Added Services: Clear Bra, PDR, & Window Tinting

Holden_C04

Holden_C04

New member
clearbraapplication.jpg






Alright, so let's have it out in this thread. What do you know about offering these services? You should point out:



  • What training is required
  • How much it costs
  • How difficult is it to learn?
  • What liabilities are there?
  • What is the market like?
  • How easy/difficult is it to sell?
  • Pros & Cons of each service



Here is what I know (and my knowledge is quite limited on these matters):



1) With PDR, people are very secretive about their techniques

2) The training for PDR is quite expensive

3) The market is saturated

4) It's easy (almost a cash grab) to offer this service along with a detail. An instant upsell if you will.



1) With window tinting, it's a very skilled trade like detailing

2) There are a lot of hack jobs

3) The market is not saturated with quality work



1) With clear bra, I don't know much other than I wish they would de-swirl the paint before applying it, but that's the detailer in me.

2) It's a very skilled trade as well (with plenty of hacks, as well)



So, let's hear your contributions everyone (particular lurkers who specialize in these trades). :idea
 
I own a clear bra business along with mobile detailing, so maybe i can help.

With clear braing it takes about 6 months of constant practice after formal training to really get proficient at it. Even after two years of installing kits, I learn new ways of fine tuning my installs all the time.



If you really want to get into clear braing full time, your going to need to purchase a plotter and some high quality cutting software.(Enpro, Xpel/Proform).

Also there’s the decision of what type of film your going to install. I've tried them all and I personally only install Clearshield film and Ventureshield film.



As far as profitability goes, customers normally come by word of mouth , so it might take a little while to get a steady flow of customers. Also quality installs is key to staying in this business. All it takes is one hack job to put you out of work.

Hope this helps.



Ps. When i look at the photo of that guy installing film on that Ferrari, all i can think of is "boy he needs to take off his watch!!"
 
Holden_C04 said:
Why is it that the most important threads on Autopia go without notice?
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Eh, I agree...I was really hoping for some replies here.



I have contemplated ALL of these services myself. I have 2 MASSIVE rolls (54 inches by 18 feet, each) of 3m Aeronautical grade clearbra sitting in my garage, too.



All I have done so far was the very bottom spoiler on my Focus. It was easy on the broad sides, but tricky making it look clean on corners where it comes together.
 
I am also VERY interested!!!!!



Is there possibilities of cutting it by hand and not having machines/software all that? Maybe cutting with a razor blade as you go...?



I have never been into Clear Bra'ing and wonder will that help or hurt my rep as the best detailer in my area (or what im trying to make it) or add to it.



Any info that you guys can give would be great!



,Dan
 
baseballlover1 said:
I am also VERY interested!!!!!



Is there possibilities of cutting it by hand and not having machines/software all that? Maybe cutting with a razor blade as you go...?



I have never been into Clear Bra'ing and wonder will that help or hurt my rep as the best detailer in my area (or what im trying to make it) or add to it.



Any info that you guys can give would be great!



,Dan
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There are people who cut very areas by hand to make custom fits.



Also, I don't see how this would hurt your reputation, if you are doing the same quality of work as you do in detailing (assuming you are the best in the area). Could you elaborate?
 
Used plotter on ebay, about 5 grand or so--IMO there is just no other way to *efficiently* do tint or clear bra. The film(ppf, not so much tint)) is very expensive, but most will let you buy small quantities, so no large buy in expense.



It took me quite some time with the paint protection film before I felt comfortable doing difficult installs. We trained with several different companies so that we could test the film and really test their level of devotioin "after the sale."



As far as tint and PDR, I just sub it out and make 20% or so(depends on the job) of the ticket. IMO, tint is either something you can do, or you can"t, and I can't. Why not just hire a guy to do your tint, then make your money off of the film and partial labor. Same with PDR--customer wants tint/pdr, no problem, we charge for the film, convenience (one stop shop), and labor. The tinter/pdr guy makes money, we make money by facilitating the deal.



Honestly, if I had more diposable income at the moment I would open a tint/clear bra fixed location shop north of our city with a tinter and let my right hand man run the detail shop in the "good" part of town that we are in.



Lots if money in tint (and pdr) *if* the market isn't saturated.
 
My tint guy does it 100% by hand. If God did window tinting, this would be him.



I've been using him for years. Never knew people cut it with machines? This guy can make the lines 100% flawless on the spot, by hand. That's a true pro if you ask me...
 
Lumadar said:
My tint guy does it 100% by hand. If God did window tinting, this would be him.



I've been using him for years. Never knew people cut it with machines? This guy can make the lines 100% flawless on the spot, by hand. That's a true pro if you ask me...
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Same with my guy. Does ALL 1-piece rear windows and tint that goes to the edges of the window, all by hand.



It truly is amazing.
 
I've actually thought about adding touch up repair. Nothing fancy, just nicks and chips.I added headlight restoration last year (this year) and added 3800.00 to my bottom line.



The average vehicle where I live has 2-3 stone chips in the paint. I know I can get 20.00 per chip. That's a minimum of 40.00 per unit. Say you do only 2 a week. 80.00X52=4160.00

With the headlights that almost 10k in upsells. These two to me are the least time consuming and the easiest to learn. Of course you have to buy the kit. I'm betting that's at least 1500.00



Would anyone recommend one?
 
slicknickis3 said:
Same with my guy. Does ALL 1-piece rear windows and tint that goes to the edges of the window, all by hand.



