Used cars dealers

Nicholas@Autowerx said:
How much do you charge? I've seen car washers around here that drive through the lot with a huge water tank misting all the cars and then they have a few dudes with large towels come behind and dry. NO SOAP. Wonder why every single car looks so swirled out? I heard they only charge like .75 or 1.00 a car or something crazy though.
Click to expand...

I have just started in business and was not sure what to charge so I thought $5 a car was a fair price for my services
I use the dealers water and my products --- I wash the car, clean the tires and wheels, dry the car, and gel the tires. I use the two bucket system with grit guards and a microfiber sponge to prevent swirls. I use a third bucket for the wheels. I also change the water in all the buckets every three cars. I'm not sure what others charge for this same service.
 
I've only met one dealer ever that I liked. I hate to say it but most of them are jerks. It's impossible to get more than $100 in my area, and they expect perfection. I don't know what it is with that business that attracts such scum.

I've done a lot of dealer work in the past, sometimes doing two cars per day, 6 days per week. Only thing I got from it was tendonitis in both wrists. I turn them all down now.
 
Car dealers are hit in miss. I have a couple accounts for extra money but they will never pay you what you are worth and in the end you will end up spending all your profit buying more chemicals to do their cars. Not worth the effort.
 
I do work for a local dealership regularly and can tell you it is good "filler" work, nothing more. I just spray and dress the engine bay, clean the interior mostly with steam to save on chemical costs, and AIO the exterior. They are happy as a clam and I almost always have a vehicle sitting waiting to be worked on in case of a cancellation.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using AG Online
 
The last one I visited was pretty funny.

I walk around the lot and see none of the cars are corrected or even polished. They are all dirty and don't even have wax on them. So I think to myself "Perfect, they can use my services". I go Inside to talk to the manager. I give him my business card and explain I can help them prepare cars for selling. His answer "We have a team that does that here, so we don't need any help" LOL
 
Used car delearships and a true detailing company would be a tough relationship. At least for me, I enjoy detailing cars that the owner will truly take care of after it leaves my garage. There's nothing I hate more than seeing a customers car a week later swirled to #### and they say "it looks great, right?!". No it looks like $h!t man, I spoke to you for an hour about the proper procedures to care for your car.

I know I'm getting a little off topic, but I have a good friend I detailed a Ferrari F430 for. It was a 20 hour detail and it came out fanstastic, really. The next day he picks it up and we go to a car ralley. We get back and he immediatley picks up his Lucas Oil Wax and a dirty microfiber. I looked at him and said "I enjoyed detailing your car but this was the last time I'll be detailing your ferrari." He responded "its not a big deal, it wont hurt the anything its just one time. I didnt get a chance to get that product you emailed me (ONR and Cobra MF's)." I ended up going home and getting some but two weeks later I see the car and ask him if he used the Lucas oil (I saw marring and residue everywhere). He said no, but later fessed up he didnt have the right products.

I guess since I do this more as a hobby and as ethusiast I have the luxury of saying "No thanks". Not everyone can do that. If I were to do this for a living I would simply just hate dealing with those type of people (used car salesman) everyday.
 
You can make money off of dealerships, but you have to be either set up for production work or see it as little more than "side money" like I do.

You also have to match your services to the price you are getting paid. If you are getting $200 or less per vehicle, perfection is not even a debatable matter. It needs to be clean and shiny, nothing more, nothing less.
 
Calendyr said:
The last one I visited was pretty funny.

I walk around the lot and see none of the cars are corrected or even polished. They are all dirty and don't even have wax on them. So I think to myself "Perfect, they can use my services". I go Inside to talk to the manager. I give him my business card and explain I can help them prepare cars for selling. His answer "We have a team that does that here, so we don't need any help" LOL
Click to expand...

Bahh!! Missed opportunity here.

Every dealer has overflow.

If you are really looking to show the difference between professional work and his team, offer him to do a detail at no charge, walk him through the detail afterwords, and compare it to some of his teams work.

Do NOT bad talk his team, just show him the difference. Kindly thank him for his time, and let him know you are available if he needs any further services.

Call him once per month, remind him of your services, and you might be surprised what takes place.

Take this approach to many different dealerships in the area, and before long you will have plenty of work until your retail clientele builds up.
 
Most dealers will hire people for $8.50 an hour, work them like a dog and charge the customer $180-$2500 for the paint sealant with warranty And detail on a brand new car. So it is very hard to find work at dealerships unless you look for certain ones. Very high end dealerships will consider highly experienced detailers for contract as well as repo remarket dealers that work with banks to resell repo's. Good luck it's not easy.
 
