How to make a $200 detail look quality with only 2-3 hours?

[B&B Tennessee]

Originally Posted by UltimateDetail

Hey AG, haven't posted in awhile, so here it goes...
I have been planning a detailing business and have come to the conclusion that the main focus would be the $200 details I offer. Now the problem is, I need to make money. And I only have 12 hours a day to work on cars. So I would like to get these cars done in 2 - 2 1/2 hours, and my question is how to make sure it's good enough that the client doesn't questions the quality of the detail. To add, I wash, clay, one step, seal, dress trim in/out, protect wheels, dress tires for exterior.. and interior, I clean the upholstery, clean and condition leather, extract carpets, clean glass, spray DP air freshener, dress the dash, doors, clean doorjambs, pretty much restore the interior. One of the main worries is the time it takes to do a one step, and also making sure i get all the cracks and crevices clean. Any input would be appreciated thanks!

Quoting Original OP's thread starter (and not reading any other responses) FOR THAT LITTLE TIME AND THAT MUCH MONEY, YOU MUST BE EITHER SUPER AMAZING, OR HAVE SUPER AMAZING CLIENTELE! There is no way in H^%L that myself and 2 others could come close to performing a DETAIL - and a vehicle in that short of time. MAYBE a maintenance wash - but no way a full detaill...... if you can pull 200 a detail in that short of time - you are definitely the man

[UltimateDetail]

Originally Posted by B&B Tennessee

Quoting Original OP's thread starter (and not reading any other responses) FOR THAT LITTLE TIME AND THAT MUCH MONEY, YOU MUST BE EITHER SUPER AMAZING, OR HAVE SUPER AMAZING CLIENTELE! There is no way in H^%L that myself and 2 others could come close to performing a DETAIL - and a vehicle in that short of time. MAYBE a maintenance wash - but no way a full detaill...... if you can pull 200 a detail in that short of time - you are definitely the man

lol I know I can't do a full detail in that short of time, but the detail would be closer to getting all the heavy dirt and grime off and applying a wax and dressing kind of thing. But I would like to include a aio or glaze, which really cuts my time to do other things. I already tried doing what I described would be in the detail, besides the AIO, in around an hour and forty five minutes. So I would only have an hour for the one step.

[B&B Tennessee]

Originally Posted by UltimateDetail

lol I know I can't do a full detail in that short of time, but the detail would be closer to getting all the heavy dirt and grime off and applying a wax and dressing kind of thing. But I would like to include a aio or glaze, which really cuts my time to do other things. I already tried doing what I described would be in the detail, besides the AIO, in around an hour and forty five minutes. So I would only have an hour for the one step.

Is this hypothesis or put into action numbers?!?!??! I mean no offense at all here - but I can say that myself and my vice president (very experienced) PUSHED it and got a full interior/one step polish exterior done in 4 hours..... and that was pushing it! BUT - with that said..... we are also very unorthodox in our style...... SO, we are open to technology and /or advancements in detailing styles..... do you have some type of new way of detailing that many dont know of?!!??!

[UltimateDetail]

Originally Posted by B&B Tennessee

Is this hypothesis or put into action numbers?!?!??! I mean no offense at all here - but I can say that myself and my vice president (very experienced) PUSHED it and got a full interior/one step polish exterior done in 4 hours..... and that was pushing it! BUT - with that said..... we are also very unorthodox in our style...... SO, we are open to technology and /or advancements in detailing styles..... do you have some type of new way of detailing that many dont know of?!!??!

lol Don't worry, I don't take offense to anything, but to answer your question, like I said I have timed myself doing a basic "Wipe down". Which is: A wash, clay, quick once over with a hand glaze, then a synthetic wax for the exterior. Then a vacuum, quick shampoo, clean and condition leather, or if cloth seats use the tornado(sometimes extractor) and dry off with mf, then all surfaces are cleaned with APC+ and dressed appropriately for the material they are, then clean the glass, and lastly doorjambs. Then I do the wheels, I grab a bucket with APC+ and a car shampoo mixed and rigorously scrub the tire and wheels, then the wheel wells, then rinse, then dress the tires, then apply wheel glaze and wipe off. The thing that I have gotten good at is trying to make it less unorthodox as possible. And that takes working as quickly and efficiently as possible. But no lol, I don't have a secret. I just know a lot about what works and what doesn't for different aspects of cleaning. But for all that I do know, I probably don't know about three times as much as I do know based on experience. I'll tell you what though, I have been detailing for about two years now(mostly family cars) not as a pro but casual as a hobby and because there was no rush on these details I had a significant time to learn.

