New Member! :) Good to read from all of you!

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PapaPremier

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Hello Everyone! My name is David and I'm from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I'm 19 years old and I've started my own business in detailing for about 1 year now. I've been detailing since I was about 14 years old but just started doing it for a living. The crazy thing about my detailing business is that I mostly detail Aircrafts. Private charters planes and privately owned corporate jets, my business is called Premier Aircraft Detailing and I've recently been doing vehichles and corporate fleets and i LOVE THIS INDUSTRY. I think its one of the most profitable and low startup cost businesses anyone can get startet in and one day hope to have a shop of my own and a great mobile clientele base around Oklahoma.

I wanted to introduce myself and to say that i appreciate all your post and all of your suggestions, i have known about this site for a little while now but i've never gotten really involved much in the forums, i havent been able to try a lot of products but am wanting to really soon!

I think its great what AG has done for all of us detailers and with the help from detailers all around the country its amazing to realize how much more I got to learn before i get to the point of getting my own shop going...

I cant wait to collect more wisdom from all of you and i'm going to try hard to be more involved and asking more questions to learn all that i can from the Professionals all around the country. :)

Thanks for all your help and hope to talk to you guys a lot more! :D:D:D:D:D
 
Damn, another youngin, welcome bro. Im one too tho, just turned 20 today.
 
How long does it take to polish something like a Citation Jet, or hell, a Cessna:D
 
I bet polishing and waxing a jet makes a good amount of difference when it comes to wind resistance and stuff. I know the airlines were removing individual leaves of lettuce on their salads to reduce overall weight of the plane to get better gas millage.

I always try to wax my car before racing too.
 
Lol, you guys crack me up...

Honestly, my story on how I got into detailing came as a blessing! It was basically an out of the blue decision to start the detailing business because for most of my working career, i've worked around private planes since i was about 14...my brother had done it before me and i just followed suit, and i STILL work for the same aircraft charter company for the past 4 years and its help me so much with networking and getting new clients i couldnt havent even imagined. My aircraft business has just sky rocketed in just one year and since i had started to offer detailing cars for the jet owner's and their clients as well as passengers, the auto industry is boooming also. In one year, i now have 3 corporate fleet jobs and many high end cars i do daily along with the aircrafts i do and i'm loving every moment of it!

TO answer Surfer's ?, it takes my partner and I and an employee we just hired about 4 months ago to completely wash, buff, wax, interior vacuum and clean leather and wood, cockpit, lav, windows, polish brightwork and boot work, about 3 full 8 hr days. Granted we could work faster but we like to take it easy and to maintain a high level of quality on all of our jobs, its GREAT MONEY and for a cessna....about 1-2 days.

It makes a big difference and we love haering about it from our clients about how they got 12-20kph faster on their home from a trip. :) Makes us happy! Lol

One thing that kills us on revenues is the insane amount of insurance premiums now-a-days for aircraft detailers...sometimes its not even worth it...

But if anyone here is thinking about it, I would really have you consider going into the aircraft detailing industry, its BIG, its a money-making industry for SURE, but remember, its completely different from cars such as their paint, metals, and interior leathers - so its a whole new ball game- that's whyi'm tryin to get used to doing CARS :)

THANK GOD I FOUND AUTOGEEK :) thanks for all of ya'lls help, if you need anything just hit me up, and i'll definitely ask for help on here ALL THE TIME!

Anyone going to the SEMA Shows anytime soon?
 
You'll love it hear, I join recently also, im 17
 
Awesome man, im very glad to hear it! Nice to meet you Luke, Hope the detailing business is going great for you as well buddy - and good luck for the upcoming year!
 
Let me ask you this one question. is a 55 gallon drum of window cleaner too much?!?!?! ROFL!!!! i cant get over this!!!!
 
Omg....55 gallons! man, how many windows are you cleaning per day/week/month/year! That should last for you at least a years i woudl think LOL....but HEY more power to you if you can do it! :)
 
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I cant get over this. i think its freaking hilarious. I dont use it, i just do detailing on the side really, im still in school. i use this product though. 55 gallons. ROFL
[/FONT]
 
Papa, my dad use to work for AOPA, Im sure you know of them. Before that he was a lobbyist for the airlines, ATA (Air Transport Association). Now hes doing something else, but still involved with the air lines.
 
Lol thats freaking hilarious, that's something the big boys would order such as AG or detail king...but maybe Luke and I will someday be those big boygs :)

Hey, i have a ? though, I am really just unsure on how to price correctly for big jobs such as a buffing a car and doing a full thorough detail, such as steam vac, buffing the paint, window polish, headlight polish...i've been struggling on how to get prices for those and so i was wondering you you all did pricing strategies?
 
Wow that's pretty interesting 03gtMustang, man you could really network really well there because people who are involved in the private aircraft and even the airlines have nice cars and deep pockets and are willing to pay for quality work in the auto detailing industry if you can swing it...i'd ask your dad for some contacts if you he had some who needed a qualified person like yourself for their business
 
Im pretty good at detailing, but because of my age, and how i look, (i look around 13 - 14) i like to charge cheap, because i am just starting out. For a full interior detail, im charging 40$, thats everything BUT steam cleaning. Steam cleaning carpet = 15 seats = 15. I have individual prices like vacuuming and that stuff, and i go mobile for those things. I charge 15 for wash, that includes blackening trim and tires, 40 for wax, 75 for polish, another 15 for mirror glaze. PM me if you would like to learn more. For all those people more experienced than me reading this.Feed back please
 
since you are unsure of what to charge, pick a wage you would like to mkae and hour. say 25 bucks (just a number) from there figure out how long it shoul take, example a wash 30 min.. so 1/2 our

25*1/2=12.5 plus supplies, say 2.5, so charge 15 bucks
now this is low, but these are just numbers i made up, i dont know what it costs you, how long it takes ect.

I know alot of people charge around the 40-50 range for a simple wash and wax.

Also a big thing to rember is that it all depends on your clients. For example i live in calgary, a city that has more oil money then brains, there is a ton of money to spend on tings like detaiing so prces everywhere have gone up. If i were in a poorer city then i would not be able to charge the same price. Perhaps look around and see what the average is, dont go for les just becasue, do what you think is fair, use it as a guid line.
say you want to chatge 100 or a wash and the average is only 50, perpahs you should lower yours to better suit the clienta, perhaps 60 ot 75.

hope this helps
 
Yeah, here are my price ranges but keep in mind, i havent stepped into the world of steam clean at all b/c it hasnt been asked as a service nor does this include buffing -

This is called our Express Detail - This service i do almost 95% of the time -
It includes: Wash, clean tires and dress them, clean wheel and shine, Interior vacuum, spot removal, wipe down and dust panels and vents, dress dash and vinyl, leather stain removal and treatment.

Cars/sedans - $50
Small trucks/small SUVs - $60
Large trucks/Large SUVs - $70
***Wax is another $25 extra
***Steam vac is $45 extra

Now buffing i dont know how to price per job - i'd like to know more on how to price that and how my pricing strategy stack up to the more expreienced detailers out there, i dont want to sell my self short and dillute the market
 
Thanks a lot Calgary, Yeah same here in Oklahoma, its ALL OIL MONEY and most of my clients are OIL CO. owners or employees, From what i've seen and have studied around my market area, i'm pretty gosh darn close to the avg but i'm a little higher, and i'd like to keep it that way - it would take my partner and I to do what i desecribed above, our EXPRESS DETAIL one hour-two hours tops for any car/truck/suv....so on avg, if we've never worked on the auto before, it will take us about 2 hrs and if we see the cars regularly, it takes us a little less than an hour
 
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