Possible Job Change

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Axrow

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Hello, I've been working at a high end car dealership doing recon for a while now and I'm finally sick of working 80 hours a week and cutting every corner possible. I'm making 1500-2000 a week, but I'd definitely be willing to take a pay cut if I could work less and be paid to actually do good work. I've only worked at dealerships/done side work. I'm considering working for a detail shop, but have no idea what kind of money they typically pay. Is it possible to make 50-60k while working semi reasonable hours at a detail shop?
 
I doubt you'd be able to make that at a shop, but that's just my opinion. If you started your own detail shop it's definitely possible. You'll take more of a pay cut to start, but if you stick with it and you're in a good enough market there's potential to make 6 figures - even as just a one man detail business.

It's hard work though and not for everyone. Good luck with it and keep us posted.
 
Axrow said:
Is it possible to make 50-60k while working semi reasonable hours at a detail shop?
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Well work backwards from your goal

$50,000 / 12 months= $4,166.67/month

$4,166.67 / 4 weeks= $1,041.67/week

$1,041.67 / 40 hours= $26/hour

Do those numbers seem reasonable?
 
I have no idea what is reasonable on that side of the business. 26 an hour seems totally reasonable at a dealership. They'll pay 14-17 per hour you turn. Usually you can turn 2-3 hours for every hour you work, depending on the job. Sometimes 8 hours in 1-2.
 
Axrow said:
Hello, I've been working at a high end car dealership doing recon for a while now and I'm finally sick of working 80 hours a week and cutting every corner possible. I'm making 1500-2000 a week, but I'd definitely be willing to take a pay cut if I could work less and be paid to actually do good work. I've only worked at dealerships/done side work. I'm considering working for a detail shop, but have no idea what kind of money they typically pay. Is it possible to make 50-60k while working semi reasonable hours at a detail shop?
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You seem to have a great paying job at the dealer you are working for. Is there anyway of just cutting back hours at the dealer since 80 hours a week is a lot. If you detail cars for a dealer here in West Virginia, you will make $7.25 an hour for 40 hours = $290 a week.
 
What do I know, but you have got to be one of the highest paid detailers (working for someone else) that I have ever heard of. As was mentioned, the only way IMO you would make even $50-60K somewhere else, is if you had your own company, which comes with all the headaches you don't have now as an employee.

Looking at it from the employers perspective, if you are making $1500-2000 a week that's roughly $75-100K/year...and you would be happy to make 50-60...that leaves $15-40K that the dealer doesn't have to pay you anymore--perhaps you could tell them they are killing you with the 80 hour weeks, and that you would accept less money for less hours, and why don't they hire you a helper. You make 60, the helper makes 20, the dealer saves maybe $20K/year, you get to work a lot less, and supervise and do the hard stuff so you don't have to cut corners.

Make the case.
 
I guess I'll be staying here. I am the helper though. The head detailer makes $1.50 "per hour" more than me. He's the one that cuts corners. He doesnt understand why you have to wash a car before you can buff it and he thinks the only reason you clay is to make it feel smooth, so he only does it where you might touch the paint. I guess I'll just stay here for now. We dont have any more room in our shop for other detailers and constantly have 40+ used/new cars to do and customer pay jobs on top of those. I used to work every waking minute. I worked 78 hours straight without sleeping one week, got a few hours of sleep and went back at it. I was doing 20 hour days 7 days a week for a while, making a little over 3k a week. So I've dialed it back some, but its still a ton of hours. Hopefully it'll slow down some this winter.

You guys should check into your local dealerships. Around here they all pay well. We had a guy that was making 50k at our dealership (he was very slow and focused on side work). He went to another dealer and he's making 25k more a year and only working 45-50 hours a week. I thought private shops might pay more since they do better work, maybe I'll check out other dealers.

As for 7.25 an hour... Who would work for that? Isn't min wage 8.75? I've never had a job pay less than 11, even in high school.
 
I don't know what state you are in, but the Federal minimum wage is $7.25--some states are higher.
 
Where are you located? The pay rates for dealerships there sound unlike most I've heard about, but good for you!!
 
Axrow said:
You guys should check into your local dealerships.
Around here they all pay well.
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Please: Where is "around here" located?

For the kind of money you've been talking about making:
I'm willing to come out of retirement...
and relocate, if necessary!

Shoot...I can even do the "same type of work", for the same kind of money, you said this guy was making:
Axrow said:
We had a guy that was making 50k at our dealership (he was very slow and focused on side work).
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Bob
 
Are you saying you worked 78 hours straight without sleep? Is this correct?
 
Has to be NY city/ Long Island or L.A. Hollywood area or one they other very exclusive coastal california cities.
 
In all seriousness, you're damaging your body working that much. Especially without sleep.

Can't spend the money you made when you're sick/dead.
 
Kurtopia said:
In all seriousness, you're damaging your body working that much. Especially without sleep.

Can't spend the money you made when you're sick/dead.
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This is downright true. I run a one man show and have scaled back my hours from 50-60 to 40-45 and it has made a world of difference. It's not worth making the "big bucks" if you are too burned out and tired to even enjoy it.

I've actually been making more money by scaling back my hours, raising my prices on simple jobs, and turning down undesirable work.
 
It's certainly not always greener on the other side. This going from high end dealership to private and back to dealerships again. I've made $16hr at most. It my next home has a shop I will likely start doing private work as it improves the margins a lot, but honestly I would just scale back hours.
 
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