Lexus detailing??

I'll see, I hope someone will hire me.

Anyone here has done dealership detailing? Can you tell me your experience?
 
Like I said Gary I have work for Honda and I am currently working for Ford which I hate. You must keep in mind working in a dealership is not going to get you anywhere near learning to detail like a professional. Just follow their "detail" rules keep your knowledge to yourself and work how they want you to work. Dealerships just want the car to look presentable in the lot for customers to like the shine. If you start opening your mouth telling them what's right and wrong you will get fired!! Lol Good luck just be there to make more money and improve your pace in working faster.

Exotic Auto Detail via tapatalk
 
It's still a good gig. Don't get discouraged-just be ready for what everyone has been saying. They will want hack work, but just try and do it the best you can with what they supply you.

Sales managers run the "detailing" aspect of the dealerships and the only thing they see is $$$$$ because there are plenty of people who can't spot a swirl or a scratch that wont hesitate to but the car.

The majority of the experience you will gain will be knowing what not to do. For instance most dealerships have no idea what a MF is and when they see the $2-3 price tag per towel from their supplier they will laugh. But you will also learn shortcuts, different processes to do things and also get to know your local supplier for things like brushes and cheap dressings for wheel wells. You can also use THEIR cars to test different products and tools that you would normally hesitate to do on your own customers-remember they only see $$!

The BEST part of the job is acquiring clients. When I worked at a dealership to get me through school I would always give the new car owners my number and offer to "correctly" detail their car on the side. Just tell them you can bring their new car to a completely different level and since they are already pumped up about their new car and vow to always take care of it the detail is pretty much in the bag! Just dont get caught-your boss won't like it.

You may even get to drive some really cool cars and get to beat the eyeballs out of the ones going to auction. Auction cars are the best! Haha!

Like I said, it's a good gig that will provide you CREDIBLE experience. Just don't get caught in their ways and remember to leave their bs ways at work.

Good luck-hope you get it!
 
tfullercdi said:
It's still a good gig. Don't get discouraged-just be ready for what everyone has been saying. They will want hack work, but just try and do it the best you can with what they supply you.

Sales managers run the "detailing" aspect of the dealerships and the only thing they see is $$$$$ because there are plenty of people who can't spot a swirl or a scratch that wont hesitate to but the car.

The majority of the experience you will gain will be knowing what not to do. For instance most dealerships have no idea what a MF is and when they see the $2-3 price tag per towel from their supplier they will laugh. But you will also learn shortcuts, different processes to do things and also get to know your local supplier for things like brushes and cheap dressings for wheel wells. You can also use THEIR cars to test different products and tools that you would normally hesitate to do on your own customers-remember they only see $$!

The BEST part of the job is acquiring clients. When I worked at a dealership to get me through school I would always give the new car owners my number and offer to "correctly" detail their car on the side. Just tell them you can bring their new car to a completely different level and since they are already pumped up about their new car and vow to always take care of it the detail is pretty much in the bag! Just dont get caught-your boss won't like it.

You may even get to drive some really cool cars and get to beat the eyeballs out of the ones going to auction. Auction cars are the best! Haha!

Like I said, it's a good gig that will provide you CREDIBLE experience. Just don't get caught in their ways and remember to leave their bs ways at work.

Good luck-hope you get it!
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot. Yeah I really need more experience before I try start my own thing. I was thinking trying to start my own business for spring, but I don't have much experience. I only worked on about 10 cars. I really hope I get this because I love the idea of detailing cars and making money from it.

I'm a firm believer you have to work from the bottom to the top. And I'm willing to put those hours in to learn how the business works.
 
ExoticAutoDetai said:
Like I said Gary I have work for Honda and I am currently working for Ford which I hate. You must keep in mind working in a dealership is not going to get you anywhere near learning to detail like a professional. Just follow their "detail" rules keep your knowledge to yourself and work how they want you to work. Dealerships just want the car to look presentable in the lot for customers to like the shine. If you start opening your mouth telling them what's right and wrong you will get fired!! Lol Good luck just be there to make more money and improve your pace in working faster.

Exotic Auto Detail via tapatalk
Click to expand...


Thanks Carlitos! I will try to keep my mouth shut and just do as they say. I haven't had a real stable job in years and will not take this one granted. Always going try to get side work on weekend that I will always post and will give it 110%.

My friend has an s2k and has a lot of friends with nice cars. He wants me to detail his car next week.
 
slickooz said:
I'm a firm believer you have to work from the bottom to the top. And I'm willing to put those hours in to learn how the business works.
Click to expand...

Man, you don't WANT to know how dealership detailing works...dealerships are only interested in selling cars, everything else (including detailing depts) are just a necessary evil to achieve that end. If they have a picky customer that demands a swirl-free car, they will sub the car out to someone else, not give it to you.

As others have suggested (and tfullercdi gave you great advice) learn what you can and use it as a stepping stone. Once again, the way the "business works" is completely opposite from how it works at a dealer.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Man, you don't WANT to know how dealership detailing works...dealerships are only interested in selling cars, everything else (including detailing depts) are just a necessary evil to achieve that end. If they have a picky customer that demands a swirl-free car, they will sub the car out to someone else, not give it to you.

As others have suggested (and tfullercdi gave you great advice) learn what you can and use it as a stepping stone. Once again, the way the "business works" is completely opposite from how it works at a dealer.
Click to expand...


