Average time of a car detail

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Rednsxe

New member
How long does it usualy take you guys to detail a car. In and out and just Outside. Also how much time do you spend on each step, Clay, smr/dacp, polishing.......
 
How long does it usualy take you guys to detail a car. In and out and just Outside. Also how much time do you spend on each step, Clay, smr/dacp, polishing.......



I would say about 4 hours is how long I spend on the average detail. I have spent up to 10 hours (a trashed minivan). If I was to just ignore the interior it would probably knock 1 - 2 hours off the job.



Clay - 30 to 60 min

DACP - 1 to 2 hours (I don't do this on every car)

SMR - same as DACP

Polish - depends on the polish, if I'm using SEC probably less than 30 minutes

Wax - about an hour - closer to 30 minutes if using S100



EDIT....

BTW, after posting and reviewing I realized this thread was in the Professional Detailers forum. Ooops, I thought I was in Autopia University. I'm not necessarily a "professional" detailer. I detail on the side whenever I have a "gig" or spare time for one of my vehicles.
 
About 3 1/2 hrs for me. I do not typically clay cars though. Wash, polish, glaze, seal. Then steam clean carpets, vacuum, condition leather, etc.
 
Somewhere between 3 and 5 hours depending how bad it is.



I did a nice well looked after 2002 Excursion in 3 1/2 and cost them 80 bucks , but a trashed 2001 Millenia took me 5 and cost them 120.



All depends how much the customer is paying and what they want doing.



A 'maintenance' Wash and Vac will take about 45 minutes as long as the vehicles up to my standard.
 
Cars usually take around 3 hours. That's for full interior and exterior detail, includes a 2 step exterior detail (polish and wax) and shampooing the interior. This does not include clay or compounding, these are extras and will add to the time required.
 
Wow, you guys are fast. It takes me between 6-8 hours for a car and 8-10 hours on a truck. I actually detailed a saab 9-3 convertible this week, it took me 15 hours, but it looked great when it was finished and the customer was estatic. I really take my time to make sure I get "every detail" on every car that I do.
 
EvreDtail said:
Wow, you guys are fast. It takes me between 6-8 hours for a car and 8-10 hours on a truck. I actually detailed a saab 9-3 convertible this week, it took me 15 hours, but it looked great when it was finished and the customer was estatic. I really take my time to make sure I get "every detail" on every car that I do.
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Once you come up with a good system you can really cut your time down. Having the proper equipment and knowing how to use it helps too. I make sure I get "every detail" too. I did a full detail on a black Cherokee which included a fallout wash and a 4 step exterior detail in under 5 1/2 hours.



What was involved in the 15 hour detail and what do you charge?

Do you polish/wax by hand or machine?
 
When you guys clay w/in an hour, do you guys get every spec off with it or just go over quickly until it glides smoothly and then let the Cleaner finish the rest of the surface off? I did a very thorough clay on a CLK and it took me about a little over a hour and a half
 
3-10 ish hours depending on the condition, level of detail and lsp. Every car takes about an hour to wash thoroughly (that's jambs in the trunk, hood and doors, trim apc cleaned etc.) Then another half an hour for wheels and wells, another twenty minutes or so if I do a chemical decon and then another 30 minutes for clay and a quick rewash. If I do an AIO it usually takes an hour, or if I use a spray wax/sealant or something like hydro2 it takes probably 10 minutes as I dry the car from washing after the clay. I tend to only do one step corrections which take me about two hours and then wax, but if I coat one, it's usually 4-5 hours for compound, polish and ipa/eraser wipe, and then another hour or so to actually coat it.
 
batman_threadres.jpg
 
I remember answering this thread back in the day and alot of folks did also, seems alot of post's were taken off or lost.
 
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