New to car detailing

you can always attend a training class to further advance your skills. there are 6 places I have on the top of my head that offer training. one of which being autogeek, instructed by Mike Phillips
 
Some People will see the prices and never go as they think you get what you pay for. Just something to consider


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Are you wanting this to become a real business and truly learn the art of detailing? If so the get the books recommended and research some classes. Finding a mentors in business and detailing would be a good idea as well.
 
I probably have $2500+ into supplies and 4 machines right now, and I still don't have everything needed to accomplish the list of services you have written above.

To be honest, I would start doing all of your family/friend's cars for free, and get a good idea of how long each service takes and the quality that you can achieve. Once you get 20-30 cars down for free, perhaps you can evaluate your offerings and pricing at that point before going public.

IIRC, someone on a diff detailing forum told me that his shop spends around $30/car in materials alone. Just something to think about.
 
The Critic said:
IIRC, someone on a diff detailing forum told me that his shop spends around $30/car in materials alone. Just something to think about.
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I have heard $30/detail stories since I've started in this business and have yet to hear it from the detailer's mouth so to speak. I don't know how you could go that high unless you were doing a full 20+ hour correction job. I wouldn't consider a coating part of the cost either, because anyone in their right mind up charges for coatings to begin with.

If you are talking about production work, your costs should be less than $5 per vehicle product wise, if not you are going to be hurting really quick. I have a couple of small dealerships that occasionally send me work when I will take it, and it goes as follows:

1. Degrease then pressure wash engine bay, dress with megs hyper dressing.
2. ONR wash exterior, clay, HD Speed one step, dress tires with megs hyper dressing.
3. Vacuum, steam interior. Bad spots are hit with DA Carpet brush and CG Fabric Clean.
4. Dress interior with megs hyper dressing, clean windows, wipe down door jambs.

Total products used? 6

Degreaser(Sam's Club Pro Force, use this on wheel wells and tires prior to ONR wash as well), Megs Hyper, HD Speed, CG Fabric Clean, HD Glass, ONR.

Total product cost? -+ $4, usually less.

Production work isn't about perfection or designer products, it's about clean, shiny, and fast. Give the dealers what they want, not what you want. Often times if you do that you will both be getting a much better deal.

Keeping product costs low is part of the business I personally think a lot of new detailers lose out on. It is very easy to get on Autogeek and see cool new products that you would like to try, then end up with several or dozens of redundant products. It's like buying some new bottle of sealant when you still have enough wax/sealant in your garage to do a couple hundred cars easy.

As heartless as it sounds, this is a business and you need to watch your bottom line.

Want to try new products/diversify your product line? You would be shocked how far you can get with companies by simply e-mailing them, telling them you are a detailer and are looking to expand your product line/test new products, and asking for samples. They will often send them to you for free/shipping only/low cost just to earn your business. It never hurts to ask

Sorry for the book, had some time today and was in a typing mood! :dblthumb2:
 
I know you've already gotten a lot of feedback, but I wanted to chime in anyway.

I think the most important thing anyone could tell you right now, regardless of prices and work involved, is to start small. By that, I mean you really should only offer these services to people that you know. I just don't understand why anyone who knows that they are not fully experienced in a trade would offer these services to the general public.

If you're trying to only do two to three cars a week for some side income, isn't it better to just stick with those that you know? If it was me, I'd feel that it was borderline unethical, and have serious internal reservations about offering services that I wasn't fully experienced with.

TL;DR: Experience is a must before you offer someone a service for money. Hopefully you can find enough business with people you know and build up the experience you desire. And when you're doing something you love for money, chances are that things will change in some way.

Good luck! :xyxthumbs:
 
randomevent said:
I know you've already gotten a lot of feedback, but I wanted to chime in anyway.

I think the most important thing anyone could tell you right now, regardless of prices and work involved, is to start small. By that, I mean you really should only offer these services to people that you know. I just don't understand why anyone who knows that they are not fully experienced in a trade would offer these services to the general public.

If you're trying to only do two to three cars a week for some side income, isn't it better to just stick with those that you know? If it was me, I'd feel that it was borderline unethical, and have serious internal reservations about offering services that I wasn't fully experienced with.

TL;DR: Experience is a must before you offer someone a service for money. Hopefully you can find enough business with people you know and build up the experience you desire. And when you're doing something you love for money, chances are that things will change in some way.





Thanks for the recommendation. I will keep it small and move up to the big leagues when I'm ready.
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