How to get quicker but not lose quality?

[Grifffx4]

I know if I plan to ever make money detailing, I must get the job done well, but get it done within a amount of time that is productive.

So far in the two interior details I have done, it's taken me forever. I spent 8+ hrs on my fathers Explorer and ~6-7 hrs on my wife's Caravan.

-Vacuumed, cleaned leather seats, cleaned all interior plastic and didn't even clean carpet stains or windows because I ran out of time.

I know at that rate it will take me two plus days to do a full detail with correction.

I am aiming to be able to do a full detail in about 10-12 hours with one step AIO polish/sealant. Is this about right?

[andy2485]

how dirty were these cars? Those are usually. Vehicles that will take most a long time to do right. Are you new at this?

[HD.Detailing]

Steam really does help speed up the interior

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[crober53]

To do an explorer interior it takes me 2 hours usually. Vacuum, Clean carpet, upholstery/leather, dash doors trim etc, revacuum, windows. All about a system and how easy you make it to start your next process.

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[Grifffx4]

how dirty were these cars? Those are usually. Vehicles that will take most a long time to do right. Are you new at this?

Yeah I'm new at this. They were both pretty nasty. I have 3 kids, 7yr, 3yr, & 11mo so the minivan was pretty messed up. The Explorer is a 98 with 321k miles on it. The leather seats and console/dash were really dirty.

I just went over everything with Meg's APC with a detail brush lathering section by section and wiping off getting in creases cracks etc. I cleaned under the rails and components under the seats. I was pretty OCD. If I saw something dirty I couldn't leave it alone.

The van has black carpet, seats, plastic throughout. The seats stow away in the floor so I was able to get them out if the way and go over every inch with the a detail brush.


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[Grifffx4]

Steam really does help speed up the interior

Sent from my Alien Ship

Wish I could afford one right about now


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[GenesisCoupe]

There are a lot of shortcuts you can take without compromising the quality, you have to learn them over time. I learned a TON from watching other experts detail. There are even methods for drying a tire/wheel faster and better. You just have to learn from experience.

For example, interior details depend whether the headliner needs any work, if yes, start there, if not, start with windows, dash, and work your way down.

[TrolleyVW]

I do both dealer work through a company and full correction details. I've learned that in order to speed up interior jobs, I start at the trunk by vacuuming all and wiping everything but door jambs as they will need to be wiped after the wash.

After the entire trunk is done, go up the passenger side starting in the rear seat. I do all the wiping of plastics and vinyl/leather (stiff bristle brush can really make embedded dirt and grime easy work) and THEN vacuum after everything but before windows. I vacuum last because I like to sit/maneuver inside the car as I clean seats and such. Then windows last after all sections are done so I am not re wiping the dust off from the vacuum.

Finally after all wiping/cleaning/vacuum, if the owner even wants this, I will dress the hard surfaces stating from the rear passenger again.

Floor mats, if needed, are my last step as they are outside the car when I do them. Then wash.

Just my process.

[Audios S6]

I spent 8+ hrs on my fathers Explorer and ~6-7 hrs on my wife's Caravan.

Jeez, and I thought I was slow......

To do an explorer interior it takes me 2 hours usually. Vacuum, Clean carpet, upholstery/leather, dash doors trim etc, revacuum, windows. All about a system and how easy you make it to start your next process.

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Jeez, and I though I was fast......

I typically budget 2-4 hours for interior work; an extra 1-2 hours for very large, filthy vehicles depending on which service is chosen. The lower end services do not include stain removal (this takes ~ 2 hours). The upper end services include removal of most stains (this takes ~ 4 hours). Salt removal, pet hair, biohazard and set stains will take additional time and are additional services.


In all seriousness OP, you were working on vehicles with a lot of real estate and vehicles that probably see a lot of abuse. Also realize that you should have different interior packages that you market. It sounds like you did a top level interior cleaning, which should bring top dollar and take some time.

As for saving time.....For leather and fabrics, brush attachments for the DA polisher will speed things a lot. Steam is a huge time saver for plastics and door jambs, steam can also help with carpet and fabric stains. The Tornador is also well respected for plastics; I don't own one, so I cannot comment on actual performance. An extractor can speed things along or slow you down depending on if you use it wisely or not. Another huge piece is understanding stains and having a regimen/process for removing them (and having a service level for not removing them).

[parttimer]

There are tools to speed things up as well. I got my first use of a tornador and steamer this weekend. Still working on the steamer but dang that tornador ripped through the dirt and crap on the door panels. Even the carpet on the door panel came clean!