How long should it take for one person....

[gumbedamit]

One of the problems that I have that takes up time is when the client wants to chat with you while you're working. You guys may call me a car washer, but on average, it takes me about 5hrs to do a mid-sized car that is in decent shape. My clients are happy with my work and after all, I'm here to make money.I want to do 2 cars a day. One thing that people tell me about detailers they had in the past was, they keep my car too long. 12hrs, sometimes 2 days, unless you're doing a showcar, how many clients want to have their vehicles side-lined for that amount of time...

 

[ramar]

I always separate paint polishing from everything else, that's because polishing paint is an art form, not merely a grinding process. As soon as you start to rush... quality will fall off.

Most of my exterior paint polishing for a single car runs a minimum of about 8 hours, depending on how bad the paint is, to an average of 12 to 14 hours and this assumes the car was washed at least the day before so when I start to work on it, it's already dry and ready to tape-off.

When it comes to production type work, that is anything that's not show car work, then you can speed thing up and a person shouldn't be doing a multiple-step process for production detailing, they should be using a one-step cleaner/wax. This starts by not over-promising your customer you're gong to remove all the swirls and scratches but instead you're going to make the paint shiny again.

If this is all your own stuff, like you're Camaro then take your time and do whatever detailing related job you doing to the best of your ability, not as fast as you can unless it's for a car that you don't care that much about.

Mike you mentioned "that's not show car work". Well I'm new to this detailing etc. always just bought whatever wax was at the local store, washed down the car/truck and did a wax once a yr. Good to go..

Now with my Camaro, I love to wash and wax the car. My husband says I'm over doing it but he goes fishing all the time, so I can wax my car.

Anyway there was a flier up at the local shop about a car show. What do you to prep a car for a car show. My paint is in great condition on the car, so what other detailing would you do? Another coat of wax? Want to show my car in the Stock devision and make it as pretty and shiney as possible.

 

[Grizzly]

I do not think anybody should say negative things about production type detailing.

I do plenty of one step cleaner wax jobs and interior details.

 

[Indy YZF]

All depends on what they want again. Do they want all the swirls removed or just a shiny car? I've done both, full interior with a 1 step polish, full exterior takes about 8-10 hours depending on the size of the car. On the other hand my buddy's accord took 12hours just on the paint (it was a mess), but that's all he wanted. I agree with not holding on to someone's car that long, mostly I try to schedule long details when people are going on vacation, that way they get a better detail and I can take my time.

 

[mcpp66]

If this is all your own stuff, like you're Camaro then take your time and do whatever detailing related job you doing to the best of your ability, not as fast as you can unless it's for a car that you don't care that much about.

I do take my time with my baby and I don't mind doing so. I'm currently using my DD to practice some stuff I've learned here and I'm just trying to gauge whether or not I'm taking too long.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Mike you mentioned "that's not show car work".

And in the context of what I wrote all I meant that production detailing and show car detailing are different approaches, and you want to choose the right approach determined by what the goal is.

Production detailing is mostly using one-step product on the paint because the customer doesn't want or need a show car finish on their daily driver and because the detailer won't make much profit if they spend the time required to do multiple steps versus a one-step.

What do you to prep a car for a car show.

LOL Read through every post on this forum and you'll find the answers to that...

That's too broad of a question, a better way of asking would be,

What do I need to do to prep my car's paint for a car show?

or

What do I need to do to prep my car's engine and engine compartment for a car show...

These types of questions should get their own thread too....

My paint is in great condition on the car, so what other detailing would you do? Another coat of wax? Want to show my car in the Stock devision and make it as pretty and shiney as possible.

For paint, the goal is usually to take the paint to its maximum potential, that means make it as great as you can. If you're car's paint is already in great condition then maybe all you need is a coat of wax and a gentle wipe-off.

A lot of cars have swirls in the paint and a majority of the discussions that take place on this forum and most detailing discussion forums is by members trying to learn how to remove the swirls because their car's paint isn't like the paint on your car to start with.

I do not think anybody should say negative things about production type detailing.

I do plenty of one step cleaner wax jobs and interior details.

And I agree and just in case anyone thinks I said anything negative about production detailing all they have to do is re-read what I wrote and I never said anything negative, only pointed out their's a difference.

In fact I did a one-step to this truck...

Behold Behemoth! - Cleaned & Sealed with DP Poli-Coat

It's knowing the time and place for what to do to so everyone wins.

 

[O.C.Detailing]

What I don't get, is how the "detailers" in my area can do an entire interior and exterior in 2-3 hours.

These people...are the "Get it done" guys... TRUE detailers are the "Get it done RIGHT guys."

If I have to fully correct paint, assuming a scratch-resistant clear, then I already know I'll be over 16 hours on a 4-door, full-size car JUST correcting the paint. That doesn't include the interior. Like I said, I never sacrifice quality for a time-frame. My customers bring their cars to me to have the work done properly, not quickly. You can't have both, that's a fact in the detailing world.

Let me add this though, I WILL work as hard as my customers pay me. That being said, the person paying me $400-500 is going to get every square inch of his/her vehicle polished and/or scrubbed. The person paying me $125 will get the express version of my detail. I still take 5-6 hours for an express detail, but that would be a one-step paint cleansing and a good interior scrub-down and dress.

 

[D0ughB0y]

Fast, good, cheap... pick two.

Like any project, detailing & paint work still follow the triangle. You want good work done cheap, it is going to cost you in time. You want good work and it to be done fast, you're going to pay for it. You want it to be cheap and fast... well, don't look at it in direct sunlight.