailing checklist?
Iv been getting lots of products from AG it is so addicting!:D
Im also thinking of getting the metro vac and blow soon, any thoughts on how good it is?
thanks everyone.
Rich
 
Well, I don't know if it is much of a checklist, but here are some things I can think of off the top of my head...

1. wash windows
2. apply glass protection
3. degrease engine bay
4. degrease under hood
5. rinse engine bay
6. hand detail engine
7. wipe down and dry engine and underside of hood
8. shine hoses and plastics under hood
9. spray cleaner on wheels and tires
10. rinse wheels and tires
11. with wheel brush and bucket of soapy water, clean wheels
12. degrease wheel wells
13. remove tar and bugs from bumper, side mirrors, and sides of vehicle
14. clean dash and all interior surfaces of vehicle
15. clean leather
16. condition leather
17. vacuum interior (removing seats when necessary)
18. carpet stain removal
19. headliner stain removal
20. apply vinyl protectant on all surfaces necessary
21. clean interior windows
22. apply pre-wash solution to exterior
23. bucket wash entire vehicle and windows
24. rinse vehicle
25. clay all paint surfaces
26. wash car
27. rinse car
28. dry car
29. clean door jambs
30. clean door sills and side skirts
31. determine appropriate level of polish and polish vehicle
32. buff polish off
33. apply pre sealant paint cleaner
34. buff paint cleaner off
35. apply sealant
36. dress tires
37. shine wheels
38. clean exterior windows
39. dress trim
40. polish chrome
41. buff sealant off
 
clovis said:
HI all, new to the forum and love it. I want to start doing detailing on the side and was wondering if anyone knows where I could get detailing forms, and or a detailing checklist?
Iv been getting lots of products from AG it is so addicting!:D
Im also thinking of getting the metro vac and blow soon, any thoughts on how good it is?
thanks everyone.
Rich
Click to expand...
Vac N Blow is an awesome vac, also great for drying the car. There are a lot of how to's around here to help you. One questions everyone will ask before giving a checklist is.... what kind of condition is the paint in.... any swirls, defects, is it new, what color, OHH welcome to the insane world of detailing!! :p :grouphug:
http://www.autogeek.net/detailingtips.html
 
thanks Meghan, for the info and welcome.;)
And thanks OC for that list, It will be helpful to me.
So far I have the XMT intermediate kit, the PC 7424 kit with lake country pads, gold class shampoo, micro fiber towels, new again, black again, one of those dual halogen lamps for best lighting, some #26 tech wax, NXT generation tech wax,and I just ordered pinnacle polyclay kit and an extra bar of poly clay, Meguiars odor eliminator.I also got a bissell little green machine extractor (which works really good) and the next thing I want to get is the metro vac and blow which is like $180 with bonus dolly. Does this sound like a good start for detailing cars on the side? I need to figure out how to make a price list and services I would offer.

Thanks again for the info!!

Rich
 
The metro vac and blow looks like a great tool. I'm using my wet/dry shop vac to vacumn the car.

Does anyone have experience with using the metro vac and blow to blow dry the car?
 
Thanks so much Red! That is exactly what I'v been looking for:cheers: . Don't know why I didn't find it while searching.

Im really looking forward to getting the metro vac and blow.
I think it would make the process so much quicker and easier.

Rich
 
I used a checklist for walking down a vehicle with a client.

I found the checklist useful to:
-document vehicle condition prior to service
-put together a plan with options for the client
-use the options to upsell

I also had some checklists to standardize each type of service so I could focus on repeating one process over and over to increase efficiency.

I can try to find them and send you copies if you'd like.
 
This is one I found in a detailing book that I have.