Well what if I become good with rotary and master the DA, why can't they let someone like me do it? Why sub it outside?
 
Because you will have the 10 trade-ins from the day before to clean up and get on the lot. But who knows, if you are slow you may get it. Put your word on the line and tell them they would be making a mistake sending it to someone else. They might listen.

I wouldn't do it the first week youre there though....
 
Unless it's a 1-out-of-100 dealer, you will just be a wash jockey. You will never get a raise, you will never be anything other than the $8/hr. wash jockey. If you don't like it, they will get someone else to do it. For your manager, having to have a car properly detailed is like having to slit his own throat...read the threads about the DISO (Dealer Installed Swirl Option). About how they will tell customers that "all cars have swirls" "our best guy just detailed it" "that's the way black cars look". The kinds of things the people on this forum do might as well be in a different dimension from the things that go on in a dealership.
 
Yeah I know. I think they know that I really want to become a serious detailer. I told them that I bought over 1k in items and that I aim for perfection. I hope they will leave the nicer cars for me to do, once I become better.
 
So these type of work at dealership is only 8 an hour? I was hoping I can get more.
 
slickooz said:
So these type of work at dealership is only 8 an hour? I was hoping I can get more.
Click to expand...

A dealer "detailer" is about as low on the totem pole as it gets. Be glad it's not minimum wage. They will teach you all you need to know about the job the first day. Think that's not enough time to learn how to detail a car? Now you're getting the idea.
 
Believe what everybody else is saying. Trust me on this - I have been washing cars at a Honda dealer now for 4 and 1/2 years, and just now started working at a Kia dealer as well (both dealers are in the same company, I work both part-time and get about 45-48 hours per week between the two, so the money isn't too bad). Only make $8.50 an hour though. I have to pretty much forget everything I've learned on the forums when I clock in at work. Swirls are normal. Wanna use a clean applicator and towel for everything you do? Forget it. You might be using the same towel for several different functions on several different cars. If you can, talk to the guys in detail and see what the manager is like; at the Honda dealer, my managers are pretty laid back. They don't really bother us as long as we're staying busy - you do the priority vehicles first (sold vehicles, service vehicles, any cleanups they want done, etc.), and anything after that is busy work (loaner vehicles, dirty cars on the lot, etc.). My manager at Kia is a no-nonsense type of person - he feels that you need to be busy all the time, and he usually wants to know what you're doing at any given time. Not that he's necessarily in your face, but you have to decide if you're more comfortable with macro-managers or micro-managers. Pretty much, whatever you're told not to do on Autogeek, you're doing at a dealership. If you can live with that, then remember, it is just a job, it's not a career. You don't always have to like it, you just have to do it to put money in your pocket. And if the customer and the managers are happy, that's all that matters. Your number one responsibility is to make the boss happy, even if it means doing things "the wrong way." If you don't do things the boss' way, he will find somebody who will. That's my two cents based on personal experience. :xyxthumbs:
 
slickooz said:
Thanks Carlitos! I will try to keep my mouth shut and just do as they say. I haven't had a real stable job in years and will not take this one granted. Always going try to get side work on weekend that I will always post and will give it 110%.

My friend has an s2k and has a lot of friends with nice cars. He wants me to detail his car next week.
Click to expand...
No problem son! :dblthumb2:
 
CieraSL said:
Believe what everybody else is saying. Trust me on this - I have been washing cars at a Honda dealer now for 4 and 1/2 years, and just now started working at a Kia dealer as well (both dealers are in the same company, I work both part-time and get about 45-48 hours per week between the two, so the money isn't too bad). Only make $8.50 an hour though. I have to pretty much forget everything I've learned on the forums when I clock in at work. Swirls are normal. Wanna use a clean applicator and towel for everything you do? Forget it. You might be using the same towel for several different functions on several different cars. If you can, talk to the guys in detail and see what the manager is like; at the Honda dealer, my managers are pretty laid back. They don't really bother us as long as we're staying busy - you do the priority vehicles first (sold vehicles, service vehicles, any cleanups they want done, etc.), and anything after that is busy work (loaner vehicles, dirty cars on the lot, etc.). My manager at Kia is a no-nonsense type of person - he feels that you need to be busy all the time, and he usually wants to know what you're doing at any given time. Not that he's necessarily in your face, but you have to decide if you're more comfortable with macro-managers or micro-managers. Pretty much, whatever you're told not to do on Autogeek, you're doing at a dealership. If you can live with that, then remember, it is just a job, it's not a career. You don't always have to like it, you just have to do it to put money in your pocket. And if the customer and the managers are happy, that's all that matters. Your number one responsibility is to make the boss happy, even if it means doing things "the wrong way." If you don't do things the boss' way, he will find somebody who will. That's my two cents based on personal experience. :xyxthumbs:
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot CieraSL for your experience. I'm going give Honda guy a call tomorrow. He said his brother owns the Open Road detailing department. And gave me his number said he detail nicer cars and have all nice equipments.

I guess I have to relearn how to detail at dealership.
 
slickooz said:
Thanks a lot CieraSL for your experience. I'm going give Honda guy a call tomorrow. He said his brother owns the Open Road detailing department. And gave me his number said he detail nicer cars and have all nice equipments.

I guess I have to relearn how to detail at dealership.
Click to expand...

No problem. On the up side, the Kia dealership has a full size $2000 Thresher extractor, so that's fun to play with. :xyxthumbs:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top