dealer one steppers.

S

sacdetailing

New member
Hey guys i started get more and more dealer cars for one steppers. I did 2 cars yesterday one is $80 and other one is $90 (a bit of wet sanding) and one car took me like 4 hours but the other one took me about 8 hours. am cool with that since i made around 170 a day i did wash, quick clay then i used super intensive on orange pad with DA, and some times power gloss, then ez-creme glaze and lsp was black fire. second car needed 2 steppers on a lot of areas and i took it longer to make it look better, yes it was my choice lol. I need something that would cut good and protect in the same time but wouldnt take me more than 4 hours of polishing. i did exteriors only.

pls help! :think: :bawling::o i know i know that was too cheap but am trying to spread the word out.

P.S. I don't need a lot money since am going to college and will do this on the side.
 
IMO it does not matter if you "don't need a lot of money"...charge what you are worth. If you get a couple good dealer accounts that are willing to pay more for quality work you will be better off. Because you don't need a lot of money you can be selective of the dealers you want to work with. I understand wanting to get your name out there, but it will be hard to raise prices once you already have an account.



Just my 2 cents.
 
Trashed paint with no hope of real correction: M66, this stuff is the perfect fast fix on beaters.

Moderately swirled paint: D151

Paint with light swirls: FK215 or Poliseal
 
JPostal said:
IMO it does not matter if you "don't need a lot of money"...charge what you are worth. If you get a couple good dealer accounts that are willing to pay more for quality work you will be better off. Because you don't need a lot of money you can be selective of the dealers you want to work with. I understand wanting to get your name out there, but it will be hard to raise prices once you already have an account.



Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

thanks my friend i will keep this in mind.



AeroCleanse said:
Poli-Seal or Meg's D151
Click to expand...

I need to get some of that stuff



yakky said:
Trashed paint with no hope of real correction: M66, this stuff is the perfect fast fix on beaters.

Moderately swirled paint: D151

Paint with light swirls: FK215 or Poliseal
Click to expand...

thanks i will get em as soon as i can.
 
If the dealer you are working for is like most others, and wants "full details" for $150, you must establish what you will and will not do for the price. Put it clearly in writing what you intend to provide for the agreed upon price. Also clearly state what types of things are not included in the service you are being paid for. This way you are doing a set process on each car, which you should be able to properly estimate the time it will take you.
 
yes i know, dealers want o get too much for too little. am only doing exterior because i hate doing interiors and there are a lot of guys here that do interiors pretty good, dealers just need exterior refinished. because the local detailers only clay and light polish with wax which doesnt do anything except the shine.
 
dude, sub those out to other people so you still make money while you work on another car. you just made less than $12 per hour when you factor in gas, supplies, etc.



There is a saying, if you are not making more than you could working for someone else, there is no point in being in business for yourself...



get 151 on an orange pad, or m66 on a orange pad and call it a day. whatever comes out comes out. I would have never wetsanded or two stepped anything for a price so low! talk the dealer into 150 per car and you will do a quick two step on both - M105 then M66, and you can make some decent money in 5 hours (the finish wont be flawless, but better than PG and EZC for sure!). explain the benefits, yada yada.



some dealer hit me up a while back for $90/car...perfect paint no scratches, engine detail no dirt/stains, and a perfect interior....I said look on craigslist for a detailer who might fit your needs because I am not him, you are looking at about 400 retail and 300 dealer pricing...he hung up.
 
The other point to throw out there, hit the deeper swirls hard and let the product do the masking. The car will be re-swirled in no time thanks to the lot monkeys, so there is zero point in making it perfect.
 
toyotaguy said:
dude, sub those out to other people so you still make money while you work on another car. you just made less than $12 per hour when you factor in gas, supplies, etc.