Engine Compartment
Inside hood
Engine & hoses
Outer lip & water channel
All painted surfaces

Exterior
All painted surfacecs polished
All painted surfaces lusterized
Vinyl or cloth top
Front, side & rear lights
Front grill
Front air dam
Front & rear bumpers
Doorjambs & hinges
Gas tank compartment
Wheel well compartment
Wheels
Tires
Rocker panels
Chrome polished (door edges, bumpers, trim)
Weather stripping
Body side moldings
Side Miorrors
License plate(s)
Tailpipe
Pinstrips (free from wax deposits)
Windows (including edges)
Window trim

Protective Coatings Applied To:
Tires (tire dressing)
Vinyl roof (vinyl dressing)
Rubber bumpers, side moldings, weather stripping
Dashboard
Leather
Wood trim
Vinyl seats & door panels

Interior
Floor mats
Pedals, gearshift
Headliner
Dashboard
Instrument panel (vents, knobs, gauges)
Sun visors
Interior mirrors
Steering wheel
Glove box, side storage boxes
Center console
Astrays (front & rear)
Carpet/floor
Seats
Seat tracks
Door panels
Rear shelf
All chrome/plastic trim
Sunroof tracks
Window trim
Windows (including edges)

Trunk Compartment
Inside lid
Interior carpet or vinyl
Outer lip & water channel
Place floor mats into trunk
Replace items removed from vehicle
 
OCDetails said:
Well, I don't know if it is much of a checklist, but here are some things I can think of off the top of my head...

1. wash windows
2. apply glass protection
3. degrease engine bay
4. degrease under hood
5. rinse engine bay
6. hand detail engine
7. wipe down and dry engine and underside of hood
8. shine hoses and plastics under hood
9. spray cleaner on wheels and tires
10. rinse wheels and tires
11. with wheel brush and bucket of soapy water, clean wheels
12. degrease wheel wells
13. remove tar and bugs from bumper, side mirrors, and sides of vehicle
14. clean dash and all interior surfaces of vehicle
15. clean leather
16. condition leather
17. vacuum interior (removing seats when necessary)
18. carpet stain removal
19. headliner stain removal
20. apply vinyl protectant on all surfaces necessary
21. clean interior windows
22. apply pre-wash solution to exterior
23. bucket wash entire vehicle and windows
24. rinse vehicle
25. clay all paint surfaces
26. wash car
27. rinse car
28. dry car
29. clean door jambs
30. clean door sills and side skirts
31. determine appropriate level of polish and polish vehicle
32. buff polish off
33. apply pre sealant paint cleaner
34. buff paint cleaner off
35. apply sealant
36. dress tires
37. shine wheels
38. clean exterior windows
39. dress trim
40. polish chrome
41. buff sealant off
Click to expand...
You definitley have OCD:D
 
Sure Scrub, I would appreciate copies if you can find them.
Thanks for those checklists guys I can definetly use them:righton:
 
Reddwarf said:
The metro vac and blow looks like a great tool. I'm using my wet/dry shop vac to vacumn the car.

Does anyone have experience with using the metro vac and blow to blow dry the car?
Click to expand...
I dont have the vac and blow..just the blow. Mine is the Black Baron version..made by Metro. I use it to blow out window channels, grilles, wheel wells extra. I personally feel the concentrated blow and the warm "filtered" air is far superior to a weed blower.
By the way, I use an Air Wand for the body of vehicles.
 
Here is one that I have used. It was buried in another computer and took me awhile to find it. It is pretty handy though.
​
DATE____________

​
OWNER NAME__________________________________________
ADDRESS________________________________ CITY_______________
STATE________ COUNTRY_________________
DAY TIME PHONE_____________________________
CELL PHONE____________________________
MAKE OF VEHICLE________________________
MODEL______________________ YEAR_________ MILAGE________________
COLOR ___________________________ BUILD DATE________

IS VEHICLE SMOKED IN - YES___ NO___
PREVIOUS BUFFING DONE TO FINISH - YES____ NO____​
CONDITION OF EXTERIOR PAINT FINISH


​
CLEAR COAT ____ NON-CLEAR COAT____
EVIDENCE OF REFINISH - YES____ NO____ (tape marks, mis-match, orange peel, etc)
INDUSTRIAL FALLOUT PRESENT -YES____ NO____
ACID RAIN/WATER SPOTTING/ETCHING - YES____ NO____
CHIPS IN FINISH - YES____ NO____
SCRATCHES PRESENT - YES _____ NO____
SWIRLS PRESENT - YES____ NO____
TREE SAP PRESENT - YES____ NO____ (if present, what type of sap?)____________
PAINT OVERSPRAY PRESENT - YES____ NO____ (if present, what kind?)________
EXTERIOR TRIM CONDITION - DISCOLORED OR STAINED - YES____ NO____

