Are Dealer Ships The Only Way To Really Make Money?

[ShineTimeDetail]

That's the point of fleet services ........... it's all about volume with minimal overhead. In my case the crew would average 75 + trucks @ $9 per. Not bad with that being the low end of a full weekend.

Dealers may let you fill up with their water, but you're going to have to supply your own means to do the job the majority of the time.

So I need to talk to the manager of sales to do this? What kind of insurance do I need? I was looking into it and it was around $300 down and 105 a month but that was with like 10k coverage if a fire happened for equipment and working full time....But then again I have no idea what kind of coverage and who won't rip me off on coverage. Also I was looking at drive away plates which in MO they are only $50 per year.

[Shade Tree]

You'll want to talk to whomever manages the new car lot or the used car lot. Normally, the used car lot is where you may find more opportunity to make some money.

When I first approached a well known Chevrolet dealer I was hoping to be able to pick up their wash services etc. Not only did that work out, but soon I was performing express detailing services to all of their trade in vehicles going to the lot as well as the vehicles being sent to auction. Bread & butter.

The dealer will most likely have to be shown that you have liability coverage placing any damage liabilities upon you. Some dealerships will have increased insurance coverage required depending on the value of their stock etc.

$105 per month sounds steep to me, but I'm going on my past costs. If you're covering ALL liabilities including your own vehicle, equipment etc then I guess $105 sounds a bit closer to what I might expect. Before you do anything though; talk to the dealer management and find out (as mentioned earlier) where they stand as far as letting you provide the services, what their expectations are concerning your end product, what type of insurance requirements they might have and maybe what they've experienced in the past that you might want to deal with (past help wasn't very good maybe/ Why? What happened?)

Food for thought.

[ShineTimeDetail]

As of today, I have owned 3 automotive detailing businesses since the age of 17. I am now 42, have worked with business partners and have also incorporated some of the above ideas into the last couple of shops I owned.

I did enter into the corporate world for a number of years and retired last year not wanting to deal with the stress or politics ........... and really wanting to do something for myself once more. So here I am ..... auto detailing with my third shop. Definitely a passion for me.

I'll throw in a couple of ideas that have also worked for me that I would suspect would be good for just about any detail business ........

1.) Check with a reputable body shop regarding clean up of customer's vehicles. This isn't going to pertain to the exterior of the car as much as it will the interior of the car. Body shops simply don't have the time to devote to properly cleaning the interior & will usually blow it out & vacuum along with cleaning the windows. There is always going to be body shop dust that was missed. I offered interior services (sometimes custom polishing to the exterior) to body shops who had customers they wanted to "keep happy" or had extenuating circumstances. With this idea you are providing a service to the shop as well as to a customer who will likely spread the word.

2.) Combine services or share space with another automotive type of business. In my case, I had shared space with an automotive upholstery shop. This shop mainly did custom & replacement OEM interior, convertible tops and vinyl work. Many times a customer would want each of our services. Splitting the cost of leased space is always a good idea & the added advertising potential is invaluable.

3.) Fleet services are a bread & butter income for the times when you may become slower. If you have a mobile unit & are able to secure a contract or two with a large fleet (UPS, FedEx, Roadway ... trucking companies are good for weekend work) then you could hire a couple of people to help wash the vehicles on the weekend. I pay help $10 per hour and will average 8 -10 hours per day working during a weekend. Weekends are great for this work as the trucks are typically not being used, are parked with easy access and will fetch the higher price of say $9 per wash. No windows and no drying required. Past crews I have hired would average 75 - 130 trucks per weekend.

Just some ideas for thought ............ .02

So whom did you talk to to get these trucks?
How did you wash these monsters lol and how long did it take per truck?

[Shade Tree]

So whom did you talk to to get these trucks?
How did you wash these monsters lol and how long did it take per truck?

You would start with the GM of the facility. Some companies will be able to make a decision on the spot for individual depots whereas other companies such as FedEx require upper management consent.

FedEx will allow the Express (actual company owned equipment) be washed at their expense, however the FedEx Ground, Specialized and Extradited service trucks are privately leased by route owners and require individual permissions from the lease holders.

Washing consists of 1 person handling the water while the other two are using long, soft bristled brushes (kind of look like a broom I guess) to clean the exterior of the truck. It's important to note that this service pertains ONLY to the tractor/cab and not any trailers. Soft water is used so no drying is required.

Typical day cab trucks would take up to 7 minutes each. FedEx cargo van trucks would take closer to 15 depending on the size as the entire vehicle would be washed (storage box is a fixed part of the truck requiring washing).