It truly is amazing.
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Our guy did all by hand for over twenty years, so it's no big deal for him. Once he switched to patterns cut via a plotter, his efficiency increased dramatically. Now if there is a vehicle that is not in the system, then yeah, no problem he will hand cut it.



You can still "shave" the windows to the edges and all of the rear windows are one piece. There is an option on the new C6 to do a two piece, but it's just an option. Anyone who has tinted the rear window of a c6 would probaly testify to the fact that it might be a nice option to have. :D



It also eliminates accidental scratches to the glass--you never have to cut on it.
 
I own a mobile clear bra installation business and have been at it for about 5 years. I went to a 3M certification class. Well worth it for a beginner but a better option would be to work a deal with a good installer. Most of what Ihave learned has been from experience. There are a lot of little tricks to manipulate the film to fit correctly that you will not hear in a certification class. Everything I do is pre-cut kits. I never recommend hand cutting on a car. I have pulled to many kits from "experts at custom hand cutting" only to find cuts in the paint... which is never found until the film is removed. It is a very precise art and I only know of one company that is good at it... Permier Mobile Group.



I think a great way to get into it is offer a trade. I have detailers that I do work for. They have clients that want the product, they call me, and and I do the work while training them. The detailer makes a little money out of it and they learn the business as well. I really would like to get into detailing and paint chip repair... would be a great package to offer clients... and very profitable.
 
I feel that clear bra installs will be your best bet. Relatively consistent techniques and decent profits. I had gone for training in 2006, and continue to get better and better with installs. 3m has had my information on their link which has served as a great tool in gaining clients. Also, not that I have been doing them for almost 3 years, I am starting to have repeat clients in addition to the ref's from happy clients. In taking the PDR classes, I underestimated the time required to make that portion of the business work... I don't see that being a good investment, unless you are working on similiar metals on a regular basis. I have heard similar feedback to the tint as I have experienced with the clear bra film. Judging by your pitctures that you have posted, I can tell you are a particular person. Film is something that you will most likely enjoy doing, and it will be a change of pace. I wish you luck in whatever you choose. When it comes to film, I highly suggest the xpel film, and their training courses. They were one of the biggest 3M film associates and recently released their own line of film that is def the best out there. Additionally their training is very good! Best of luck to you,

Jason
 
A bit off topic,but related I feel. I thought about all the above mentioned services. Did some homework and decided against all those and went with, Paint and Chip Repair,Leather and Vinyl Repair,Carpet and Upholstry Repair,Headlight Restoration,and Trim Dye. Reasons being, 1, time needed to perfect the others is quite a bit longer. The kits are very expensive. Above all you need extensive training. I did take some training for the add on services. I also have a good friend who does the clear bra's and took his advice. He's been in the business for 25 plus years. He also so does PDR. I felt the others were easier to learn for me,with my time constrants working fulltime too.
 
Showroom Shine said:
A bit off topic,but related I feel. I thought about all the above mentioned services. Did some homework and decided against all those and went with, Paint and Chip Repair,Leather and Vinyl Repair,Carpet and Upholstry Repair,Headlight Restoration,and Trim Dye. Reasons being, 1, time needed to perfect the others is quite a bit longer. The kits are very expensive. Above all you need extensive training. I did take some training for the add on services. I also have a good friend who does the clear bra's and took his advice. He's been in the business for 25 plus years. He also so does PDR. I felt the others were easier to learn for me,with my time constrants working fulltime too.
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Congrats. What paint/chip repair system did you buy? That will be the system you use the most.



Good choice avoiding PDR and clear bra. Those have very steep learning curves (100s of hours invested and lots of wasted film).
 
I missed this topic. Having tried PDR, I would say forget it. You really need a lot of time training and that is going to cost money. Dent Wizard, I believe, trains their people for like three months before they hit a car lot. When I was trying to get into this, my trainer said he would not let any employee touch a customer's car without four months of training. I did two weeks and knew enough to be dangerous. If you have the time and money for this training though, then it can be a lucrative add on. Everything you charge is going to be profit, as there is almost no overhead.



Showroom Shine had the best idea, but remember you can be a jack of all trades and master of known. If you can learn color matching, then paint touch up and interior work can be learned easily enough. If you are doing car lots, then color matching is less important.:)



To me, the best add on for detailers is headlight restoration. You guys already have the skill with the machine. You can also offer a lower price as an add on, since you are already there.
 
Paint protection film can be very tricky. I have been doing it for over 5 years and travel all over the country doing installation work. I do not have a plotter and do not free hand installs. I have a few companies I go through for kits and jsut order directly from them. It does cut into my profit a little but I also do not have the overhead most business's do. Getting the patterns can be very expensive and usually require a monthly fee or you are charged per cut. You also have to stock film which can be expensive. So for me being mobile and buying precut kits has been ideal. I would actually recommend that starting out than buying a plotter. if you get all of the equipment and do not have that much demand in your area... then you could be sitting on a lot of cash... and in an economy like this that could be bad.



One thing I do recommend though is never cut oin the car. You WILL cut the paint and have a lot of angry customers. Not only will it kill your business but it hurts the entire industry as well.
 
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