DELAMINATION OF CLEAR COAT/BASE COAT - YES____ NO____
WHEELS/WHEEL COVERS/TIRES

​
TIRES WHITE LETTERED OR WHITE WALL - YES____ NO____
TIRES EXHIBIT BROWNING OR OTHER DISCOLORING - YES____ NO____
SIDE WALLS EXHIBIT ROUGHNESS OR UNEVENESS - YES____ NO____
WHEELS ? CLEAR COATED - YES____ NO____

WHEELS- STREAKING OR STAINING PRESENT - YES____ NO____
ENGINE COMPARTMENT

​
RATE CONDITION (A) LIGHT SOIL (B) MEDIUM SOIL (C) HEAVY DEPOSITS
DISCOLORED TRIM, METAL, PAINT PRESENT - YES____ NO____

EVIDENCE OF SILICONE DRESSING APPLIED - YES____ NO____
INTERIOR

​
1. HEADLINER CLEAN - YES____ NO____

2. TYPE OF SEATS (A) LEATHER____ (B) VINYL____ (C) CLOTH____
IF LEATHER - (A) CLEAR COATED____ (B) NON-CLEAR COATED____
CONDITION OF CARPETS (A) LIGHT DIRT/STAINS____ (B) MEDIUM DIRT/STAINS____ (C) HEAVY SOIL/DIRT/SAND/GREASE STAINS____
SEAT BELTS CONDITION -- CLEAN - YES____ NO____ STAINS - YES____ NO____
DOOR PANELS ? LIGHT SOIL____ HEAVY SOIL____
DOOR JAMS, KICK PANELS, SILL PLATES ? LIGHT SOIL____ HEAVY SOIL____
DASH/CONSOLE AREA ? ARE ALL INSTRUMENTS/RADIO/ETC IN WORKING

​
ORDER ? YES____ NO____ IF NOT WHICH ARE NOT WORKING________________________
HEAVY MALODOR IN VEHICLE - YES____ NO____
CONDITION OF INSIDE GLASS - DIRTY____ VERY DIRTY____ FOGGING PRESENT____
DOES INTERIOR VINYL ON DASH/CONSOLE AREA SHOW DISCOLORATION OR STAINING - YES____ NO____ IF YES, WHICH PARTS______________________________

​
PAINT CONDITION INSPECTION
INSPECTION WITH 30x MAGNIFIER - YES____ NO____
CUSTOMER SHOWN DEFECTS AND CONDITIONS THOUGH MAGNIFIER - YES___ NO___
PAINT THICKNESS READINGS TAKEN ? YES____ NO____

IF YES - READINGS AS FOLLOWS
HOOD ? 5 READINGS 1_______ 2_______ 3_______ 4_______ 5_______
ROOF READINGS 1_______ 2_______ 3_______ 4_______ 5_______
TRUNK LID READINGS 1_______ 2_______ 3_______ 4_______ 5________
EVIDENCE OF PREVIOUS BUFFING/POLISH DAMAGE - YES____ NO____

​
IF DAMAGE IS PRESENT-DESCRIPTION AND AREA OF DAMAGE___________________
______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
WILL VEHICLE REQUIRE NEUTRALIZATION PROCEDURE - YES____ NO____

WILL VEHICLE REQUIRE MACHINE BUFFING PROCEDURE - YES____ NO____
CUTTING OF VEHICLE - YES____ NO____
POLISHING OF VEHICLE - YES____ NO____

​
SUGGESTED FINAL COATING A. POLYMER SEALANT____ B. WAX/POLYMER BLEND____ C. LIGHT WAX____
ETR DAMAGED PARTS - YES____ NO____

​
​
ESTIMATED COSTS OF RECONDITIONING $__________________
ESTIMATORS SIGNATURE______________________________________ DATE__________
CUSTOMERS SIGNATURE OF ACCECPTANCE___________________________ DATE__________
 
That's the one I use too. I made a few changes though. It's pretty handy.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
That's a great list!! I'm sure that will help those who detail on the side greatly. thanks so much for putting it out there. :) :cheers:
 
These forms actually include a diagram of a car where you can circle damage or make notes of scratches, stains. Pretty useful.

forms2.jpg
 
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