You could go by auto repair shops and offer your services too.
 
VP Mark said:
Bahh!! Missed opportunity here.

Every dealer has overflow.

If you are really looking to show the difference between professional work and his team, offer him to do a detail at no charge, walk him through the detail afterwords, and compare it to some of his teams work.

Do NOT bad talk his team, just show him the difference. Kindly thank him for his time, and let him know you are available if he needs any further services.

Call him once per month, remind him of your services, and you might be surprised what takes place.

Take this approach to many different dealerships in the area, and before long you will have plenty of work until your retail clientele builds up.
Click to expand...

:iagree:
 
VP Mark said:
Bahh!! Missed opportunity here.

Every dealer has overflow.

If you are really looking to show the difference between professional work and his team, offer him to do a detail at no charge, walk him through the detail afterwords, and compare it to some of his teams work.

Do NOT bad talk his team, just show him the difference. Kindly thank him for his time, and let him know you are available if he needs any further services.

Call him once per month, remind him of your services, and you might be surprised what takes place.

Take this approach to many different dealerships in the area, and before long you will have plenty of work until your retail clientele builds up.
Click to expand...

That seems like a lot of work for free with some return in the amount of work, all while knowing it'll be temporary til the retail work comes it.

It seems like a good idea only if you have no other commitments. Otherwise I think pushing HARD for retail clients part time will get someone there just as fast
 
spoken like a pro. great advice :xyxthumbs:

Having dealt with many dealerships over the years, this will get you a positive result.
Dealerships are looking for reliable & quick turn around with out the fuss.


VP Mark said:
Bahh!! Missed opportunity here.

Every dealer has overflow.

If you are really looking to show the difference between professional work and his team, offer him to do a detail at no charge, walk him through the detail afterwords, and compare it to some of his teams work.

Do NOT bad talk his team, just show him the difference. Kindly thank him for his time, and let him know you are available if he needs any further services.

Call him once per month, remind him of your services, and you might be surprised what takes place.

Take this approach to many different dealerships in the area, and before long you will have plenty of work until your retail clientele builds up.
Click to expand...
 
Kengo123 said:
That seems like a lot of work for free with some return in the amount of work, all while knowing it'll be temporary til the retail work comes it.

It seems like a good idea only if you have no other commitments. Otherwise I think pushing HARD for retail clients part time will get someone there just as fast
Click to expand...

I agree, but Calynder has talked about his need to drive some business and revenue so I thought he might find this useful.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using AG Online
 
Never offer anything free to a dealership. They are in the business of making money and will regardless of the price you charge them for your services. Talking to the manager of the used car department is your best bet. And find out before hand what they are paying for services like what you are offering. Auction cars can be your best bet to demo on and still make some money while still offering a demo at a reduced rate. Utilize your network of friends and acquaintances to get connected to the business you want and need. Don't work for free or severely undercut the competition l, especially if you know your quality is above theirs.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using AG Online
 
Im not mobile and i had absolutely no problem getting dealer work in the past if i needed it. Smaller lots with only a dew employees are the easiest because they cant do the cars themselves.

Theres a pattern with these creeps though. I would start doing cars from a dealer and do excellent work, but slowly over a few months they always try to start buying dirtier cars at the auction. I know theyre thinking i'll clean them up and they can make more money since they bought them cheaper. When i would tell them i had to upcharge they would get all upset and move on to the next detailer sand start the process all over. They are all the same. Almost no exceptions.
 
scrace said:
Any chance of a dealer working with a non-mobile business?

Any advice here?
Click to expand...

Absolutely. They don't care where you work from. Make sure you have commercial unowned auto insurance though even if you use their plates.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using AG Online
 
Paul Lonergan said:
its common place where im from
You just need trade plates (to drive unregistered cars to and from the premise)
Click to expand...

statusdetailing said:
Im not mobile and i had absolutely no problem getting dealer work in the past if i needed it. Smaller lots with only a dew employees are the easiest because they cant do the cars themselves.

Theres a pattern with these creeps though. I would start doing cars from a dealer and do excellent work, but slowly over a few months they always try to start buying dirtier cars at the auction. I know theyre thinking i'll clean them up and they can make more money since they bought them cheaper. When i would tell them i had to upcharge they would get all upset and move on to the next detailer sand start the process all over. They are all the same. Almost no exceptions.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input guys.

Any advice on what to say when first contacting them to set myself apart from other detailers?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top