Pre-inspection standards

[Expert Car Care]

So, when a customer brings in their car for detailing,
do you pre-inspect the car? What are you looking for if you do?

Interior and exterior jobs.

[JonMiles]

So, when a customer brings in their car for detailing,
do you pre-inspect the car? What are you looking for if you do?

Interior and exterior jobs.

Pre-inspection is a necessary part of any detailing job, you can never plan a detail or price a car if you haven't looked at it yet.

For interior jobs, I always look at the steering wheel (gives an idea of how much grime I need to get off the interior) Also the carpets I look for stains, especially dark or red ones, this gives me an idea if extracting or alternate cleaning steps are needed. Finally I look at the seats, especially the drivers to see if the leather needs a deep cleaning or just a gentle cleaning (basically lets me know leatherique or lexol) the time and money factor into pricing.

For exterior jobs I always look first at the hood, trunk, and doors; they let me know what the worst scratches I will need to get out. Also the front bumper is very important to look at, bug and tar removal can factor into my time. The wheels are not much of a problem to get spotless unless they are pitted so I just give them a quick glance. By looking over the car closely, I can figure out if I need to sand, compound, polish, or just 1 step the vehicle.

Another area I like to look at is the engine, a dirty engine can be an upsale point for me.

Basically during the inspection, I notify the customer what the best I can do is and what it will cost. If the customer decides they do not want to spend the money, I can explain the other routes to make the vehicle look "better" but not perfect. All the while during the inspection, I use a notepad to jot down notes on problem areas and things the customer points out to me.

[Expert Car Care]

Excellent feedback Jon, thank you!

[Irish]

Always pre-inspect with the owner on your heels. Point out the problem areas and what needs to be done to correct them.

For interiors, Jon made a good point about the severity of stains in the carpet. Multiple passes is going to eat up time so that should factor into your price. Also I always look for tears in the leather/cloth. Getting blamed for something you didn't do simply because the owner didn't know about them (or did, but that's a rant for another post) isn't cool.

Exterior aside from going over the painted areas I look at brightwork. Neglected bare metal is a pain in the ass. I spent a couple hours on a supercharger not too long ago that I didn't really factor into my price. Don't make the same mistake. Headlights/taillights deserve attention too and are also quite profitable. I find a lot of people are happy to learn that they can be restored. Saves them quite a bit of money vs. buying now ones.

[Expert Car Care]

They need to install a "thank you" button.