[Nicholas@Autowerx]

Originally Posted by ShineTimeDetail

Every time I buy a new product or piece of equipment my first thought is 'man I'm going to save a ton of time with this!'. That has never been the case....never. I just get better results. I don't care what you buy, what chemicals you use you will still need a certain amount of time to get the job done correct.

You need to do a fn phenomenal job on every car you do...then people will talk, then you get more business, then you hirer a guy, then you higher more, then you sit in an office collecting money....I'm still at 'getting more business & at hiring someone'. Not far from sitting behind a desk...lol maybe 10 more years Haha!

Dude. That is so funny because that is exactly what happens every time I invest in a new tool. I'm thinking how much faster I can get everything done but instead I use the tool to achieve even better results than I was getting before. The only tool I have that I think has actually started to save me time is the steamer. Grimy cup holders come clean in 10 seconds. It's great. OMG I can't even remember my life before steam now, lol.

And regarding the original thread topic: PLEASE TELL ME YOUR SECRETS!!! I spend upwards of 7-8 hours on a full detail (with 2 people) Heck, It takes me about 2 hours just to properly wash the outside, make the doorjambs spotless and detail the wheels and tires. That's not even starting on polishing/wax or anything on the interior. Maybe I'm just a slow poke.

[UltimateDetail]

Originally Posted by Nicholas@Autowerx

And regarding the original thread topic: PLEASE TELL ME YOUR SECRETS!!! I spend upwards of 7-8 hours on a full detail (with 2 people) Heck, It takes me about 2 hours just to properly wash the outside, make the doorjambs spotless and detail the wheels and tires. That's not even starting on polishing/wax or anything on the interior. Maybe I'm just a slow poke.

Lol I don't have any secrets. But refer to the post above for more info on what I do... I remember reading something Mike Phillips wrote on here that showed the paint magnified after a quick production detail vs a show car.. All the swirl marks were removed but still a lot of the other defects still remained up close, but it was acceptable, and that's what it comes down to.. what the customer will accept as a good job. Meeting their expectations of cleanliness. So that when they see their car after the detail, they can "check off" getting their car clean.

[brawl]

Originally Posted by UltimateDetail

Yeah, that's the biggest problem. But the AIO would be a big part of the value of my detail.

I am sure it will. It may take a while but once you master everything, you will save a lot of time. One of the posters is correct, determine first the best service that you can provide in 3 hours. It does not have to be perfect; a quality work will yield drastic results on neglected cars. Good luck on your endeavor.

[BobbyG]

I'm getting the impression that the main driver here is cash flow.

Detailing is not unlike other work customers are willing to pay for. What they're looking for is quality. When quantity precedes quality your customer base will vanish and you'll be out of business....just be careful...

[UltimateDetail]

Originally Posted by BobbyG

I'm getting the impression that the main driver here is cash flow.

Detailing is not unlike other work customers are willing to pay for. What they're looking for is quality. When quantity precedes quality your customer base will vanish and you'll be out of business....just be careful...

Yeah, I just want to be able to make enough that I can support myself and be happy...

I agree, I don't want to cross that line of where quantity is more important than quality. But I want to be right on the edge of that line. One thing that confuses me, is how these car washes("while you wait"), always have customers coming in. I went there and go the "detail" for 60 bucks, and I was not happy.

[UltimateDetail]

Originally Posted by brawl

I am sure it will. It may take a while but once you master everything, you will save a lot of time. One of the posters is correct, determine first the best service that you can provide in 3 hours. It does not have to be perfect; a quality work will yield drastic results on neglected cars. Good luck on your endeavor.

I suppose it's all mastering everything I do, to get quick... I agree, when you get a neglected car, it is amazing what products can do for it! Anyways, thanks and I hope I can get this down!