There is a saying, if you are not making more than you could working for someone else, there is no point in being in business for yourself...



get 151 on an orange pad, or m66 on a orange pad and call it a day. whatever comes out comes out. I would have never wetsanded or two stepped anything for a price so low! talk the dealer into 150 per car and you will do a quick two step on both - M105 then M66, and you can make some decent money in 5 hours (the finish wont be flawless, but better than PG and EZC for sure!). explain the benefits, yada yada.



some dealer hit me up a while back for $90/car...perfect paint no scratches, engine detail no dirt/stains, and a perfect interior....I said look on craigslist for a detailer who might fit your needs because I am not him, you are looking at about 400 retail and 300 dealer pricing...he hung up.
Click to expand...



thanks my friend, i just got myself a m66 gallon.



yakky said:
The other point to throw out there, hit the deeper swirls hard and let the product do the masking. The car will be re-swirled in no time thanks to the lot monkeys, so there is zero point in making it perfect.
Click to expand...

thanks man!
 
why seal a sealer car with opti seal though? 151 has a little protection to it...i'd leave it at that, unless you are charging more to seala it
 
yeah i am with TG on this one, $90 for a 2 step AND wet sanding?? hell no, you are only making them money and they are using and abusing you.
 
We use to and still do complete dealership bumper to bumper details which includes 2 buffing steps for $70-$90 per car. Wetsanding, overspray, tree sap, heavy tar and scratches were a little more. Focus on cutting corners and costs with efficient processes and cost effective products.
 
only way I can see how that might be possible is something like M105 and M66/151....two people, one with a rotary and PFW/105, then one with a DA and 151/orange....presoak while cleaning the wheels and tires (outers only), then pressure rinse off and re-soak car...clay while soap is on the car without washing it...let guy one go with the rotary and get a head start while the other guy is on the interior with a bottle of APC and towels with vacuuming...then guy two jumps on the DA and follows the same pattern as guy one...guys one finishes with rotary and dresses the interior and the tires/trim...guy two switches pads and glazes the car removing the polishing oils and dressing that made its way paint...FINALLY wipe it down and ship it off.



is that how its done?
 
yes. I used 1/2 gallon of it on cars for a 2nd step after 105 on whites and cheap details a couple years ago. But since focusing on high quality, I have gone away from AIOs and the like. My one step is actually Menzerna 203 followed by CGEZCG and then a sealant, not something like poliseal or 151
 
In the beginning, due to the influx of dealer cars to you, and the in-flow of easy money, you probably think you're fortunate.

You are eager to please, and therefore, willing to do 2-step jobs etc for such a low price.

This "spoils" the dealers into thinking "told ya so!! these guys can certainly do miracles for $90! Don't need those $300jobs!". .



As time progresses, you'll start to realise you're being "too low", especially when you meet someone who gets paid more for doing identical jobs. Even worse, even if you get more cars to do, you might not hv the time and manpower to handle it.



For the dealers whom you've serviced, it's a bit late to increase your price.

But for other new clients, pls increase it appropriately because you do a really good job, use the good stuff, and your "more realistic" price will re-adjust their mindset, and hence, benefit other detailers out there as well in the future.
 
gigondaz said:
In the beginning, due to the influx of dealer cars to you, and the in-flow of easy money, you probably think you're fortunate.

You are eager to please, and therefore, willing to do 2-step jobs etc for such a low price.

This "spoils" the dealers into thinking "told ya so!! these guys can certainly do miracles for $90! Don't need those $300jobs!". .



As time progresses, you'll start to realise you're being "too low", especially when you meet someone who gets paid more for doing identical jobs. Even worse, even if you get more cars to do, you might not hv the time and manpower to handle it.



For the dealers whom you've serviced, it's a bit late to increase your price.

But for other new clients, pls increase it appropriately because you do a really good job, use the good stuff, and your "more realistic" price will re-adjust their mindset, and hence, benefit other detailers out there as well in the future.
Click to expand...



I don't see anything wrong with spoiling your dealer clients. If you start at a certain price that produces a reasonable profit margin, there should be no reason to second guess your workflow decision. No matter what your competition is charging. Dealers will be dealers and they are and should be treated differently than your retail clients. They give you work day in, day out and your retail customers should be secondary. If you aren't smart enough to meet your client's demand by not having adequate labor it's your own fault.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top