Time management question!

[lilsullivan04]

So I'm wanting to start detailing for extra cash and it took me 8hrs to clay bar and use Meguirs M105 and M205 then I used Collinite 845 for wax. This was on a 2004 black Ford Mustang. Does that sound about right?

Also to do interior detailing, wheels and tires and washing takes me about 4-6 hrs to complete does that sound right as well?

I just have basic tools. I don't have a steamer, carpet extractor, or a power washer.

How long does it take you guys to do a full detail in and out and swirl removing and waxinh and how long does it take to do a basic detail interior and exterior?

Thank you!

[David Hayward]

Seems a bit long on time unless you are doing it for absolute perfection and pending the customer is paying for that.

I do small amounts of side work. I limit it to fairly clean interiors and either an aio job on the outside or full polish or compound then polish only for higher end vehicles.

My basic all in one polish package takes me about 3 hours. This is a wash, iron x, Nanoskin sponge, hit it with xmt 360 and my choice of pad. Wipe on some dressing on exterior plastics and rubbers. After that I thoroughly vacuum the inside hit any real dirty stuff with apc let it soak a little and just do a very light scrub and possibly work some stains in the carpets and then I dress the inside.

I'm no professional intake my time and I basically only do jobs that I know my actual working time will pay me $25 an hr.

Time frame all depends on what the person is looking to have done though. Last night I did a friend's cordoba and they wanted it show ready. I spent 4 hours on just the paint with his help.

Really if you are looking to get into side work don't work for pennies. Make sure its worth your while.

[rmagnus]

Sounds about right to me for wash, clay, compound, polish and wax especially on a black car. To do it right you'd be hard pressed to do it much quicker. Spending more time on it is easy however.

[tramtwo]

On a car that size to cut and polish as well as an interior detail... 8-10 man hours easy... could be as much as 16 if the paint is jacked up. $400 to $800 in this market.

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[Pureshine]

There is no way going to be able to full detail with any paint correction in 4-6 hrs and do it right. My complete detail with a quick AIO takes 7-9 hrs depends on car and how bad interior is. For me to do 1 step paint correction with no interior takes me 7-8hrs with prep time.

[lilsullivan04]

Seems a bit long on time unless you are doing it for absolute perfection and pending the customer is paying for that.

I do small amounts of side work. I limit it to fairly clean interiors and either an aio job on the outside or full polish or compound then polish only for higher end vehicles.

My basic all in one polish package takes me about 3 hours. This is a wash, iron x, Nanoskin sponge, hit it with xmt 360 and my choice of pad. Wipe on some dressing on exterior plastics and rubbers. After that I thoroughly vacuum the inside hit any real dirty stuff with apc let it soak a little and just do a very light scrub and possibly work some stains in the carpets and then I dress the inside.

I'm no professional intake my time and I basically only do jobs that I know my actual working time will pay me $25 an hr.

Time frame all depends on what the person is looking to have done though. Last night I did a friend's cordoba and they wanted it show ready. I spent 4 hours on just the paint with his help.

Really if you are looking to get into side work don't work for pennies. Make sure its worth your while.

I appreciate the response how do you like the Anniston and iron x? And I was planning for people to pay me $40-$45 an hour would that be too much?I just like to take my time like I'm detailing my own vehicle so hopefully the costumer doesn't get upset if it takes too long.

[lilsullivan04]

There is no way going to be able to full detail with any paint correction in 4-6 hrs and do it right. My complete detail with a quick AIO takes 7-9 hrs depends on car and how bad interior is. For me to do 1 step paint correction with no interior takes me 7-8hrs with prep time.

What is a good AIO polish? And im guessing the time i said i take isn't too long then?

[David Hayward]

I appreciate the response how do you like the Anniston and iron x? And I was planning for people to pay me $40-$45 an hour would that be too much?I just like to take my time like I'm detailing my own vehicle so hopefully the costumer doesn't get upset if it takes too long.

The nano skin is great much easier than clay and the iron x works very well also. As for time it's all up to you. I always give the customer a ballpark time frame for the work so they are not with it before I start. And as for pricing you can charge whatever you like as long as you are offering a quality to match. For my local area if I charge $25 an hour it actually puts me on the higher end of pricing. My area is swarming with mobile detailers doing full details, and I'm not sure what that includes for them, for 150 bucks. Which is where I am at for an aio with interior. As for 7-9 hours for an all im one job it seems a bit long if you are planning to make any money. Maybe other areas are different then mine but at say 30 an hour for 9 hours I don't see an all in one with something like d151 or xmt 360 being worth close to 300 dollars. If I was paying $300+ for work on my car I'd have to be impressed a little more than an all in one.

[David Hayward]

Also, all finishes are different some stuff will go faster than others when removing swirls and other defects. Your time frame will vary based on the severity of the defects and to what level you are planning to correct. You don't need to spend 20 hours polishing out a finish on a daily driven outside stored vehicle that is regularly going to see the inside of an automatic car wash that's wasting your time and the customers money. So really you need to look at things more per job than just a general is this amount of time good for a car because every job is different.

[David Hayward]

Just to add when I said that seems a little long to me at first I misread and didn't see that you did 205 and 105.

Also are you trying to do side work to make money or just because you enjoy detailing?

If you are trying to just be efficient and make money while also offering quality you will want to get into some process for correcting paint that's there for your middle of the road not a show car but not just a beat up Dd, that involves a single polishing step.

Sorry to type out so much for you to read I'm just trying to get an idea of what you are planning to offer and what jobs you will want to be taking on for customers.

[hernandez.art13]

I did a headlight restoration ,1500,3000, buff, polish

clay
tape
AIO

vacuum
interior wipe down
shampoo floor mats, folex, da brushes and carpet brushes

door jamb wipe down

Dressed tires and wheel wells

cleaned windows

in 4.5 hours :D (HE SHOOTS!!! AND HE SCORES!!!) lol

I did drive the car through a car wash (not going to comment on what kind :laughing: )

I dropped my price down quite significantly because the car was getting flipped and time became money for me. So we all left happy...,

Not saying or recommending anyone does this, in fact it was more of a lesson learned for me. (not going to make that mistake again) ;)

This reminds me of the saying they posted up on FB.

[hernandez.art13]

"Click your heals together three times and repeat after me...."The customer isn't paying for perfect, the customer isn't paying for perfect, the customer isn't paying for perfect."

In my opinion, we need to remind ourselves that they get what they pay for. This is the second job in a row that I'm going above and beyond, because in some weird way I'm afraid that one of y'all will see my work and pass judgment. LoL!"

^ Copied and pasted that btw Im the MAN

[David Hayward]

The truth has been spoken lol. Yes exactly. The bulk of people I see paying me are blown out of the water by what a couple hours of xmt 360 looks like paired with an hour or two tops on the inside. Then i have a few people that truly love and care for their car and are in to pay more to get a one step polish and an lsp and more durability and then I have my customers with their classics or just show cars in general that want to go right from my garage to a show on a trailer and win trophies. Everyone has a different idea of quality. I bet some people would be pumped with how it looks if you just washed and clay their car.

[Pureshine]

Well my customer are paying for as perfect as I can get it. This is why I charge the prices I do.

[hernandez.art13]

^ As you should, and props on your success.

What are the sayings?

Under promise and over deliver. And don't serve them steak if they paid for a salad?