Poll: Do you service car dealers?

[3000rpm]

The question of whether or not to service car dealers can be a difficult one. On one hand, they do keep you busy, which can be critical for detail shots that keep a small staff. You just can't lose those employees during the slow times because you're going to need them come summer or spring.

However, dealers simply don't pay well, are picky, cancel at the last moment, and worst of all...are slow to pay.

So...do you service car dealers? And on average what do you charge for a full detail?

Options:

1. No.
2. Yes: $70 - $85
3. Yes: $85 - $100
4. Yes: $100 - $135
5. Yes: $135 - $160
6. Yes: $160 - $195
7. Yes: $195+

 

[ProMoDe]

No.

 

[Executive Detail]

No...I don't care how slow it gets.

 

[Porsche Pilot]

I have a high end dealer that will bring me in on a special needs car; one they are willing to invest in and pass on the correction costs to the customer. But, a volume dealer? Wouldn't entertain it for the reasons listed above...pay that is low and slow. Dealerships are so cost sensitive these days and cut costs wherever they can. Prep is one of them.

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

Not just no, HELL no. Dealers are generally way too cheap. Now, if they want to refer a car to me for an extremely picky client, that's a different story.

 

[Midnight1700]

Not a chance! Dealers want it done yesterday, want it perfect, and want it for 60% off my normal price. I tell them when they can sell me a car for 60% off their asking price, I'll give them 60% off my asking price.

 

[3000rpm]

Okay, results are ready:
Half of detailers won't service car dealers

I wanted to find out what other detailers thought about working for dealerships, so I asked them through a couple of online forums. “To be or not to be” a dealership detail man is a hot topic for lots of experienced detailers, and lots of them have interesting opinions on the matter. Only one of the twelve detailers polled reported that they worked exclusively with dealerships. On the other end of the spectrum, there were three detailers who reported that they never worked with dealerships, but for different reasons. I asked detailers whether or not they regularly accepted detail work from dealerships. See the results below.

Average price to dealers: $160

Some detailers responded with specific prices they charged for dealership work. The amount charged varied widely - one detailer charged $100 per car and another $180. Perhaps the best way to establish a price point is to find out what dealerships are paying - by asking nearby detail shops, not necessarily the dealerships - and then run the numbers on what would be an economical, similar price for you to charge.

Survey sources:

http://www.autopia.org/forum/profes...ussion/139229-do-you-service-car-dealers.html
Poll: Do you service car dealers?

Original article:
Survey: Do you Service Car Dealerships?

 

[mpm]

I do dealerships but headlight restoration only. I know what they pay some of the local shops for a full detail. $90/car. OK in my area if its a corolla but not for a chevy tahoe. They pay on the 10th of every month for the prior month. Its money so I'm happy.. YMMV.

 

[richy]

I have a dealer (or their staff to be accurate) who is great to me. I get a lot of referrals from them and I have done several jobs for them. Their jobs are always tough as it's usually a screw-up from their guys that I am fixing. I end up getting less from them, but, in the big picture, I am much better off getting both the referrals and the occasional job from them as well.

 

[Kristopher1129]

Not typically. I have taken overflow from a close by dealership more as a favor than anything else. The entire staff of the dealership brings me their personal vehicles.

Fortunately, they all know the difference between a dealership detailer, and a professional. So I get all the staff as regular customers. But, when their detailers can't hang...they'll pay me to bust some out.

I don't prefer to create accounts with them for all the classic reasons. But, a tiny blast of vehicles here and there isn't bad. I just have my guys do them, and it puts money in my pocket without me having to do anything. So in that respect...it's nice.

For a simple full detail (interior + exterior AIO, no engine) I charge them $125 for cars, $150 for trucks and SUVs. I will up charge for really nasty stuff...but the main reason I'll do work for this particular dealership is I know they don't have any junk. All their stuff is usually no more than a few years old. :dblthumb2:

 

[FUNX650]

Okay, results are ready:
Half of detailers won't service car dealers

I wanted to find out what other detailers thought about working for dealerships, so I asked them through a couple of online forums. “To be or not to be” a dealership detail man is a hot topic for lots of experienced detailers, and lots of them have interesting opinions on the matter. Only one of the twelve detailers polled reported that they worked exclusively with dealerships. On the other end of the spectrum, there were three detailers who reported that they never worked with dealerships, but for different reasons. I asked detailers whether or not they regularly accepted detail work from dealerships. See the results below.

Average price to dealers: $160

Some detailers responded with specific prices they charged for dealership work. The amount charged varied widely - one detailer charged $100 per car and another $180. Perhaps the best way to establish a price point is to find out what dealerships are paying - by asking nearby detail shops, not necessarily the dealerships - and then run the numbers on what would be an economical, similar price for you to charge.

Survey sources:

http://www.autopia.org/forum/profes...ussion/139229-do-you-service-car-dealers.html
Poll: Do you service car dealers?

Original article:
Survey: Do you Service Car Dealerships?

I must have missed it somewhere along the way (I may be wrong...Haven't you used different forum names on different forums---hard to keep up sometimes, you know)...

So...OP...Do you, or don't you, service car dealerships???

And, pray tell, express your reason(s) for doing so, or not.



Bob

 

[3000rpm]

I must have missed it somewhere along the way (I may be wrong...Haven't you used different forum names on different forums---hard to keep up sometimes, you know)...

So...OP...Do you, or don't you, service car dealerships???

And, pray tell, express your reason(s) for doing so, or not.



Bob

Yeah, I'm on autopia too.

And when I ran a shop I did service dealers...$125 a car. We were pretty fortunate to "weed" through the dealers who had the $20 - $35k inventory that cleaned up pretty quickly.

 

[Robert8194]

No. Being this is just a serious hobby for me, I don't go looking for work. Mainly keep mine clean and detail for my wife's real estate clients. The Jeep dealership that sold me my latest Wrangler had two used Corvettes that had bad swirls and bird droppings. Who parks cars they are trying to sell under a tree? Come to think of it, who has trees in their car lot? Well, the bottom line is I offered to detail them for free because it hurt me to see vettes in that condition. They turned it down. I guess I won't be doing any dealership work. Do you think they remembered me as the guy that told them if their "detail department" touched my Wrangler, the sale was off?